This is the world of "Gitaroo Man", one of the more interesting titles to arrive on American shores from Japan (and you thought things like this would forever remain hidden in the Land of the Rising Sun!). The game comes from Koei, the company famous for historical games such as the "Kessen" series. So how does Koei's foray into the musical genre hold? Thankfully, it holds up very well and is probably one of the better offerings of the genre!

As said before, you play U-1, aka Gitaroo Man, who must use his legendary Gitaroo to defeat enemies. This is done when he and his adversaries take turns playing music selections, which is actually attacking each other. The story borders on the lines of silliness, but it actually makes sense in the context of the gameplay. If you're familiar with games like "Bust-a-Move" and "Dance Dance Revolution", you'll understand at least part of this game. I said a "part" because in this game, the player uses not only the four action buttons but also the left analog stick. I won't go into detail about the control scheme, but I will say that it requires a lot of hand-eye coordinartion with both hands at the same time, concentration on the music beats and rhythms, and a lot of practice. So this game is not a mindless button-masher like "Parappa the Rappa 2". In fact, it's one of the most rewarding music games ever created. Players who finish this game will feel a sense of pride in mastering this incredibly fun title.

But what's a music game with great gameplay without good songs? Certainly not "Gitaroo Man"! There haven't been songs this good since the first "Bust-a-Move", and there probably won't be for a long time. But if you're worried there's only mindless Japanese dance music in this game, fear not! This game has 10 levels filled with very differing music genres, including J-pop, disco-funk, electronica-reggae, rock-opera, and more! And virtually all the songs are teriffic, so a player is guaranteed to have at least several favorites.

And the voice acting is surpringly good. It's not as good as, say, "Soul Reaver 2" or even "Silent Hill 2", but it's still very well done. And considering Koei's other past attempts at voice acting *cough* "Kessen II" *cough* "Gitaroo Man" holds up very well.

Graphically, the style suits the game very well. The styles is very anime-ish, although it looks nothing like, say, "Princess Mononoke" or "Cowboy Bebop"; the characters' heads are big compared to their bodies. But the graphics still work with the game, and there are no slowdowns or framerate issues to speak of. Lip-synching of voices can be little off or even non-existent, but again, it works with the quirkiness and style of the game.

And the replay value of the game? For most, it'll be through the roof. If you think the 10 levels of exciting music action are too easy, try the Master's Level, which features the exact same songs with more difficult gameplay. Believe me, they are hard. And considering the difficulty of the American version of this game was toned down from impossible to almost impossible, we shouldn't complain. Plus, gamers can try to get better scores on songs, which unlock hidden collectables. For completists, this game is a dream come true.

All in all, "Gitaroo Man" is undoubtedly worth a spot in any PS2 owner's collection. It seems quirky and very "Japanese" (and it is), but behind its oddball facade is very deep gameplay that has to be experienced by everyone. There is nothing like "Gitaroo Man", and there probably never will be again. It would be a shame for this "niche" game to be lost in the sea of quality PS2 titles, because this game definately has quality written all over it; you just have to look for it past its strangeness!

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:


Time for a More Serious Review  Mar 17, 2002 By LoserWithoutThought
Hi, I'm not going to be your typical "This GaME Kicks ...!" type of reviewer because I believe in intelligent reviews (it is my only outlet for venting my repressed anger and opinions).

Gitaroo Man is a music game that most people will be familiar with as long as they have played something like Parapa the Rappa. Like all games in this growing genre it is essentially timed button presses but fortunately Koei added some inovation. Thanks to the use of the analog stick you feel like you are playing an instrument but herein lies a problem. You need hand-eye coordination. If anyone reading this has a problem coordinating their hands and eyes please look at another product because this will be too difficult for you.

It took me alone a good while to learn how to perform these functions all at once. The songs are fun and catchy and, unlike Parapa, are very challenging. What I like about this is that even if you've beaten the same level 8 times, try it again and you'll probably have to resart a few times.

Initially you won't like the weird Japanesee feel or the steep learning curve but give it a try and soon you'll be hooked. While things like the battle mode seem wild at first soon you can pass by without much trouble. Just follow these steps and you'll be fine.

1. Listen to the music. It is easy to get lost in guard mode but once you learn the music more it is much easier to dodge the musical onslaught.

2. Follow the buttons as they go on the screen, not as they sound. I found myself pressing the buttons before they got to the center and I lost fairly quickly, concentrate on them getting to the center before pressing them and soon the music and the buttons coordinate perfectly.

3. Don't worry about the CPU's health. First concentrate on your own hide by dodging. When the tracker comes so you can attack, don't worry about hitting him, just hit the buttons at the right time. If you can save your own skin for a while and not screw up while attacking then the CPUs go down much much easier.

Well, I like the game but I am also disapointed on how few people will play it. Oh well, I guess some things just aren't going to happen.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Hours/Months of Fun For Coordinated People  Mar 30, 2003 By infinite101
I first played Gitaroo Man at the 2001 E3 show in LA. It had no interest at the booth, so that meant I could play it there for hours. I was totally enthusiastic about the control setup, which uses the left analog stick and the 4 shape-buttons to play songs. The wildly odd, endearing characters fit in perfectly, as did the music. The demo stage at this show was the funky Mojo King Bee stage, which along with the characters really had a Funkadelic mid-1970s vibe.

Most of the songs really are pretty good. Some of my friends bagged on the very foreign feel of the game. No denial- this is a heavy load of Japanese weirdness. I really dig the whole deal, though, and I have soo much fun picking the game up any given time and playing through stages I've already beaten 100 times. It's that fun. At times, the control scheme allows the music to flow through you to where you truly feel you're playing an instrument.

Beginning with easy mode level 3, almost every song seemed absolutely impossible the first couple tries. You really just have relax and feel the music- the type of note sounds and sequences each stage has. Hard mode was a fun new challenge because you suffer more damage when you mess up, so near-mastery is required.

And then, there's the Master mode. The verses are entirely new, faster, and more complex... but the songs are even better. Every level blows you away your first few tries. At this point, if the music doesn't flow through you, you've got no chance. This highlights one problem, though- if you miss a note, then you don't get to hear it. So it's really tough to learn new, challenging verses when you can't hear how they go. Each song that you do master on this level, though, remains fun and challenging as long as you own the game. I still play through Master Mode levels 2, 3, and 4 once or twice almost daily for fun.

Level 7, though, the Sanbone Trio stage, is INSANELY DIFFICULT! You have to pass an opening sequence that requires you change the controller's position in your hands on the fly twice, just to get to some damn near impossible verses. If I ever beat this level...... I'll be very happy. This is my big, and probably only gripe with the game. Maybe also that levels 5 and 6 are not a chellenge at any difficulty. But [the money I paid] has never brought me more entertainment.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:


Sleeper Hit!  Oct 13, 2002
Gitaroo-Man is almost perfect. The gameplay is very complex at first, but after getting the hang of it, you'll love it, as its very fun, addictive. But one con: its tiring. It kind of hurts your thumb keeping it on the left analog stick so long. But, just getting used to it makes it not so bad. The sound is the best part of Gitaroo-Man. A Japanese band called COIL does the music, and boy do they do a good job. It blends in perfectly with the theme of the game, and it almost seems as thought the music was designed FOR the game, rather than the other way around. Also, some decent voice acting is done, although it doesnt always match the characters mouths, and some above average sound effects. The gameplay is music- but its different from games like say- PaRappa. Instead of pressing the buttons that your "icon" passes over, the buttons come to your icon. Confusing? At first- but what happens is you highlight your notes with the analog stick, then play them with any of the 4 main buttons. Then, there is a mode where the 4 main buttons come from 4 sides of the screen. Your job is to press them when they reach your icon. You won't understand it until you fully play the game. Everything else about the game is fine. The menus are decent. But one thing- this game may be a bit too hard at first. It takes LOTS of practice. Its pretty short- but the levels will take you so many trys to beat, that it wont matter. But its progress- and you'll know it when you get better. You can always replay levels to get better ranks- and also, there is a Master Mode after you beat the main game. The graphics aren't that good- they're kind of blocky and plain looking. Luckily, there is no slowdown or anything, and they're very colorful. This game is great- I love it. I HIGHLY recommend buying it.
MY SCORE: 95/100

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:


Rock'n out Anime style  Apr 23, 2004 By Marcus Simmons
If you ever wanted to be in your own music video then Gitaroo Man is a must play for you. The story is pretty straight forward, you play as a kid named U-1 how does battle against some very odd character using your trusty guitar. The gameplay and music are this game's strong points. The controls are simple, you follow a green line with your left annolog stick pressing eithier the O or the X button to strike the notes indicated on the blue line.THis is attacking your opponet. The X,O,square, and triangle buttons are used to doge an enemy's attack. The game progressively gets harder with new songs to conquer only to unlock a hard mode. The music is great and the animation, dispite being bizzare, is cool to look at. This game also has a multi player mode in which you and a friend do battle musicly to one of the game's many songs. This game is never boring, it's fast paced action will glue you to the screen and never let you go.

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