Hexagroove: Tactical DJ

Hexagroove is probably the most interesting and exciting music game I've ever played. It's a rhythm game made by people with a deep and obvious love of electronic music and the culture around it. It plays in a unique and intuitive way that makes it simple to make some kick ass music. Honestly, I never knew how much I needed something like this in my life. Unlike other rhythm games which rely on quick reflexes and tapping along to the beat, most of Hexagroove's gameplay centers around layering different instrumental loops. If you're the kind of person who likes to play a game for the challenge, then it might not be for you. Most of the fun comes from putting together the different pieces and finding a solid groove, then adjusting it and playing with it on the fly. There's room for a lot more experimentation and playfulness than in games that emphasize skill mastery, like Beatmania or Audiosurf. It offers some mini-games and an obligatory campaign, but you won't find anything too taxing except on the highest difficulty. I've made my way through the whole game on each difficulty level, but most of my time is spent in free mode just jamming out. I'd hesitate to even call Hexa…

Even with my short time in the game thus far I think it's incredibly cool. I've not seen or played anything else like it. From the viewpoint of someone who doesn't (yet) make music, it's about the closest you can get to actually mixing and producing your own tracks while still also technically being a game. It's a lot of fun just to play around in, and I love that the game encourages that. More than once I'd be vibing with all the loops and samples in the practice mode, finding out my favorites and which ones work well together before remembering, oh yeah, I have a set to go play, maybe I should do that. It's double cool that incorporating real life mixing and songwriting techniques and theory affect your performance and score. Also you can have a Psytrance rave deep in the forest. It is a little intimidating to learn at first, and maybe moreso to those with less music theory knowledge and rhythm game affinity, but it feels pretty natural after it all clicked. More clarity on the strengths of the "tricks" would be nice too.

Excellent game. Unfortunately, was released around same time as fuser. Can be pricey too. I recommend wait to go on sale. Other than that, great.