Who's this guitar hero?

I don't think I'm inside my own mind today...

There's something that I don't get: People who don't get video games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

I can understand easily enough. I myself used to come to a lack of understanding as to why games like Dance Dance Revolution have legions of players. It was a simplistic game that I couldn't grasp for the life of me. You listened to the song and arrows would come down the screen. All you had to do was step on the pad corresponding with the arrow on the screen at the right time and bam, all of a sudden you're dancing?

I've seen dancing. Good, and bad, and DDR doesn't even come close. To each their own I suppose. I also never quite saw the luster in first-person shooter's either.

If you've by some chance been living under a rock for the past five years, a game came onto the scene for the PlayStation 2 in 2005 that would change the foray of the music gaming genre forever. Guitar Hero. Unique for the guitar-like controller that simulated the 'experience' of playing a guitar. Five corresponding buttons to match on the screen, strum bar to hit the notes on time and a whammy bar to funk out those long notes. The game featured song's by Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Cream, Deep Purple. A good blend of rock staples and indy tracks, the game was a commercial and critical success.

Guitar Hero 2 was relased in 06 for the PS2 and early 07 for the Xbox 360 and it was here when my first experience to the game was held. I always had wanted to try it. I find myself frequently air-guitaring when I'm in isolation, or whenever the mood hits me really. I was excited to try this game that now most people had been telling me about.

"Have you tried Guitar Hero yet?"

"No..."

"Oh man it's so awesome...." and they would go on to tell me about how they rock out on this video game. Not an indecent proposal, I'd say thats about all I could ask for from a video game experience.

I selected a track i recognized, Carry On My Wayward Son. The song began and the buttons came down the screen. I immediately paniced as I had no preference as to where my fingers should be and I failed. Feeling embarassed I angrily passed the controller on, agravated. I was not willing to try the game again and didn't for weeks. What was I expecting, I honestly can't say, but I was drawn back to the game. Multi-player modes that were impossible to fail was my gateway into the game, slowly I got the game down.

Over time, medium difficulty was effortless and I found myself to be somewhat god-like. This was when my friends urged me to step it up, try the hard difficulty like they were. Again, the learning curve kicked in and what started ugly eventually bloomed to where I am now, I wouldn't hesitate to call myself a veteran 'hero'. I've logged more than enough hours on that game.

Then something was announced that made me explode of joy. Rock Band: Guitar, Vocals and Drums. Playing awesome songs, rocking out on world tour, creating your own band and rockers. They seemed to have it all figured out.

This was purchaced by my friend immediately and created our band. BUDDY CHRIST(Drummer) and CAPS LOCK(Guitarist/me) had created the ultimate rock band: The True Heroes. We began to rock, hard and it was no time before we disabled the drum kit to the game. We couldn't have been rocking for more than a week before you couldn't hit the blue drum without disconnecting the drums from the console, lovely.

So now we were reduced to two-guitar rock, (as it would be some time before alcohol was introduced to the whole package and I remembered that I didn't mind singing with a little liquid courage) and The Stylish Moustache was born (the game randomly generates band names for you, which you can chose to use or create your own. In this instance we went with the games judgement.) The Menace and Hollywood joined forces to make a guitar force of rock. The Stylish Moustach rocked it's way all the way to a jumbo jet! More time invested into Rock Band than I think we put into Guitar Hero (but I'm sure the scale's pretty balanced overall...) I'm completely, 100% sold on this Guitar Hero and am in fact one of it's biggest supporters.

I find myself in the midst of listening to any song my Megadeth and find my arms doing the guitar without me even realizing. Practically reflex to unleash the air-guitar and here's a game that gives me that same feeling, maybe more so. People come up to me and say

"Bryce, I don't understand this fascination with Guitar Hero".

I ask them, "You ever find yourself randomly air guitaring to music?"

"No"

Well there you go. Guitar Hero and Rock Band give musically retarded people like me the ability to feel like a rock god. There's nothing quite like stepping up to the plate and rocking the hell out of a song. Rock Band has it's flaws, it's ruined my favorite Weezer and Nirvana songs pretty much forever but I'll forgive it. The additional content to the game is modestly priced (Between 100-160 xbox points per song) and there's a lot to choose from, with full albums from Judas Preist, The Cars and The Greatful Dead as well as a large selection of packs that give you choice from a range of bands in all the genre's of rock there's pretty much something for everyone.

Nay sayers can continue to complain, talk about the price of the games or whatever specific thing they chose to dislike 'why do I have to use some fake guitar, why cant I use the controller?' or 'why don't you just go out and play a real instrument'. They're not going to slow down something that will probably just grow to get more and more gamers as they continue to saturate the market.

'why don't you just go out and play a real instrument?'. That's probably the only valid argument to the game there is. I know I don't have the patience to learn guitar.

Until next time, let your inner guitar hero or rock god out and kick some ass!

Peace