Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X Reviews

Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X seems to miss the mark in too many ways, in my opinion, for new players to even get into the series. Long-standing fans will love this game, most assuredly, but that’s not saying much towards the negative takeaways from this game for new people.

Overall then, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is more of the same but better, and for most that’s all it needed to be. It’s got new songs, a new and improved structure, and so many customisation options that it’s hard to imagine you could ever tire of it all. And so with its beautiful graphics, great animations and classic Project DIVA gameplay, Project DIVA X is undoubtedly the definitive Hatsune Miku experience.

Although longtime fans may be a bit put off by some of the changes to the structure, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X is still a solid musical rhythm game featuring plenty of content to unlock that is limited by the smaller than average set of music to choose from.

August 31st marks Hatsune Miku’s ninth birthday. In that short period of time, this synth pop maiden has become somewhat of a pop culture diva, bridging the gap between music and various forms of media that changed the landscape forever. With her auto-tuned charm, Miku’s charm comes alive with only the use of a vocal synth engine known as Vocaloid and the creator’s dreams. With an undoubtedly unique style of singing, Hatsune Miku has been seen in ten different rhythm games and the newly released Project Diva X marks the fourth title to reach a global audience on both the Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita.

As I’ve said in the past, if you’re a rhythm game fan, you’d be doing yourself a great disservice in passing this game up. While it’s not the best entry I’ve played in the series, it’s a very solid release nonetheless. Make sure you go for the PS4 version if you take the dive, though, as the graphical presentation is fully worth it.

Despite the lackluster modes, a slow start to seasoned fans, and one-dimensional story, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X is likely the best rhythm game you can find on current generation consoles thanks to the great music and tight control scheme. Whether you are a longtime fan, or someone thinking about broadening their horizons,Project DIVA X should be on your shortlist of games out this Fall.

One of the songs in the brand new rhythm game, Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X, is called Holy Lance Explosion Boy, and it's about an unsettlingly young boy accidentally getting someone pregnant, featuring lines like: "This 0.02mm barrier is seriously getting annoying." If the thought of a kawaii, virtual boy's condom splitting and his holy lance exploding is a little too much for you, then you're probably not part of the target demographic for the game.

Project DIVA X might be a very different beast from its predecessors, but it ends up feeling like a step down in quality. It's still a great rhythm game worth playing, but newcomers to the series might want to play Project DIVA F 2nd instead for that game's more substantial content and feature set.

Less bang for your buck is the best way to describe Hatsune Miku: Project Diva X. You've got a truncated songlist that has to be milked for modules, giving this series a grind game that it never needed to have. It's still got some great music and the presentation is as excellent as ever, but it still feels like we've been shortchanged somehow.

While this iteration fixes many of the annoyances of the previous titles, it added a few of its own, though not enough to sour the experience. This is hands-down the best music and rhythm game of the current generation of home consoles, though it isn’t exactly a competitive genre these days. I’d rank Project Diva X in my top ten favorite music games ever, but no one has yet to topple the king; PaRappa the Rapper is still the funky flowing top dog of the genre.

Project Diva X is by far the best game in the series so far. It improves the visuals, customisation, music selection and even the performances. It’s hard to recommend previous games over this one, but it’s not perfect, and the weak story mode that’s been added is hard to ignore. If you do manage to overlook it, you’re in for an addictive and endlessly replayable rhythm game that hits a high note for the Project Diva series.

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Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX excels in all the right places as a fun and portable rhythm game, but doesn’t quite impress with its multitude of extra content. I do commend it for giving the player plenty of bang for their buck, even if it’s mostly forgettable.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F manages to channel the arcade spirit not often seen in gaming today. Easy to learn, hard to master, it is one game that hooks you with both its gameplay and its melodies. Hatsune Miku has easily found her groove in the states -- let’s just hope she comes back for an encore.