Amplitude: First Gameplay Trailer, Team Multiplayer Revealed

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Amplitude: First Gameplay Trailer, Team Multiplayer Revealed

Hey there, fellow FreQ!

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to talk to you about Amplitude, but with PAX East right around the corner, and looking at the great progress we’ve been making in development, it seems like a great time to show you what we are up to.

Amplitude on PS4, PS3

Team Amplitude has been working feverishly to bring a sweet build of the game to PAX East, and as of this past week, we think that we nailed it. In the past few months since showing the game at PlayStation Experience, we’ve put a real focus on multiplayer, hoping to get groups battling it out at PAX East.

While we were focusing on the gameplay for Amplitude multiplayer, I started posing a question to the team: What can we do to even the playing field when pro players sit on the couch to play against new players? During a team meeting, I discussed thoughts that I had for things like “rubber-banding” and power-up distribution, and out of nowhere, Amplitude Audio Lead Pete Maguire threw out the idea of team play. TEAM PLAY!? Genius!

Amplitude on PS4, PS3

Team play is something we’d never done in Amplitude before, and allowing players to team up 2v2 or even 3v1 sounded like an amazing way to even the playing field without disrupting the current design. We decided to give it a shot, and after some iteration and tweaking, we are proud to say that it’s already super fun.

It’s been a really interesting challenge, balancing the gameplay carefully between casual and hardcore. We want to create a game that can be super fun in a party situation, while also being tight and sharp in a way that could potentially even appeal to the competitive gaming community. I think that we’re on the right track now that we have both the classic Free-For-All Multiplayer mode and the new Team Play mode. Time will tell, but we have a couple of months to really suss it out, playtest the crap out of it, and get some great feedback from fans.

We’re excited to showcase this brand new feature at PAX East this week. There will be a few Amplitude kiosks set up at the Harmonix booth on the show floor (#4224). We’ll be there playing the game with everyone, so stop by and check it out if you’re attending!

Speaking of Team Play and PAX, we were invited by the fine folks at Penny Arcade some weeks ago asking if they could use Amplitude as one of the games in their Omegathon tournament! They specifically asked if we had a way to whittle down teams. Luckily, we were working on the perfect feature for that, and we can’t wait to see folks go head-to-head with one another in front of a large audience Saturday morning of PAX East.

Keep an eye out for us on the PAX East floor and in the Omegathon this weekend. In the meantime, we’d like to give the PlayStation community an opportunity to check out new gameplay footage in the world premiere of our very first Amplitude gameplay trailer here on the PlayStation.Blog, just above this very paragraph. We hope you like it!

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99 Comments

4 Author Replies

  • No Vita…. this studio is awful.

  • I’ll be hitting the PAX East booth to check this out. Looking forward to checking out the updates. So glad I backed this on KS!

    • Cool! The dev team will be at the booth for much of the event. Not all at the same time obviously, but in shifts :)

  • Would be more inclined to be interested if there was a Vita version.

  • @#56, if Vita users were inclined to be interested, they would have helped raise more funds so that a portable version could be feasible (maybe?). This game is best handled on a console. Rock Band Unplugged (PSP) is proof of that.

  • can’t wait to play this on my Vita :D
    #BestOnVita

    a gamer can dream right :D please make it happen!

  • I’m so glad I help fund this! that was my first kick starter and well worth it. I played this at PSX and couldn’t leave it. Is there any way we can get a demo, even if its one level, or a beta test for everyone, or the funders? that would be so great, if it can’t be done I under stand cant wait to play it again. Keep up the good work! how bout a twitch stream >.<

  • So excited for this game! I’ve been angry I never got around to backing it on Kickstarter (missed it even existing due to planning a wedding and buying a house), but I cannot wait to own this game! Gimme gimme gimme!

  • Can’t wait to try this on PS4 and hopefully with remote play on my Vita, sitting in my couch with headphones on.

  • Vita version would have been great for sure, but I’ll be glad to have it on PS4 at least.

  • My only complaint is that I didn’t back enough to get the Limited Edition Vinyl. So excited for this game to be released.

  • What a bunch of cry babies! Must be the new xbox adopters thats crying in every post.

  • Sony ? we will get some games this month?

  • You know you wanna spill the RB4 news.. ;) I look forward to Amplitude

  • I’m interested, but I think I prefer Rock Band: Unplugged

  • Its March already. When are you going to show us what our PS Plus games are?

  • I still have my original copy of this game but its grreat to know that there is some new footage and details about the game.I surely wished that I backed you guys on Kickstarter but alas I can surely support you with your game. Are there any plans for DLC being made available or will the core game have all the conten on it?

    I’m sure that PAX East is going to be a great time for you guys and the game. I know that you don’t have an offical date yet and with PAX being filled with suprises can you atleast give us the month that the game will be coming out in?I can’t wait to play this soon but take all the time that you need. This is a true loyal fan.

  • Wow people… I get that the anticipation for the PS+ games gets pretty strong, but some of you are being huge babies about it. It will come when it comes. Even if it’s delayed, I’m sure Sony will compensate people whose subs run about before the release. You’ll get the games, what ever they are, and they’ll be worth about the same as they always are regardless of how high a profile the games have. And this whole “it bettah B Tripl A” stuff is just nonsense, besides the fact that triple A status has never been about quality or actual value. Also, please stop hijacking unrelated posts just to whine.

  • Please bring back the Freqs! The avatar guys who respond to your button presses, I loved those guys. An Amplitude game without Freqs would be devoid of it’s original soul and personality. Also, give this game some more color, it looks a lot less vibrant than the PS2 game.

  • I’d love to see a Frequency & Amplitude OG song pack DLC!

  • At least give us freezepop

  • Freezepop is a given, you don’t need to ask.

  • @#73, Freezepop already did a new song for this game. You can see/hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXuxCaeeZKk

    They are… PHANTOMS! PHANTOMS!! PHANTOMS!!!

  • Can’t hardly wait!

  • Not bad, not bad! Looks good.

  • You guys do realize that if there were 30 days in February this year, the list would be out on time. YOU ARE NOT WAITING ANY LONGER THAN USUAL, the numbers are just different. So keep on making us all, as playstation gamers, look bad as a whole for no reason whatsoever.

    ………On topic, I remember practically giving myself teenage arthritis back in the PS2 playing Amplitude. I wish we had dlc back then, because I played that Blink 182 song to death lol.

  • As much as I would like a vita version as well, I wouldn’t expect one to come (at least not day 1 with the other versions). They had a Kickstarter for this game a while back, and I’m pretty sure that they said they would have developed a vita version if it raised enough money (which I believe it didn’t).

  • Oh my, that looks sweet!

    I loved the original Frequency and Amplitude games on PS2, so of course I felt the need to contribute to the Kickstarter for this version as well. This is one of my most wanted games this year. I eagerly look forward to the day that I can finally play it!

  • What about PS plus? :)

  • This blog post is from a developer, not from Sony or PlayStation so ALL these posts about IGC here are barking up the wrong tree.
    You’ve made us PlayStation gamers look like a bunch of entitled, self centered twats.

  • Not my cup of tea, would i WOULD rather here more about why the site updates are so off.

  • While I do feel sorry for the Devs having to hear all the negative backlash here about the delay in the PS PLUS announcement for March, I think it’s also insensitive of Sony to come out with these other various less than stellar blog posts while most of us here have other things on our minds (namely, March’s IGC list). To also publish a blog post pushing PS NOW for the umpteenth time is especially silly at best, and short-sighted/disrespectful at worst.

    Sony needs to hire some PR folks who understand *timing* and can run this blog without being insensitive to its customers.

  • This is one of the few times I will comment on here. Harmonix, thank you SO much for putting the wheels in motion on this!! Regardless of crowd source funding or otherwise, I’m extremely happy you guys wanted to revisit this series. Frequency was my all time favorite rhythm game and I even played it online with the PS2 network adapter and the disc that came packaged with it. Kept playing until the servers died and it was the most fun I’ve had online. And the community! Oh man.

    Please don’t release it until it’s ready. So many games have been rushed out the door with thoughts of patching later and it’s becoming a trend. I know you guys are smart when it comes to this, but I’ve become jaded recently and this is one series I thought I’d never ever see again.

    Keep up the awesome work! All my best to the Harmonix Team!

  • Wow! This is a great game to add to the March PS Plus IGC. Oh wait……

  • As soon as i saw the “reimagined by Harmonix” words, i just groaned… Reimaginings are rarely any good. It’s probably just me, but this seems a bit bland and underwhelming. The original Amplitude was way more colorful. Plus, Frequency was the better game anyway. Can’t beat that music tunnel gameplay. It had more heart. and a better remix layout, and better music lineup… They shouldve both been remade. Will i still get this? of course. But i’m sure i’ll be disappointed. Here’s to hoping i’m wrong and to a real sequel.

  • PS+ Games for March?

  • Again entitled whiners on another post demanding something that has NOTHING to do with this game.

    This community is disgusting.

  • BTW missed this the first time around on PS2. Will make an effort to check it out this time.

  • Super stoked for this – cant wait to see my name in the credits!!!!

  • sadly i wasnt a backer, BUT expect me to buy the game in a heartbeat DAY ONE!

  • This makes me so happy! Wish I could have been a backer but it was a terrible time financially for me at that time. I’ll have to settle for buying it when it comes out. Until then, I still have amplitude (and Frequency) on the PS2.

  • Wow! Just.. Wow!!
    Honestly, this must be the game most played on my console in the old days. Really love it. Please tell me that you have put Freezepop in again :-)
    Also, the Vita would really be a perfect match for this title, seeing as it is quite powerful, with a superb screen and the portability, to fix our daily Amplitude hunger. Anywhere
    Please bring it to the Vita too, and thanks for the awesome job!

  • Oh. My. God.
    Phantoms? Freezepop? We´re settled, I´m hyped now.
    :-D

  • Kickstarter backer here, cannot wait for more news about this awesome game!!!

  • I loved Frequency, it’s one of my favorite PS2 games. I loved the remix ability, and after unlocking a new song I would spend hours just playing around with it, trying to create different mixes. It also had my two most memorable tracks in the series, No Doubts – “Ex-Girlfriend (Psycho Ex Remix) and my personal favorite, Fear Factory’s – “Frequency”.

    I remember getting sick and spending a lot of time in bed, and most of that time was spent remixing the heck out of those songs. It was one of the few games in my life where I remember scrambling for A/V equipment around the house to record footage of the game so I could share it with my friends. I was excited by all the possibilities and wanted to share my remixes with friends and hear other peoples mixes as well.

    Thank you for rebooting Amplitude, I happily backed it as well as many, many others. The new trailer looks great, team play sounds like fun, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing the song list and future DLC tracks. (you already know what tracks I’d be hoping for!)

  • Wish I could be at PAX to defeat Ryan…

    Game looks great!! Can’t wait to play it!

  • Whats the difference between this and rock band blitz?

  • @#96. First off, you play using three buttons rather than just two.
    The music is not rock (not entirely), and more trance and flows a lot more overall. Amplitude had a lot of licensed music (remixed) so it was kind of all over, but not to say the soundtrack was bad. Far from it.
    Amplitude had its own series of power-ups and Blitz had some familiar power-ups, while adding some new ones of their own (I remember enjoy using the “pinball” power-up).
    Hopefully the completed product features some very visually-appeasing backgrounds and scenery like in FreQuency (Video Wall) and Amplitude.
    Here’s “Cool Baby” from Amplitude for PS2:
    http://youtu.be/x1A1bbgKN7Y?t=25s

  • YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS Thank youuuuuu! my childhood re-released!!! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouuuuu CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS!

  • looks like rock band blitz, to me. i’d rather play rock band blitz.

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