Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14988 in Video Games
• Released on: 2002-02-19
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: PlayStation2

Amazon.com Product Description
Gitaroo Man is an entirely new type of music rhythm game, in which your instrument is actually your weapon in the fight against evil. Unlike traditional music games that simply require the player to press buttons in rhythm with onscreen actions, Gitaroo Man makes players use both the analog stick and controller buttons at the same time, thus manipulating the onscreen characters with jumps, ducks, and attacks.

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

Customer Reviews

One of the most innovative titles to ever be created.
It's not everyday someone is attacked by a red demon that wears a diaper and fights by playing music with an "axe" that's an axe. It's not everyday a boy named U-1 - who has a dog named Puma that can change into a mechanical beast and is bonded molecularly to an instrument called a Gitaroo - one day discovers he is the legendary Gitaroo Man. And it's not everyday he has to battle enemies as bizarre as keyboard-playing UFOs and a disco-loving man in a giant bee suit. Sounds weird, huh? What's weirder is the fact that all of this actually makes sense once you start playing the game!

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!

Time for a More Serious Review
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.

Hours/Months of Fun For Coordinated People
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.