Mad Maestro!

by Eidos

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000639VP
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: May 18, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,352 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The city has announced plans to destroy the concert hall! Enter the hero, Takt, a young conductor attempting to recruit the best musicians so they can put on a mega concert to save the performance hall. In order to accomplish this, Takt must travel around the city making people happy with his music and recruiting them for his orchestra. Among the recruits: a lion, a supermodel, a fisherman, and space aliens. Once he has his ensemble together, it's time for the big show: a musical extravaganza at the symphony hall. Perform perfectly and you will save the hall and keep music alive for generations to come. The game features 11 levels, including the epic performance at the symphony hall. Touch-sensitive controls allow you to feel the music. The soundtrack features Brahms, Strauss, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Beethoven, and more.

Product Description

Save the town's Concert Hall from being destroyed by showing the city the orchestra's great performances in this music game!

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy it, play it, love it, August 19, 2002

By 

GeoX "GeoX" (Men...Of...The...Sea!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Maestro! (Video Game)

I don't make it a habit to review videogames, but I think that Mad Maestro is one game that deserves more attention than it's been getting. The story is negligible, but the gameplay is an absolute blast, and it probably goes without saying that the soundtrack is hands down the best in any rhythm game. For non-Classical music afficionados, there are quite a few "so THAT'S what that is!" moments, and you'll likely discover some cool stuff that you'd never heard before, too. No complaints.

Some people accuse the game of being overly difficult. I suppose this is an area in which you either get it or you don't; personally, I found that, after a few minutes of getting used to things, Mad Maestro was, with the exception of a few of the bonus games, exceptionally easy. Still a blast, though.

A common to the rhythm genre--is that the games tend to be rather short, and this one is no exception. Assuming you're not one of those who find the game excessively hard, you should be able to unlock just about everything in a few hours. Still, this isn't for lack of effort on the designers' part: each of the ten regular stages actually features three songs--the regular one, a special 'medley mode' one if you play the first well enough, and finally a bonus game with its own song. I think being short is pretty much inevitably in games like this, but Mad Maestro does more to combat this than most.

Unsurprisingly, the game sold abysmally in the US. Localizing it was part of Eidos's effort to salvage some of their long-lost integrity (translate the sequels, guys--then we'll talk), so I suppose some good came out of Tomb Raider and it's seventeen sequels after all, but I don't expect we'll be seeing much more in this vein from them--money is still the most important thing, after all...you absolutely MUST purchase it if you have any interest whatsoever in rhythm games and/or classical music.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Non-Violent Gameplay, May 28, 2004

By 

Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast" - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mad Maestro! (Video Game)

Mad Maestro! Lets you use your playstation 2 to become a world famous conductor. All you need is reflexes and a love of music!

A tutorial helps you understand just what a conductor does - control the volume, tempo, and parts of the music. There are child and normal gameplay modes, as well as an easy and normal difficulty level. The game makes it very easy for players of all ages to feel comfortable.

The game can be found very cheaply from many locations, and is actually very fun. Apparently the local concert hall is being demolished, and you, a young conductor, are the only hope. You have to perform well to build up support for the concert hall.

There are many famous classical pieces in the game including The Hungarian Dance No 6 in D Major by Brahms, Swan Lake, Ode to Joy, and more. You really get to know each song while you play along with it, so it's both fun and educational.

However, even on easy mode, it's extremly hard to make it to a "perfect" score which is needed to move along to the next level. You almost want to go down to "child" mode where you're able to move on through the games even if you only get 99% perfect rather than 100% perfect on a level.

There are often interesting graphics going on in the background, going well if you do well and falling apart if you do poorly. However, most of the time you are paying close attention to your circles and your pressure gauges and can't look at all at the 'background images'. You are trying to pay attention to the rhythm of the music, the strength of each button press, and watching for any 'part changes' that you have to do with the left directional.

In general, compared to the many violent games on the market, this is a game that involves no competition, no violence, and a great exposure to gorgeous classical music. The hand-eye coordination is great for anybody to work on, and the basics of musical theory that are taught can benefit anyone who has any interest in music. Highly recommended for any age!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best (and only) orchestra conducting simulator, January 1, 2006

By 

Cynthia Cooper "Cyn" (Somerville, MA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Mad Maestro! (Video Game)

The basic gameplay is simple. Four circles are shown in a diamond pattern, representing the beats in a measure. (The occasional piece has only three.) A ball of light moves counterclockwise between them; you move your baton with any button to conduct the music on each beat. A blue circle indicates a weak swing, a green circle a medium swing, and a red circle a heavy swing, and you must press the button with the appropriate pressure to execute it. Needless to say, there are complications, but that's the basic idea.

THE GOOD: Wonderfully, the orchestra actually seems to be taking your lead. If you're too fast, so is the music; missed cues lead to clumsy entrances; swing the baton too wildly and the music will be too loud or too soft accordingly. After you've been through a piece a few times and know what's coming up ahead you can start to relax a little and really get into it.

Although while you're playing you can't really see it, according to the manual the background also varies depending on how well you're doing. The background events -- which range from a date in the park to an alien encounter -- go well when you provide good music and poorly when you don't.

The music in the game is kind of like Classical Music's Greatest Hits. There are more than a few of the kind of pieces that people tend to "air conduct" when they think no one's watching, which is the basic idea, right?

THE BAD: It's finicky, that's for certain. You have some control in the settings menu, but essentially you simply dictate how hard a press is "normal." Good for people with weak grip, but that's about it.

When you first start play everything is locked. Eleven songs are unlocked as you finish the game; the other twenty-three require you to turn in bravura performances on the first eleven. It's kind of annoying to have to master the first batch before even getting a crack at the rest.

THE UGLY: The graphics are forgivable for a second-year Playstation game, especially since it's not exactly like they're anything more than decoration. The voice acting, however ... we're talking the second-worst voice acting I've ever heard. The actors chew every line and do funny voices like fingernails on a blackboard. Not even elementary research -- the composer Etoile's name is pronounced "ay-TORE"!

For heaven's sake, go to a film school and lay a trail of crumbs leading into a plate of sandwiches in the back of your van. Within an hour you'll have caught your limit on trained actors.

THE UPSHOT: It's ... an experience. Hard as Hades on the higher levels and for most people it's an entirely new and somewhat arcane skill. I can strongly recommend Mad Maestro to almost anyone who enjoys rhythm and music games and is willing to put in the time to learn something completely new. On the other hand, while this game is a good way to get excited about classical music (and is thus fantastic for kids), if you really can't stand anything that doesn't have lyrics or a backbeat you'll probably find it boring.