Guitar Hero

[Viridian]

Get it. Or at least play it. It's just one of the purest gaming experiences I've had in years...the only thing I can really compare it to is the first time I played Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

I came to THPS late, and figured it couldn't possibly be as good as everyone said. I had trouble initially with the controls, especially jumping (since you don't jump until you RELEASE the button). But then I managed to pull off a dinky 12,000 point combo and GOT IT.

The same thing happens when you play Guitar Hero. You'll have trouble at first, since it's not like any other rhythm game you've played - instead of pressing the buttons on the notes, you want to press the button BEFORE the note so that you can strum ON the note. But then you Get It, and...

Well, just play it, for crying out loud.

[Matthew]

Everyone here has been playing it nonstop since we picked it up last week. I've played a lot of other music games in the past, but even friends who have never tried anything in the genre are really enjoying it.

Just three songs left on Expert mode...urge to skip work and play...rising...!

[soniCron]

I'm curious to hear what guitar players about it. Is it awkward?

[Jim Buck]

I've played a bit of guitar, but I never heard of this game. It looks cool as hell! Some of my favorite PS2 games are the Karaoke series, and this looks like it will tickle that same button. Does the guitar controller come with? Can it be played with the regular controller?

[Viridian]

Yes, it comes with the guitar controller, which is about 70% of the size of a real guitar, so it doesn't feel cramped when you use it. It is possible to play with a regular controller, but the experience is...lessened, shall we say While I am no guitar player, I have heard that you can do things like hammer-ons, pull-offs and various other tricks with the controller just like a real guitar.

[soniCron]

While I am no guitar player, I have heard that you can do things like hammer-ons, pull-offs and various other tricks with the controller just like a real guitar.

Actually, what I meant by that was: For people experienced in guitar playing, is it so simple it's wierd or awkward?

[PoV]

I'm more curious, will I be able to play guitar after getting good at this game?

The fret buttons worry me that I'll become a generic rocker after playing. . It'd be great if you could work your way up from strumming, to precision playing in a game. Now that's edutainment. Donkey Konga and Samba were always great for the multiplayer sillyness resulting.

[Jim Buck]

Ok, I finally got this today and have been playing it for way too long. Having some guitar skills, I'd say it makes the game easier in some ways and harder in other ways (especially if you already know how to play the song for real). However, not knowing how to play guitar but being really good at this game won't suddenly make you know how to play guitar.

Overall, I am very impressed with how well they pulled off this game. The "controller" is very well-done, though my wrist is killing me at the moment. It's awesome that they included hammer-ons and pull-offs even though I couldn't actually get one to work (the timing must need to be 100% perfect or something). The strummy thingie part of the controller is amazingly cool.. you can even use a real guitar pick.

The song list is decent, though I must admit that I never even heard half of the songs before. I think knowing guitar helped me out with these, since I passed pretty much all of them the first time (medium skill level). The songs I did know are classic kick-ass guitar songs. I can't wait for the next version to come out in order to get more songs.

For anyone that liked the karaoke games, this is a must have, especially if you like playing air guitar. Though it's a very simplified version of "guitar playing", there were many moments where it almost felt like I was playing for real.

[Jim Buck]

Ok, I had to post a bit more about this crazy addicting game. After playing through the medium and most of the hard level, I do have to say that it's possible that being good at this game, and playing the songs with good form (up/down strumming, proper shifting of your hand and/or extending your pinky for the 5th button, etc), *may* give you an edge for if you someday learn how to play guitar for real. The guitar work you have to do in the game in the hard and expert levels are close-ish to how the songs are really played. And the in-game "notation" is not that far off from tablature notation. (I think a tablature-based piece of software where you can plug a real guitar into a microphone jack would be a cool idea.)

[Abscissa]

This is the first I've heard of it. I just looked it up and apperently it's made by Harmonix - which is a good sign. Everything they make is great (Well, as long as you disable the obnoxious voice-overs in AntiGrav )

[Matthew]

I just wrapped up Expert mode earlier today. They really lay it on thick in the last two songs! I've never played guitar, but it would be interesting to try and see how much of this would carry over (although I did play 'cello for 10+ years). One of the loading tips actually says: "At some point, you should consider trying a real guitar."

[Jim Buck]

Yeah, Harmonix' karaoke games are also killer, though I think they only did the music end of "Guitar Hero" whereas the software development was done elsewhere.

I'm quite impressed that you are through Expert without having had picked up a guitar before, though your cello experience certainly gives you an edge over people with zero musical experience. Still, it's amazing that anyone but a guitar-head can get through the fast rhythm songs.