Guitar Hero
By Nick Hackett
Monday. Feb 20, 11:39 AM
Insanely fun RAWK guitar game!!!

Platform: PS2
Rating: T (teen)
Genre: Music/Rhythm
Developer: Harmonix Music
Publisher: Red Octane

Like most people, I want the perks of being the lead guitarist in a popular rock band but don’t want to do any work (like learning to play the guitar). I keep my fingers crossed that a radioactive spider will bite me and I'll wake up the next day with insane guitar shredding skills, but this is probably unrealistic. Even though those dreams might not come true, Harmonix and Red Octane have made a game that can take me as close as possible.

Enter Guitar Hero. The game itself is remarkably simple, especially if you are familiar with Dance Dance Revolution (or similar rhythm games). In the game, a rock song plays in the background and icons move down the screen in time with the song. As certain icons reach the bottom, a corresponding note must be “played” in order to earn points and keep the song playing. This can be done with the controller, but the true beauty of this game comes out when the player uses the Guitar Controller.

Imagine a small, hollow plastic guitar. On the neck of the guitar are five colored buttons that correspond to different guitar frets. Instead of strings, the guitar controller has a small switch that can be flipped up and down. As the song notes reach the bottom of the screen, the appropriate fret button must be held down and the “string switch” flipped: just like a real guitar... sorta! The guitar controller also has a whammy bar and a gyroscope that activates your Star Power when inverted: just like a real guitar... kinda!

The game isn’t phenomenal in the graphical sense, although the bands and crowds displayed during the songs are entertaining. It is the soundtrack where the game truly shines. The game includes around 50 songs to play along with, starting with easy tracks for beginners ("I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett and company) and continuing through an impressive collection of classic rock (Boston’s "More Than a Feeling," Ozzy’s "Bark at the Moon") and metal (Pantera’s "Cowboys from Hell," Judas Priest’s "You’ve Got Another Thing Coming"). What more could a metal nerd ask for than playing along (sort of) with The Ramones or White Zombie? Nothing, as far as I’m concerned.

Truth be told, reading a description of this game on paper or in a review doesn’t do it justice. The game probably sounds pretty stupid. But once you get the hang of the guitar controller and the game mechanics, you really feel like you’re playing along with the song. How can you not cackle with excitement the first time you nail the riff to "Smoke on the Water?" How can you not feel proud when you convert a booing crowd into a violent, cheering mob? How can you not make the sign of the devil when playing this game?

There are a few flaws in the game, most of which can be easily overlooked when you’re rocking out to Helmet (or not). Although the song list includes a great selection of cool songs, many of the 50 tracks are songs by average indie bands that you might not be excited about replaying. The game is actually begging for an online component that would allow you to download new songs, but unfortunately this feature is nowhere to be seen. The game also runs the risk of being deemed simple or silly by actual guitarists, but chances are blowhards like that will be too busy trying to get their band a gig at the local coffee shop to matter. Finally, this game shouldn‘t be played without the guitar controller, which means that a player will have to throw down at least $70 for the game.

Minor flaws aside, this game does one thing absolutely right: it gives you the feeling that you’re actually playing along to some of the best rock tunes in history. So swallow your pride, cough up $70 and get this game. You may not be talented or motivated enough to be a real rock star, but that doesn’t mean you have to let those dreams die. Just don’t let anyone see you nailing the solo to "No One Knows" while jumping on a table in your underwear.

Nick Hackett

Got something constructive to say? By all means, rant away. Gonna blab about something unrelated and/or talk shit? Don't expect your comment to stick around.