Ribbin' it large (Vib-Ribbon (PS))

Member Name: timtm

Product:	Vib-Ribbon (PS)
Date:	31/08/01 (81 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quirky, As many levels as you've got CD tracks

Disadvantages: Too hard, Gets a bit boring

From the makers of Parappa the Rapper and Um Jamma Lammy comes a game which ... well, it's the same, and at the same time it's not.

It's the same because it's music based. It's the same because you have to hit buttons at certain times to do well, and failing to do so means you're doing badly.

It's not the same because, well, it's a little bit pants.

Unlike in the two masterpieces of paper-thing characterisation already mentioned, there is no repetition in Vib Ribbon. You're not shown a set of symbols, which you then have to repeat, you're just shown a line along which come shapes representing the buttons to press.

Here lies disadvantage number 1 - the shapes don't correspond to the buttons you've got to press.

There are four shapes - a loop, a pit, a wall and spikes. Two of these can be combined at any point, so for a spiked loop you'd have to press spike+loop at the same time.

Now, for a pit, you have to press down. Almost reasonable. For a loop, you have to press circ ... oh, no, you have to press R1.

But I always press circle, for some reason.

The layout of the keypresses is such that you will always have a finger on each of the four buttons. Unfortunately, if you're not going to spend hours playing this, you'll never get naturally accustomed to what's what, and it won't get to be that much fun. You can't get into the game that far, because it's just not natural.

Here lies disadvantage numer 2 - the game is too difficult.

On the game itself there are three difficulty levels - strangely entitled easy, medium and hard. Easy is easy enough, and medium is only just doable. The music that accompanies these is sheer genius of tacky Japanese pop, and worth recording off the CD! The difficulty comes when you take advantage of the game's big feature, and use your own CDs.

Indeed, you ca
n load up the game, and then put in your own CD and play using that music. Since the music directly affects the shapes that come your way, each song will be different.

It's just too hard though, and it gets frustrating. If you miss a move, then you either drop down a level (from a rabbit, to a frog, to a snake, to nothing, and to get back up you have to get about 20 moves in succession right), or just start the screen shaking. And when the screen shakes it's hard to see what you're doing, so you'll inevitably fall to the next level.

The timing has to be point-perfect, which makes the shaking screen even more ludicrous. And it doesn't end there - this isn't a very well done PAL conversion, and as such the timing of the controls isn't quite synchronised to the display. It's harder than it should be, then.

That's not to say it's a bad game, but after a few plays you'll get bored, frustrated and put it away for a month or so. You will get it out again though. It's too eccentric to leave it there.

Here (sort of) lies disadvantage number 3 - it's too eccentric. While the graphical style is functional and different, it soon gets boring, and you wish for just a little bit of colour. The game would be improved with music-generated darkly-hued backdrops, for instance.

While it seems that I'm discouraging you from buying this, I'm not. It is a good game, and it's cheap, and worthy of purchase. Just don't expect the masterfullness of Um Jammer Lammy to be played out again.

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