Gitaroo-Man (Sony PlayStation 2, 2002)

Gitaroo Man is a rhythm game (think DDR, Guitar Hero, Rock Band... but without any peripherals, just the normal PS2 controller) with a quirky japanese style. It is somewhat anime-like in terms of visuals, but more so in terms of the sense of humour, story, and characters (think Katamari Damacy :) The plot is basically that you're a kid who is actually the `superhero' Gitaroo Man, and you `fight' attacking aliens by playing the guitar.

Basically the gameplay consists of two types of music timing actions. There is the offense type, which involves using the analog stick to point in the direction of a music line and at the same time using the O button to push and hold in time with the music notes on the screen. The defense stage involves using the 4 symbol buttons (X, O, square, triangle), again timing these buttons with the music and visual cues. Winning the `battle' just requires that you play the music well enough, so really the mechanism is not that different from other rhythm games.

The music is good and has variety so far, but I'm still early in the game (I don't play rhythm games often, nor am I a veteran gamer, so this game is a challenge for me). The in-game tutorial is good, and covers all you need to know in case you don't have the manual (I have one, but there's not much in it really).

I bought this game because it was highly recommended to me both by online game sites (game rankings 82%, gamespot 87%, etc) and other gamers. I'm enjoying this game greatly, and would recommend trying it out if you're into rhythm games, anime, or just have a quirky sense of humour. I haven't seen anything here that's inappropriate for children, so it looks fine if you're buying it for younger ages. It is a bit rare though, so you'll probably have to spend more here than most other PS2 games.

In Guitarooman you play as a loser kid named U1. He wishes to hook up with this girl, but she always seems just out of reach. At first U1 is unaware of his special destiny, and the hidden power inside of him. U1 has a talking dog named PUMA who has a magical guitar which is the key to U1's power. When PUMA tosses U1 this special guitar U1 transforms into the legendary hero Guitarooman. Now Guitarooman must face other enemies with special instruments in order to save himself and the things that he loves.

What amazed me about this game is that the story actually makes sense! The music in the game is excellent. Every song is catchy and enjoyable to listen to. Guitaroo's gameplay is difficult to describe. In the game Guitarooman battles various enemies using your guitar, there are attack and defend game modes. In attack mode when you tilt the left analogue stick a blue fan appears, you must gently move the stick to guide this fan on the changing track. As you do this you must also hit one of PS2's face buttons at the beginning of each note. When you are defending against enemy attacks in defend mode, you must press the correct face button at the right time to dodge or evade an attack.

Bottom Line: GuitarooMan is an awesome rhythm game. Is it better than Parappa The Rapper 1 & 2? Yes, it is better both in terms of the music and controls. Guitarooman's difficulty may intimidate some players, still not experiencing this game would be a crime against music.

Guitaroo-Man is a prequel to the more modern music simulation games. Played on only a controller you take on the role of a troubled teen who seems to have trouble with bullies and the mysterious workings of love.

Spurned on by your faithful dog you go from cut scene to cut scene starting in your house and ending up in the outer reaches of space where you eventually find yourself fighting to protect and defend the very existence of earth's population from a megalomaniacal super-villain. Your primary weapon is your alien Gitaroo - one of a number of musical instruments used to wage battle. Should you unite all the guitaroos there's no telling what power you might amass or what good you might do for the universe.

This is a classic, hard to find title by Sony that is a necessary addition to any diverse library of games. It is unique and will not leave you bored. As you get better you can easily impress your friends and family while they look on in wonder after being unable to defeat even the first level.

Yet another game imported from Japan. With no other game like it, like Katamari Damacy, it can only compare to how you see it. There is a song for nearly every major genre of music, from old school rock & roll to Jpop. The playstyle is quite unique and very difficult to get used to. If you have good hand-eye coordination, the learning curve will be much easier. The story is almost non-existent, with one minute clips before each of 10 stages. Nonetheless, you can't help but love the main character, U-1. After playing though the story mode, you'll unlock "Master Mode", which is basically a harder, more intense version of each song. It requires more dodging and riffing and deals more damage to you for missing either. Versus mode is also extremely fun. One player does the attack while the other player does the dodging, and then it switches. If you've played a game like Guitar Hero or DDR, I gurantee you'll love Gitaroo-man.

Gitaroo Man is definitely a game that will take practice. It's a difficult game, but a lot of fun. While the cursor does "snap" to the line a little, it will certainly not do all the work for you. Your fingers have to be quick and you will probably end up playing some of the songs several times, but if you make it to the end you will hear some awesome music. It is a combination of keeping a cursor on point and hitting the triangle, circle, x, and square buttons on time. Story line wise, it does skip around a bit. You may not understand why U-1, your main character, is where he is at certain times.....I would just say don't skip the tutorial, and try to get a copy with the original game booklet insert.