Release: Jan 27 2009 (US)
Developer: Pentavision | Publisher: PM Games
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Verdict: Buy It
Pros: Challenging Gameplay, infectious tunes, oozes style, many modes and unlockables
Cons: No tutorials or explanation of any facet besides basic gameplay (even in the manual!), some minor glitches
With so many gigantic games coming this year for PSP, there may be a few that go unnoticed. The Korean music/rhythm “DJ Max” series has been popular for quite a while overseas, and now North America is getting some love with the release of DJ Max Fever for the PSP. It isn’t a AAA 1st party developed high budget extravaganza, but this brilliant little gem from developer Pentavision is one game any self-respecting PSP owner should have in their collection.
Gameplay in DJ Max Fever is akin to any DDR game you could name. Put simply, you hit buttons corresponding to notes coming down a highway as accurately as you possibly can. If you miss enough notes, you fail the song. You can play an unlimited setlist of songs, or play 4 in a row ala stage mode. There are different difficulties, so there is room to improve for beginners. Now, that’s the simple explanation.
To better describe the game flow, here is a more in-depth synopsis: Multi colored gems fall like pieces of candy from the sky. As you attempt to keep up with the extreme pace and intense rhythms of foreign Trance and Pop Rock music, you build up a “fever” which can be used to net more points up to a x5 combo. As electronic beats and deep bass notes pound in your ears, you are put under a hypnotic spell of flashing colors and wacky animation. With a press of each button a different sound is played, allowing you to play the song the way you think it should sound: much like a true DJ. In a sentence, the game is an all out assault on your senses. And due to it’s ruthless difficulty and pure addictiveness, Fever should have it’s hooks in you for quite some time.
After you complete a track, you are awarded Experience points that level you up and allow you to purchase some of the ridiculously plentiful unlockables (about 500) in the game. These range from simple – like changing your character to get a heightened rate of experience gain – to the extraordinary that go so far as to change the gameplay itself; for example, a different strike line that may be clearer or more difficult to see than another at the cost of benefits like fever and gold increases. This Experience system really helps pull the game along, and is very welcome since there is no real reason to DJ Max Fever. It’s just “Get in, play, have a blast.” Because of this experience system, you are constantly muttering to yourself “one..more…song,” as your friends and family wonder why you spent your entire day playing the game just to unlock the note style that looks like a flock of birds.
Everything here is so finely tuned and enjoyable that it’s very obvious and unfortunate when you come across one of the game’s many glitches. For example, playing a particular song in 8B mode will cause the game to freeze. Another cause for concern is the game’s difficulty. It is a perfect challenge for anyone who has mastered every Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but for the normal people out there it might be a bit overwhelming. As a matter of fact, if you laugh in the face of Dragonforce and can beat Cosmonaut Zero to a pulp, DJ Max Fever should be in your ever-twitching fingers RIGHT NOW. Because the game explains nothing about advanced techniques or even controls, beginners should consult sites like this, and keep this in mind.
Here is the bottom line:
If you want a PSP game that is uber addictive, filled with foreign style, challenging in every way imaginable, and has an ungodly amount of unlockables and game modes, (not to mention Multiplayer) DJ Max Fever should be at the top of your to-do list. Although it may have it’s faults, like glitches and inexplicity, this is one title thats sure to have your fingers and brain twitching for the rest of the year. And I mean that in a good way.
Popularity: unranked [?]
