10/06 Update: Since we no longer write for the Edmond Sun, this section is temporarily housing our podcast links for our iTunes feed. All of the columns are in the archives menu if you feel like exploring.

These columns (as well as the 'releases') come from weekly content that we write for the Edmond Sun, out of Edmond, OK (though we live in Chicago). This page contains the archives for said column, many of which are in their pre-published, unedited state. Some titles and editing by Brendan Sinclair.

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Guitar Hero
Thursday, November 17, 2005

The rhythm genre of gaming is an odd one. We've all seen videos of Japanese Dance Dance Revolution fanatics, doing things with their feet you didn't think were legal, and yet it has never penetrated mainstream gaming in the US outside of our respective DDR groupies. Sony and Nintendo have both tried (Amplitude and Donkey Konga, respectively) with a modicum of success, but not until now have we had a truly great, easily approachable and ridiculously fun rhythm game. Say hello to Guitar Hero. For $70 and a job you don't mind losing when you call in sick three days in a row, you can partake in the most addicting, intense rock and roll experience this side of being caught in a landslide.

This game comes packaged with a half-pint plastic guitar, complete with five fret buttons, a flippy trigger you can strum up or down where you would usually strum the strings, and a whammy bar. It's one of the more comfortable, reliable peripherals you'll use, and is a big reason why the game is as great as it is (and completely justifies the price). After navigating through a series of very well-designed, often entertaining menus and game decisions (character, guitar, arena, song), you're dropped into the action. Gameplay unfolds in a similar fashion to the afore-mentioned Amplitude, the sequel to Frequency, Sony's first foray into the genre. Harmonix developed those as well, so it's not surprise that the interfaces are similar, and equally intuitive. The screen is comprised of several tracks laid out straight in front of you, in this case each corresponding to a fret button. Each difficultly level uses an extra fret than the previous one, and unless you're Spiderhands McGee, you'll want to start slow. What are generally referred to as colored "gems" scroll down the screen towards you, and when it crosses the appropriate point you must have that fret depressed and strum what will henceforth be called the guitar bar. You can hit them at the same time, or you can have the button pressed already and just wait to strum - it's up to you. It all depends on what kind of rocker you are, and how you like to jam. You can also use the whammy bar to spice up longer, drawn-out chords, and even tilt the guitar vertically to activate a combo point mode of sorts (it has a sensor inside...yay for sensors!).

The gem system is very easy to follow visually, and as a result has an incredibly smooth learning curve. You'll start out simply alternating three different fingers while you strum away innocently, but soon find yourself making use of your entire hand, twitching and sliding in all directions in a furious display of rock mastery. You can always improve though, and unless you're possessed by zombie Hendrix I can't see any normal human perfecting some of the songs in later difficulty levels. And though you'll mostly be staring at what you're actually reacting to on screen, Harmonix has done a great job surrounding the action with "video" of your rock avatar playing along in front of a crowd who react accordingly to your playing, and several colorful meters showing you just how badly you're botching a song.

It really does all come down to the songs though. People took notice of PaRappa the Rappa back on the PS1 not only for it's unique cartoony visuals and character design but for it's bizarrely compelling raps about cooking, driving, and waiting in line for the bathroom. Amplitude was a mixed bag (Weezer, yay! P.O.D., puke!), but because the game incorporated various types of rock and electronic music so well, is was great simply for it's variety. Donkey Konga however, as fun and painful as it is to bang on those bongos, has the WORST songs imaginable, from nursery rhyme remixes to the always reprehensible DK Rap. Guitar Hero trumps them all, by a very wide, distinguished margin, with some of the very best in pure rock from the last four decades. Pantera, Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Audioslave, The Ramones, Rob Zombie, Sum 41, Franz Ferdinand, the Chili Peppers, Bad Religion and Hendrix, just to give you an idea, along with a dozen or so songs by completely unknown artists (who won a contest to have their songs in the game), several of which are actually quite great. They are all classic songs, and even if you don't known the tune by name your subconscious will recall it fairly quickly, as we've all heard these songs at some point in our lives.

If you're still not convinced, know that there is a two-player mode, complete with a dueling banjos-style song layout, which makes it quite possibly the best party game EVER if you can get your hands on an extra guitar. Seriously, it's fantastic. Guitar Hero is one of the best rhythm games ever, and if enough people recognize this and pick it up, we might even see an expansion or two. There are certainly other entertaining gifts to keep in mind for the holidays, but none that will rock you so deftly and thoroughly.

- Nick


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