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Platform Filters:   All Platforms  Xbox   GameCube   PlayStation 2   PC   Game Boy Advance   Site Sections:   Updates  News   Games   Publishers   Developers   Reviews   Previews   Release Dates   Editorials   Glossary   Contact Us		Review:       12th August 2001: Moderngroove: Ministry of Sound Edition  More of an interactive audio CD than a game, but at the price of a good album who's to complain? Posted by Marc Hull - PlayStation 2 - UK and Europe Sony's always been pushing their Playstation 2 as an 'entertainment system' as well as a games console, with it's black design ready to slide in next to your Hi-Fi and offering DVD playback as standard, so this new title from Ubisoft should suit that image pretty well. Essentially, Moderngroove is a Ministry of Sound album, but you can create your own video to accompany the soundtrack by compiling a selection of preset effects, images and videos into a 'playlist'. There's quite a selection of things you can add to your music vid, with 500 3D objects, 1200 images and 200 video clips on offer for starters. You can also have the lyrics to each track or your own custom messages scrolling across the screen, plus there's a degree of interactivity while the final piece is playing by using the control pad to turn on and off certain effects. The choice of music available is another good selling point, with sixty tracks to play spread amongst DJ sets by Tall Paul, Ferry Corsten, Paul Jackson, Krafty Kutz and Paul Dakeyne. Since most Ministry of Sound albums retail at £15 with only 40 tracks, you get a lot for your money with Modergroove. However, the 'game' does have its fair share of shortcomings, the most prominent of which is that you can't put the DVD into standard Hi Fi systems and listen to it like a normal album. This wouldn't be too bad if the game had a 'quickstart' feature which would allow you to miss out the visual bits and get straight to the music, but instead you have to wait over a minute for the special effects, images and video clips to load before you can play any tracks. Finally, considering the game revolves around having a nice visual accompaniment to the music it's a shame that some of the effects on offer aren't particularly impressive, and it often seems like pot luck whether you select good ones or not. The amount of control you have over the sequences isn't as impressive as those in other titles such as Codemaster's Music or MTV Music Generator, down to the inability to choose transition effects between clips, but for a twenty pound title you can't expect it to push the PS2 to its limits. Overall it seems that there's room in the market for audio products that provide extra interaction when used with a games system like the PS2; maybe by showing the original music videos to accompany the tunes, or just displaying the lyrics and some information about each band or artist. Unfortunately, Moderngroove falls short of being a standard album by the fact that it can't be played in a normal Hi Fi, severely limiting it's use. Instead it seems stuck between technologies where it doesn't excel at either. Marc Hull             Latest Images:		Review Scores:    Graphics:   Sound:   Gameplay:   Length:   Overall: Click here for our Review Score Guidelines.  Review Summary:  Moderngroove offers you sixty Ministry of Sound tracks at £19.99 - a better deal than most albums. Plus you get to compile your own playlists and mix a music video from loads of premade clips and objects, check out DJ biographies and sing along with the lyrics. Unfortunately, the visual side isn't as stunning as you might hope, and the audio tracks can't be played in a standard Hi-Fi, which limits the title's use.  Related Games:  Moderngroove: Ministry of Sound Edition for PlayStation 2  6  Screenshots  1  Review Click here for All Game Information.
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