As a connoisseur of music games, I’ve seen it all throughout the years. I got my start with Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy, and now I’m pretending I actually have real guitar-playing skills via Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
If it’s a game that has absolutely anything at all to do with music, then count me in. I must see them all. Many are hit-or-miss, and many strike me as so inspiring that I go back to play them as often as possible. Two fantastic examples of this are Amplitude and Frequency, both games I enjoy often and have since their release back in the glory days of the PS2. Thinking that Harmonix had moved on to bigger and better things, I was a bit crushed inside to think that I would never again see a sequel to these successful music titles. One fateful day, Rock Band Unplugged for the PSP was announced and given a street date. If you were ever a fan of Frequency or Amplitude, then you should be delighted to know that Rock Band Unplugged is the sequel that you’ve been wishing for on all those sleepless nights.
WHAT YOU’LL LIKE:
Classic Harmonix Gameplay
If you ever enjoyed Amplitude, you’ll remember the frenetic pace of notes flying at you and the button combinations required to capture them. Every aspect of each song featured on the game, such as the vocals, drums, and guitar are all set on different star paths just as you would see in regular Rock Band. Instead of performing songs with peripherals, you’re relegated to only two directions on the PSP’s D-pad and two face buttons. Using these four buttons (rather than five like you may be used to), you’ll complete piece by piece of entire songs until you’ve got each audio track that the song is comprised of captured. That is, until you reach the next phrase. If you can’t play the notes in one phrase correctly, the meter to the left of your screen will begin to drop. Keep missing notes, and you’ll fail out. The gameplay is nearly identical to Rock Band, so there’s really no learning curve unless you can’t quite get the hang of simply pressing the PSP’s face buttons.
Takin’ the Show on the Road
For the most part, the music consists of songs ripped straight from Rock Band and Rock Band 2, so you should already be familiar with the tunes you’ll be jamming to. A career mode identical to its bigger, more expensive cousins should also satiate your need to take rockin’ out on the road. Even the diminutive PSP’s graphics do characters justice, though there’s extremely little customization this time around. It’s mostly everything you loved about Rock Band, only portable. What’s not to like?
WHAT YOU WON’T LIKE:
Lack of Multiplayer
Though the PSP has wi-fi capabilities, as well as ad-hoc connections, there’s no multiplayer to be found here. This is unfortunate, seeing as at the very least its cousins Amplitude and Frequency allowed for online play during their brief stints on the PlayStation 2. As we all know, gamers these days clamor for multiplayer and if it’s not included the parent game MUST be horrible.
Familiar Tracks
Lack of multiplayer aside, as previously mentioned, these are mainly songs that you can already pick up and play with your home versions of Rock Band. While there are a few new songs to enjoy, you may be turned off. Unless you really enjoy the song selection on the original Rock Band, then there’s no reason to buy this - you can stay home and channel your inner rock star.
Adaptation Issues
Because this is a PSP port, you’ll notice some choppy textures and imagery your HD-spoiled peepers may not be able to compute. It’s also a bit hard for newcomers to Amplitude-styled gameplay to adapt to very quickly. Because you may be an expert on the guitar peripheral, that doesn’t mean you’re going to breeze through this game with flying colors. Impatient gamers may not enjoy this learning curve, but that’s no reason to pass up the game entirely.
RECOMMENDATION:
If you’re a fan of the peripheral-laden Rock Band and you mourn the lost days of Amplitude (perhaps this is the sequel they’re too scared to release under that name!) then Rock Band Unplugged should be right up your alley. With a killer tracklist, identical gameplay as that of its parent games, and portability, this is a must-have for music fans. If only they would have varied the song choices a bit, then I could recommend it to absolutely any rhythm music gamer. Too bad - maybe in the next game. And there had better be a next game.
Rock Band Unplugged
System: PSP
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: MTV Games
Find: Amazon, Gamefly, Goozex
All reviews are based on final retail code unless otherwise noted.
Want to know more about the game? Just ask! We love to hear ourselves type, and might even say something vaguely resembling an answer to your question(s)…
June 5th, 2009 at 1:27 am
This actually sounds pretty fun.. =]
June 5th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
It is. I’ve been playing it just about anytime I can squeeze some time in lately. :3
June 5th, 2009 at 8:02 pm
I played it at E3 and enjoyed it. I also liked that (unlike the DS guitar hero) it didn’t look like you were having a seizure while playing it.
June 6th, 2009 at 2:30 am
FreQuency + Less Talk More Rokk + PSP = instant buy for me.
June 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Damn, wish I had a PSP. Oh, well. Nice review! I like the new format.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I was kinda of curious as to how they’d keep the feel of the console game in the handheld version - I’m gonna have to give it a try for sure.
July 12th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Great post, I have read this somewhere else. But I have found this one to be alot more informative.
Thankyou