No worries man - glad you were convinced enough to get it!

I'd agree that it's not exactly playing the music, but the spirit I guess is there, and considering an algorithm is generating the tracks it'll have to be pretty flexible. I'd like to see how they did it!

And cheers, Freeola, for the GAD :)

Cheers for the review - downloaded it for my iPod straight after reading.

It's good how it cleverly picks a path similar to your iPod tune, but it may be just down to the limitations of the iPod that it doesn't feel like you're playing it.

But if I were listening to the music anyway...

EDIT: Congrats on the GAD

Not if you have an iPod Classic you won't ;)

I'll stick with TapTap Revolution ;)

In the beginning, Apple conquered portable music – with huge hard drive capacities, sleek design and simple connectivity. Then, they took photos on-the-go, swiftly followed by video and the ensuing video store. So it was pretty much inevitable that Apple would eventually attempt games on their now ubiquitous device – it’s the logical ‘next step’. The possibilities extended by the intriguing user interface (similar to that of the DS) and the ease of distribution of new software (via iTunes) make iPod + gaming a natural fit. One of the first traditional game developers to take on the device was Harmonix, and their final product is Phase – the distillation of all that rhythm action is onto the most suitable device yet.

The premise of Phase is simple - the game consists of just 1 track, with 3 streams of notes or paths contained within it. Using the click wheel you must press on the corresponding button as the notes approach the ‘hit line’, or scroll the wheel in keeping with the ‘path’ on screen. Doing so enough times in succession will result in a multiplier, knocking up high scores and keeping the music pumping at full volume in the process. Each song is divided into sections of varying length, and the number of sections is related to the length of the song. In order not to lose life on a section a certain number of notes and paths must be hit - fall behind, and the volume drops, life is lost and checkpoints are not reached.

Now, this might sound all very familiar and bland. OK, it’s on iPod – that’s new. Yes, it’s got scrolly bits – that’s cool. But where’s the innovation? What’s unique? Well, for what I believe is the first time in a game of this type, you can use any song on your iPod. Not a predefined list supplied with the game. Not downloadable £1-per-song tracks. No – any song you want.

Cool, right? Somehow, those crazy kids at Harmonix have managed to make is possible for the game to create note sequences on the fly. Copy any track in iTunes to the ‘Phase Playlist’ and it will automatically generate a new level. Now that’s sweet.

As you might expect from such a thing, it’s not perfect. Obviously, this technology wouldn’t cross to Rock Band and work well. But for a mobile game, where there’s only one track, it opens up a world of opportunities. Yes, you can play The Chemical Brothers! Yes, you can play Creedence Clearwater Revival! Hot damn, you can play anything you like! The patterns created are fun to play, challenging and do, in fact, feel like they match the song. So although you don’t have a drum-guitar-vocal-synth mix a la Amplitude, it’s certainly a giant leap from the process of painstakingly pre-programming every song at the developer’s end.

Obviously, the power of the iPod is a limitation. The levels scroll beautifully, with no lag or slowdown, but the background animations are fairly rudimentary – providing enough visual flair and no more. The menus are simple and clean, as are the gameplay options. Play a level through on its own, or do a ‘Marathon’ – playing several levels consecutively. Completing marathons result in the unlock of new difficulty levels, each bumping up the number of notes and making the punishment for misses even harsher.

Although Phase doesn’t do much innovating of the gameplay mechanics of the genre, it does take a huge step forward for custom soundtracks. I’m guessing that this has been an issue playing on developers’ minds for years, particularly as the number of games of this type begins to grow. Plus, with licensing becoming more of a problem the ability to let users rip their own tracks is a massive boon. This all said, the technology is obviously in its very early stages and still has a long way to go. As a start it’s brilliant, and the iPod is a superb platform on which to begin. Hopefully in a couple of year’s time we’ll maybe see the transition of the technology behind Phase from ‘excellent traveling game’ to ‘feasible console game creation tool’. Until then, enjoy your first taste of the rhythm revolution!