If we consider Pong to be the equivalent of a popular child actor of its time - seen everywhere, but not quite fulfilling its potential - then BIT.TRIP BEAT is that child actor's attempt to reinvent itself during the heady early 90's period, full of synth beats and slatherings of neon to hide its aging concept.

That may sound harsh, but BIT.TRIP BEAT by Namco is a hard title to enjoy despite its basic gaming roots of hitting pixels back with a paddle you can move up and down the screen. Players can choose either tilt or touch controls, though neither feel entirely comfortable as rocking back and forth can get tiresome over the extremely lengthy periods that make up each level; and the touch controls force you to use what little screen space you have to quickly judge the path of incoming pixels.

And this doesn't even begin to touch on the confusion brought about by your paddle or the pixels blending in to the distracting background artwork (the second level felt especially nightmarish for this) and the somewhat nonsense aural feedback that doesn't quite blend with the beats humming in the background.

The ability to purchase new levels and App Store exclusive content does make this a good buy for those who were fans of the WiiWare title and the inclusion of GameCenter supported local and online multiplayer is appreciated, but BIT.TRIP BEAT is a hard game to master and is really only recommended for gamers after an intense arcade challenge.