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> Results: Gitaroo Man Lives!
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The ESRB Says
Mild Language: GamerDad heard a few minor words such as 'hell' or 'damn' said in frustration, but nothing memorable and nothing frequent. Nostalgia in gaming is a funny thing - it can come on quickly when something is lost in the shuffle of higher profile games, so that you might hear someone reminiscing about 2005's Psychonauts in the same way as 1994's Menzoberranzan. The same is true of Gitaroo Man originally released for the PS2 in 2002 - it was not a big seller and has subsequently taken on larger than life status. Now that it has been ported to the PSP, how does it fare? Well, it is loads of fun, challenging, but still too short. Overall it is easier to recommend than the recently released PaRappa the Rapper because of the length of the game, but the value is still in question. You play as an angsty teen who is pulled into the role of Gitaroo Man by his dog who is the leader of planet Gitaroo and have to save their world by going through battle after battle. These battles consist of the typical rhythm game patterns of hitting buttons to match lines of notes that appear on screen. The challenge is increased because these notes appear on a line that can twist and turn and appear from different parts of the screen - and you need to keep up with it using the analog stick. There are multiple stages to these battles, and aside from note matching you have to 'block punches' which you do by hitting the face buttons when they come to the center of the screen. Then there is a final stage which combines these and is the ultimate conflict in which you wipe out your opponent. These battles are grand fun, but they go by too quickly with small chunks of plot in between, and the game is over is only a few hours. This even includes the very long load times between stages. There are additional songs added for the PSP version which help lengthen things a bit, as well as co-op and competitive multiplayer - albeit only in ad-hoc mode. You can play co-op with the PSP as your teammate, which is a nice touch since there is no game sharing mode. Overall it is a very fun and engaging game, but one that similar to PaRappa doesn't match up to a game like Elite Beat Agents on the DS and has unfortunately transferred the rarity of its forebear which is keeping the price too high to recommend. As a bargain purchase or a rental this is highly recommended, but not as a full price purchase.  
Rhythm games are wonderful fun for everyone in the family - and this game is no exception! Fun songs and challenging combinations are great to share and pass around for everyone to try - playing this reminded me of the four of us using our kids' 'Bop It Extreme' in single player mode and then passing it around for everyone to try. There is more text and angst associated with this than with PaRappa the Rapper, which is why I am giving this a GamerDad Age Seal of 10+ rather than 6+, but it is otherwise acceptable for everyone to play who can manage the controls.
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