Plot: What’s it about?
As Guitar Hero remains in stasis and Rock Band is content with DLC offerings, the music genre has been quiet of late. But Jam Live Music Arcade has designs to breathe new life into the game space. As with our genre favorites, Jam Live Music Arcade tasks you to put your plastic guitar to the test, with a selection of licensed music. While you only use a guitar, you are the entire band and have to balance five sections of performance. The falling note convention is intact, but this isn’t just strumming to the beat, instead there is a much more arcade texture. You need to hold certain buttons and strum up, then at the appropriate time, strum down, sometimes switching between held buttons. While this sounds complicated, it just takes a short curve to pick up on the idea and you should be able to rock out in a short while. I still prefer the laid back approach of Rock Band, but Jam Music Live Arcade pushes a more complex, demanding challenge. So if you’ve finished all your Rock Band songs on expert and want a more strenuous task, this game can oblige.
Video: How does it look?
This game isn’t a visual dynamo, but the layout and overall design is more than competent. This means the live gig vibe from other music games isn’t present, so the game interface takes center stage. This is fine however, as the game tasks you to keep track of all five conduits, so the lack of distractions is nice. The game looks clean, well designed, and the interface ensures the game plays smoothly, not much else we could ask in this case.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a game driven by music, so the tunes better sound good, right? The music does indeed sound good, so you’ll be able to enjoy the selections even as you scramble to keep pace with the notes. There isn’t much else to discuss, since the main audio component is the music for this game. But since the soundtrack rocks, the sound design more than delivers.