They got rhythm, they got music. Who could ask for anything more?
Woohoo! 50 posts so far! Yaaaay! Whoopee! Hooray!....Ah, ahem, where was I? Oh yes....
Rhythm Heaven(or Rhythm Tengoku Gold, as it's known in Japan) is a music/rhythm based game made by the creators of the acclaimed Wario Ware series. The game is made up of a series of(rather bizarre, as is par for the course for the makers of Wario Ware) rhythm-based mini-games, such as Glee Club in which you play one of a trio of singers, Fillbots in which you work at a factory fueling up robots, the Space Invaders-esque Shoot-'Em-Up in which you have to blast incoming alien invaders, Love Lizards in which you play Cupid to a lizard couple, Moai Doo-Wop in which you play one of a pair of Moai(a fancy name for Easter Island heads) singing a very 50s-esque doo-wop song, and Fan Club in which you play one of a pop singer's entourage of monkeys.
One can't help but wonder...why monkeys? But, then again, why not monkeys?
New games are unlocked by achieving "OK"(good) or "Superb"(high) scores in games; medals are won when "Superb" scores are achieved. When enough medals are won, various rhythm games and rhythm toys become available(such as the "Slot Monster" pictured below). Once a "Superb" is achieved in a game, there will occasionally be the option to try for a perfect score in said game(this is done by playing through the game without making any mistakes); a prize(either music or something to read) is won once a perfect score is achieved.
For some reason, he reminds me of Meowth from Pokemon...probably because he has a somewhat cat-like look about him.
Also present in the game is a cafe` where you can listen to the music you've won, read the books you've won, practice flicking, or talk to the barista(Although many of the latter's anecdotes are apropos of nothing, he will also occasionally give you tips on how to play the games and tell you when a chance for a perfect score is coming up).
An interesting fact regarding Rhythm Heaven BTW, is that it isn't the first of its kind. The first game in this series was a game entitled Rhythm Tengoku for the Game Boy Advance, which was never released in America. Regrettably, I don't know much about it, other than that it basically had the same premise as this game.
Pros:-A fun, original game concept.
-Beautiful Wario Ware-grade graphics.
-Fun, catchy music composed by famed producer Tsunku.
-The game is absolutely HILARIOUS!
Cons:-For those(like myself! :-p) who are rhythmically-challenged, this game can be a bit tricky. On a fortunate note, the barista will occasionally give you the option to skip a game you're having trouble with.
-As such, winning medals, collecting items, and trying to get a perfect score is also tricky.
"Hey! Stop looking at me like that!"
Overall, this is a good, fun, humorous, one-of-a-kind game with plenty of replay value. Despite it having a certain degree of difficulty, it's still very enjoyable and worthwhile. If you like music games and you like funny games and especially if you like funny music games, this is the game for you, I suppose, I SUPPOSE! YEAH!
BTW, I'd also like to share this YouTube video somebody made of Rhythm Heaven with a Pokemon makeover. (Honestly, it would be nice if such a game actually existed-it looks mighty cool!)
In this pilot episode for what would become the acclaimed Nickelodeon series My Life as a Teenage Robot, as first seen on Oh Yeah! Cartoons, teenage boy Brad and his little brother Tuck discover that the girl next door is a little, well...different. "Different" in that she's a superpowered robot! XJ9(or "Jenny", as she prefers to be called) would like more than anything to have a normal life like every other teenager, a concept lost on her mother(who's also the scientist who built Jenny), Mrs. Wakeman. When Brad offers for Jenny to come hang out with him and Tuck, she(very happily!) obliges. (Fun Fact: This episode was later reconfigured as the first episode of the TV series, possibly owing to the fact that not many people had seen this episode.) Please enjoy!
