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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  Gaming  |  But is it Fun?  |  Topic: DJ Max Fever - Pentavision/PM Studios - PSP 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: DJ Max Fever - Pentavision/PM Studios - PSP  (Read 5613 times)
Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23612


on: August 28, 2009, 04:17:00 AM

So having gotten tired of playing the same handful of tracks in Rock Band Unplugged I decided to give DJ Max Fever a try. The game is pretty much what you would expect from a "falling bricks" rhythm game with a few notable differences from something like Rock Band or Guitar Hero:

1) You are actually playing the notes/sounds
2) The game is very forgiving when you don't hit notes exactly
3) The game can be freakishly hard with up to an 8 button mode (also has 4, 5, and 6 button modes) and multiple speed settings

For 1) when you press a button you hear a note/sound at that time even if the note hasn't gotten close to the bar at the bottom yet. In GH and RB you would hear a "missed note" sound instead. In DJ Max it feels more like you are playing the music, since, well you are.

With 2) it only counts as missed note (a "break" in DJ Max parlance) if the note falls off the bottom. If you hit it too soon or too late (but before it drops off the bottom) you just don't get as many points for that note. On top of that there's an "auto correct" feature where if you hit the wrong button at the right time (e.g. you hit Triangle when a Circle note is at or near the bar) it also registers as a correct note but with reduced points. Even on "Easy" 4B (4 button) mode there are plenty of song sections that are way too hard for me but with these features at least I don't fail the song. However rhythm game "purists" are likely going to detest the auto correct feature as it allows for incredibly sloppy play.

Of course you could argue the above features are needed given how difficult this game can get. You can watch some of the videos on YouTube to see for yourself. Searching on "DJ Max Oblivion" will give you examples of a "moderately" challenging song (depending on settings and song version) and is probably the most popular song on the portable versions. Some of the earlier versions of DJ Max for the PSP don't have the auto correct feature making Fever a more "dumbed down" version which is fine with me given my mediocre rhythm game skills.

The song selection is predominately K-pop and Dance/Trance-style music as you would expect given the South Korean origins, with a handful of more "Western" songs thrown in. If you can't stand this type of music (YouTube has lots of samples) you probably aren't going to like this game.

I like some of the instrumental tracks and Oblivion is fun and I really like how my button presses are directly generating the sounds coming out so I'll keep playing for a while until I can hopefully play at least a few of the easiest songs in 6 button mode.

One warning: the game ties your saved game file to your PSP's MAC address (the unique Ethernet adapter identifier) to prevent cheating in online rankings (which it doesn't). This means you can't play your saved game on another PSP, so if you break your current one or just want to switch to another one you are screwed if you care about your unlocks. The developers claim that in this game things are easier to unlock than in the previous portable versions so this isn't an issue but they are big fat liars as I've been playing for a few days now and have only unlocked a couple pieces of equipment you can buy, and that was right near the beginning of my game play. Looking at some of the FAQs the unlock requirements for some of the stuff are absolutely ridiculous.

If the locked saved game or the auto-correct feature bother you search out one of the earlier versions of the game from an import shop (you'll need to check to see which ones may still have these features).

-

Rating: Buy it, if you want a very challenging rhythm game and can stand the music
Trippy
Administrator
Posts: 23612


Reply #1 on: August 28, 2009, 04:17:33 AM

DJ Max Fever - Oblivion - 8 button mode

DJ Max Portable 2 - Oblivion Rockin' NIght Style - 8 button mode (turn your volume down before watching, it's quite loud)
This version is from the Portable 2 game and isn't in Fever but it's even more difficult than the regular version of the song and the video shows very nicely the manual dexerity and hand–eye coordination needed to master this game.
« Last Edit: August 28, 2009, 06:13:13 PM by Trippy »
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