A Credible Addition
Great game. Need I say more? Yes, obviously, otherwise this wouldn't be a review. I loved the additions to the game. The new achievements and animations work well enough, and one thing really stood out to me. I loved the new score bar in place there with the star breakdowns; I can't say why exactly, I just like its feel. The bosses also successfully add an interesting dimension to this series. They definitely don't take center-stage, but they do their part in enhancing the experience.
Now for the things I missed from SCGMD3. I liked having the requirements for unlocking a new guitar on the blank space. I understand the whole "hidden" achievement thing and I like it, but I also liked having goals to work towards for cool new unlocks. I also miss the avatar animations from #3, which, in my opinion, were more fitting for this kind of game. The animations here are excellent, but, as has been mentioned before, I cannot enjoy them because I'm busy looking at the keys. The multipliers were another thing that bugged me. This one isn't a big issue, but I would have much preferred a x10 on the regular songs and a x20 max on the pro songs, or at least a x5 for the regular songs. Still, that's a small point. The last thing I missed was the song timeline bar; that thing gave me the last push to hold on to a tough song and score a perfect in the last notes; removing it was not ideal.
Despite all that, I think the game is a success. Its soundtrack stays strong and the little red bugger of a stick figure still has the moves. I have to confess I don't understand that main menu with the prop up poster of the orca, but whatever.
Good job, well done, and I very much hope to see a SCGMD5 (headed by Shinki preferably, but Second Impact proved a worthy stand-in).