Incredible rhythm game that honestly you could focus less on the fact that its a rhythm game and moreso on how much it unrelentingly radiates this empowering aura, this raw energy that makes it feel like its trying to FUCK so hard, as if its on a damn mission. to think that this game is just standalone, on the ps2, no sequel, yet just by taking one look at the boxart you can make out its incredible charm from the detailed artwork with the crude character designs and just by playing the game you can tell it is a game trying so depserately to get its name out there no matter how far it falls into obscurity. at least glad the legacy for this game doesnt seem to just amount to the “expensive ps2 rhythm game”

This game is super sick! I think what stands out the most to me here is the music. It covers so many different genres and nails it. From funk to dnb to rock and acoustic guitar, there's a lot of really great tracks. The difficulty pretty much consistently ramps up, and there's definitely a learning curve to it, but nothing feels out of reach in the base game. It just takes a bit of practice to make it through. And the music being so good is just an added bonus.

In terms of gameplay, there's kind of two different rhythm games melding together here. One is pretty standard where you're pressing specific buttons to the timing of the song and on screen (defense), but the other has you using the analog stick to line up with different notes and play them on time (attack and charge). I had a lot easier of a time picking up the defense side of things, and the attacking is where it gets a little more tricky on a technical level. It's a really cool way to add in all of the guitar effects, and although it took a while to figure out, I really enjoy the balance between the two.

I think the art direction is also super cool, and while it's definitely pretty dated in that early 2000s 3D modeling style, it's got a great use of color and really charming character design. I also love all of the visual effects going on in each song. It can definitely be a little distracting at times, but I love seeing like the little frogs sing along or seeing the people cheering.

This game has a lot of heart, and it's got a really nice challenge to it. It's been on my radar for a while, and I'm so glad I took the time to play it!

What a delight to discover this now !

This might've been one of the toughest rhythm games I ever played, mostly in terms of how it just slaps you in the face right at the start and doesn't let up.

My fingers hurt now that I've finished it, and that feeling of mashing your controller frenetically really fit it with the idea of «musical combat» in the game.

I felt like my life was on the line.

And then there's the visual style (which is lovely) and the music (which kicks ass) that totally make this great little game.

Although it's a bit short and simplistic story-wise, it has a distinct personality as a rhythm game which I can't say I've seen before. I love it for that.

oh how cruel are the hands that life can deal us. how much fun i was having making my way through the first 6 stages of gitaroo man. enjoying its totally bizarre style, incredible music, and central gameplay mechanic unlike anything else i had ever played with. alas, it was not meant to be. as my PS2 copy tried to load up stage 7, right as the midly nonsensical story was beginning to find some feet to land on, right as i was already ready to put gitaroo man on my all time favourites list, and right after a slow jam stage where U-1 seemed to win over the heart of a very cute girl, tragedy struck. stage 7 would not load. the 'now loading' message was stuck playing ad infinitum. and despite numerous resets, and despite doing the old toothpaste trick, nothing i tried worked. i merely had to sit and accept the loss i had been dealt. a copy of this game is far from the cheapest thing in the world, and prices for them are increasing in my native UK. for the time being, i might just have to accept this as goodbye. thank you for the tragically brief yet incredibly memorable time you gave me, gitaroo man.

On one hand this game is a truly epic (in the sense that word was meant to describe things before the internet) adventure, filled with crazy ass scenarios, designs and music, the cover here in backloggd alone tells the potential player what awaits for them there. Charisma is a word that we tend to overuse as a non descriptor of sorts when we’re out of words and want to describe something fun, and confident, and electric, but damn it, it does apply here. It’s all harmless and self conscious adolescent angst, always vibrant and absurd.

On the other hand is this sadist whiplash simulator that hates you and wants to see you suffer and fail. The mechanics are either poorly calibrated or purposeful spiteful; every time you miss a note, if there’s another one close to that, you’ll miss a second time, because you lose control of the… controller for a fraction of a second and your rhythm thingy in the middle of the screen returns to its default position, and also the notes that attack you when you’re on the defense mode seem to accelerate slightly and erratically when they’re near you. It’s all very frustrating! And that’s not so bad, I guess, games can be frustrating and good, even if for some moments (for example THE SHARK) this resembles more to those “unfair platformers” that were popular for a second fifteen years ago than what you think when you hear “tough but fair!”

The thing is, I don’t know if these two facets can reconcile with one another. Some people would even go as far as to call it ludonarrative dissonance because a game that’s all about becoming more confident with oneself and it’s all funny and cute feels like it shouldn’t be this fucking hard. If you are good at this game I envy you, for real, the vibes are immaculate.

Gitaroo Man seems like a simple rhythm game, but it has a surprising amount of story for the time and genre, rivalled by games like Parappa the Rapper, Space Channel 5, and iNiS's later works, Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan and Elite Beat Agents. While Gitaroo Man lacks some of the polish of those games, it makes up for it with heart and soul. It delves into teen angst, overcoming the odds, and finding the courage to embrace your individuality, in the messy and chaotic ways that a shonen writer would. It helps that its eclectic soundtrack is full of bangers, and to this day, The Legendary Theme is one of my favorite themes ever used in a video game.

Koei did an okay job at localizing the game in English, but its quality is still questionable. Part of me wishes there were subtitles as the audio balancing is all over the place, and some dialogue is near impossible to make out during levels. The game can also be chaotic during the actual rhythm sections, with way too much going on in the background while you're trying to focus on hitting notes. If you plan on playing this, I would also add a photosensitivity warning as the game regularly employs flashing lights that can worsen depending on the in-game camera.