Review: Michael Jackson: The Experience HD (Vita)
While it isn’t a Thriller, it’s certainly not as Black and White as you might expect!
Michael Jackson’s catalogue of songs have always been at the forefront in the media; His catchy songs and innovative music videos have cemented him as ‘The King Of Pop’. The last couple of years have seen Ubisoft attempt to bring the magic home to our consoles (not counting his cameo in Space Channel 5/Part 2) with versions for nearly every console available, and now with the launch of the Playstation Vita we are given Michael Jackson: The Experience HD. Is this a case of Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough or is it just Bad?
Music games are not exactly new ground for myself, with many hours of experience from Rock Band and Guitar Hero to Elite Beat Agents and Space Channel 5. That being said, interacting with a touch screen as opposed to a plastic instrument certainly is something new to master, add to that the multitouch, six-axis and rear touch panel, there’s a surprising amount of depth that the Vita can provide for this style of game.
Gameplay in The Experience is similar to that of Elite Beat Agents, though instead of following onscreen precise gestures, you’re free to use the entire touch screen (or rear touch pad) to perform the motion be that a tap, a swipe, a semi circle or a full circle. With the circular motions, you’ll find to get the best score to almost flick it at the end, lifting your finger at the beat, instead of performing the action when the beat occurs. Holding the Vita can get interesting, as it varies the gestures a lot, with harder difficulties requiring you to use both fingers at the same time. The game suggests that you find your own style of playing, though I found it best to have the Vita on a flat surface, though if not, you’ll find yourself sandwiching it between two hands, and a wrist trap wouldn’t be a bad idea here. There’s absolutely no use of the buttons, not even in the menus, and you won’t be giving your vocal chords a workout.
As well as just getting a high score for the leaderboards, each song also has a number of challenges assigned to it. These can range from simply getting a high combo or reach a particular score, to wearing the alternative outfit or completing the freestyle sections in particular ways. This adds a lot to the replay value, considering that this portable version doesn’t feature the same amount of songs you’ll find on the home consoles. By completing the challenges, you’ll unlock various upgrades including ‘Gloves’ as well as new background effects to the environment next time you play, though you’ll still need to be on your top form as they’ll disappear when your combo does. These effects are purely visual for the most part, though the ‘Gloves’ can offer you score multipliers and more. With all these effects being unlocked as you play, this can mean that the songs feel a little empty the first time round.
The gameplay is mixed between following the on screen directions and a Freestyle mode. If you’ve played other music rhythm games the former will be very familiar. The Freestyle mode lets you play around with all the gestures available, and you can even use the rear touch panel to move Michael around. You’re penalised for using the same gestures twice, though I think it could have done with a little better direction in these sequences. Because of the size of the screen and the frantic pace of the higher difficulties, you’ll soon learn to keep your eyes fixed on the centre of the screen, and it goes without saying that a good sense of rhythm is required. It’s impossible to fail though, so you’re always given a chance to practice through to the end, and some of the sequences will definitely require this. Be aware that trophy notifications can pop up and obscure the top right cue in some spots, though the game does disable network features.
Each of the songs feature an environment inspired from the associated music video with CGI sequences mixed in during breaks in gameplay. The presentation is generally quite high, although the camera moves did seem very shaky from time to time.
I found the Leaderboards option to be a little misleading as it only provides preset scores and grades, there’s absolutely no online functionality which does limit the purpose of this feature somewhat. Progression is not initially very clear, and it doesn’t help that when you select a song all options are available for about half a second before greying out and leaving with the Rookie option to begin with, with harder difficulties having to be unlocked.
In terms of multiplayer options, the Battle mode offers you head to head dance-offs over ad-hoc! Loading is quick, and offers you some potentially useful tips for gameplay
The Vita’s touch screen is very responsive, picking up all the motions very well. However, don’t get annoyed that you cant achieve ‘perfect’ ratings to begin with, as oddly this needs to be unlocked, though only takes a few songs to get there. This does mean that it’s impossible to get a high rank on the first few songs first time through.
The Backstage option gives you access to the various extras that you can unlock, ranging from simple figures to on-demand-performances, which simply mean you can watch the game play itself with no onscreen commands.
Overall, it’s a fun music rhythm game featuring 15 of MJ’s hits, and while it may be suitable for all, it’s clearly aimed at the fans with the various unlockables and effects. It’s very true to Michael Jackson, from moves to videos. I ended up spending a lot more time with this title, primarily just because the core gameplay is solid. As is the norm with game of the genre, your mileage will vary widely, dependant on if you’re a completitionist, wanting to get all the gloves and complete all the challenges. There are some interface oddities (menus and notification placement), plus the fact that it disables network features when you’re playing is strange, but you could do much worse in this genre. I just wish they could have gone the extra mile and offered the original videos for viewing, or even concert footage, just something a little extra for the fans.
6.5/10