Newtype Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I was at a best buy with a friend when we came across Guitar Hero. At frist I didn't want to buy this but after playing Smoke in the water I fell in love with this game. Music games have a tendency to be great fun for parties and such, but very few of them have ever struck that certain primal chord deep inside all of us -- the same chord that makes you want to kick back with a cold one and eat three pounds of meat hot off the barbeque in the middle of summer while lounging in your backyard in a ripped up t-shirt you've been wearing since high school. Guitar Hero is one of those rare games that does just this, and I even say that it's better than three pounds of meat. Beer? That's a close one. But meat? Hell yeah. It kicks meat's ass. The main catch of Guitar Hero is its Gibson SG-based guitar peripheral, and though you can play the game with a standard controller, the SG guitar is essential to completing the experience. If you plan on playing the game's two-player mode, you'll definitely want to pick up a second SG (don't stick your buddies with a regular pad). The SG features five fret buttons, a strummer (instead of strings to pick), a whammy bar, and is roughly the same size as a travel guitar. It's pretty comfortable to wear, not only because of its light weight but because it's reasonably close to the size of a real guitar - 75% the total size or so is a reasonable guess - so it doesn't feel awkward in your hands as it might if you were holding a toy. The best part about the guitar is that it incorporates most of the real life techniques and motions that a guitarist would perform on a real instrument. Hammer-ons, pull-offs and up-down strumming all work with this device, making the transition from the real thing to the Guitar Hero SG as minor as moving from strings to buttons. Had the guitar not allowed for conventional techniques that are second-nature in a guitarist's repertoire, it would have been crippling. Smartly, Red Octane has designed the peripheral to not only utilize these techniques in the songs, but to embrace real guitar playing styles and techniques as well. Kudos for that. Here's the track list: Ace of Spades Bark at the Moon Cochise Cowboys From Hell Crossroads Fat Lip Frankenstein Godzilla Heart Full of Black Hey You Higher Ground I Love Rock and Roll I Wanna Be Sedated Infected Iron Man Killer Queen More Than A Feeling No One Knows Sharp Dressed Man Smoke on the Water Spanish Castle Magic Stellar Symphony of Destruction Take It Off Take Me Out Texas Flood Thunderkiss 65 Unsung You Got Another Thing Comin Ziggy Stardust Best part is that part 2 is coming soon. So run not walk and buy this game. I give it out of 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I saw this at the best buy, and as a guitarist myself, thought this game was pretty awesome watching the kids jam on it, with the onstage graphics, crowd interaction, etc. The only downfall is that it's still fetching 65 plus bucks and its been out awhile. Great game though, original in it's genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Yeah, when I spied this in your game collection I thought to myself If this doesn't come out in Oz soon blood will fill the streets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtype Posted June 10, 2006 Author Share Posted June 10, 2006 I saw this at the best buy, and as a guitarist myself, thought this game was pretty awesome watching the kids jam on it, with the onstage graphics, crowd interaction, etc. The only downfall is that it's still fetching 65 plus bucks and its been out awhile. Great game though, original in it's genre. If your still not sure if you want to buy this game ask/PM IC, Senshik, Jax, Panch, Bishopcruz, LL or Chief. At frist nobody wanted to play but after a song or two everybody was Jamming. We played for hours non-stop. I'm thinking of buying a PS2 just for Guitar Hero. I'n not going to say who but somebody did say that and even Panch was thinking about buying it. It's that good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 That's awesome, ... but in all honesty, if I wanna jam, I'll break out the real thing. Still cool though, not for 65 bucks though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 thats a shame man, this thing's awesome for parties. i cant play a guitar for shit, but you have fun learning this thing - those that do play (Chief, LL) tore that shit up, some that didnt (Jax, Panch) still got really fucking good at it. Im usually hesitant to buy the periphrial-only-works-on-this-one-game games, but if they expand on the tracks (i hear there's a sequel coming) and they keep picking cool ones like they had here (you feel awesome practicing to "Smoke on the water" and "Iron Man"), i think its worth it, most fun i had like this since Beatmania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Beat mania? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 's this one i imported, years back before DDR caught on. Same concept as the others, only, your controller's supposed to be this small turntable with a record to scratch and a few keys; started out a hip hop game that got to include all kindsa crazy genres. You know the forumlua for this if youve ever played DDR or even PaRappa, its just your choice of instrument that makes it fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 That's cool...yeah The guitar hero would be cool... I dunno though 65-70 bucks sucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Yeah, i figure its not that much more than some next gen games, right? I mean, you check Ebay & such? Mebbe you can find a better deal....to be honest, this shit would be crazy fun if you had 2, so im holdin out for jax or panch to get it too, tehn we can compete and shit. Somewhere, Newtype's got a closet full of kongas, sambas, turntables & guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 LOL. You can go head to head? That's fucking crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtype Posted June 10, 2006 Author Share Posted June 10, 2006 LOL. You can go head to head? That's fucking crazy! That's right. You can go head to head. If you pop this game in when you have friends over they will get hooked. Picking up where Guitar Hero left off, Guitar Hero II arrives with a new track list with more than 55 songs, new venues and additional play modes - including the ability to transform the original Guitar Hero SG Controller into a rhythm, lead or bass guitar. Recently, RedOctane announced the first few of the reported 55 tracks to be included in the final game, including cover renditions of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout," Rush's "YYZ," Van Halen's "You Really Got Me," KISS' "Strutter," and the Butthole Surfers "Who Was In My Room Last Night," as well as an official tune by GH bonus song mainstays Drist. However, color us surprised when we happened upon the game at the show, only to find that not only were those songs available, but also another previously unannounced song, that being Primus' "John the Fisherman." Notice we didn't say "a cover of" the song, either. It's actually the original Primus track, which is pretty excellent. It makes perfect sense that Primus would find their way into the game, since one of the big focuses of the sequel is to provide co-op play for two players with one player on lead guitar and the other on rhythm guitar or, in the case of Primus (as well as certain others), bass. The same competitive lead guitar multiplayer from last year's game will be featured this time around too, but now you and a friend can simultaneously play through entire songs and be playing entirely different parts. We spent the bulk of our test time trying this feature out, and frankly, we had a blast with it. Bass and rhythm-guitar parts aren't nearly as easygoing as they might initially sound. Contrary to popular belief, bass players and rhythm-guitar players don't have it easy. Some of the bass and rhythm parts we came across during our playtime could be called markedly more difficult than even the lead parts. So don't think you're just going to have a breezy time of it picking up the bass or rhythm guitar--unless, of course, you choose a lower difficulty level than the lead part. Yes, you can select individual difficulty levels for co-op tracks, so your rock-deficient buddies can warm up on easy bass parts while you shred on expert like the rock god you think you are. The mechanics of playing co-op are sort of a crossbreed between the first game's single- and multiplayer modes. You're both tied to a single rock meter, a single star-power meter, and a single combo counter. So now, when you've got a perfect streak going, your jerk of a friend can screw it all up for you with one wrong note. For that matter, you can lose in co-op if your rock meter dips all the way to the bottom. Good think you're holding a blunt object in your hands already. Also, once your star-power meter is filled, you both have to tilt your guitars at the same time to enact the star power. We can only hope and pray that this leads to more people designing classic ZZ Top-inspired guitar flipping routines. Apart from the excellent co-op play mechanics, not an awful lot has changed in Guitar Hero land. For presentation, the game is near-identical to Guitar Hero, with similarly designed venues to play in and many of the same characters returning. There is a new rockabilly character in the game, however, complete with black T-shirt, big hair, and tattoo sleeves on his arms. The one new gameplay thing we did notice is the addition of three-button chords. These seemed reserved primarily for big finishes, but yes, there are times where you'll have to hit three buttons at once, and yes, it's wicked hard to pull off. We won't sit here and individually go over every single song in the game and how it plays, but we will say that we, by far, had the most fun playing "War Pigs." It was just the most satisfying of the available songs, and incidentally, also the longest. We'll also freely admit that both "YYZ" and "Psychobilly Freakout" totally kicked our asses on hard difficulty. We're kind of scared to imagine expert level with those songs. After spending a good bit of time with Guitar Hero II, we're as excited as ever for this sequel. Make no mistake, this is very much the same brand of single-player game that you experienced the last time around, but the co-op play adds a significant new dimension to the multiplayer experience. And dude, Van Halen! How kick ass is that? It's going to be a long wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Cross your fingers for a little AC/DC. Back in Black would be a killer learnign track liek Smoke on the Water and Iron Man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newtype Posted June 10, 2006 Author Share Posted June 10, 2006 Cross your fingers for a little AC/DC. Back in Black would be a killer learnign track liek Smoke on the Water and Iron Man. That and sunshine of your love by cream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Yeah, a little Zep never killed nobody neither. YYZ sounds hard. More casual fans of Rush would probably have prefered The Spirit of Radio, while more hardcore fans would probably have perfered the 2112 Overture, but YYZ is a good pick. My Generation, Pinball Wizard, The Skeeter, or maybe Bargain by the Who would rock. Spirit in the Sky would be nice. Alive or Even Flow by Pearl Jam would kick ass. Fell In Love With A Girl for a short good fast song. A Clash song maybe. A Green Day too. But No Sleep Til Brooklyn would take the cake. So many possibilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 It's going to be a long wait. It's not even out Down Under you dirty insensitive prick!! It's currently being solicited, but by the sounds've it it's still a month or two away. Thing is I'd need to get my slimline chipped in order to play a yank version too, and god only knows how much that'd cost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 Oh, and this thing need a Rage song. I wonder if Zach De La Roche is hard up for cash to fund the revolution right about now? I know Tom Morrelo isn't hurting, but he doesn't turn his nose up to a check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Okay, Newtype... you cost me 73 bucks today, pretty damn sweet deal, for 3 bucks you can cover the guitar controller at Gamestop on an extended warranty for a year... I bought it. It is everything you said it was, almost real easy to pickup, I love the campy oldies from Boston and the long forgotten Megadeath, Deep Purple and Sabbath hits. I particulary like how you can "upright" the guitar and the notes go " blue" for double point power chords during play. Pretty fucking sweet! Good call on this game. You guys sold me. And dude, Van Halen! How kick ass is that? Fuck yeah! You know how much, I love Van Halen! Did you put the stickers on this thing in any particular way? _________________________________ from videogame 1UP.com Playing guitar -- a complex mash of musical theory, muscle memory, hand-eye coordination and rhythm -- is not an easy thing to do. Despite how easy they may make it look to the adoring eyes of their fans, your typical rock god spent years practicing. Every day, until their fingers bled. It's not something everyone can do, but it's something that everyone (guys in particular) wishes they could. Hence the phenomenal success of Guitar Hero, a game that taps into this primal urge to jump around like an idiot, trash your immediate surroundings, tear down the very fabric of society via blues riffs and power chords...on a plastic toy guitar. There are guitar players at Harmonix, you can tell. It's not just evident in the tracklist, which brilliantly includes songs like "Killer Queen," "Cochise," "Bark at the Moon," "Thunderkiss 65," "Take Me Out," "More Than A Feeling," and perhaps the centerpiece Hendrix track "Spanish Castle Magic." While some are more obvious selections than others, all of these songs are definitely guitar-centric, and in different ways. The choppy chordtastic beat of White Zombie gets the blood pumping, "Killer Queen" offers some off-kilter riffs that test your sense of rhythm, and that one Franz Ferdinand song you hear everywhere...it's just indescribably awesome to play. The beauty of Guitar Hero's song lineup (other than that they let every song play entirely without cutting it off) is that unlike most rhythm games, there's no need to placate different musical tastes: there's something about every track that rocks. Difficulty is setup in a way that's great for brand new players to jump into, with the easiest setting grouping an entire portion of the song into one "note." As the difficulty gets higher, these groupings become smaller and smaller until you're playing individual chords and notes as you might play them on a real instrument. It's a very natural learning curve that rewards advanced players without intimidating the new guys. This also means that those who are already familiar with how to play guitar (for real) may find themselves more comfortable jumping right into the hard or expert category, because on anything lower, there's a temptation to play "phantom" notes that aren't really there and ruin your score. The song selection is excellent and the game is easy for anyone to pick up, but the real reason why Guitar Hero is so outstanding is because it really makes you feel like you're playing these songs on a guitar. That sounds simplistic, but it's true. Most rhythm games only really test your rhythm -- miss a step and the song keeps going. But if you miss that last note in the main riff to "More Than a Feeling," you won't hear it, and then you really feel like your performance suffers. But if you do hit that note, or somehow manage to pull off the end of "Bark at the Moon," or trade whammy-barred riffs in a duet of "Spanish Castle Magic," then you're overwhelmed by pride that you totally nailed that part. Games rarely make you feel pure enjoyment like this. Though the neck only has five buttons, real guitar principles are at work: finger positioning, hammer-ons and pull-offs, and quick chord changes. Everything is miniaturized and adapted so that it's a fun game to play, but it's not inconceivable that one could develop a taste for it and want to give the real thing a try. Truth be told, 1UP recently held a group "review" session that lasted late into the night. After a few beers, some leaps off the couch, about 8 renditions of Boston, countless moments of faux-rockstar posturing, and actually stomping so hard that we broke the disc during the thundering finale of "Take Me Out," everyone seemed to agree on a score for Guitar Hero. But our scale only goes up to 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicManiac Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Hey NT- this is the bonus unlockable song list? Fire It Up - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Cheat On The Church - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Caveman Rejoice - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Eureka, I've Found Love - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] All Of This - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Behind The Mask - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] The Breaking Wheel - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Callout - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Decontrol - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Even Rats - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Farewell Myth - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Fly On The Wall - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Get Ready 2 Rokk - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Guitar Hero - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Hey - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Sail Your Ship By - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Story Of My Love - easy [PNG] - medium [PNG] - hard [PNG] - expert [PNG] Trippolette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Jax Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Jax want game! Jax want game! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalHeart Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 I've tried my hand at Guitar Freaks, Drum Mania, KeyboardMania, and BeatMania lol. (There used to be an awesome "Asian Arcade" here, but it relocated and I don't know if it's still open or not :( I used to be a freak for DDR and ParaParaParadise, among other games). All very fun and awesome games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The NZA Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 shit, i wish idve seen that asian arcade, that sounds awesome. how was drumania and the keyboard one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the division of joy Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 ive played drumania before, it kicks ass.... personally i love the dance thing though.... i love having swift feet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jables Posted June 12, 2006 Share Posted June 12, 2006 Manohmanohman!! Guitar Hero comes out here on the 16th(thurs). Can't fucking wait. For the record, I had the idea for something like this onna PS1, thought it's be a kick-arse way to learn an instrument & have fun at the same time(obviously I figured strings instead've buttons). I should start putting patents on my brain or something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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