I was listening to PCGamer’s podcast this morning, and they mentioned a new relase of a game called AudioSurf. They loved it. So I did some research. Apparently *alot* of people love it. Here’s just two.
The Escapist Review (Recommend: Buy It)
Gamer 2.0 (9/10, Editor’s Choice)
Watching some of the videos on YouTube (see the main site’s video/review section), I can see why.
My sample video gives a good show of the interaction between the main rhythm and the bass, with the changing road, but doesn’t really show the complexity of a faster song, nor any of the grey blocks.
Escapist’s review has a great summary, so I’m not going to try and rewrite it:
Audiosurf is an Independent Games Festival 2008 finalist, and with good reason. Part racing game, part match-three game and part rhythm game, Audiosurf synthesizes these three genres into a wholly satisfying experience. The basic premise of the game is simplicity itself – you steer a ship down a three-lane highway, scooping up colored blocks into a grid and trying to get matches of three or more blocks. What makes Audiosurf such an enjoyable experience is how the highway, blocks and background is generated.
Like many other racing games, Audiosurf can import music from your collection – including CD audio, MP3s, M4As, WMAs and OGGs. Unlike those other games, Audiosurf actually analyzes each track you upload and generates a course specific to that song, using the primary instruments to place colored blocks and tempo to alter the elevation of the highway. The result is a compelling and intuitive experience, and like most things musical, you just have to be there to truly appreciate it. As your song slows, you find yourself slowing, moving uphill, weaving between lanes and casually scooping up the blocks. As the tempo increases, you start heading downhill and pick up speed until the blocks are flashing past you so quickly it’s practically dizzying. Red and yellow blocks are worth more points, and you’ll find more of them in the up-tempo portions of your soundtrack. The blue and purple blocks are worth fewer points, but they are easier to come by. Gray blocks get in your way as you zoom around.
Here’s the thing. The game is only $9.95 on Steam! That’s a bargain for a game that has the replay value that it appears to have.
Sure, it’s not Rock Band since this first version doesn’t have any sort of multiplayer aspect, but given the amount of my friends who are music-rhythm game enthusiasts, I think this will be right up our alley.