July 9, 2009

I'm A Science Genius Girl

I'm a science genius girl
I won the science fair
I wear a white lab coat
DNA strands in my hair

When I clone a human being
It will want to hold my hand
When I clone a human being
It will be a member of my band

What makes a game Qwarktastic? For me, it's a special combination of great graphics, fun gameplay, emotional music . . . but most importantly amazing storytelling. That's why Frequency is so special to me . . . it doesn't have great graphics (they actually have made people sick), the music is an odd mix of techno beats, and there is no story whatsoever. The only thing this game has going for it is the gameplay. And oh, how great is the gameplay. It's pretty simple concept. You ride along an instrument "track" with notes flying at you. Three buttons match up to the left, middle, and right notes. Hit the button at the right time, the note explodes and out comes sound. Play enough of them in a row and the track will start to play on its own for some time, allowing you to switch to the other tracks. The goal? Try to get as many points and as many tracks going at once before you reach the end, if you can reach the end. Miss too many notes and poof . . . epic fail.

It's hard to explain why I love this game so much. Typically sports, puzzle, rhythm, and other such games are fun for the first ten minutes and then just repeat the same process over and over again. You won't see NHL 2k7 on this list (even though I do love that game), no Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution (another game I'm addicted to), and not even Rock Band was deemed "Qwarktastic" enough to be included. This game is truly an odd addition to a list of games that (will be) is comprised of great adventure/story epics. The gameplay is easy enough, at first, but the thing that really hooked me was how difficult the songs get as you progress through the game as well changing the difficulty settings. Unlike Rock Band (which I think went way too easy on expert mode), practicing and memorization was a must to pass some of the hardest tracks in Frequency. It may sound tedious but it was a fun challenge worth the time invested.

Another thing that makes Frequency stand out among the throngs of music games is the multiplayer. Similar to other games like Rock Band, four players could work together to keep all the music tracks going and go for a high score . . . but did they? With power ups that made the screen shake, make the notes invisible, or even lock out players from a certain track - the game had a vicious side. An all out race for points and notes became hectic and stressful as you fought for the tracks while trying to keep the notes going. My favorite trick was to pick the tunnel background that spun at an increasing speed during the song, usually resulting in one of us (myself included) getting motion sick.

I have to thank Frequency and Harmonix alike for introducing me to one of my favorite video game bands, ever. I met Freezepop through the song "Science Genius Girl", a song that I memorized and could play blindfolded - perfectly. Yes, this is how obsessed I was with this game and that song. I've followed Freezepop through Harmonix's other games - Amplitude (Super Sprode), Guitar Hero (Get Ready 2 Rokk), Guitar Hero 2 (Less Talk More Rokk), and Rock Band (Brainpower). Though most of the songs and bands were forgettable in Frequency (I still hear from No Doubt and DJ Q-Bert though), they all had a certain charm to it, making every song fun to play which is a rarity for me in other music games.

The easiest way to play Frequency is to use the shoulder buttons - L1 for left, R1 for middle, and R2 for right (I even learned how to play the game as a "southpaw" when I hurt my right hand in basketball). This is the only reason why my PS2 is still plugged in. Yes, I have a launch PS3 that plays PS2 games quite well, the only problem I have with the PS3 is the controller. The Triggers! No longer the snappy, easily tapped shoulder buttons that made perfect hits a breeze.

While I can't enjoy the experience on the PS3, it is the only PS2 game that I still play frequently. While Frequency isn't my typical "qwarktastic" game, it definitely deserves the title all the same. It's a game that I could never let go of or replace. While Harmonix has moved onto different rhythm ventures, Frequency is still by far my いちばん (number one) music game of all time!

I have cloned a human being
It is here and holds my hand
I have cloned a human being
It is now a member of my band

Qwarktastic Qwest!
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