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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

Guitar Hero

rising and revolving

17:00 / 13.02.06

I've been playing this over the weekend, and not only is it the best game I've played in a goodly long time, it's also got my fiancee hooked. Given she loves video games but doesn't play too many (at least in part because the PS2 controller is somewhat intimidating) this is a big deal. As is the fact that she's hardcore hooked in the "just one more go before we go out," sense - which is great.

The game itself is a logical extension of the Hamonix formula - notes come down the fret towards you (as they did in Amplitude, for example) and you hit the fret buttons and strum in order to hit the note. The magic here is both in the fact that when you're rocking out, you feel like you're rocking out and in the tightness of the feedback. You really feel like you're responsible for the notes playing.

Also, the soundtrack is friggin' mad. Hendrix! Motorhead! Clapton! Pantera! All covers, admittedly, but you wouldn't know it to listen to them. The sensation when it all pans out is magic.

The controller here really makes the experience. Yes, it's a cheap plastic guitar - but that's easy to forget when you're strumming like a madman and running your hands wildly up and down the fret.

Must buy for anyone who likes rhythm games, or guitars, or fun. If you don't like fun, then it's your funeral.

17:12 / 13.02.06

I've got my eyes on this, but I'm slightly worried about the potential price of the PAL version - the publisher was making some "limited quantities - preorder now!" noises when it was announced, and I'm wary of it becoming another Samba de Amigo as a result.

Love the sound of it - the idea of giving bonus points when the guitar is played held vertically is inspired.

rising and revolving

17:50 / 13.02.06

Costs $115 Canadian here, and is definately worth every penny. There were severe limitations on the supply pre-Xmas due to a small run on the initial hardware, but that's cleared up now and they're easy to find.

Hopefully that means the PAL territories will get a decent supply.

Isn't it worth chipping your PS2 though? If it's $40 cheaper to import something like Samba for NTSC, then the chip pays for itself. Unless of course your TV can't handle NTSC input - but most of the ones I've come across in PAL territories do these days.

The opposite is almost impossible to find, btw. In PAL, everyone realises you might want to play some NTSC someday. In NTSC, try getting anything PAL to work. You're pretty much screwed.

17:53 / 13.02.06

Oh, I can play PS2 imports (weel, I can now. Couldn't until a couple of months back). Problem is that the package is likely to be picked up by customs due to the size of it and I'll get whacked with an additional charge.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

18:48 / 13.02.06

Problem is that the package is likely to be picked up by customs due to the size of it and I'll get whacked with an additional charge.

if you have a friend in the states buy it and ship it tagged as a "gift" they are way less likely to charge any tax or tariffs or whatever on it. At least, thats how it used to work.

20:46 / 13.02.06

PAL version is April, I believe, and will come in at the bargainous price of £50. For once, we get a good deal...

02:28 / 21.02.06

it's known that the members of the band Tool and their friends were playing this game at the recent party after mastering their upcoming new album.

12:01 / 08.04.06

It's fucking superb.

You're right to make the comparison to Amplitude, rising, because it's more or less the exact same game system. The guitar makes it feel different, though. I always found myself getting a little confused by the controller layout in the previous Harmonix games - the Dual Shock doesn't really lend itself to 'left, middle and right' schemes - but the guitar feels totally natural. If you miss a note, it's your mistake more often than it is the result of a usability issue with the controller.

It's in danger of toppling Samba de Amigo in terms of sheer fun. Controller issues again - it could get frustrating to find yourself missing a beat in Samba because the maraccas hadn't properly registered the height they were being held at. In that game's defense, the tech in them was more complex than in the guitar, so it's understandable that this'd be more reliable. Still, because that frustration doesn't exist here, Guitar Hero comes out on top as a single player score attack game.

Very slight feeling of disappointment with the soundtrack. Not because it's made up of covers - I suspect that it had to be, for a whole bunch of reasons - but because there are some acts missing who I'd have thought would have been obvious inclusions for a game like this. AC/DC (I'm sure Sony own the rights to their back catalogue) and Led Zeppelin, for two. There are undoubtedly going to be some more GH releases later down the line, though, so maybe we'll see them then.

Annoyed that the only options if I want to get a second controller are to fork out for another copy of the game or import.

13:48 / 08.04.06

I say:

it's fucking superb.

Fuck, I'm getting RSI in my left hand from this. Love it; wonderfully structured and paced. Easy was far too easy, so I ramped up to Medium. Steadily three/four-starred the tracks. Until the final set of six. I survived Frankenstein, but Bark At The Moon and Cowboys From Hell are hellish in the extreme. And as for that Stevie Ray Vaughan number... hammer-ons and pull-offs are still a bit random for me.

It's so satisfying to play, though - you find that some songs are super-satisfying to pull off, and love them more. And then, when you hit Hard mode, all the songs that were crap on Medium become great - even the early ones. Infected, I Love Rock and Roll - really satisfying on Hard.

Strangely, though, the track I've probably had most pleasure from so far is Ziggy Stardust, on Medium. It's just... wonderful. And whilst E. R9 points out that these tracks are covers... they're very good covers. Some are near-perfect, others aren't half bad. The guitar parts are spot-on, but some vocals are ropy - Take Me Out isn't quite convincing, but I never expected it to be. (The David Bowie vocalist is great, though).

So: a completely awesome way to drop £50, and definitely a keeper - there's the higher difficulty levels for starters, not to mention five-starring things. And if you're worried, then the guitar control is remarkably sturdy - very impressed with that.

Awesome. Go buy. Don't get RSI by playing for more than half an hour at a time.

E. R9 - you'l be able to buy individual controllers direct from the manufacturer for £30 soon.

14:47 / 08.04.06

Don't get RSI by playing for more than half an hour at a time.

Yeah. I'm beginning to realise that the six hours last night and two this morning maybe weren't such a good idea. But it's so difficult to put it down once you start. I love bemani games in general, and all the decent have the same two major hooks - score attacking, plus the sheer joy you get from playing and feeling as though you're having a real effect on the music. This ticks both of those boxes nicely.

I foung medium a little too easy, tbh - the only track that I didn't manage to get through first time was Crossroads, and that was after I'd had a half-hour break from the game. Hard is very satisfying, offering much more of a challenge. Not sure if it's because I've played a lot of these things or because I'm already familiar with the way it plays from Frequency.

I've been enjoying Ziggy a lot, too, but I think that's down to the fact that I know that one song better than any of the others on offer here. Again, it's a bemani truism that you get more enjoyment from and perform better at the tracks that you know from outside of the game. Not a fan of the new guitar solo they've thrown into the third quarter of it, mind.

My guitar, while not faulty, is over-senstive at times. It's the strum bar - down-strokes are always fine, but sometimes when I've hit it with a backstroke it registers a down-stroke of its own immediately afterwards, losing me points and breaking my combo. It's obviously springing back with a little bit too much force. Means that I've been avoiding doing anything but strumming forwards so far, but I doubt I'm going to be allowed to stick with doing that for much longer.

Some of the unlockable, indie tracks are great. A couple are awful. Some major nepotism going on, with a lot of the bands featured being made up of members of the development team. It also means that there's not as much variety in the styles covered as there could have been - I was hoping that these tracks would all be of a similar quality to the amazing Amped 3 soundtrack, but unfortunately not.

Am now hyped for the prospect of GH2: Punk/Ska/New Wave edition.

rising and revolving

15:52 / 08.04.06

AC/DC (I'm sure Sony own the rights to their back catalogue) and Led Zeppelin, for two.

I was chatting to a couple of the Harmonix guys at GDC a few weeks ago - turns out that Back in Black was supposed to be in there. It was one of the first tracks they got working when they were developing. Unfortunately, they couldn't get the rights - same for Tool, not sure about Led Zep (although Stairway to Heaven seems a no-brainer).

The thing is, now it's so popular, they should have an easier time getting tracks now. They've already announced a couple of expansions - and given Karaoke Revolution has about 5 expansion packs, and GH is doing better ... we should have plenty of rockin' to come.