Amplitude (2016 Video Game)
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''Amplitude'' is a 2016
rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
developed and published by
Harmonix Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., doing business as Harmonix, is an American video game developer company based in Boston, Massachusetts. The company was established in May 1995 by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy. Harmonix is perhaps best known as bein ...
for the
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
. It was also released for the
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
the same year. A sequel to ''
Amplitude The amplitude of a periodic variable is a measure of its change in a single period (such as time or spatial period). The amplitude of a non-periodic signal is its magnitude compared with a reference value. There are various definitions of am ...
'' (2003), it was licensed by
Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
, who owns the rights to ''Frequency'' and the original game. The game received generally average reviews upon release.


Gameplay

The new game would keep the same style of gameplay from the original title, but would feature new songs, modern graphics, and integration of the modern hardware features of the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
consoles. In addition to the original's features, the game includes team play mode, allowing for cooperative-competitive gameplay. This mode, suggested by Harmonix' Pete Maguire and added late in the development period, allows two teams, either 2-on-2 or 3-on-1, to play through a song without failing, accounting for player difficulty levels between all players. The game also includes a ''FreQuency'' mode, where the nearly-flat track layout can be switched to the tunnel approach that was used in the original ''FreQuency''. Harmonix developed a new game engine, Forge, which was also used for the development of ''
Rock Band 4 ''Rock Band 4'' is a 2015 rhythm game developed and published by Harmonix. The game was initially distributed by Mad Catz, who also developed new instrument controllers for the game, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on October 6, 2015. Performanc ...
'', for the reboot.


Development

Harmonix launched a
Kickstarter Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
campaign to raise US$775,000 to fund a successor for ''Amplitude'', which would be released digitally and physically for
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...
and
PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...
in May 2014. The campaign reached its target on May 22, within 24 hours of the funding period's deadline. The Kickstarter completed with over $844,000 in funds from over 14,000 users. Major funding backers included
Insomniac Games Insomniac Games, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Burbank, California, and part of PlayStation Studios. It was founded in 1994 by Ted Price as Xtreme Software, and was renamed Insomniac Games a year later. The company is most ...
' CEO Ted Price. Harmonix's Ryan Lesser stated the choice for using Kickstarter was based on knowing that demand was high for a sequel to ''Amplitude'', and opted to use the crowd-funding mechanism to see if it was a viable vehicle for future projects for the company. The company later said that they have also tried to obtain funding for this reboot by other means prior to using Kickstarter, and noted that the funds they seek were less than half of the amount needed, having planned to provide the other half from internal funding if the response was good. Harmonix noted that the game would be exclusive to PlayStation platforms, as the ''Amplitude'' concepts and trademark remain property of Sony. Originally the game was planned to be released with music provided by in-house musicians from Harmonix with the possibility of licensed music by reaching various stretch goals. During the Kickstarter period they were able to secure offerings by groups like
Freezepop Freezepop is an American electronic band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, formed in 1999 by Liz Enthusiasm, Sean T. Drinkwater, and The Duke of Pannekoeken (an alias for Kasson Crooker). Since December 2009, the current lineup inclu ...
and
Kasson Crooker Kasson Crooker is an American electronic musician, composer, and audio technologist. He has composed and produced music for bands, video games, websites, films, and virtual reality experiences. Crooker's audio technology career has been focused on ...
who have provided music before for the original ''Amplitude'' as well as other popular video game music groups including
Anamanaguchi Anamanaguchi is an American chiptune-based pop and rock band from New York City. The band has four members: lead songwriters and guitarists Peter Berkman and Ary Warnaar, bassist James DeVito, and drummer Luke Silas. Anamanaguchi combines digit ...
,
Danny Baranowsky Danny Baranowsky (born April 5, 1984), also known as Danny B or by the company name dB Soundworks, is an American electronic music composer, composing music mainly for indie films and indie games. He founded dB Soundworks to sell and promote his ...
, and Jim Guthrie. A total of 30 songs were expected to ship with the title on release. Though originally slated to be released in March 2015, Harmonix said that due to their inexperience on working on the PlayStation 4 platform, they were aiming for an early 2016 release to assure the quality of the reboot. The reboot was released in January 2016 for the PlayStation 4 with the PlayStation 3 version releasing on April 5.


Songs

The game shipped with more than 30 songs, including 15 songs composed by Harmonix in the game's "concept album", used for the game's campaign mode. :† Kickstarter bonus tier exclusive


Reception

The PS4 version received "average" reviews, one point short of being "generally favorable", according to Metacritic. ''The Digital Fix'' gave it a score of eight out of ten, calling it "a unique concept album that challenges your mind and your dexterity". ''
Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...
'' similarly gave it four stars out of five, saying that it was "so obviously a labor of love that it's difficult to criticize it, especially given all of the ways in which Harmonix has addressed the concerns for fans who funded them on Kickstarter". However, '' The Escapist'' gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five: "While some more star power in the soundtrack would have went a long way, and the way Harmonix artificially pads the game's length with its song unlock requirements is ridiculous, ''Amplitude'' remains an exciting blend of rhythm action and electronica that does well by its predecessors". ''411Mania'' gave it a score of seven out of ten: "Overall, Harmonix did a great job capturing the body of ''Amplitude'' again. The gameplay is good and easy to pick up, even if you haven't played the game in years. However, the soul of the game, the soundtrack, may have gamers looking elsewhere for their music game fix". ''
National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.
'' gave it six out of ten, saying that it was "destined for most people to become that slightly off record from their favourite band. You spun it a few times the day you bought it, and you really did try to love it. But now it just sits there, rarely played, a reminder that even those you admire most are capable of mistakes". ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' similarly gave it three stars out of five, saying that the game "has a thumping heart and soul, a timeless nucleus of gameplay that I hope Harmonix has the opportunity to build upon. A euphoric finger dance across a fizzing, abstract space".


References


External links

* {{Harmonix games 2016 video games Harmonix games Music video games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 3 games PlayStation 4 games Rhythm games Video games developed in the United States Video game remakes