MEDAMONTH: Megpoid the Music#(PSP Game/Music)

Welcome to the continuation of the still not famous MEDAMONTH!

This week, I will be reviewing a game which finally shines the spotlight onto one of my favorite characters: GUMI! GUMI is a Vocaloid created by INTERNET Co.,ltd and is one of the mascots of the "Megpoid" voicebank, leading many to call her a Megpoid rather than a Vocaloid. Although originally unpopular, she quickly grew in internet fandom and came to have a really big internet fanbase.  On March 28th 2013, a game based on the "Project Diva" series was released with GUMI as the lead(and only) character under the name of "Megpoid the Music#"(Megpoid the music Sharp).

Seriously, how could a game with such
a cute character be bad?

First of all, I've never been what you would call a full on Vocaloid fan. Although I do like the designs, I had never listened to the music made using the Vocaloid program  up until recently and in fact, tend to dislike most songs I hear that are made using the program. Even so, when I heard they had a video game called Project Diva, I got curious and decided to try it only to be disappointed by my favorite, GUMI, not being part of the game in any way. So you can imagine just how excited I was when I learned that they where coming out with a game starring GUMI and only her. Even though I hadn't listen to her music, I was thrilled. I told myself "it doesn't matter if the game is something I like or not, it has my favorite character at the center of it!" In other words, I was totally expecting to enjoy it, even if it was bad.......oh how I was naive.

"Megpoid the Music#" is a music game similar to tap-tap, Parapa the Rapper and Guitar Hero/Rockband and is basically a spin off of the Project Diva series. In fact, the game plays exactly like PD, only instead of flying everywhere, the "beats" you hit follow a straight line and it's clear when and where you must hit said "beats", something I found the game did well, although some find it makes the game to easy. The game contains various songs that where made using the GUMI voicebank and that can be played on four different difficulties. Now as far as the music goes,I have to be honest and say that even though I love the character, I had never heard GUMI's voice prior to playing the game. In the end,  I was pleasantly surprised with the voice as the voicebank is one of the more human sounding ones available for the program. In other words, not only is GUMI's voice pleasant, she doesn't sound like she's talking right after having eaten a shit load of "tubes".

Autotune never tasted better~

The music selected for the game is mostly composed of three genres: Pop, Electronic and Rock. In my opinion, the voice works best when used with rock and pop-rock, mostly due to the range these songs use. My favorite song in the game is by far "Carnival", which is also pronounced "cannibal" for some reason(I'm guessing it's a pun). However, there is one big flaw with every song in the game: They are all cut short. No matter what song you choose, non of them are the full versions. Now this is okay for songs that you don't like, but what about those you like or those that tell a  story? Not to mention that the endings are often screwed up and the last beat feels off  when it appears on screen. Overall though, you will definitely find a song you will like and enjoy among the various ones offered.

Now, for the part I didn't want to talk about but don't have a choice: the gameplay. It's horrible, the game is horrible. I tried to deny it for a while, hell, I even I tried to tell myself that it must be the version I got that's bad, but no, it's not. It's just a bad game. Now, the gameplay when you're playing the actual song is decent, although nothing spectacular.

The game is simple and barely interesting.
 It would not do well if not paired with the vocaloid franchise.

However, the menus respond very poorly and, to make things worst, the load times are horrendous. You will literally be waiting for a good five seconds each time you navigate to a new screen no mater what said screen contains. The graphics look okay in performance mode, but everywhere else you go, the quality varies from decent too down right deviant bad. Even worse is the fact that anything GUMI says during menu navigation sounds like a 20-30 year old trying to sound cute with a japanese accent and failing at it, not to mention the audio clips will sometimes screech for no apparent reason. Although I like the backgrounds for the main menu and some of the art used for the loading screens, they still vary  from decent art too stuff you would find in your grand-mother's garbage can because even she finds it's ugly.

Another very important issue is just how the costume system is annoying and poorly executed. To clarify, only two types of people are usually attracted to Project Diva games: Vocaloid fans and curious people like myself. The gameplay for the games a mediocre, however, the fact that you can select your favorite Vocaloid mascot from those available, as well as select the costume said mascot will wear, makes the mediocre gameplay seem unimportant. In other words, the costume and customization aspects are vital to the game's enjoyment in a game like this. Sadly, as stated above, the game fails to give deliver in this department. For starters, each performance has a stage, which is usually just one of the five or six bland ones available, as well as a dance routine. The choreography for each individual song is well executed but is ruined by one very simple detail: THE LACK OF PROPER COSTUMES! It might sound like a nitpick, but with the styles covered in he songs, as well as the stages, proper costume selection is key to making the song match the choreography, something the game doesn't even bother to try doing.

“What costume should we use for this song sempai?
- DEFAULT!!!!!!!!!! “

Not only that, but if you want GUMI to perform in a different costume than her default one, you have to select it while in the song selection menu after having selected a song and before starting it. This would be excusable if they had her in different costumes for each song, but they don't and it makes the system even more convoluted that it should be.  As for the costume themselves,well, that's  more a question of personal taste than anything else, though I will say the hairstyles could use some work on some of them.

Overall, "Megpoid the Music#" was just a massive disappointment  I was really excited when I first heard of it, but after playing it, I feel like I was just slapped in the face. Although the songs are enjoyable, the overall product is bland and disappointing, not to mention that it's annoyingly slow, error prone and even contains to much mediocre art. In short, if you don't like Vocaloids, avoid the game as it will not change your mind on them. On the other hand, if you like Vocaloids or are curious about them, then listen to the soundtrack as the game is horrible and you will find the only reason you are playing it is because of the music is good and because GUMI is cute. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go check if my inner fanboy is still alive.

Final Verdict: 3/10
Pros:
+GUMI is cute(Heavily Biased Opinion. Your personal Opinions may differ.)
+GUMI's voice is more human sounding than other Vocaloids, offering for a more appealing sound overall.
+The songs are quite enjoyable and overall well made.
Cons:
-THE GAME IS AWFUL! JUST PLAIN AWFUL!
-The gameplay is mediocre at best.
-Audio clips in the menu sound awful and will often start screeching.
-The majority of the art assets(pictures, backgrounds and game renders) range from decent to down right deviant art bad.
-The costume system is very poorly executed and extremely convoluted.