Game Review: Sound Voltex II -infinite infection-

Sound Voltex II -infinite infection- has hit the arcades last month, but not many people know it, or even heard about it. Is it a horribly designed game, or just a good game that no one plays?

So exactly what is this game? Being -somewhat- a veteran in music games, I tried this game for the first time, and, jesus, it wasn't easy at all.

Just from the controls we can see where this is going. We play as DJs and remix songs. 6 buttons, 2 knobs, what can go wrong? Crazy patterns, fast-paced songs etc. This is a game that will get your adrenaline running. You can match up with 3 other people for each song. The higher your ranking at the end, the better the rewards.
As with most music games, there isn't any plot or story involving the game. Not that anyone is complaining, for a music game is a music game .

Gameplay
The player is required to use various buttons to hit the notes appearing on the screen. There are six vertical columns on the screen with notes coming towards the Critical Line at the bottom, and the aim is to hit the notes when they are on the Critical Line (also know as the judgement line in other games). There are six buttons and two knobs to the left and right of the buttons. After a note is hit, a judgement is then received, from the highest to the lowest: CRITICAL, NEAR, and ERROR. While CRITICAL increases the gauge, ERROR depletes it. The player passes the stage when the gauge reaches the Clear Zone, at 70%. At the end of the song, a grade is given, from AAA to D where D is the lowest rank, based on the performance on that song.

Music
Sound Voltex's songs are mainly produced by independent Japanese artists; mostly VOCALOID producers. Songs generally fall into the trance, dubstep and techno genre. Big names in the NicoNicoDouga site are here, such as: Kemu, daniwell, cosmo@bousou and more. Not only that, remixed soundtracks from popular bulllet hell shooter game, Touhou Project is featured here with REDALiCE and ARM(IOSYS). Finally, it's worth a mention that this is the first Bemani game to feature self-made content in their game.



Unlock system
Surely you would want more content right? You can unlock more than 30 songs from the SOUND VOLTEX STATION. At the end of every song, you will earn 2 types of in-game currency, Packets and Blocks. Blocks are used to unlock songs, while Packets are used to unlock Appeal Cards, a nice way to call display picture. Certain requirements will allow you to earn more Packets and Blocks, such as matching up with other players or achieving a 100% on the gauge.

Graphics
The graphics is surprisingly impressive. Constant FPS and also breathtaking high-speed graphics will let you feel that you are really remixing the song.

Overall
A well-made game with great design. The cabinet looks amazing, along with the great graphics in the game. Also, it's not a game that is we have seen in the market. A new game, a bold move that was successful.

Score: 8.5/10