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A new version of the popular PSP based IIDX clone, DJ MAX hits the streets. Does it satisfy as much as the first two? Will your thumbs be bloody stumps the time you put down your psp? Click on through for the full review!

 The main menu

DJ MAX Portable: Clazziquai is the newest in a line of rhythm games for the PSP. It is essentially an IIDX clone; notes scroll down columns on your PSP’s screen, and you press the corresponding button on your psp. Sounds simple? Well, you would be right, but that does not keep it from being mind numbingly hard at the same time.

A typical song

Luckily, the Clazziquai edition of DJ MAX has been made specially for newcomers to the genre. In addition to the returning 4, 5, and 6 button modes, Pentavision threw in a 2 button for beginners, and opted to remove the 8 button mode for a 4 button FX mode. This is identical to the 4 button mode, only it includes the bumper keys as notes as well.

No 8 button mode this time.

The main portion of the game, Club Tour, follows your career as a fledgling DJ, visiting clubs, performing DJ battles, and winning all sorts of unlockables. More on that later.

Club furious? Shit is getting real.

It starts off pretty easy, slowly moving from 2 button mode, to four button mode, up to 5 button and 4 button FX. You don’t see much six button mode in the Club Tour. The difficulty ramps up pretty evenly, with exception to the DJ Battles. The DJ Battles are like the Xtreme Challenge missions from the previous DJ MAX. You have certain goals to achieve, such as getting 95% accuracy or higher, or not missing any more than 4 notes, or by reaching a certain score. The Clazziquai edition of DJ MAX is intended for beginners, and it seems a little strange to me to expect them to get near (or even 100%, on a few challenges) perfect on a set of songs before proceeding. It can be quite difficult and frustrating to newer players, even on the easier 4 button modes.

Thankfully, there is a “freestyle” mode that lets you play whatever songs you would like, on whatever difficulty you would like, in any order you would like. I found myself gravitating to this mode when I just wanted a quick song or two, and didn’t feel like putting in the time to progress in club tour.

Who got Moyashimon in my DJ MAX?

So, how does it all shape up? Right from the get go, it is easy to tell alot of care went into making this game. The production values are through the roof. Everything fits perfectly into the games art style. The menus are slick, the background videos are well animated, and most importantly, the music is absolutely top-notch. From acid jazz to rap to R&B to trance to electronica with even some chiptunes thrown in, there is something for everyone.

The controls fit perfectly, believe it or not. Not once did it feel awkward to use the PSP as a rhythm game device. There is zero input lag, and the ad-hoc versus battles go off without a hint of slowdown. The only thing that i can ask for in an infrastructure mode. All this, and it is addicting as hell. With a large number of unlockables of all sorts, you will be hard pressed to put this game down once you get the hang of it.

Delicious unlockables, must nom.

All sorts of goodies can be won. Initially, you will be unlocking “effectors” which change the way the game is played. Some allow you to get up to 5 times the point value from each note, similar to the star power in guitar hero. You can also unlock different gameplay skins, DJ avatars, songs, and club emblems. It doesn’t stop there. My personal favorites were the OST tracks you unlock, which allow you to listen to the game’s songs without having to actually be playing them. Quite nice if you just want to relax and listen to some game music. For a few of the songs, you can also unlock special “making of” videos that follow the artists as they compose and visualize the songs you are playing. Its very cool, and makes unlocking items a bit more interesting. Perhaps the coolest unlockables would be the images. All sorts of game art can be unlocked - and then dumped to your memory stick for use as your background, or uploading to your PC.

Out of game rewards? Awesome.

The only real complaint I have about this game is the difficulty. As I mentioned before, this version was designed to help ease beginners into the genre. While it does a tolerable job of this, there are still portions such as the DJ Battles that just seem way too hard for the casual gamer not looking to invest dozens of hours into just to gain access to all of the songs. At the same time, it is pretty easy if you are a seasoned DJ MAX player. I’m not really sure why they could not have kept 8 button mode around and included harder note charts for the songs, but what do I know.

More unlockables! This time, a “making of” video.

Good stuff:

Just about everything. The music is great, the controls are responsive, and the presentation is very slick. As far as replayability goes, i don’t see how they could improve upon it with all the unlockables and new songs you can earn. Playing against your friends is always fun, even more so when you have thrown back a few lagers and can’t really hit those buttons as well as you think you can…

Nasty stuff:

The difficulty. It may be too hard for newcomers, and too easy for veterans. The put a lot of effort into making it more accessible to newbies, but the DJ battles may still be too intimidating. GIVE US INFRASTRUCTURE MODE PLEASE.

Final verdict: 89 out of 100 dark diamonds. Most certainly worth a buy.