Amplitude (PlayStation 2)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Ryan Davis
• Reviewed on: 03/26/2003
• Released on: 03/24/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Amplitude (PlayStation 2) Review

When it comes to sequels, there are certain things you expect. You want improved gameplay, but nothing drastically different from the original. The graphics should, of course, be cranked up at least a notch or two. Basically, you want more of what you liked about the original, and less of what you didn't. Amplitude, the follow-up to Harmonix's excellent rhythm game Frequency, handles all its obligations as a sequel with aplomb. Like its predecessor, it features highly addictive rhythm-based gameplay set to some excellent songs. Amplitude also boasts a great online multiplayer mode, as well as new power-ups and improved visuals. It isn't so radically different as to woo players unimpressed by Frequency, but fans of the original, and fans of rhythm games in general, should be very pleased indeed.

The first thing Frequency freaks will notice about Amplitude is the very different-looking playfield. The octagonal tunnel has been replaced with a flat plane divided into rows. It looks significantly different, but the difference is largely aesthetic, and the core gameplay is basically the same. Each row is dotted with left, right, and middle markers and represents a different element of the song that's playing--drums, bass, guitar, vocals, synth, and so on. As the markers reach the bottom of the screen, you have to tap the corresponding button in time with the music. Miss the beat too often, and it's game over. If you can complete a section of a row without missing a marker, that row will clear out and start playing on its own for a while, leaving you to move to another row. If you can clear one row and move to another without skipping a beat, the points you'll score on that row will be doubled. And if you can keep moving from row to row without skipping a beat, your point scores will rack up even higher, though the multipliers do top out at eight. The scoring system is well designed, and will encourage you to keep trying to outperform yourself.

You'll occasionally see sections of rows with different-looking markers, which, if cleared, will net you a power-up that can be used at your discretion. The autoblaster will clear out a row, which is helpful for dealing with patterns beyond your skill level. The score doubler will, as the name infers, briefly double your score for clearing a row. The freestyler power-up works a bit differently than it did in Frequency, and for the better. In Frequency, the freestyler would unlock a pair of rows where you could do some turntable-style scratching and/or some synthesizer noodling, depending on the song. In Amplitude, the freestyler pulls the camera view above the rows, giving you a beneficial third dimension to work with. It's certainly much more visually appealing, with the scratching represented by zigzagging lines and the synth represented by a pulsating ball of particle effects, and the scratching also sounds significantly more authentic. There's one brand-new power-up in Amplitude, the slo mo, which reduces the speed of the song, making more complex patterns more manageable. All these power-ups help keep things interesting.

Amplitude is about as bewildering to first-timers as Frequency was, though it does take several steps to alleviate the confusion. First off, Amplitude has a comprehensive tutorial, something that Frequency lacked. Also, Amplitude provides a lot more visual cues to help you keep track of what's going on. Each row is color-coded to a specific instrument--red rows are always percussion, green rows are always vocals, and so on. As you gain multipliers, you'll see arrows pointing to any of the rows where you can potentially continue your combo. Rows containing power-ups are lit up with towering beams of light, making them easier to identify from afar. Also, the difficulty curve in Amplitude is much more gradual than in Frequency, making the game a more accessible to the casual rhythm gamer. This has the unfortunate side effect of making the most difficult tracks in Amplitude slightly less challenging than the most difficult tracks in Frequency. The game will definitely challenge your rhythm skills, just not to such an extreme.

Amplitude's multiplayer is generally better, partially because of the new track design, which allows all the players to see the action without resorting to a split screen. But the most significant enhancement to the multiplayer game--and, really, to Amplitude in general--is the addition of online play. With the help of the PlayStation 2 Network Adapter, players can go online and compete against up to three other players simultaneously. Harmonix didn't half-step with the online mode, which features a ranking system and downloadable content and works well over both narrowband and broadband connections. You can only play through a song by yourself so many times, but when there's some real competition to go up against, the replay value is increased considerably.

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Amplitude (PlayStation 2): $29.99

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