iPod’s Phase Review and Comparison

Deviating from the recent trend of posts all related to making money through domain names and whatnot, I have decided to write a a review on iPod Games. More specifically, a single iPod Game by the name of “Phase.” The majority of people have probably never heard of this game, and it’s quite a shame. Phase is very similar to Guitar Hero (Harmonix developed it, the same company that was active in developing GH and Rock Band) - it relies on split-second timing and beat/sound recognition. You play Phase using the controls shown below (found on ipodobserver.com):

Another cool feature of Phase is the “sweep” notes, where you use the clickwheel to collect a series of blue dots, shown below:

Here is a comparison of Phase for the iPod vs. Guitar Hero for the cell phone:

Phase Pros (Positives);

• Very cheap - just $5 for the iPod Classic. (GH Mobile is 9-13 depending on which phone)
• Convenient to use - just select any song, wait about 10 seconds for the game to be created, and voila. (GH you have to unlock songs before playing them)
• Large variety of difficulty (5 levels of Phase, while GH Mobile only has 3)
• Unlockables (new difficulties) through marathons, which are 5 songs, increasing in difficulty. These are fun. *GH has no such thing)
• Most teachers will let you play it in study hall, since they allow iPods. (Some don’t allow phones for GH)
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, you can use it on ANY song that you own, if it’s between 30 seconds and 30 minutes in length. This is something NO Guitar Hero game can offer (yet), only the 30 or so songs that come with the game.

Phase Cons (Negatives);

• Well, it’s not free…but it’s pretty close :O (neither is GH Mobile)
• Sometimes poor “notes-to-music” synchronization, which doesn’t take away from how fun the game is, it just makes it kind of strange. (This is something GH is much better for)
• Not available on Mobile Phones (but if you’re like me and take your iPod anywhere you go anyways…what’s the difference of playing on your phone or iPod?)
• Not as difficult as would be desired, but neither is Guitar Hero III Mobile (other than Free Bird :O). Insane is still pretty tough for a lot of songs.
• Controls take some getting used to. (GH is pretty simple)

Clearly, Phase is a better game than GH if you are in love with your iPod and don’t mind carrying it with you everywhere you go. The only reason GH is a MUCH better selling game is because 1) it is well-known, and 2) it is on a phone, and people don’t like buying stuff from iTunes (the only way to get Phase).

So trust me, if you have $5 dollars and are playing the games that come with your iPod Classic/Nano, quit playing Vortex and go get yourself PHASE! You will NOT regret it!