The feeling you get from mastering your favorite rhythm game is probably second to only… well, actually learning to play a real instrument. Us modern gamers are much too busy to become proficient with any kind of physical instrument, let alone haul it around. Given this dilemma, what is the master rhythm gamer on the go to do? Enter DJ Max Portable, a DJ sim in the Beatmania style from Korean developer Pentavision for the PSP. Word to the wise – only those well versed in the ways of the sim DJ need apply (or those prepared to give their hand-eye coordination a true test of its mettle).

The game opens to a slick intro, giving way to an equally slick interface, with a few modes available. While the main menu offers a few options (a standalone audio player to listen to tracks from the game, and a mode to watch the background montages in a music video format) DJ Max Portable mode is the meat here. If you’re familiar with the Beatmania formula, you should feel right at home. If not, here’s the gist of it all – you start by choosing a difficulty level and a base song in a variety of genres ranging from techno, hip-hop, or R&B. When the song begins, a series of bars corresponding to the buttons and directions on the PSP begin to fall from the top of the screen. Hitting the correct buttons in time with the music triggers beats and instrumental accompaniment, and successively getting the beats right on (points are detracted for early or late hits) earns you bigger combos, which in turn earns you more points. Failing to be all up in the groove earns you nothing but remorse, draining your virtual DJ powers (represented by a life bar on the left side of the screen) until you are left a shuddering husk of a beat-smith, the game’s only parting message a brusque announcement letting you know that you need more practice. And you will be seeing that screen a great many times – the game is difficult.

Yes, the game is a challenge. The difficulty is relative to the number of buttons you choose to use – the easiest takes only four buttons (two directions and two face buttons), while the hardest takes eight (even entering the PSP’s shoulder buttons into the equation). The difficulty can be augmented by selecting a number of modifiers at the beginning of the song (or, depending on your control scheme, during the song itself) – you can adjust the speed of the falling bars, whether the bars fade out on approach, and a random or mirrored placement pattern for the bars’ conventional sequence. Even experienced rhythm game fans will have trouble with the moderate and more advanced modes, with the game ramping up the challenge hard and fast. Sticking with the four button mode for a good long time is recommended, even for a Beatmania vet, if only to get yourself used to the PSP’s button placement and what the game considers “average” difficulty. When you get the hang of the four button mode, and that certain something just clicks with you, that’s when the game, like any other rhythm game, really heats up, and you’ll be slinging beats all over the place like a pro. Plus, the diligent player will be rewarded with a slew of unlockables – a gallery mode lets you view an image gallery and remixed background montages, and every now and then you are able to unlock new skins for the game itself, some even bumping your DJ stats by upping your max combo score or increasing your DJ life meter.

The audio in the game is great, with a varied song selection covering techno, hip-hop, R&B, house, breakbeat, pop, and rock. While the soundtrack serves its purpose, some licensed tracks could have added a lot to the game, but the music quality never gets in the way of the gameplay itself. While there aren’t any real standouts, the game never tosses any real stinkers at you either, making a random playthrough a good option for the DJ on the go. The PSP’s speakers do an OK job of pumping out the beats, but a good pair of headphones can completely change the experience, sometimes even making those tougher stages easier to handle by revealing some new layer of the song.

As hard as it is, the game is extremely addictive once you get into it. It offers a portable rhythm game experience that can’t be matched, using the power of the PSP to churn out top-quality visuals and sound. The game is in Korean, but if you’ve played a rhythm game before you should have no problem getting started. DJ Max Portable is the perfect choice for the rhythm gamer on the move – oh, and what do you know? It’s available right here at Pink Godzilla!

System: PSP
Publisher: Pentavision
Developer: Pentavision
Genre: Rhythm
Release Date: Jan 14, 2006
# of Players: 1
Online Play: No

IMPORT FRIENDLY - O
LOAD TIME - X
ORIGINALITY - ▲
GRAPHICS - O
MUSIC - O
LONGEVITY - O
OVERALL - O