Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Review

Hot on the heels of her appearance on The David Letterman Show, the Volcaloid diva Hatsune Miku is back once again in SEGA’s Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd. Promising more songs, more options, and more ways to shine, is this sequel worthy of an encore?

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd Review

Much like the original Project DIVA, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd puts its rhythm-based gameplay front and center. Pressing button cues to the beat, all actions are linked to a live performance of Miku or one of her friends. The better you perform, the better they perform. Simple, right?

Not exactly. The road to victory in Project DIVA F 2nd is paved in tandem button presses, note holds, Scenario Zones, and Chance Zones. The game takes pride in its difficulty, with even songs under the “Normal” difficulty requiring a high degree of perfection. However, this works in the game’s favor — passing a song due to your own skill is far more rewarding than cheesing your way through or nabbing a DLC unlock key. Those who crave skill-based gameplay will no doubt enjoy mastering and unlocking Project DIVA F 2nd’s 40 playable songs.

It’s not just the song list though — Project DIVA F 2nd prides itself on its deluge of features. New songs are a given, but there is also a robust editing mode that allows players to create, edit, and share custom note patterns between both versions of the game. Cross save play between the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 version is available, as is the ability to download custom patterns from other Miku-heads online. Those who are enamored with the gameplay will find plenty to like here.

Just be mindful that the core gameplay hasn’t changed too much from Project DIVA F. A new note has been added, but things still play out the same. However, when the original had the system down pat, there is little room for improvement. Anything more would just muddle the established formula.

Of course, a rhythm-based game is only as good as its music. In this sense, the music in Project DIVA F 2nd delivers. Those among us who don’t know a lick of Japanese (like myself) will no doubt have the synthesized J-Pop melodies stuck in their head far longer than they have any right to be. This is the type of game that has a unique soundtrack, one that fits its gameplay like a glove.

Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd is more of the same, but that’s not a bad thing. Those who crave the halcyon days of arcade-like difficulty curves or rhythm-heavy gameplay need not look any further — Hatsune Miku is here for you.