Harmonix became known for Rock Band, but cut their teeth on the PS2 with a pair of fantastic rhythm games in the form of Frequency and Amplitude. Each offered up something a bit different, but delivered a satisfying (and fun to hear) rhythm experience. With that experience now marred a bit on modern-day displays having issues with standard-definition content, a more modern version of that would make sense. Harmonix then crafted Rock Band Blitz in that same vein, but with a far better-known brand and a lot more licensed songs. Now, they’re going back to the Amplitude name and hoping that Kickstarter enables them to make a modern-day version of it. They plan to deliver an updated soundtrack, vastly-improved graphics, and more responsive controls. They’re planning to make this a modern reimagining of hte original game, and keeping what made it great with newer things they’ve added to their games like beatmatching. They want to release this on both the PS3 and PS4, and backers can get a cross-buy code for it if it’s funded.
Like the original games, this incarnation will focus on electronic music that spans a variety of tones. There could be really light-hearted stuff that gets you hopping, or darker stuff that make you think. They also want to craft an original soundtrack for it, and have a tier where you can have your own song put in the game. The original game was known for being quite hard, so they’re going to keep that alive here for those that want it, while also opening up the difficulty to everyone so more people can enjoy it. Right now, the concept is just beginning as an HD revamp of the game – but they want to blow it up and make it far better than anyone could imagine.
As far as the tiers go, $10 gets you a credit, while $20 gets you a cross-buy version of the game. $40 gets you the game two weeks before everyone else , while $100 gets a PS2-style case for it. $125 gets you a T-shirt with art from the game, while $200 gets you everything from the earlier tiers and a vinyl record of the soundtrack. For $250, you can join their PAX panel, while $500 gets you in on helping with the soundtrack. Higher tiers get you things like dinner and a trip to Harmonix, while $7,500 gets your original song in the game. All prior tiers are included in this, so if you’re a new musician who just came into some money, this might be a smart way to get some exposure. The original Amplitude was fantastic, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t much of a rhythm game fan. It just exuded style and seeing the brand come back to life via Kickstarter is fantastic. I have no doubt that this will get funded and be an excellent game. If you’ve never played it, check your local Gamestop’s PS2 piles – there’s bound to be either a copy of Amplitude or Frequency in there somewhere for a $1 or $2.
