KickBeat: Special Edition (Xbox One) - Review

KickBeat: Special Edition is coming out next week and the nice guys at Zen Studios sent me a code over so I could review it for you!

KickBeat is a rhythm game with a twist. Rhythm games have been pretty popular over the last few years, and in my mind peaked with the amazing Rock Band Blitz, which I loved when I reviewed it. Rock Band Blitz, however good it is, doesn't give you much to look at other than the buttons that mess with your vision long after your finished and this is where KickBeat comes into it's own.

KickBeat is Kung-Fu themed. Yes, really. Kung-Fu. The main protagonist fights wave after wave of enemies as you press the buttons. There are even 'Boss Levels' (The first of which is really good fun and played out to my favourite song off the game 'The Beautiful People' by Marilyn Manson). When I first read it I have to admit to thinking it'd be pretty bad. But when you think about it Kung-Fu does seem pretty rhythmic. I have NO experience whatsoever in the martial arts so I'm not sure how true that is, but certainly when you see a martial arts sequence in a film or whatever the choreography certainly makes it seem that way.

When you first load the game it looks pretty budget, just from the menu. But I didn't immediately go into the story mode (which is a rookie error BELIEVE ME!) so didn't see straight away just how gorgeous the art style is. It's hand-drawn and really is beautifully done.

So not being a complete idiot I did go to play through the tutorial first. Which would be a good idea if they weren't so boring. I know a tutorial is never going to be the most fun part of a game, but with rhythm games the music drives it, makes the player feel energised and the tutorial features a metronome only. There is a lot to take in with this game at first I feel, but nothing that doesn't make sense eventually (like holding the button down if the enemies are leaving a yellow trail behind them) and it does all feel very familiar if you have ever played another rhythm game.

I only stuck it through the first level of tutorial at first before I just wanted to play to some music. And this is where I made the biggest error...please don't make it yourself. I went straight into Survival mode. Survival mode is TOUGH. Which is great as you get better at the game and definitely adds to the longevity of it, but as a newbie it SUCKS! It is SO difficult and for about the first seven attempts I lasted only somewhere between 20-40 seconds. Which the first time I told myself wasn't too bad, until I realised that Survivor mode is graded in the amount of TRACKS YOU CLEAR. I still haven't managed to clear one!

So I ventured into the story mode. Which is OK. The story isn't as bad as it could be, but come on, it was never going to be groundbreaking either. The reason I prefer the story mode is for the pure fact that there is a learning curve present with it, whereas in Survival mode you are just thrown in at the deep end.

I did have to really battle against myself with this game though. By this I mean that because you are fighting enemies my natural impulse was to mash their corresponding button so as not to get got. Which, inevitably, lead to me getting battered. It is something that I really struggled to quell, as I'd see them moving closer and closer and just want to strike. Old habits die hard I guess.

There are some breaks in the game which shows your character pull a cool move on the last enemy they attacked. I actually really enjoyed this as it showed how much the developers have thought about the music and how much thought they put into making it fit the game perfectly. These moments always happen at a natural break in the rhythm of the music, like in the bridge before a chorus for example, and really help keep the game flowing, giving the player a moment to relax their stressed out fingers.

This game is tough but it is fun. There is also a Split-Screen mode, so that you can play against a friend which is a really good feature, and definitely one that a game like this needs. It is tricky but in a good way really, as I for one definitely don't feel I'll ever be proficient enough at this game to tire of it. There is plenty of life in it, and is a good one to load up if you have a few friends round for a last man standing type of game. I'd say that it is definitely worth trying!

6/10 TRY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review

Rock Band Blitz Giveaway!

Hi Everyone!

The great guys at Harmonix have given me an extra Rock Band Blitz code to give away to one of my lucky readers. So how do you win it? Easy go over to Twitter and follow me https://twitter.com/DannieKitGaming and RT the competition tweet! It's that simple. Winner will be picked later in the week!

Good Luck Everyone!
xXx

Rock Band Blitz Review

I have to admit I was VERY excited for the release of this game. I have long since been a fan of the music game genre, spending a LOT of time and money kidding myself I could actually play the real versions of the instruments as well as I could play the plastic ones. I was interested to find out how well a peripheral led game would transfer to controller-based gameplay. I needn't have worried though, Rock Band Blitz is insanely fun!
I already had a copious amount of DLC for my other Rock Band titles and was wondering whether any of them would jump over to this game without extra downloading needed. Again I shouldn't have wasted time worrying as when I downloaded the game and waited for the Song Pack to download, my  DLC songs were all there patiently waiting for me to play.

 I wasn't brave enough to go right ahead, but the smart guys at Harmonix have included the tutorial with the first download, rather than the track pack, so you can go ahead and learn what you're doing whilst the good stuff downloads.
I played along with the tutorial, and I have to admit I didn't quite get it. I struggled to understand the buttons and it just didn't make sense to me. But when I set down to play my first real track, it was like an epiphany....this game ROCKS!
Starting off on the drum track I expected it to feel a lot easier than drums on the other games. How wrong I was. I don't know how the guys at Harmonix have done it but they've cracked the balance between fun and challenging. They've managed to make you feel like you're playing the drums with just two buttons. I got my multiplier on the drum track and moved over to the bass, doing the same here. Again the rhythm was obvious. I moved over to the guitar track to shred out the solo, fully expecting it to be easy, what with there only being two buttons. How wrong I was. My first ever solo on Rock Band Blitz saw me get an abysmal 60% of the notes. Shocking.
In the tutorial I hadn't quite grasped how important it was to get that multiplier up but in game it isn't just important, it's FUN to switch between the tracks. Whichever track you're playing the audio rises higher than the rest so you can hear what you're doing. It leads to some pretty funny moments if you do it at the right time on the vocals track.
When the song pack had downloaded I went back out to look at the menu. The 25 songs included with this title, I feel, are a well rounded stock of songs. There is something for everyone there, and some guilty pleasures for even the rockiest of people.
Now we all know that Rock Band have a LOT of DLC songs. If you ever check the dash for new add-ons you are inundated with track after track of Rock Band goodies. This title places recommendations into your game menu, based on songs that you have downloaded previously. I thought this was a great addition, I am a glutton for extra music tracks. I ended up spending some more MS Points on more songs and can safely say there are well more than a hundred on my game.
I have to admit I thought the novelty might wear off, but as of yet it hasn't. I can honestly say it is one of the most fun games I have played in a long time. The fact it is a Pick up and Play title makes it even better, and even though I thought I would I haven't found myself missing the peripherals.
This game is pure, undiluted fun. For anyone. My son had a go (he was rubbish but is only 3!) my brother had a go and loved it, even though he hates rock music and has never played a music game in his life, and my guitar playing partner had a go. He expected to hate it, being a lover of Pro Guitar on hard difficulty, but even he admits there is something about this game that just makes you love it.
This game is a worthy addition to anyones game list. I honestly after just a few days, can't imagine not having it on my Xbox. I've recommended it to everyone I know, so the same goes here guys. Go buy it, I promise you won't be disappointed.

10/10 BUY IT!

A code was provided for the purpose of this review.