Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone

To be a pop star these days, you need a catchy beat, some great dance moves, and a way to keep the audience entertained from the first act to the encore. One thing you don't need, though, is to be an actual person. Welcome to the world of Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone. The game is an arcade-style rhythm game, with players choosing songs from a "greatest hits" library of songs from the virtual pop idol's video game history. The songs and accompanying videos have never been better, upgraded to take advantage of the PlayStation 4's multimedia power. If you've played any of the previous Hatsune Miku games, even replaying older songs feels like a brand-new experience. This is especially true of the performances pulled from the Project Mirai DX game. Gone are the super-cute characters bouncing around a tiny screen, replaced with the full-sized characters taking advantage of their expanded real estate.

They say that showbiz isn't easy, and while the controls in Future Tone are simple enough to learn, the gameplay isn't for the faint of heart. The game has a bigger focus on a pure arcade experience than do previous console entries. Each song has up to five difficulty levels ranging from "Easy" to "Extra Extreme," with the level of skill required ramping up almost exponentially. "Easy" is anything but easy, while "Extra Extreme" is torture on both your reflexes and your controller's durability. It's reminiscent of the classic Simon toy, where it's easy to push the buttons in time with the sequence, but it's the increasing complexity of each sequence that makes it hard. Thankfully, you can practice each song in "No Fail" mode or just take a break from the action and watch the individual performances without playing at all. This latter feature is especially welcome, since the person playing the song rarely gets a chance to actually enjoy the show. For fans of the franchise, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone is a fantastic compilation showing off the best the series has to offer. And for newcomers undaunted by the game's difficulty, it's an experience well worth a front-row ticket.