Sony Gamers' Day: Hands-on: Frequency 2

We tried out Frequency 2 at Sony's event today and got the scoop on what the next incarnation of the music game will offer. The game will feature a new look, new gameplay features, new stages, new music, and, of course, online play. The build of the game at the event let us try one of the new cities and choose from one of five songs.

Graphically the game's look has changed quite a bit from the original game. The levels are now set in wide-open spaces in massive cities, and the tracks will now offer alternate paths through them. As in the first game, you will be represented by a virtual "freq," but this time around, its appearance will change as you progress through the game, and you'll earn accessories to gussy it up. The character will be onscreen at all times when you play through the game. Its appearance will change slightly as you alternate through the various tracks of a song. You'll notice that the freq will be holding the instrument that corresponds to the instrument of the track you're trying to clear. For example, if you're playing on a vocal track, it will be holding a microphone, and if you switch to a bass track, it will hold a bass guitar.

In terms of its gameplay, Frequency 2 looks to offer some changes from its predecessor. The balance has been tweaked a bit to keep the difficulty manageable even among the different settings you can choose from. There are still quite a few tweaks to be implemented in the game, but from what we played, the game is as addictive as ever.

The online component of the game, likely to be the most eagerly awaited feature by its fans, has some nice offerings. You'll be able to play with three other players online, for a total of up to four players in a single game. In addition, the game's remix mode will let you share your custom remixes with friends, or enemies, online.

We also discovered that the PlayStation 2 network adapter's startup disc will offer fans of Frequency a little treat to tide them over until the sequel hits. The demo of the original Frequency on the disc will actually let you play all the music tracks from the game online by swapping discs with the original Frequency disc.

From what we played at the event, Frequency 2 is shaping up nicely. The new music tracks, slick new look, and addictive gameplay modes are sure to please fans of the original. Look for more on the game in the coming months.