In addition to the differently powered cars you can drive, from song to song you will find power-ups littering the highway and its shoulders that help change the color of, multiply points, or otherwise strategically modify the gameplay.

On first glance, it would be best suited, perhaps, for the type of dark, soulful techno dance music that you do not go out on the town to dance to, but rather listen to alone in the still, motionless darkness of your room, illuminated only by the glow of your computer monitor. It sets my inner gay-boy soul afire. This is not a humorous sleight to make light of homosexuals. This is an accurate statement. I have one of those in there. However, it is such that there is not another made for it…sniffle sniffle.

The game adapts very well to any type of music, however, except perhaps spoken word, ambient, or classical…though you may surprise yourself with the type of landscape an off-beat song or white noise may create. For the most flavor, plop on a song with a lot of tempo changes or staccato which, even if you know the song by hear will still put you off guard to the game that you have yet to take to the same place.

AudioSurf also features periodic downloads of new songs from the community. This community, beyond the new tracks, does add another dimension as you can pit your best scores on your favorite tracks with those of your friends or regional/international strangers. The competition is certainly fun, but it is fun enough, if not more enjoyable, to find someone else with the same strange tastes, such as another soul who has marched through Einstürzende Neubauten‘s NNNAAAMMM or Ladybug by Bumblee Unlimited.

One glitch I’ve found is that I am unable to change my registered region from when I accidentally clicked on Alabama…now forever compared to players from where I am most certainly not. In terms of community, it would also be nice if there were an easier interface to message with and become friends with those who also enjoy Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band with their newfangled electronics, but this is perhaps more a gripe regarding Valve better interfacing Steam with the games provided thusly.

Although it is now only available on PC, a brilliant application that certainly must come to pass is an AudioSurf app made available for the iPhone, as your tunes are all you need to play most efficiently be obnoxious on the subway.

I am…terrible at the game…a pitiful atrociousness brought on by my absurd enjoyment of somewhat literally surfing the music, wading through the experience without stress, content simply with making the little colored blocks go pop.

However, I hope to advance in my abilities as the game lends itself, more so than other games, towards a sharpening of senses and mental processes, opening up and connecting pathways in the brain in a way that cannot be compared to any other experience but may present benefits in its application to other activities. It may be the death of my floating thoughts for the advancement of my senses, or an evolution of both beyond both ninja and shaman…so long as I throw the right logs in the fire…

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