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> Results: Traxxpad
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The ESRB says:
LyricsGamerDad didn't hear anything explicit, but there is a hip-hop vibe surrounding the game Let's make one thing clear: this is not a game. I don't mean "making music is a serious business, yo" - literally, this is not a game, it's an application for making music, particularly suited to hip-hop and electronic dance beats. An ambitious idea, but does it live up to its billing of "portable music studio"? Upon choosing to "Make Beats" from the main menu, you are thrust into the world of modern music production, landing at the main R.T.I.S.T screen. Using the buttons on the PSP, you can add drum hits and one-shot effects on the beat grid, either one at a time or in recording mode where you're essentially creating the beat as it loops along. 4 different sounds are assigned to the face buttons, and flip between them to have 8 different sounds (or tracks) playing at once. For more melodic tracks, you switch to the appropriately-named M.E.L.O.D screen, where you have only one sound but each PSP button plays it at a different pitch, effectively allowing you to enter a string of notes. Each collection of tracks is called a sequence. The other modes allow you to combine sounds to make new ones, or collect the sequences you have created together to make a longer song. When you're done, you can export the whole thing as an MP3 on your Memory Stick and copy it to your computer. As I mentioned, Traxxpad is really aimed at people wanting to make hip-hop beats, and this is reflected in the presentation. A choice of skins gives you old-school boomboxes, transforming robots, and graffiti splotches. The interface itself is pretty clean and easy to navigate, however. Bleeps and record scratch sound effects accompany your UI navigation. The sounds available to you for beat creation are many (around 1000) and cover most of the bases such as drum kits, bass sounds, and special effects, but if you have a USB microphone or headset for your PSP you can record any sound you wish to use in your compositions, or create them on your computer and transfer them to the PSP on a Memory Stick. And that really highlights the main issue with Traxxpad - to get the most out of it, you need extra peripherals and/or do post work on your computer. If you're using the PC, why bother with the PSP at all when there are dozens of more capable software packages for Windows or the Mac targeted at music creation? I can't fault them for trying something different and my score reflects the end result, I'm just not sure I see the point.  
The ESRB only notes "Lyrics", but I didn't hear anything objectionable in any of the available vocal samples. It's certainly a more traditionally creative activity than playing games and this might be a reason to get it for your children, especially if they like modern hip-hop or dance music. Young children might get a kick out of pressing the buttons and hearing the different sounds, but I'm recommending this for older children because of the relative complexity.
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