I've been trying to work out how the
game actually works. The
levels on the game
CD are pre-
programmed, if you
copy them to another CD and play them in the game they come out differently, so the starter levels don't really give any
insight to the working of the game.
The sound obviously has an effect on the levels created. If you play a track which is just silence, no shapes appear. However, sometimes the game picks up on sounds that are very quiet which you may not pick up.
Rythym seems to play an important part. Most pop music or dance tracks will come up with relatively easy levels, wheras tracks that have no beat, or aren't music (sound effects, spoken word, noise for example) tend to be quite wild and unpredictable. There are a few exceptions. I tried using the Atari Teenage Riot album 60 Second Wipeout. I expected Digital Hardcore to be the most insanely difficult track, but instead found it pretty easy. The first track, Revolution Action, was near impossible to complete, even though it's the most reasonable track on the album.
I think the program works on the variations in the sound, or possibly is programmed to react to certain frequencies. This would explain why some pure noise tracks don't respond too hecticaly, while some go completely insane, as some noise will trigger the right frequencies, while some won't.
The scoring system is a little unfair, as you can easily get higher scores just by playing longer tracks. However, you can't save your hi-scores, which is quite annoying as you have no proof that you managed to get a great score. As you play the game, you can't even tell what your score is (it's added up at the end of the game), since it is represented by a string of shapes that twirl around the top of the screen. The higher your score, the more complicated the shapes get, so you kind of know when you're getting a really good score. The furthest shape I have ever got to I think was a six-pointed star. Before that was a five-pointed star.
The animated sequences, especially the opening and the how-to-play section, are incredibly cute. The "it's a hi-score" animation does get kind of irritating though, as does the repetitive menu music. You might want to turn your TV to mute while you search your CD collection for just *one* more game.
To finish, some of the most difficult tracks I've found to play on this game. Some of them are probably quite obscure, but that's my music tastes...
Squarepusher - Greenways Trajectory (from Go Plastic)
Nine Inch Nails - Starfuckers (charlie clouser version) (final track on Things Falling Apart)
Packd like sardines in a crushd tin box - Radiohead (from Amnesiac)
Smashing Pumpkins - Zero (from Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness)
Revolution Action - Atari Teenage Riot (from 60 Second Wipeout)
the first track on 'lift yr skinny fists like antennas to heaven' by godspeed you black emperor! I've tried it three times and am expecting the ultimate high score if i ever finish it, but it is so difficult.