Keeping the Song's Beat

By AARON CURTISS

Dec. 13, 2001 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Playing “Frequency” is about as close to a transcendental experience as one can have on a Sony PlayStation 2.

Sitting in the dark, with speakers throbbing and the screen swirling with a rainbow sherbet of light, it’s easy to forget that “Frequency” is only a game--and a very, very simple one at that.

At its core, “Frequency” requires little more than clapping to the beat. Players assemble music tracks by hitting buttons on the PS2 controller in time to the rhythm.

The songs--which include mixes by bands such as No Doubt, the Crystal Method and Meat Beat Manifesto--are interpreted graphically by an undulating, eight-sided tunnel. Each face of the tunnel represents a different element of the song such as drums or bass or synthesizer.

As players move through the song, they move through the tunnel, the sides of which are littered with gems. Players must hit one of three buttons on the controller as they pass over a gem. If the gem is on the left, they hit L1. In the center, R1. And on the left, R2.

The goal is to hit enough gems in a row consistently to keep the music playing. Each missed gem is like a missed note. A few goofs are OK, but make enough mistakes and the music stops.

Sounds easy. And many of the early levels are. The music is slow enough and the combinations simple enough that even a moderately musical and coordinated person can keep up. But as the game deepens, the music becomes considerably more challenging.

Players have to knock out tricky combos in quick succession without losing the beat. It’s not enough to madly punch the buttons. It requires finesse.

That’s when the trance begins. Although the tracks may not all be to some listeners’ liking, most are pretty catchy and it’s easy to just let go and drift with the music. The dreamy tunnels pulse with hypnotic color and, with a decent sound system, the music drowns out most other noise.

After just a few tracks, the whole thing seems natural. The stark, black PS2 controller begins to feel like an instrument. And players begin to feel like a musician instead of just a fiend mindlessly pressing buttons.

Despite the engrossing nature of single-player “Frequency,” the true gaming beast within can be found only in two-player mode. In the same way that head-to-head “Tetris” turns the puzzler into a frantic match, two-player “Frequency” is a true battle of the bands.

Players move through the same song, although a split screen gives each player his or her own tunnel. The overall goal remains the same: To hit as many jewels in time to the music as possible. But players can set traps for opponents to hold them up.

The combination of concentrating on the beat and tripping up an adversary makes for sweet, sweet music.

The $50 question, though, is whether there’s enough of that sweet music to justify dropping the cash. Frankly, the long-term play value of “Frequency” is fairly limited. It’s good for maybe a week’s worth of kicks.

My recommendation: Rent it, rock it, return it.

“Doom”

Despite all the advances in hand-held game devices over the last decade, one genre remained perpetually elusive: The first-person shooter. Sure, the classic “Doom” made it to the humble, 16-bit Super Nintendo Entertainment System. But it has only now debuted on Game Boy Advance.

Perhaps it’s just that skipping lunch makes dinner taste that much better. “Doom” is as exciting and addictive as it was when it launched the era of first-person shooters in 1993. Despite Game Boy Advance’s small screen, designers did a great job of recreating the adrenaline and fear of the original in a pocket-size package.

The levels play and look identical to the PC version, but are a little more difficult to see because of Game Boy Advance’s reflective screen. No matter. Turn up the brightness and find a well-lighted place to play.

Just as with the original “Doom,” the true visceral nature of the game is revealed only in multi-player mode. Players can link up to four Game Boy Advances and challenge each other to a death match.

The only problem: Each player needs a separate cartridge. Some Game Boy Advance titles support multiple players with a single cartridge, which is a nice feature that lets friends mooch off each other.

No such luck with “Doom.”

Get it anyway. It’s an essential part of any portable library.

Aaron Curtiss is editor of Tech Times. He can be reached at aaron.curtiss@latimes.com.

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“Frequency”

Genre: Music matching

Platform: Sony PlayStation 2

Price: $50

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment

ESRB* rating: Everyone

The good: Entrancing mixes, great two-player action

The bad: Solo play can get tedious