My Rhythm Zone Review

[trivi4l]

Here it is (http://blip.tv/file/3967221/)
I realize I was rather harsh on this game but I must say it deserved it.

/flameshield on

[I mean really..]

ya you were too harsh on it *insert rage flamage here*

[Baseballdude]

Wow, man you were way to harsh on it, and it really sounded like you didn't really explore the game because i play on low graphics and the board doesn't go to the side for me at all. If you want to add a some effect to the songs that your playing then u would have to mess with the settings a bit. Its a great game and alot of fun. It has potential. It doesn't look like they are done with everything in the game yet. They will release patches to really improve alot in the future. Patience is a virtue!!

[trivi4l]

Wow, man you were way to harsh on it, and it really sounded like you didn't really explore the game because i play on low graphics and the board doesn't go to the side for me at all. If you want to add a some effect to the songs that your playing then u would have to mess with the settings a bit. Its a great game and alot of fun. It has potential. It doesn't look like they are done with everything in the game yet. They will release patches to really improve alot in the future. Patience is a virtue!!

Here's where it hits a gray area. I understand this is an indie game and I understand that this has potential. I understand that it can get fun when you play on Hard. However it does not change the fact that you can basically get the same game for free ($10 less) and make it look however you want and download tracks that match the song perfectly.

If you're going to release a game then release a complete game. Do not release a game that people pay money for if in some aspect you feel it's incomplete. Not to mention don't release a $10 game if there is free alternatives that have almost the same amount of features that you have.

Good example of a game that had potential but wasn't "complete": Alpha Protocol.

[Errick]

What other game generates note charts for every song in existence?

[trivi4l]

What other game generates note charts for every song in existence?

That's only a great feature when it does it well. Otherwise I'd tale a well-charted track of my some of my favorite songs for Frets on Fire rather than a bad charted-track for all of my favorite songs.

[ViRUS2008]

What other game generates note charts for every song in existence?

Replace note charts with blocks and tadaaa! You just named Audiosurf!

[trivi4l]

Replace note charts with blocks and tadaaa! You just named Audiosurf!
Lmao yep yep. Only speed is measured by how busy the song is.

[Errick]

There's not a damn thing wrong with the note charts this game generates. I'm saying, you say "why not just get a free game that does the same thing" when there is no free game that does the same thing.

Can I plug obscure music into Frets on Fire and have it magically find a note chart someone made for it, let alone find a good note chart someone made for it?

It's not the same thing.

[trivi4l]

There's not a damn thing wrong with the note charts this game generates. I'm saying, you say "why not just get a free game that does the same thing" when there is no free game that does the same thing.

Can I plug obscure music into Frets on Fire and have it magically find a note chart someone made for it, let alone find a good note chart someone made for it?

It's not the same thing.
There is plenty of good fretters in the FoF community that have fretted very good charts to your songs. And you can make your own

[Errick]

You seem to have skimmed over the "automatically" part, which is a good part of the draw here. You don't have to do look for a chart or spend the time making one yourself, the game makes it for you.

[Cook1eMan]

Not a harsh review at all. I would have to agree with the review 100%. I usually give games like this a chance but over a couple songs it was clear that it was just thrown together and put on the market.

Side note: I strongly support indie devs as they may be just starting out and may even put out games better than professional studios, but games like this push me in the other direction. It's a game for me that's a blatant rip off of a major game genre.

It's like we're trying to be ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s. It just needs to be said.

[Errick]

I don't get it, what's your problem with it? It doesn't feel thrown together, and.. that's just how this genre works. It's hard to make a rhythm game that doesn't look similar to other rhythm games, it's just.. how the mechanics work?

Would it be a "blatant rip off of a major game genre" to have a platform game where you stomp on enemies, because Mario already did it? Or is every FPS with a shotgun a ripoff of Doom or whatever?

I really, really don't understand why people are being so rough on this game. It works well, I don't see these issues people seem to have with it, so I really don't understand.

[trivi4l]

I don't get it, what's your problem with it? It doesn't feel thrown together, and.. that's just how this genre works. It's hard to make a rhythm game that doesn't look similar to other rhythm games, it's just.. how the mechanics work?

Would it be a "blatant rip off of a major game genre" to have a platform game where you stomp on enemies, because Mario already did it? Or is every FPS with a shotgun a ripoff of Doom or whatever?

I really, really don't understand why people are being so rough on this game. It works well, I don't see these issues people seem to have with it, so I really don't understand.
I think you have it all wrong.
Here's the major points that me and Cook1eman are trying to say:
-We appreciate indie games for their originality and ambition to create things that most professional studios won't dare try

-Rhythm Zone tries to capitalize on it's style by being so much like Guitar Hero graphically and bringing no innovation whatsoever. Seriously, look at it. It looks almost exactly like GH on Medium.

[Errick]

I suppose that's valid enough. I admit that it looks a lot like Guitar Hero, but that's just what this genre looks like, I think. There's not a lot of different ways you can present this sort of game, visually.

So maybe it's just a problem with the genre in general?

I mean, to be fair, you have every right to dislike the game, but it seems like people are giving it a hard time for being too similar to other games in the genre, but I'm not sure what the alternative would be. The note markers could be X's instead of circles, or maybe they could come in from the right instead of the top, but really, there's only so much you can do to make it different.

[trivi4l]

I suppose that's valid enough. I admit that it looks a lot like Guitar Hero, but that's just what this genre looks like, I think. There's not a lot of different ways you can present this sort of game, visually.

So maybe it's just a problem with the genre in general?

I mean, to be fair, you have every right to dislike the game, but it seems like people are giving it a hard time for being too similar to other games in the genre, but I'm not sure what the alternative would be. The note markers could be X's instead of circles, or maybe they could come in from the right instead of the top, but really, there's only so much you can do to make it different.
See now we can talk.
Alright look i'm pretty sure somebody can come up with an idea to innovate the rhythm music game genre SOMEHOW. Someone out there is going to have some crazy idea to go with this genre. I mean look at Beat Hazard or Audiosurf those are completely different than Guitar Hero when it comes to presentation how you interact with the music.

Who knows maybe somebody will make a Tag: The Power of Paint into a music rhythm game. I'm just saying for this game there's absolute no reason to buy I'm sorry.

[mudvayne_nothin]

I like this review better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mlUBn4CZvY

This guy gets the point, and understands not to compare it too much to Guitar Hero, as it's only $10, and I think he sums it up why we play it..we can do something new..and honestly 95% of my songs were detected..the one thing i agree with the other review is the sway can be annoying

[trivi4l]

I like this review better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mlUBn4CZvY

This guy gets the point, and understands not to compare it too much to Guitar Hero, as it's only $10, and I think he sums it up why we play it..we can do something new..and honestly 95% of my songs were detected..the one thing i agree with the other review is the sway can be annoying
It's very hard not to compare it visually to Guitar Hero when the visuals look almost exactly like it. Gameplay wise of course i've stated that it doesn't play like guitar hero.

And I like to play along to my friend's band with proper tags and an individual song leaderboard than play it in rhythm zone where it won't let me upload scores because it can't find the artist on last.fm

[Void(null)]

Thank you for this review, because of this review I picked up Frets on Fire and a PS2 - PC Adapter for my Guitar Hero Controller for $1.98, and a MadCatz Portable Rockband Drumset for $9.99.

I am having infinitely more fun than I would of had with Rhythm Zone for around the same price.

[Errick]

Thank you for this review, because of this review I picked up Frets on Fire and a PS2 - PC Adapter for my Guitar Hero Controller for $1.98, and a MadCatz Portable Rockband Drumset for $9.99.

I am having infinitely more fun than I would of had with Rhythm Zone for around the same price.

You don't know that. You can't say how much more or less fun you're having if you haven't even played the other game in question.

[Void(null)]

You don't know that. You can't say how much more or less fun you're having if you haven't even played the other game in question.

I am pretty sure I can, and I did.

[Void(null)]

I should probably try to clarify some.

I actually play the Guitar and have done for 15 years, so playing Guitar Based Rhythm games on low difficulty were you are not actually playing the Guitar part but instead playing some sort of strange off rhythm completely screws me up.

Frets on Fire however, allows you to convert all of your Guitar Hero Games to PC, plus it has multiplayer Co-Op so I can get drunk and play with my Wife and Sister In-law. It also has support for Mic, Drums and Bass.

I simply would not be able to do this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5lnnBFbsWQ) on Rhythm Zone.

(Yes that's me playing, sorry for it only being 4.5 stars but like, I haven't played in years and I am just getting back into the swing of things.)

[sonix90]

You're right but still, even if it looks very similar Rhytm Zone is not supposed to be like Guitar Hero, you don't play instruments but songs which I understand can be disappointing for some. The most important feature is that you can play every song you want. In FoF you're limited to tracks other have made (of course you can make your own but it takes time and some "skill") and they're mostly limited to rock music. I listen to electronica a lot, is there a single song from Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream available for FoF? Not mentioning other genres... I think RZ does a pretty good job in converting the tracks on its own, perhaps it should have an option to edit them or make a whole song from scratch to make everyone happy...