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| Making music! |
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| New skins! |
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| | MTV Music Generator 2 |
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| Number Of Players: | 1-4 |
| I-link/Internet: | No |
| Publisher: | Codemasters |
| Developer: | Jester Interactive |
| Genre: | Music Utility |
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| | Full Review: |
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If you're into music, be it breakbeat, garage, pop, or whatever your favourite kind is, MTV Music Generator 2 aims to let you have a go at creating some of your own, unique songs. As the slogan says on the game box, "Get in there. Make it happen. Its simple".
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| | Gameplay |
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The purpose of the game is to create music, pure and simple. There are no challenges, no extra missions, no difficulty settings, just you, a large selection of sounds, and a place to make music. Your song is recorded on a track window, a series of blocks that you fill with musical riffs. When the song is played, the game reads down the list of blocks, and plays the riffs it encounters.
The Track window is seperated into four main sound sections, rhythm, bass, melody and vocal, each coloured differently to make them more identifiable. At first there are four columns, one for each section, but as you add more to the song, more than one line can run for each section, allowing you to build up multiple bass lines, or have several singers, and so on, up to a total of 48 channels.
There is a huge selection of riffs, 1200 in all, available to use from the very start of the game. Each one can be placed in your song in whatever order you like, and for whatever length of time you see fit. There are also 11,000 sound samples allowing you to go back to absolute basics and build your song from the ground up.
The controls for placing riffs where you want them are very good, with a "magnetic effect" making the cursor always pull towards the nearest icon, making it easier to select the sometimes small and fiddly objects. On top of that, there are quick commands similar to those used on a PC, with copy, paste and cut made very easy to use.
With all the items you need available, and all the tools for placing them ready to use, its down to you to make the music you like. It takes a while to master the game, creating tunes to perfectly suit your taste, but right from the start you'll be able to churn out a decent rythm, and create a creditable song.
Whilst most of the games depth lies in the solo creation of songs, there are also 2-4 player "Jam sessions" allowing you and a group of friends to get together and have a little fun with music. However, the scope is limited in this mode, making it fun for a while, but not a
lasting temptation.
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| | Graphics |
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Predictably, there is a "video creator" with the game as well, allowing you to make a simple animated video that attempts to react to your song. Its incredibly limited however, and really does nothing to stir the imagination, or anything else. In the same way as the music riffs can be added, the videos are built using object riffs, background riffs, and other effects such as lighting and orientation. Whilst its a bit of fun to have a mess around with, the game lies with the music as the title suggests.
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| | Sound |
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As expected, the music is excellent, or at least, the riffs are, but the songs themselves do depend on your abilities. The riffs are recorded perfectly, so any disharmony is the fault of the user. There is also a nice selection of pre-recorded music from some fairly popular groups, including Photek and Apollo 440. On top of that, there is the full song and video for Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood. You are able to examine the way their songs were created, and can use this to learn the best way to make good music.
Sound effects in the menus on the other hand are not this game's specialty. Whilst, the riffs may be superb, simply going from one menu to another is almost annoying thanks to the little scratches and crunches of the menu noises. If you are able to concentrate on making the music, and ignore the menu effects, then it isn't a problem, but I found myself wanting to turn the volume to mute whenever I had a series of menus to traverse.
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| | Overall |
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Putting aside the mediocre video options, and the annoying sound effects, the game is actually quite excellent. The ability to create good music so easily is something everybody should be allowed to take part in. Even the least musical among us will be able to put together a respectable tune, and it is often said that music is one of the best things in life. On top of that, the game is now a platinum title, meaning you can pick up a copy for less than �20, making it worth every penny.
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| Score |
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| | Gameplay
Easy to pick up, tough to master. Not much multiplayer fun.
| 7.5 | |
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Graphics
Nice menus, plenty of skins, very poor videos.
| 6.8 |
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Lastability
If you're into music, the possibilities are infinite.
| 9.0 |
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Sound
Great riffs, but annoying menu sounds.
| 8.2 |
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Overall
Great if you love music, but not for the impatient.
| 7.7 |
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| | Alternatively: |
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You could also check out Wipeout Fusion. Its a totally different game, a racing game, but it does have one thing in common. It takes its music very seriously. If you like fast paced thumping dance music, and feel like racing around futuristic courses, then try Wipeout.
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