Amplitude, a Game Where Music and Video Games Collide!

Music and video games have always gone together, but the creators at Harmonix studios have merged the two in a totally new way with the game Amplitude. Amplitude is an amazing combination of hand eye coordination and great music by some well known artist like Diesel Boy, Blink 182, and Pink. Amplitude is defiantly a new generation in the music game industry.

So the basic idea of Amplitude is that you're a space ship that flies on tracks made up of music notes. These notes are arranged so that they coincide with beat of the song, and are adjusted depending on your level of difficulty. As you progress through the song you will have to jump from track to track, turning them on so you get the "full effect" of the song. Each track represents a specific instrument or effect of the song, like the drums, guitar, vocals, and FX. As you complete each track you will need to move to the next in order to turn it on, but keep in mind that eventually tracks will shut off and you will be required to turn them back on.

The game play is pretty basic and easy to pick up on, it just requires a lot of button mashing. The trick to the game is timing, you have to time your button tapping with the beat of the music in order to complete the game. This may sound easy at first, and it is, but once you get up into the harder and faster songs you'll begin to feel the strain. The adjustable difficulty setting is great, allowing beginners to get a good feel for the game and the way you play, while veterans will be challenged by the hardest difficulty level, "insane!"

There are plenty of unlockable songs in the game, and most of them are worth the effort. Freeze Pop is a super techno band and their song is very catch to say the least. As you progress through the game you'll have to complete levels, each consisting of about four songs. If you reach the required amount of points per level then the bonus songs become available!

Now don't go off thinking that this game has cheesy music because that couldn't be further from the truth. Famous artist from around the world appear in this game with their hits. Run DMC, Diesel Boy, Wheezer, David Bowe, Slip Knot, and Pink all make appearances along with Blink 182 with their hit song "Rock Show" making this game that much better. Also some of the more off beat songs are fun to listen to as well and make the game more diversified.

Amplitude does sacrifice graphics but then again what kind of graphics do you expect from a game that showcases music? The backgrounds are just around to amuse those watching, but to incorporate bits and pieces of the artists in their music videos, which is a nice touch. For the most part you won't be worried about the graphics anyways because you'll be too busy watching tracks and timing your button tapping.

Amplitude is an all around great game that has so much originality. It is the greatest music video game around, only being overshadowed possibly by Guitar Hero, which was produced by the same company. Anyone who is into music or any gamer looking for a challenge will love Amplitude for the Playstation 2.