Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

My fingers are sore. Not because I spend most of my days at a keyboard, although I do, but because I threw them out this weekend playing Audition. This game should come with a warning label advising consumers to consult a doctor before booting up if their fingers are out of shape. You’d think, being an editor and writer, that I’d have the agility and stamina in my hands to stand up to a game that has you dancing on your keyboard, but I’ll have to concede defeat on this one.

Audition, by Redbana, is an online rhythm game not unlike Dance Dance Revolution and other games of that ilk. The main differences are that instead of a dance mat you’ll be using your arrow keys on your keyboard to pull off the moves, and the game has MMO elements. (That being said, it wouldn’t be hard to set up a dance mat to mimic the key strokes, but that would be particularly dangerous for a bloke like me.) The title offers various modes of game play; FAMs, which operate much like guilds; and an online shop where you can outfit your avatar. That’s the game in a nutshell, so let’s crack the nut, and take a closer look.

Developed in Korea by T3 Entertainment, Audition has been played by over 300 million registered users in more than fifty countries for about five years. A quick look at the demographics shows about a 3:2 ratio of females to males. In an online game, that ratio is rare. In a game where the developers pride themselves on keeping up with the latest music, fashion and dance trends – not so much. Let’s face it, members of the fairer sex are, generally, much more in tune with fashion and trends than, say, a 32 year old bachelor editor with hick-town roots.


Roots aside, the folks at Redbana invited me to go on an in-game tour to see what Audition was all about. My gracious hosts walked me through many of the game’s features and, I’m sure, had a hearty laugh as I struggled to keep up with their moves on the dance floor.

Upon entering the game, I was presented with a nice view of Audition Town. It’s the main hub of the game, where you can hop to different areas to do what you want to do. The feel of this town is very stylized and “pop” which fits well into the overall theme. During your stay in Audition town, the radio will keep playing random songs from the game that you can later dance to. You’ll inevitably find it hard to resist tapping your toes in rhythm while exploring the town.



Our first stop of the day was the Shopping Mall. At the mall one can completely customize their character. Don’t worry about your duds going out of style; the dev team is adding new fashion items and new songs on a regular basis. Now, having never been a woman in a shopping mall, I can say with almost no conviction that all the fun of real life shopping can be had virtually at Audition’s Shopping Mall. My toon, however, was a woman, so donning my roleplaying hat I took a good look at what was offered. Sheepishly I admit that I got a little excited over some of it. I’d hardly say I was as giddy as a school girl but I did have fun checking out all of the costumes, hairstyles, tops, bottoms, sets, pets, and yes, shoes, that the store had to offer.