[PSP] けいおん！ 放課後ライブ！！

 
For the longest time, music games seemed out of place with the PSP system, and for good reason: You can't really expect home console peripherals to work with something small, and even a person with insane finger dexterity can't hope to properly use a shrunken equivalent.

Of course, there are some people (like me) who still wish to rock out while doing something with the system short of just using it as an MP3 player. Out of the few companies who dared to try and cater to this need, Sega stood out with the Hatsune Miku: Project Diva series. Aside from music, there were also several fanservice extras in between which gave fans a lot to do. Riding on that advantage, they later came out with K-On! Houkago Live!! to appeal to fans of the recently concluded moeblob anime.

 Yui's getting tense... run for your lives!

Like all existing music games, the object is simple: You press a button within a specific time frame, usually following the tempo of the current song. Project Diva introduced a novel system where the button icons fly all over the place, requiring the player to have a hair short of Newtype-class spatial awareness. It also forces habitual oglers to stop looking at Miku's practically underage ass and concentrate on pushing buttons, with a music video sequence as a reward for their efforts.

For it's part, Houkago Live returns to a more traditional method of using a song bar, but to avoid possible comparisons (or dare I say, legal complications) with Konami's established arcade music games, Sega decided that the indicator should move instead of the icons, creating a practical "wraparound effect". It's a rather dizzying system that takes a lot of getting used to. Sadly, there is no way to view the performance sequences as stand-alone music videos.

Taking a cue from Tenjo Tenge's Aya Natsume, the band transforms themselves into SD mode when not performing to save energy.

All of the Houkago Tea Time band members are available from the get-go, so just pick a character and jam. The button sequences of the same songs differ between them to highlight their respective parts. For example: Mio's bass guitar stays mainly on the directional keys (a reference to her status as a lefty), Mugi's patterns have a lot of holds, while Azusa's chords have a balanced (but somewhat complex) mix. If you want to stand by your favorite character, you have to be willing to learn the ins and outs of her specialty instrument. She will also have an "MC" voice clip at the beginning/end of the song, which is a collectible in itself and also counts toward your overall combo numbers.

Damn it, I can't imagine Azunyan without cat ears anymore ... must...unlock...item...

Houkago Live features a vast array of omake unlockables, ranging from costumes, assist/decorative items, among others. Conditions for availing of these cool collectibles range from accomplishing a 50~100 combo count or a minimum rank grade for a band member, finishing a song individually or as a group. The assist items (which are mainly pastries) can be given to the people in the main menu screen to improve their mood. Playing a song well has the same effect, and you'll even get a freebie. Key items can also be gained, and when given to the right person under favorable conditions will allow you to relive certain comedic events from the anime, (as well as some new game-exclusive gags) shown this time in 3D and SD form.

Sawa-chan always has to supervise costume changes. Creepy yes, but that's why we love her.

Since the essence of this game is to rock out as a group, the Ad-Hoc function allows up to five people to participate. Of course, you have to decide positions among yourselves, since no one is allowed to play doubles. That means if there are two Yui fans, one of them has to yield and play as someone else. Like in Project Diva, Houkago Live allows you to make a customized session sequence in the "Sing" mode, but it has to be unlocked first. Unfortunately, you can't incorporate mp3 files; only the in-game songs are usable for editing.

 If Mugi's yuri-ridden imagination was allowed to flourish in this game, then the experience would be complete!

Overall, it tried (somewhat) hard not to look like a Project Diva clone, but the similarities somehow seeped through. Still, Houkago Live's gameplay is far more challenging than the former. While enjoyment can only be maximized if you're a fan of the anime, it promises a lot of things that can and will appeal to any music game lover. Just prepare yourself for days of practicing patterns and the sore thumbs that inevitably go with it.