Frequency
Awesome music that you basically create yourself, addicitve gameplay that only gets better the more you play it, and enough flowing neon and flashing lights to keep you raver kids entertained for years, Frequency rocks.
Published: May 21, 2001
For some bizarre reason, I found myself heading back to the 4 kiosks tucked into the corner near the ramp to head up to Sony's showcased online games day after day. Resting there, quiet and unassuming, was one of the most simple, pretty, and addictive games I've played in years. There's something about Frequency's blend of Tron-like neon art and frankly brilliant music that had me hooked like nothing else at E3.
Frequency's concept is amazingly simple: You "fly" down a neon-lit tunnel containing all the basic parts of a song (read: drums, guitar, bass, fx, synth, etc.), and can move a cursor onto any part of that song to play a section by tapping along with a pattern that appears using the circle, triangle and square buttons. As you rotate around this tunnel, picking out separate parts of the music, the song can change, highlighting the part of the music you're playing, while subduing and automating the other sections. This is best explained after taking a look at the screen shots to the upper-right of the page, but you may be able to follow me nonetheless. What sets Frequency apart is not only its simplicity, but the music that you're able to play along with and guide. There's a whole lot more to explain with the gameplay, but rather than confuse anyone further, I'd rather just leave it to an updated preview where we can provide video of the game to really illustrate our point.
It may be even harder to describe the graphics of Frequency. Imagine if the world of Tron had spilled over into Alice's Looking Glass world. Swirling colors and bold lines abound and the overall look is something like a slickly designed rave flyer come to life. In fact, if there's a game better targeted at the rave crowd, I haven't seen it. Just about anyone, altered state or not, will be able to pick up and play Frequency without any real difficulty, but moving up to the harder difficulty levels may prove to be a challenge for even the most twitchy gamer. The music spans the entire gamut of electronic music, from Trance to Big Beat, Rock and Roll to Drum & Bass, Hip-Hop to Hard House, it's all in here, and it's all good. Really good. What's more, artists like The Crystal Method (yay) and DJ Qbert have donated tunes, so you know there's some real talent behind the beats. We'll be sure to stay on top of Frequency's development, and if we have our way, expect a slew of interviews and updates before it finally hits this November.
Frequency's concept is amazingly simple: You "fly" down a neon-lit tunnel containing all the basic parts of a song (read: drums, guitar, bass, fx, synth, etc.), and can move a cursor onto any part of that song to play a section by tapping along with a pattern that appears using the circle, triangle and square buttons. As you rotate around this tunnel, picking out separate parts of the music, the song can change, highlighting the part of the music you're playing, while subduing and automating the other sections. This is best explained after taking a look at the screen shots to the upper-right of the page, but you may be able to follow me nonetheless. What sets Frequency apart is not only its simplicity, but the music that you're able to play along with and guide. There's a whole lot more to explain with the gameplay, but rather than confuse anyone further, I'd rather just leave it to an updated preview where we can provide video of the game to really illustrate our point.
It may be even harder to describe the graphics of Frequency. Imagine if the world of Tron had spilled over into Alice's Looking Glass world. Swirling colors and bold lines abound and the overall look is something like a slickly designed rave flyer come to life. In fact, if there's a game better targeted at the rave crowd, I haven't seen it. Just about anyone, altered state or not, will be able to pick up and play Frequency without any real difficulty, but moving up to the harder difficulty levels may prove to be a challenge for even the most twitchy gamer. The music spans the entire gamut of electronic music, from Trance to Big Beat, Rock and Roll to Drum & Bass, Hip-Hop to Hard House, it's all in here, and it's all good. Really good. What's more, artists like The Crystal Method (yay) and DJ Qbert have donated tunes, so you know there's some real talent behind the beats. We'll be sure to stay on top of Frequency's development, and if we have our way, expect a slew of interviews and updates before it finally hits this November.
