Amazon.co.uk
In Gitaroo Man, you take on the role of the implausibly named U-1 and discover, via your talking dog, of course, that you are the last Gitaroo Man, and thus are destined to save your planet from the evil Gravillian family. You are armed with a Gitaroo, which is essentially a musical instrument (in your case a guitar) that doubles as a weapon.
Each level sees the player battling a member of the Gravillian family and is split into charge, attack, and guard sections. Attacking and charging involves rotating the analog stick while timing your button presses, thus charging your energy bar or attacking your opponent. Guard mode is frenetic as symbols fly toward the middle of the screen while you press the appropriate button to avoid taking damage. The action can switch from attack to guard in a split second, ensuring chaotic gameplay. Each level uses one or all of these modes in differing order, which shakes up the often rigid routes that these types of games usually take.
The graphics offer a pleasing, colorful Japanese cartoon style, but the constant background action can sometimes obscure vital onscreen info. Crucially, the music doesn't grate upon repeated plays and the interaction between your button bashing and the guitar works really well. Gitaroo Man benefits from the rethinking of the usual control methods (and the overactive imagination that conceived of the bizarre characters and locations). Gitaroo Man probably won\'t convert people who don't like music games, but those who are into the genre will love it. --Jonathan Winter |
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