A day in the life of Jimi Hendrix (in the better times)

I just ordered this direct from RedOctane, who also makes accessories such as the DDR dance pad. After having played through the game and spent a few hours wasting away in front of the screen with this game, I can say that this is one of my must-have accessories for the Playstation 2.

What you get in the basic kit is a single guitar with strap and the game, which features 30 songs from some great rock artists such as Queen, Blue Oyster Cult, and Jimi Hendrix. It took me a while to realize that these are mainly (if not all) COVERS of the originals, not the original artists, which is one drawback. There is also a bundle available that comes with two guitars, if you want to have both right out of the box. I should stress, like many others, that this is generally decent rock music, not alternative rock, so be prepared to rock your socks off! The guitar has five fret keys, a string key, a whammy bar, and a tilt sensor to tell you when you've got the thing vertical, for activating power-ups and just generally looking cool. It's a blast to play, and fairly comfortable with the included neck strap. I love music games, and this is right at the top of my list for coolest idea and most fun to play. For more info on the game, including the full song list (sorry to spoil it if you didn't want to know, but there may even be some bonus songs not shown), visit the official site at http://www.guitarherogame.com

Gameplay

The gameplay is similar to Frequency and Amplitude, which were released through the same production company, Harmonix. The notes scroll down the screen towards you, and are color coded to the five colors on the guitar frets, and you have to hit them as they pass through an indicator at the bottom of the screen, to the rhythm of the song. The notes vary in number and complexity based on the difficulty level you have selected, and the progression of songs throughout each difficulty (i.e. a level 5 song on medium is perhaps harder than a level 1 song on hard). As you play through the song, you have a rock gauge that you can fill by hitting correct notes, and which decreases when you miss notes. If the meter hits red, you lose the song. You can unlock more of the songs by passing each level group of 6 songs, and there are 30 big name songs total, with another 20 or so bonus songs that are original creations by the cover artists that actually performed the main songs used in the game. You can win money based on the quality of your 'performance' for each song, which you can then use to unlock new guitars, playable characters, bonus songs, and videos.

There are also power-ups in the game, where you can hit the whammy bar to fill your Star Power meter, and discharge it by tilting the guitar up, so that all of your notes are worth more towards your total score and rock gauge. This is a fun added degree of difficulty, and the sensor is a cool addition to the controller, comparable to what they're putting into the upcoming Wii controller.

The game is very easy to pick up, even if you've never played a guitar before like myself. It even has a way to switch button configuration for the lefties out there, though as a lefty with no prior experience I don't feel much of a problem with the way it's set up. I was playing one on display at Best Buy, and there was a large crowd gathered around because it's such a novel and fun product, and of course I was rocking pretty hard.

You can play this game with a friend if you buy an additional guitar or the deluxe kit with 2 guitars and the game, which can be purchased through at least through the manufacturer (www.redoctane.com). The two player mode just alternates the same riffs between players, so it's dueling-banjo style, not simultaneous unique tracks, which would have been nice. That's apparently to be included in the upcoming sequel.


Guitar-like features

I don't play the guitar, so I'm not familiar with these terms, but this guitar has been set up to play very similarly to an actual one. It allows for both hammer-ons and pull-offs, which means you can hit higher notes without strumming a second time as long as the notes are in quick succession (closer to the base on the frets), and roll your finger from a higher note to a lower one (further from the base) in the same manner, since this is what would happen on an actual guitar. This makes playing difficult progressions possible, though it is by no means easy if you haven't ever touched a guitar in your life. It is lots of fun, though. I particularly like rocking out to George Thoroughgood.

Overall

As long as you like good rock music and having fun, you should swallow your pride and get this thing. I'm not sure if it will help your guitar playing any, but it's certainly a rush to jam to some great music without the investment in an actual guitar. I'd say every guy between 10 and 40 should own this product, but I'm sure some people out there just wouldn't appreciate how much fun you could have with this thing. But to be sure, if you've ever picked up a guitar, you will find this to be very amusing and enjoyable, and if you haven't, you may find it even more so.