Gitaroo Man

Gitaroo Man is a 2006 cult-classic rhythm game released for the PlayStation 2 on June 21, 2001 that was recently re-released on PlayStation 5 on the PlayStation Plus classic catalog. As a self-proclaimed fan of rhythm games and a lover of the less popular re-release of Gitaroo Man on the PlayStation Portable - Gitaroo Man Lives! - I had to give this game a shot.

Unfortunately, Gitaroo Man on modern hardware suffers from input lag and audio issues that make an amazing rhythm nearly unplayable on PlayStation 5. While some of the issues here can be overcome with a few setting tweaks, the main issue remains that the game simply does not operate like it did on the PlayStation 2. This incongruity between what the player's hands are doing, their ears are hearing, and the game is registering causes unwarranted missed and dropped notes on no part of the player. It's just  disappointing that a game like Gitaroo Man is finally given a second chance to find an audience and Sony botches the emulation to the point that many simply gave up on completing  the game after the tutorial and first song. This tragedy is compounded that many will never get to hear this game's amazing soundtrack in full or witness how insanely absurd the story becomes.

Overall, should you play Gitaroo Man on PlayStation 5? Probably not. It's a poor port of a great game. I'd recommend emulating the title yourself and really giving the game the chance to shine.