KickBeat Special Edition
Overview -
In Dutch, there's a saying "a dozen trades, thirteen miseries". None of my gaming experiences have ever truly yielded great success. No one invited me to the Nintendo World Championships, I never claimed the Atari 'Waterworld' Crown of Life and I have yet to achieve 100% completion on 'Grand Theft Auto IV'. That's okay. We can't all be heroes, and there can only be one (Highlander rules). When it comes to rhythm games, my track record is adequate. I unlocked Daft Punk in 'DJ Hero', I kicked Donkey Kong's behind in 'Donkey Konga' and I set the Nintendo DS on fire (more like a pilot flame) via 'Guitar Hero Modern Hits'. However, nothing in the history of all that's made up of pixels and bytes could ever prepare me for the brutal beating I was about to receive with 'KickBeat: Special Edition' for the PlayStation 4.
Video Review
Graphics-wise, 'Kickbeat: Special Edition' offers polygon power that the PlayStation 3 could pull off in stand-by mode. Perfunctory, colourful and cartoonish, but never an indication of the graphical prowess of your shiny new PlayStation 4 console. That's not criticism, however. 'Zelda: The Wind Waker' is a far-cry from realism, but it's one of the most beautiful games ever. 'KickBeat' boasts well-rendered characters and flashy arenas. Clearly, a lot more work went into the environments compared to the character models. The style used for the cutscenes works very well, with sketchy comic book-esque artwork.
Audio Review
Welcome to 2002! 'KickBeat: Special Edition' has gathered a line-up of artists who are not quite contemporary. Be ready to mash buttons to the tunes of Marilyn Manson, Papa Roach, Southpaw Swagger, Rob Zombie and others. Nu-metal for the win, eh? Sound effects are very basic. 'Pow', 'kick', 'smash' etcetera. The cutscenes shine once more, for they get a fitting symphonic and bombastic score.
Final Thoughts
Rarely engaging, never inspiring and strangely shallow, 'KickBeat: Special Edition' will appeal to rhythm game junkies craving for a mash-up with 'Mortal Kombat'. However, in the musical gaming niche, a lot of better and more engrossing titles are available for purchase, albeit not on the PS4. With a questionable song selection, moderately convincing graphics and an incredible difficulty curve, 'KickBeat: Special Edition' is for hardcore gamers only. A missed opportunity.
