Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Frequency

Written by Matt Partington on July 18, 2002

Full Review: Ha, and you thought drugs were addictive! If you don't already have this game, get off your ass and buy it!

It probably won't surprise you that the music genre isn't the biggest draw in the gaming industry for Americans. While Dance Dance Revolution is one of the more popular titles in Japan (arcade and console), music games just haven't cut it with the stubborn U.S. audience. Well, I think it's time for you to open your eyes a little bit, because Frequency is one of the most inventive games to grace the PS2 console, and is something that many are bound to enjoy, especially those who like new experiences.

The concept behind Frequency is quite simple. You whirl through an octagonal tunnel. Each side represents a different instrument or sound (bass, guitar, drums, vocal, axe, synth, scratch, and so forth). There are three note slots on each side (left, middle, right). In Game mode, you'll use the shoulder buttons to hit the notes accordingly. If you're successful, that particular line will deploy and you can move onto the next line. If all the lines are beaten before the next portal is reached, axe and/or scratch will be accessible. The goal is to reach the end of the song with the highest score, and enough energy. If you don't hit the notes correctly, your energy will decrease and УGame OverФ will inevitably appear. If you do hit the notes correctly and precisely, more energy will be granted. Powerups will be earned on the way, such as an Auto-Catcher (clears a line) and Multiplier (multiplies score). It's relatively simple, but very fun and almost always challenging.

Remix mode is quite different. Instead of recreating songs, you'll create them. Each song has its own variety of sounds. Beside that, you choose everything: pitch, rhythm, effects, and so forth. The only real objective is to create the best song possible, and it's fun as hell (especially with more than one person). You'll move section by section. Once you are satisfied with that particular segment, you'll open the portal and move to the next. If you like the song, you can save it then edit it, listen to it, or attempt to play it in Game mode. Both Game and Remix mode are featured in multi-player.

There are five stages in Frequency's game mode, each featuring five songs (you do the math). Aside from that, there are three difficulty levels. Easy is fairly easy, Normal is fairly difficult, and Expert is severely grueling. To beat the game, you'll have to complete all the songs on Expert. Doing this will require lots of practice and more than enough patience. The result? A lot of songs to use in Remix, which is worth the frustration. Frequency is one of the most engrossing and addicting games I've ever played, so there shouldn't be much of a problem with practice. Keeping your cool is a totally different thing though.

Many music games have the same core concept as Frequency, but the graphics are what really make Frequency a total stand-alone. While the visuals might be as simplistic as the gameplay concept, but they're some of the most artistic and innovative visuals around. Arenas, which are the backdrop outside of the tunnel, make up the bulk of the graphics. Surprisingly enough, most of the surrounding objects are cel-shaded. Arenas are filled with pictures, shapes, videos, bars, you name it. All the swirling colors might remind you of a bad trip. Honestly, the Arenas are a gigantic distraction in Game mode, but interesting for viewers to look at and fun to have in Remix. The first few times through, you'll probably feel a bit of nausea. Thankfully, you'll become oblivious to all the flashing and spinning going on and no longer will become dizzy. The graphics aren't pushing any boundaries here, but they are sure to impress you on an artistic level. It's a bit hard to describe, but easy to understand once experienced. It's great how well the graphics back up the gameplay, and vice-versa. They're flashy, trippy, sharp, Rez-ish, Tron-ish, and very very cool.

What would a music game be without good sound? And boy, does Frequency deliver. Harmonix has done a great job in pulling together one of the best game soundtracks to date. Unlike most music games, the developer did not create these songs, real artists did. Some very famous bands are on this collection including No Doubt, Fear Factory, Paul Oakenfold (the best techno artist ever!), Powerman 5000, DJ Q-Bert, Lo Fidelity All Stars, and many more. As you can see, there's a wide variety of musical genres here (rock, drums 'n' bass, house, techno, trance, metal), but for some reason, they all turn out to sound trance-ish. Being a techno/trance fan myself, I never had a problem with this. Those who don't dare to venture into that category might be turned off by this, but I assure you that it's a sacrifice you should make. Not only that, but the sound effects come into play a lot, and they might blow you away!

It's amazing how well Harmonix has separated each song into fragments and sections, yet the songs flow perfectly well. Each instrument and each sound in every song is totally separate from all the rest. Frequency has some of the best audio yet heard on the PlayStation 2, and then some.

Thankfully, Frequency has no major flaws--anywhere. No frame-rate slowdowns, no jaggy graphics, no control glitches, nothing of that sort. The only problem is that Frequency could've been more. When I say this, I mean that the experience could've been more fulfilling with some simple additions in gameplay. One thing that I found difficult was having my Remix song keep a continuous beat. If you could simply drag a line from one place to the other, the outcome could be much improved. You can really say this about any game, so I'm not going to extend in this manner, but I think you catch my drift.