You Might be a Guitar Hero
by Wombat
In order to properly review Guitar Hero, I figured the best way would be to test the reader to see if the game is right for you. To do this I have decided to rip off one of America’s most beloved comedians. Sorry Carrot Top, it’s not you this time.
If you have ever lost the ability to control your fingers and your toes simultaneously?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you are Dynamite like a laser beam?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you have ever given direction by moving your arm in a 360 degree motion, finished off with wagging finger pointing to the right?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you have ever seen your MaryAnn walk away?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you think the only writer of Frankenstein was a skinny albino?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you think WWI was started by Scottish Pop Band?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you have a sampler that says “History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men”?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you know that answer to “Who played guitar?” is always Ziggy?
You Might be a Guitar Hero
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then do yourself a favor and go pick up Guitar Hero today. In true Rock & Roll fashion, GH is the rhythm game for people who don’t like rhythm games. The game looks you straight in the eye and says, “Rob Zombie wouldn’t hop around on a plastic mat and neither should you”. From the moment you pick up the mini-Gibson controller (complete with whammy bar) you know you are in for a new gaming experience, one that grabs you by the short and curlys’ and takes you on the Highway to Hell (AC/DC is noticeably missing in the game).
The game follows a similar format to Harmonix’s previous rhythm games (Frequency & Amplitude). Colored notes scroll down the screen, surrounded by an on-stage performance of your band. Press the corresponding button on your Guitar’s fret board, and hit the strum bar when the notes hit the bottom of the screen. Nail a riff of specially marked notes and you can activate Star Power (multiplier increase) by tilting up the neck of the guitar, rock star style.
While the concept sounds simple, the game really shines in the control, sound, and experience that it produces. You will actually feel like a guitar god rocking out with a real band, using the whammy bar and jumping around like a madman. Unlike DDR, jumping isn’t part of the game, but I bet you won’t be able to resist.
The game can be difficult at times and having big hands can be a definite advantage, an advantage I don’t have. I had a hard time completing songs on Medium difficulty without a few tries and I believe Hard was designed by Satan as some sort soul-buying requirement. I can’t imagine the pain that Expert would bring.
The only flaws with this game I would say is that for every great song present, you can think of one that would have just been even more perfect. I demand a sequel/music pack add-on soon. My only other complaint is the shop. It doesn’t really seem necessary. Sure, it’s cool to change my guitar’s appearance, but once that music starts, I never look at anything but the notes, so the need to customize my avatar becomes moot. I’d rather buy new sounds instead. Perhaps turning the select button into a peddle control, or letting me change from a fuzzy sound to clean one or a “why so much echo?” sound. Those would be worth my time in the shop.
All in all, Guitar Hero is not just a great game, but a great experience that highlights why the current generation of systems might just have plenty of life left.
9.5/10
you.
