Reviews from

in the past


Banger tracks, fun gameplay, with a decent amount of difficulty to boot! The characters are charming and the art style is unique. Definitely one of the more interesting rhythm games out there. I do have to add that there's a pretty big difficulty spike around stages 3-4 though.

even better on handheld! The smaller analog stick makes the precision rhythm gameplay much easier. Those final levels are still brutal however!

Gitaroo Man is a true gem

Very good.
If this ever gets revived, or a remake gets made, i have a few suggestions on how to improve it.
Make it an open world rythym game, you are able to craft more than one guitar that gives you stat boosts during battles, the guitars would come in various tiers from "EPIC" to "LEGENDARY" i think this would genuinely impact the enjoyment of the game and give it more replay value.
Also make the story more mature, make the characters swear all the time to show you are commited to the vision of the new direction you are steering the series to, and last but not least, UNREAL ENGINE 5. Yea you best believe it would sell TRILLIONS of copies.

Quite the spectacular game, though unfortunately I had issues getting it to work well for the PS2 original. This PSP port is nice if you don’t have access to such hardware or issues, but there are problems on its own here. It’s a good game with a scuffed experience to say the least. About on par with most PSP ports on the hardware, so you can play it outside or somewhere…

Oh... Gitaroo Man

Em uma jornada curta com pegada shounen, Gitaroo Man faz um show em todas as ocasiões, divertidíssimo como jogo de ritmo, e até mesmo sua historinha que, apesar de pequena, transmite uma emoçãozinha linda com personagens bem carismáticos e pouco esquecíveis.

E claro não da pra falar de um jogo de Ritmo sem citar suas músicas, MEU AMIGO eu não tava dando nada pra setlist desse jogo mas ela é muito boa, tem Jazz tem reggae tem rock tem metal TEM UMA MISTURA LINDA e muito bem misturada, que nem aquela salada de fruta que tua mãe faz no natal.

Seus controles também são muito bons e funcionam bem pra caramba, é claro que eu tive uma certa estranheza porque eu nunca joguei um jogo de ritmo nessa pegada de Gitaroo Man, em que tu move com o analógico e aperta os botões pra pressionar suas notas, eu gostei, simples demais mas funciona muito bem, mas não confunda em.. to dizendo simples.. não fácil.

Ó, joguinho muito curto tu zera ai em uma horinha ou duas jogando no normal, então é um otimo jogo pra matar o tempo ou finalizar ali na manhã de um fim de semana.


It's like OG Playstation 2 Gitaroo Man but waaaaaaaaaaay more forgiving which is good for people that may not have the dexterity demanded from the original, and that means more people may look up playing this wonderful game!

Wonderful accompanying music, rhythm mechanics that still demand you pay attention, the visuals have so much going on with great character designs that will remind you of when you would doodle made up characters in your lined notebook during classes in Elementary school.

A story about growing up, unlocking your imagination, and the importance of dreams. Even if there are dreams that are out of reach, there are dreams that will light your way forward.

This is genuinely a life affirming game.

In my search for more unique rhythm games after Hi-Fi Rush to broaden my horizons cause i'm not typically a rhythm game guy and this shit caught my eye after hearing 5 seconds of the legendary theme.

Now i'm gonna keep it a buck this game is insane on the balancing like i'm not great at rhythm games but this game had insane difficulty spikes specifically once you get to the mech level.

However this game does make improvements from the ps2 version with letting you pause to heal your carpal tunnel syndrome and the rail guide thing has an indicator on how close you are to the center this all makes this game a bit easier for me without making it feel like a bahbee mode. The gameplay is really satisfying but it can be overwhelming with the button sections to the point where I felt like just pressing all buttons worked better than genuinely learning. Still a huge fan of the core concept but some specific stages i was bent over man.

I'm saying all this to tell you the rest of the game fucking rocks dude the simplistic childrens book-esque designs, paired with a story on the simpler side message-wise but packed full of character and cute moments, its a great pair it's something I already wanna revisit.

The music specifically man some tracks are fucking killer, my favorite song hands down is The Legendary Theme, perfect for U-1's whole character arc and the riff is so fucking beautiful, but that's not to diminish the rest this ost has RANGE. It can go from insanely funky to the coolest guitar riffs, there's some forgettable tracks no doubt but the highs are super high it's that noteworthy.

This game has so much charm and personality it felt like a children's book in a good way despite it's rough edges it kept me hooked no matter how hard it got. Not for everybody but was a great experience for me.

played a bunch of rhythm games but this one was an immediate top 5 for me. nearly every song is an instant classic. the call and response nature of the music duels is unmatched, the art rules, the story is funny and sweet. there's nothing quite like it and it still holds up to this day.

And... oh, I got to tell you, it was perfect. Perfect. Everything, down to the last minute details.

Rhythm games will never be this good again.

really fun little game! unfortunately, because of how uncomfortable gripping the psp joystick is, it can be a bit of a pain sometimes

Decent gameplay that only feels like it truly lives up to its concept of a guitar battle in the latter stages

The best thing I can say about this game is that the amount of heart and soul put into this project shines through everything else. It feels incredibly awkward with its story and cutscenes (especially the english dub) but I can't help but love how earnest it is.

A suprisingly amazing port of one of my favourite games.

Gitaroo Man is my favourite rhythm game and I can happily play it all the way through any time (which is also why I beat it the week before playing this, I only beat this because I was testing my psp after getting one). I hadn't played the PSP port and I can happily say that it's a great way to play, I prefer the PS2 version but theres very few differences, mostly that the og 4:3 fmvs are now cut off to fit the psp screen, and just a lower texture quality, but also it's not much of a issue and I was fine with it. I do think the control nub is actually a better way to play so if you find the ps2 version too hard maybe the PSP version would be easier. I will say that I actually died to the final level a few times, which I've never actually done before on any time I've played the ps2 version, which I'm not sure if it was just because my hand wasn't used to playing on a psp or if they made it harder but it's more than likely my fault more than anything.

The 2 new songs are pretty good also, but playing this also me kinda sad realising that there isn't a offical release of the cutscene music which sucks because it has different variations of the Legendary theme. Also just as always have to say that the OST is amazing, not a bad song in the game.





Last night I both played and beat Gitaroo Man. Specifically "Gitaroo Man Lives", the port that was released for the PSP. This is a rhythm game, so take alot of the opinions from me regarding gameplay and difficulty a side of salt.

Overall I really ended up enjoying this game, I think I fuck with the aesthetic most of all. This game originally game out on the ps2, so this was during the weird cartoonish era of rhythm games, I think I can draw comparisons from games like Parappa the Rapper and Um Jammer Lammy. I just really fuck with this games art and vibe.

When It comes too gameplay, I found it pretty easy to understand. It definitely feels like the difficulty kind of spikes during the 5th stage (The first encounter with Ben K), but I think I went through that stage enough to just kind of be ok with the difficulty. Nothing felt too unfair though, which is cool

The music is probably my favorite part of the game though. Some of the best standouts were "Flyin' to Your Heart" and both versions of the "Legendary Song"

Overall a good play. Would recommend.

This is the best goddamn rhythm game period. It's contemporaries like Parappa and Rhythm Heaven do not touch this game's touch on what makes rhythm games both sound good and be fun to play.

You see, you really feel like you're making music with the game when you do well. Of course, it's all an illusion. A credit to how hard the music in the game slaps. The shit is funky as hell. Whatever emotions it tries to convey to you through the music, you fucking feel it. You have to feel it or the vibe doesn't work. If you're rockin with this tutorial music then you can probably rock with the rest of the game.

The gameplay is very engaging. The first time you play a song, and you shift the stick up with the trail bar, then hitting a note and a higher octave riff plays -- it just activates pure joy in my brain. It helps that the music playing is likely an unforgettable banger; and you're in the mix fucking shit up either metaphorically or actually because this game is kind of hard sometimes.

The only thing I don't like about it is the volume is mixed too low on the voice actors in prerendered cutscenes. I think it might have to do with it being a PSP port.

Play it y'all. I don't have funnyman things to say about it. This game has a high percentage of making you feel some type of way.

Sticking out your gyat for the rizzler

You’re so Skibidi

You’re so Fanum tax

I just wanna be your sigma

Freaking come here

Give me your Ohio


-Gitaroo Man Lives!

9.5/10.

Sinestesia the game.
Não sinto que palavras são necessárias acerca dessa obra, então jogue e presenciei a magnitude de gitaroo man, definitivamente foi uma grande surpresa de 2023 pra mim e irei guardar pra sempre esse jogo.

I don't know what inspired a game like Gitaroo Man to ever exist, but man am I glad that it does. Also always happy to get a reason to pull out my PSP. It's not often these days, but I still love that little guy :').

Anyway, feels very much like Parappa the Rapper in that its extremely weird, could never have been made in any other country than Japan and probably not in any other year than 2001. Just like Parappa, we follow a boy (named U-1, of course) in love with a girl, but his social anxiety stops him from telling her so he goes through several trials in order to get the courage needed. Instead of doing real world things, though, U-1 travels into outer space with his talking dog, and with his musical weapon, the Gitaroo, he liberates an alien planet from its evil dictator Zowie. It's stranger than I make it sound and might also all take place in U-1's imagination since both planets have characters who look exactly the same and serve the same role, but at the core of it all, it really is just a simple love story and despite the plot's constant layer of weirndess over this, it's honestly very well realized. It even shows character and plot progression through the gameplay in one of the later stages in a way that is honestly one of the coolest and most unexpected experiences I've ever had with a rhythm game.

Being a rhythm game maybe the story isn't what you're mainly after when playing it, so I'm happy to say that both the songs and the gameplay are just as good. This is not a long game so it's just 10 songs to play through, but they're both of varied styles and, most of all, very, very good. Despite being someone who praises soundtracks a lot in these entries, I don't actually know music theory or anything so I can't really tell you why they're so good, though. Just that they sounded good to my ears and were very memorable, I guess :). Made me bob my head a lot, etc.

Gameplay is sort of standard rhythm game where you hit the right button at the right time, but it's also very much its own thing. Every song consists of defensive and offensive phases, where you basically tap buttons coming in from up, left, down, or right to avoid taking damage, and then where you have to follow a line with the analog stick (which admittedly does feel a bit stiff on the PSP, but it works well enough) while also pressing the right button when the line reaches there to damage the opponent. It can be a bit overwhelming on some songs, but it never became too much (I think I had one game over during the entire game, and that was on the final boss) and I enjoyed its uniqueness when compared to other rhythm games I've played, as well as switching between those two gameplay styles throughout every song. Really kept me on my toes and somehow made the experience more immersive.

Honestly one of the ugliest artstyles I've seen in a game in a long time, though. Didn't really affect my experience with Gitaroo Man at all, but it's certainly not a looker of a game.

Dripping with character. Love the music and the style. Did want to pull my hair out beating the final boss though, but super glad i played it.

a really fun and simple rhythm game! got into it after failing to play both parappa the rapper and um jammer lammy (both great game’s respectively, i just suck at its timing), has a fun art style and the 3d models make me oddly nostalgic. you can probably finish it in one sitting if you’re not lazy like me

Gitaroo Man Lives! may be both the strangest rhythm game I have ever played and the strangest game I have ever played period. This weirdness, however, is not at all a detriment and is really just a part of the Gitaroo Man Lives! Experience.

Gitaroo Man Lives! is a 2006 port of the 2001 PS2 game Gitaroo Man. While both games follow the same plot, Gitaroo Man Lives! adds local Ad-Hoc multiplayer, a new duet mode, and more difficulty options. The main character of the game is a young boy named U-1. He is constantly picked on by his rival Kazuya and tries desperately to gain the affection of his crush Pico. One day, as U-1 is suddenly attacked by a diaper wearing demon named Panpeus, his loyal talking canine Puma sheds his skin and gives U-1 the last Gitaroo he’s been storing in his body. Upon taking the Gitaroo in his hands, U-1 is transformed into the legendary warrior Gitaroo Man and the wild ride of this game really begins.

Throughout the ten stages of the game, both U-1 and the opponent have a life bar, with the player being tasked with depleting the opponent's life bar and reaching the end of the song without dying. Nearly every level consists of four main phases; Charge, Attack, and Guard, followed by an ending phase called Final. During the Charge, Attack, and Final phases, a line containing red strum bars will curve across the screen. The player must use the PSP analog stick to follow along with the line while holding down and releasing one of the four face buttons at the start and end of each red strum bar. During the Charge phase, strumming the notes successfully restores U-1’s health, whereas in the Attack and Final phases, successfully strumming notes damages the opponent. Missing notes of course causes damage to U-1. During the Guard phase, the player must tap corresponding buttons as they reach the center of the screen to avoid the opponent’s onslaught of musical attacks. Dodging successfully will yield little to no damage to U-1, while failing will result in U-1’s health taking a hit. This control scheme can honestly take some getting used to and is a bit strange compared to other rhythm games. It also makes the game incredibly difficult to master and even beat on the Normal difficulty. I failed several times during the later stages and suffered a couple of hand cramps along the way.

Each of the ten stages in this game are an absolute trip. While normal human characters in the game can lean too hard into the uncanny valley for me personally, the bosses of each stage have fantastic designs that are all interesting and unique. You will face everything from the aforementioned diapered demon, to a mariachi band of bones, a space shark, and even the current ruler of Planet Gitaroo. There are small custcenes between each stage to tell the story of the game, but don't expect a Triple A experience here. While the animation work is fine for a port of a 2001 game, the voice acting for every character is a bit off and doesn’t sync up well to the mouth moving animations. This is only a tiny gripe and doesn't effect the gameplay or overall experience whatsoever.

Gitaroo Man Lives! is a fantastic, if not short, rhythm game for the PSP that has stood the test of time. It is both fun and challenging, while also telling a compact story that will have you smiling from start to finish. Just be warned, if you decide to play this game prepare for a difficult yet fun and wacky experience.

The music is fantastic, the control scheme is neat, and the visual design is spectacular. The only problem is that playing even one song absolutely destroys my hands.

up there with parappa the rapper as one of my favorite rhythm games


new game genre: music + story = mustory

Stage 7 made me cry 🥲

Seriously difficult, especially in the back half. Ashamed to admit I save scummed my way through the final level - much like Contra Hard Corps (NTSC version) it gets really unforgiving to the point where quick saves became essential. Considering that I was playing on Easy/Normal, I can't imagine what the harder modes would be like, especially on emulation.

I love the vibe and style of this game, the character designs are offbeat and fun, the humor hit for me, and the music is fantastic. It's short but sweet, a great lil summer game.

The better version, controls feel more responsive than the ps2 version.