Game:

Beat Hazard (2009)

Duration: 10:13

389 views

5

The song used in this game is my own "Hooked on Bit.Trip Runner 2" which can be heard as well as downloaded here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIc8eBruKOs&list=PLE76C380FD6180EA7

Do you believe in love at first sight? I know I do, because that is what happened when I first played this game. I love Asteroids, and I love music based games. Mash the two together and you get Beat Hazard. Beat Hazard is a 2D shooter that is literally powered by music, any music. There are tracks that come with the game, but what better way to enjoy your music collection than to have a game create level using the dynamics of the song on the fly. This is not some gimmick. The game actually does this, and it's not random. Play the same song twice and the enemy pattern is almost identical, so this is not just some rogue-like shooter that simply piles on enemies when the tempo picks up. The song generates the level. Anyway, I digress. This game is my new addiction. It is so hard to put down because the possibilities are only as endless as your music collection. Each song is a unique experience.

Also this shooter is special because as you can see it's not a bullet hell shooter. Never do I once feel that the game is unfair. The more you play this game, the higher you score, and the more money you collect you unlock perks like shields and missiles to aid you in your fight, and in the suicide difficulty (which is seen in this video) you need all the help you can get. You can select different types of ships which come with their own characteristics as well as challenges. This particular ship has very powerful guns, but moves slow and is big, so dodging some enemy fire is sometimes very difficult to impossible if the bullets are too close. The default ship is much faster and has much slower bullets.

This game has so much replay value it's not even funny. I originally played the regular Beat Hazard demo on Steam which is what led me to just buy the whole Ultra package which is much better than Beat Hazard Classic. Ultra adds many new enemies, bosses, ships, and objectives. As amazing as Beat Hazard classic is, Ultra is many times better as it is improved in every way. I had a ton of fun trying to make a decent recording for this video. The game can be much easier than what is seen here as this is the highest difficulty. This game really is accessible to everyone. I like it rough, but the normal difficulty is good for those who like a challenge but don't like being overwhelmed.

Bottom line, if you like 2D shooters and music, you need this game. It's available on the XBLA and PSN as well. No matter what the platform you prefer, get this game!