Amplitude Studios, the developer behind Humankind and the Endless series, has regained its independence after buying itself out from?? publisher Sega. The company promises that it's "returning to [its] indie roots" to "make the best games possible."

Amplitude confirmed the news via a post on X and its official forum. The French developer had been a part of Sega for roughly eight years, publishing games such as Endless Space 2, Humankind, and Endless Dungeon. In a message posted on X, Amplitude wrote that being with Sega was an "incredibl??e journey" and is "parting ways on the best of terms."

“By returning to our indie roots we’re getting back to the heart of what drives us: creativity, innovation, and close-knit collaboration with our community,�the company wrote. “These values have shaped who we are from the beginning, and will lead the way forward in this exciting next chapter.�/p>

Amplitude moves on with new projects in the works

Amplitude offered a glimpse at what's on the horizon via its official forums. The studio will detail the latest patch for Humankind next week. Beyond that, the company's founder Romain de Wa??ubert de Genlis confirmed that the developer ?is working on two unannounced games.

Our studio is backed by strong and meaningful franchises and our team is committed to creating the best games possible. With our extensive experiences in strategy game development and two exciting titles currently in progress, we are confident in our ability to deliver outstanding experience to players. This decision allows us to be more agile in our approach while continuing to shape the vision that has been ours from the very beginning, empowering us to push boundaries and be closer as ever of our community.

Romain de Waubert de Genlis, Amplitude Studio founder

As per the rest of the forum post, Amplitude plans to show off what it's working on in January 2025. There aren't any other details, but that's pretty much expected. It looks like Amplitude is retaining the rights to its games, so we may hear of another release in the Endless franchise one of these days. We only have a co?uple of months before fi?nding out.

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This Amp doesn't go to 11

Before there was an abundance of rhythm games out there with plastic peripherals, there were developers like Harmonix leading the way with controller-based experiences. Along with some long sessions of Gitaroo Man and PaRappa, Frequency and Amplitude were a few ?of my favorites. Nearly everyone I showed them to fell in love with them all the same.

Harmonix's newest Amplitude reboot gets the foundation rig?ht, but some of its soul has been lost in the process of remaking it. 

Amplitude (PS3, PS4 [reviewed])
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: Harmonix
MSRP: $19.99
Released: January 5, 2016 (PS4) / TBA (PS3)

Amplitude might be hard to master, but it's extremely easy to pick up. If you've played the series before you'll be able to jump righ?t back in at the highest difficulty level, but for the rest of you, a quick five minute tutorial is all you'll need. Simply put, notes are laid down on tracks that symbolize instruments (or vocals), with L1, R1, and R2 (or Square, Triangle, and Circle) triggering the left, middle, or right notes respectively. Players are required to hit specific notes on beat on each track, th??en move to the next one. That's essentially it.

There are a few more nuances like "Streaking" (combos, initiated by quickly moving and playing notes on a new track), and power-ups (simple concepts like clearing a track instantly), but you'll pick up the basics in no time. And in many ways, that's what's so great about Amplitude. The concept of a ship driving down a literal road that signifies your progress in a song is brilliant, and although it's been done a few times since the f??ranchise's retirement, Harmonix does it best. All four difficulties (plus one bonus unlock) feel balanced, and the highest (Ex?pert) is sufficiently challenging.

Amplitude doesn't have a whole lot on offer though, content-wise. The campaign is a mere 15 songs long, consisting of a "concept album" created by Harmonix. It's a neat idea in theory, but it's over before you know it, and will definitely leave players wanting more. The fact that it cannot be played with friends and is required to unlock a handful of songs for multiplayer also isn't ideal. After finishing up the campaign, I had no desire to ever play it aga??in.

In that sense, the vast majority of your time will be spent in the free play mode, which supports up to four players in both versus or team play (1v3 or 2v2) situations. It's just as fun as it was in the past, as there's even more strategy involved with more ships on the track, since you can block out opponents from entering a track by claiming it first. With all of the power-ups being used in tandem, things can get hectic. It's Amplitude at its best, and truly successful players will need to watch th?eir own track as well as peruse the entire board for the next move on top of counter-maneuvers, taking other ships into acc?ount.

Where Amplitude really falls short is its lackluster 30-song soundtrack. You can take a look at the full setlist here to get an idea of what to expect -- spoiler: it's a lot of in-house work. Most of it is competent electronica crafted by the talented folks at Harmonix, but I just don't dig most of the vocal work -- either the performances or the lyrics -- and the majority of songs are not nearly as memorable as classics from the old games like Garbage's "Cherry Lips?" or David Bowie's "Everyone Says Hi." I would play those songs for hours on end years back, but like the campaign, I'm willing to skip out on most of the new tracks.

The original games weren't afraid to get out of their comfort zone with songs like "Dope Nose" from Weezer and "King of Rock" by Run-DMC, and the lack of risk-taking really shows with this new iteration. Another general issue I have is the way songs are doled out while playing. Tracks are locked behind the campaign as previously mentioned, but others require players to complete a ton of songs to access them. One even takes 60 plays to unlock! Why did Harmonix feel the need to do this? To gate the experience and ensure it lasts longer? It goes against the party-like nature of the game, and feels like a relic of the past. I wouldn't mind doing this if the rewar?d were greater (like the original), but it?? isn't.

Amplitude is a competent rhythm game that should provide lots of fun at parties, but the hamstrung tracklist?? is a severe detriment to its longevity. Harmonix was able to preserve the classic experience, but may have gone overboard in its effort to do so.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publis??her. I did not contribute to the Kickstarter campaign.]}

The post Review: Amplitude appeared first on Destructoid.

To tunnel or not to tunnel

The rebooted Amplitude will feature a FreQuency mode which turns the ?otherwise flat tracks into 3D tunnels.

"In the original Amplitude, we got away from the tunnel design of FreQuency and flattened ??out the tracks," Harmonix explained. "We did this with the intention of better track recognition, allowing the player to have a better mental map of the music. We felt flattening out the tracks allowed the players to recognize that, in a certain song, the drum?s were always the leftmost track."

But the decision divided players - and developers - ali??k?e.

"Little did we know this change would divide gamers (and the in-house team) into two ??camps: those who thought the tunnel was superior and those who preferred the wide high?way of tracks.

"Even after 12+ years we are still divided! So, with some slick engineering work, we thought we’d make it an option to play either way. I??t’s up to you now to decide which mode is more fun."

Amplitude will release on PSN and PlayStation 4 next month. Initially scheduled for release in March after raising more than $844,000 on Kickstarter, the game’s was pushed back several times.

Amplitude reboot gets FreQuency mode [VG24/7]

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Some Kickstarter backers get it earlier

Harmonix's new Amplitude is being delayed once again, as Kicksta??rter projects are wo??nt to do.

The PlayStation 4 version will be launching in December for "early access" backers, the studio just announced, with the public release coming one month later, Janua??ry 2016, at least on PS??4.

Anyone still using?? a PlayStatio??n 3 will have to wait a little bit longer, Harmonix says, acknowledging that while the stay comes as a disappointment, it will hopefully result in a bigger, better game.

Harmonix initially planned to release the rhythm game this March after raising more than $844,000 on Kickstarter last May. It was then pushed back to summer, but apparently still needs more time.

An update on Amplitude [Kickstarter]

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Playable at PAX East booth #4224

Harmonix is reviving Amplitude this summer and, if recent rumors hold up, Activison might bring back Guitar Hero. The lows ??of the rhythm genre are real low, but I'm ready for that high again.

Going into this weekend's PAX East, Harmonix is showing gameplay footage and talking multiplayer. In an effort to appeal to "casual and hardcore" players alike, the developers have come up with Team Play, a new mode that lets players compete 2v2 or 3v1. But if you'd rather just dominate against friends and family, the traditional Free-For-All mode will also be in Amplitude.

All this talk reminds me that Rock Band Blitz is a thing I own and should play again. Go??nna have to do my best to ignore Conrad Zimmerman's scores, though. Trying to top them is a safety hazard.

Amplitude: First Gameplay Trailer, Team Multiplayer Reveale?d [PlayStation Blog]

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3-2-1, Let's Jam

Before the folks at Harmonix Studios put themselves on the map with Guitar Hero and Rock Band, it was known for the cult hits Frequency and Amplitude. Blending fast-paced rhythm-based action with mesmerizing visuals and an electronic soundtrack, players could tap their feet along with the beat while using quick reflexes to achieve the high score. Though the titles never lit the charts on fire, they garnered a cult following and were fondly reme??mbered among fans of rhythm games.

With the success of Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Dance Central under their belts, the developers at Harmonix decided it was time to revisit the long-dormant series. Keen to show off an early build of the game in time for the upcoming PlayStation Experience event, the devs were confident they nailed their reboot of Amplitude.

And with the success of thei??r Kickstarter campaign, they've definitely got an audience ready to check out the reunion with the long-missed series.

Amplitude (PS4 [Previewed], PS3)
Developer: Harmonix
Publisher: SCEA
Release Date: Q2 2015

"This opportunity is to make the game we always wanted to," said product manager Annette Gonzalez while discussing the development of the game. As a reboot of the original, Amplitude features both an expanded track list and gameplay system. Even after the success of the games that followed, the developers wanted to have a shot at creating another title in the vein of Frequency and Amplitude.

"People really, really liked those games, they have fond memories of them, I have fond memories of them -- I played FreQuency and Amplitude a lot back in college -- but apparently they didn't really sell very well," said communications lead and former Destructoid editor-in-chief Nick Chester. "People loved it, it reviewed very well, but nobody bought them, so therefore we didn't make another Amplitude game and moved on to Karaoke Revolution, Guitar Hero games with Konami and Activision."

With the rise of game development via Kickstarter, Harmonix figured it was the perfect time to get the next game going. With its crowdfunding campaign, the studio wanted to gauge the curre?nt interest for ??the return of its earliest titles.

"Kickstarter was a great opportunity for us to say, 'well, you wanted another Amplitude game, right? We have permission from Sony to actually go ahead and do it, bu??t do you really want this game, prove it.' If they were really interested in it, then it would get funded, and it did," said Chester.

For the uninitiated, Amplitude tasks players to ride the musical tracks as they match up each beat and verse with the corresponding buttons. With each track spread across multiple lanes, you'll have to actively switch between them to maintain your multiplier. If you miss too many verses and beats, your ship will cease function and end the track. With each timed beat, you rack up points and build yo?ur multiplier to activate special abilities, such as slow-mo, which slows down track speed, turning snazzy electro into a soothing and calm ambient pieces.

By far, the most apparent aspect of the game was how challenging it was. My first crack at the game was on medium setting, and I barely made it halfway before losing. Perhaps it was because I had a hard time grasping the rhythm, but I initially felt a bit overwhelmed by the pace. Thankfully, playing a few tracks got me in the swing of things. Though I certainly still had my work cut out for me, considerin??g how easy the folks from Harmonix made it look during the more intense tracks.

As with all of Harmonix's titles, music is the core element of the experience. Featuring over 20 tracks, including licensed music from artists such as Anamanaguchi, Freezepop, and Kasson Krooker, Amplitude definitely seeks to reaffirm the studio's approach to music games. Moreover, Harmonix has also has incorporated original compositions that not only evoke the same hyperkinetic style of the original, but also manages to tell? a consistent story with each passing track.

"They [original songs] ?have this dark and electro vibe to them to tell you enough about the narrative," said Nick Chester. "All the tracks in this build were written in-house by the folks at Harmonix, all of the core story for the game was written by us, and outside of that you can unlock other songs from other artists."

While much of the attention will be focused on the music, the visuals also do a lot to bring players into the experience. Amplitude's visual aesthetic feels like a mix between the bombastic and otherworldly Rez, with the vaguely familiar look of the digital world from Tron. Moreove??r, the visuals become more pronounced and striking as the track reaches crescendo, taking players on a trek through light and sound.

Not content with offering the same experience with new visuals and sounds, Harmonix wants to implement features into Amplitude that take advantage of modern gameplay. In addition to online leaderboards for tracks, players can also engage in multiplayer matches against others locally. During our demo, we tried out the four-player battle mode, which pitted players against each other on the same track. As you can imagine, things got pretty hectic as every had to find an empty lane to score points. After each verse, the lane would collapse, ?forci??ng everyone scramble for the next lane to maintain the multiplier.

I came away pretty pleased with what I played. Harmonix has certainly refined its craft for music games, and even though the title is only 60-70% complete, it is on track as a product that will reassure fans of the original and those looking for a unique and challenging take on rhythm action. Amplitude is one title you'll wan??t to keep an eye out for?? next year.

The post Ha?rmonix returns to classic rhythm-action with Amplitude appeared first on Destructoid.

Rockin' just to keep on rockin'

With a new Amplitude on the horizon and a post-Guitar Hero world having left much to be desired by way of rhythm games, we must look to the past to drink our fill from the fount of the world of music. And even before Guitar Hero spoon-fed the bitter taste of recording artists' dignity to the videogame-playing masses (have you heard Band Hero’s rew??orking of Filter’s “Take A Picture?&r??dquo;), rhythm and music game aficionados?? had it way bett?er.

The future is always promising, but if you backed the Amplitude Kicks?tarter because you felt starved for a musical revolution, take a trip down memory lane with these greats. Now, now -- if your favorite isn't on this list, I might just revisit the idea later. You never know.

Quest for Fame

Quest for Fame was an Aerosmith-themed PC rocker that came packaged with a light blue guitar pick peripheral. You know, back when the term “peripheral” didn’t simply mean “enormous piece of plastic I’ll later toss in my closet.” Though the game suggested you tap the pick against a hard surface, I usually found that smacking my thigh produced the best results via “rhythm EKG,” the meter for measuring your progress on-screen. This meant you looked like a total moron while playing. It was quick, raw, and fairly dirty, like any BioWare sex scene. But it effectively simulated the? feeling of “playing” a real guitar. And to me, that meant ??something.

Unfortunately, through repeated use and abuse, the guitar pick eventually only responded when slammed against the computer desk in front of me. It was, however, a fresh look at a genre I’d never experienced before, and it hardly receives any of the credit it rightfully deserves as one of the first truly interactive guitar games to make?? you feel like a rock star.

Space Channel 5

Atomic pink-haired Ulala, a particularly scintillating tentacle scene, and some embarrassingly catchy electronic pop joined together like undulating Planeteers to create Space Channel 5. By your powers com?bined, indeed. With every “chu!” and subsequent “HEY!”, the quirky crew liberated groovin’ presidents and helpless civilians from the clutches of the terrifying Morolians and those who dared side with them.

In classic call-and-response fashion, enemies spewed out a string of nonsensical chants alongside “lyrics” that could only be described as lazy, leaving you as Ulala to repeat them back with the beat. Unless you had the memory of a goldfish, you could save the world. And I’m proud to say I -- wait, what? It wasn’t perfect, but I would have given my silver Space Michael onesie to work on Ulala’s Swingin’ Report Show. Admit it, you would have too, unless you don’t know the difference between Pudding and Padding. In that case, ge?t off my stage.

Gitaroo Man

U-1 played a magical Gitaroo, or as us normal folk would call it, a guitar. And it was good. Still is. Don’t hate. Gitaroo Man, the classic drag-the-note-via-analog-stick-to-pitch-bend musical adventure had it all, even some pa?rticularly horrid English voice acting.

From cutesy J-Pop to orchestral songs littered with hardcore guitar riffs, to some Day of the Dead-like tunes, it&??rsquo;s a cavalcade of songs meant to beat you into submission. Though genuinely nightmarish in difficulty, it’s still flyin’ to my heart after all these years. A rare find on the PlayStation 2, it saw subsequent release on the PSP for an affordable less-than-$20 steal.

PaRappa the Rapper/Um Jammer Lammy

I need to potty, or I’ll be real naughty. I’ll settle for talking about PaRappa the Rapper -- rappin’ dog, and Um Jammer Lammy -- wailin’ lamb (now immortalized on my right arm.) PaRappa, with all the street cred a talking dog could muster after falling in love with a sunflower and rapping about seafood cake, was pretty darn dope, y’all. Lammy adopted the same premise as PaRappa, but you wailed on a guit??ar rather than relying on your rapping chops to solve every single one of your problems.

Rodney Alan Greenblat lent his magical touch to the games, giving them a “paper-thin” look, as well as some truly bizarre characters that to this day I can’t forget. Tupac may have gone down in history, but lines like “In the rain or in the snow / I got the funky flow / But now, I really gotta go” deserve archival for future generations. PaRappa received a lackluster sequel (minus the bit about the burgers) and Major Minor’s Majestic March ranks as one of? the worst games I’ve ever had the misfortune of playing. So stick to? PaRappa or Lammy’s first endeavors. And that’s the bottom line, ‘cause Chop Chop Master Onion said so.

Vib Ribbon

To some, this is one of the strangest music games ever made. To those same people, The Human Centipede is “scary” and the Fright Night remake induces nightmares. You know the type. With its overabundance of vector graphics and trippy music, it’s definitely an acquired taste. But one that goes down oh so good. Like eating at White Castle, without the crippling heartburn in the morning. As the vector rabbit Vibri, you traverse each ??level (a thin white line) riddled with obstacles.

If you’re a chicken-wuss, you can use any CD to create stages for Vibri. Go ahead, use Limp Bizkit. Vibri trucks on to "Rollin’." You’ll quickly learn that Vib Ribbon also means to scare the bejeezus out of you, especially if you play along to the song “Polaroid.” Lordy, lordy. I know I spent hours with Monster Rancher back in the day trying to get different monsters from my dad’s CD collection...so if you wasted all your time spinning anything from The Pixies to ‘70s Superstar Club Hits, you’ll feel right at home here. Unfortunately, Vib Ribbon nev??er saw a North American release?, so you’ll need to get crafty to procure a copy in this day and age.

Bust A Groove (Bust A Move)

Following in the vein of PaRappa the Rapper, Bust A Groove boasted a varied mix of tracks ranging from trance to disco and everything in between. You input a string of arrows on the PlayStation’s d-pad followed by one of the four face buttons, all in time with the music, of course.?? It stars a crazy cast of characters, including a grown woman with an infantilism fetish, your token zombie character, and even capoeira-dancing aliens named (you guessed it) Capoeira. Hey, I never said it won points for originality.

Each of the characters represent the mix of dance styles, so no matter who you pick you’re destined for busting some “stone-cold grooves." If you could manage to pull off Perfects for three or more turns, you’d get a Freeze. Dance perfectly, or reach a score higher than recommended for that stage? You’d get Fever Time, which showcased your character’s amazing dance moves in a solo show that almost always turned out dismally, unless you chose to play as gangsta rapper Strike. And he’s so much more street than Fiddy’ll ever be. Unfortunately, I stepped on my copy and cracked the disc. Thi?s is why I can’t have nice things.

The post Songs for the dearth: Classic music games?? to?? fill the hollow appeared first on Destructoid.

Congrats, Harmonix!

It's over. The Kickstarter campaign for Amplitude, a revival of Harmonix Music System's 2003 PlayStation 2 game, has run its course. After achieving its $775,000 fundin??g goal with precious little time to spare, the project conc??luded with a grand total of $844,127.

Despite exceeding its initial target by a hefty amount, we shouldn't forget that sum accounts for "less than half" of what's necessary to fund the project, according to Harmonix director of publishing John Drake. So, rest assured, the Rock Band studio will still be kicking in a fair bit of its own reserves to bankroll de?velopme??nt.

Once the campaign was officially a success, Harmonix announced a $1,250,000 stretch goal, which would have financed head-to-head online multiplayer. While pledges fell short of that milestone, backers can still look forward to four-player local multiplayer?? and asynchronou??s online play.

Amplitude [Kickstarter]

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That was a close one, rhythm game fans

After a tense will-they-or-won't-they run, Harmonix's Kickstarter for a revival of cult classic music game Amplitude has been funded. At the time of this post, the current amount rai????sed by backers is $777,219, with a funding goal of $775,000.

After a last-ditch effort and plans to ramp up the campaign considerably, Harmonix finally broke through with help from studios like Insomniac Games and hundreds of dedicat??ed fans? clamoring for more of the excellence that is Amplitude. It's time for the hard part now: sitting back and waiting for the game to come to fruition.

It's going to be excruciating. With bands like Freezepop and Anamanaguchi on board, I think this iteration of Amplitude is really gonna rock. Let's just hope we'??re not in for too long of a wait.

Edit: The Kickstarter has now reached $780,803 and Harmonix has responded with stretch goals for th??e 20 hours left to go in the campaign. 

The post Get ready 2 rokk: Amplitude’s Kickstarter successfully funded appeared first on Destructoid.

But there's still a long way to go

With only a few days left in Harmonix's Kickstarter for a remake of Amplitude, fellow developer Insomniac Games made a sizable contribution. The? $775,000 asking price is now $7,500 closer to its goal.

Insomniac cites being a big fan of Harmonix's past projects as reason for the contribution -- from playing Frequency and Amplitude on PlayStation 2, to regular Guitar Hero and Rock Band competitions in the office. The tier of reward that Insomniac chose is to have its 20th anniversary song in the finished game. It's a? nice gesture from Insomniac, but at just over $400,000 currently, this crowdfunding venture's going to need a big boost toward the finish line if it's going to become a reality.

Join Insomniac in backing Am??plitude HD on Kickstarter [Insomniac]

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Planned for PS3 and PS4

Surely you remember PS2 beat-matching games Frequency and Amplitude. Classics, right? Harmonix told us that they've been waiting to create a new title in the series, and they're announcing a Kickstarter today to do just that. They're hoping to fund a new version of Amplitude for PS3 and PS4.

In the decade or so since these games, Harmonix has become a bit of a big deal with Rock Band, Dance Central, and others. They're wanting to get back to basics, but they hope to be able to plug in some of the creative power they've built up over the years for this new Amplitude. They'll also plug into the?ir mastery of beat-matching that they've learned during Rock Band's development, giving them better control over timing windows.

Expect "an updated soundtrack, incredible visuals, and fine-tuned controls" added to the classic formula, as well single and local multiplayer modes. Oh, and crazy difficulty -- that'll be back. Harmonix says that they are aiming for 60 frames per second on PS3 and PS4. Think of this as the HD, upgraded version of the classic, one tha??t could become a full sequel depending on your contribution and feedback. 

Be sure to check out ??the single concept image in our gallery below.

The Amplitude Kickstarter is live right now. 

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