Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA

I've never been much of a Hatsune Miku fan let alone one of rhythm games due to poor hand to eye coordination skills on my part, though I felt compelled to give this title a run. I expected this to be no more than SEGA's attempt to cash in on the VOCALOID craze, though to its credit, Project DIVA turned out to be a much better game than I had anticipated.

Unlike the other weeaboo games which I have reviewed for the PSP, the great thing about this title is that it takes little to no moonspeak skills on the player's behalf to enjoy, although a certain portion of the game does indeed require that you know Japanese(more on that later)

From the get go, having Miku pronounce SEGA was a brilliant and nostalgic touch that paid homage to the company's legacy over the years. SEGA doesn't stop there as the company flexes its developer's muscle with a CG rendition of Hatsune Miku for the introduction video that made it stand out even among the likes of the better ones I've seen on Nicovideo.

Suddenly, hundreds of moonrunes! Navigating the main menu is a relatively easy task, with its functions being rather self explanatory once players go about it.

With a measly 6 songs to get you started, the library expands as you clear each track even with the minimum score, though players are rewarded with better unlockables for putting in more effort in obtaining a higher ranking.

Gameplay is straightforward enough. Time button presses accordingly to visual cues, or even better yet, to the beat of the song, though it requires that players being already familiar with the the title. Personally, the former would have a lot less difficult had it not been for the the fact that these cues fly in from every direction, not to mention that some of it occasionally clashes with the background.

To be honest, other than IevanPolkka, none of the titles were familiar to me, though I found myself enjoying most of them. While SEGA had an easy time not having to compose most of these songs, they more than compensate for it with their own PVs that once again, stood out on their own when compared to the originals as it also highlights the capabilities of the graphics engine, with no signs of visible slowdown despite all the numerous effects that take place simultaneously on screen(it apparently lags on the PSP-1000).  If you find yourself not being able to savor the eye candy the first time around, you can always play the title over as a music video once you clear it. My only complain would be that SEGA eventually runs out of steam, as the later videos consist of slideshows. Come on, even Hachune Miku twirling leek for the entire IevanPolkka song would have suffice!

The amount of in-game goodies are astounding as it extends beyond alternate costumes for Miku herself. Even distant(and not so distant) relatives of the VOCALOID family make an appearance, although as expected, you still only hear Miku's singing voice.

Having played fan targeted games of a similar vein, Miku's Room came off as no surprise. Owners of other portable devices such as the iPod will find it familiar as well, as this is technically a glorified clock feature, where you deck out the room with items that you have painstakingly unlocked, and with a song playing in the background, players can watch and ogle at Miku idle away minding her own business. Then there's also the clock in case you missed it. Incidentally, I have Miku in her bridal outfit, so she's now mai waifu

Tip of the hat to SEGA for including the Edit feature which is unheard of until now for a platform like the PSP. 39 songs may seem insufficient, and for those upset over their favorite titles not being included in the final game(I'm looking at you, Black Rock Shooter), you can upload your own track and design customs stages around it. However, I've yet to test this feature out myself due to the game's inability to detect my MP3s. I'll be more than happy to try out whatever the fans churn out in the mean time while I figure it out as this also basically spells out unlimited replay value.

Speaking of the fans, a game of this nature cannot do without a gallery, which once again, works to SEGA's advantage, as I'm pretty sure all of these originated from Pixiv Piapro, as I was told The image you see above is now my new wallpaper.

Verdict

I know a real life fanboy who pre-ordered this game, and I must say that it was money well spent, which I once joked the Puchi Nendoroid Hatsune Miku being the only good thing. As he also got his hands on this game through the same channels I did, his biased opinions wouldn't have had an effect on me, had I not agreed with him as well With no glaring flaws that would mar the game in any way(other than the lack of auto-save function, which is strange lack of foresight on SEGA's behalf), Project DIVA sets the bar up high for fan games with its great song selection, attention to detail and incredible replay value. 9/10.