Free iPod Games: Phase
Developer: MTV Games - Harmonix
Category: Puzzle/Trivia
Release Date:
Average Rating : 9.0/10
Phase is the first game for the iPod created by Harmonix, the same company that developed the Rock Band and Guitar Hero. And Phase shares more than a casual resemblance to Guitar Hero—or other music games made by Harmonix. So now you can catch some of the vibe on your iPod when you play Phase.
How to Play:
In Phase, your music is the game! So, simply copy your favorite music to the Phase playlist in iTunes and play the game one song at a time, or in marathon sessions of up to five tracks in a row.
Each song is broken down into several sections. In each section, as dots that represent musical notes head your way, press the correct click wheel button to activate a target at the right moment. The more notes you string together, the higher your point multiplier. When you come across curved lines of smaller dots, known as sweeps, glide your finger across the click wheel to scoop them up.
Stars at the bottom of the screen fill as you successfully catch notes. You need to fill a certain number of stars by the time you reach the next checkpoint; You also have a set number of hearts at the start of each song that drop if you make repeat mistakes by missing notes. Run out of hearts and your game ends; complete all the checkpoints and reach the end of the song to win.
The game features two different modes: Quick Spin lets you play one song at a time, while Marathon lets you play multiple songs at increasing levels of difficulty.
Review:
If you’ve played any of Harmonix’s music games, you’ll have an approximate idea of what to expect. It’s basically a rhythm-matching game—an updated version of the classic game Simon, in which you have to match a series of cascading notes by tapping out in time on your iPod’s Click Wheel.
Phase is rife with options, too; you can shuffle songs, for example, manage different player profiles, and even “Choose Journey,” which lets you play a specific gameplay environment or randomize the choice. Other options let you pause, view high scores, get help, set volume, and exit the game all together.
Phase comes with a short soundtrack of its own (which happens to include a song from Freezepop), but the big hook here is the ability to import your own music into the game. In fact, the first time you install the game, it will create a “Phase Music” playlist in iTunes that you can synchronize with whatever songs you like—stuff you’ve ripped from CD, stuff you’ve bought from the iTunes Store, or iPod-compatible music you’ve bought from other stores. Phase turns them all into gameplay levels.
What makes Phase so much fun is that it’s going to be different for everyone. Some people might want some pounding electronica or rock-and-roll to get their hearts racing; others might find some mellow jazz or instrumental music to be more conducive to the trance-like state you need to achieve to find your zen moment in Phase.
The game also features a number of ambient environments as backdrops for the game play—everything from urban cityscapes to psychedelic fantasias rife with bug-eyed monsters. It’s really trippy and delightfully fun—whimsical, colorful, and eye-catching.
Phase is exactly what iPod gaming should be about—rather than reinventing the iPod as an also-ran game system, making it a truly unique game experience. If you’re a fan of Guitar Hero or similar music games, you absolutely need Phase on your iPod.
