A Guitarist’s Review of Guitar Hero

I have always been desperate to get my hands on Guitar Hero.

Having played guitar on and off for nearly a decade, Guitar Hero has always been of interest to me.  Especially considering that my guitar playing interest has been waning somewhat over the last few years.

The first time I encountered Guitar Hero in person, was at rAge.  I patiently stood in queue to have a turn at the impressive button-bashing simulator, but after 15 minutes, realised that the guy playing it was not ready to let go of it so easily.  I reluctantly walked off.  Since then, I have heard mixed reviews of Guitar Hero.  While most non-musicians seem to dig it; those who play instruments themselves seem to see it in a lesser light.  My brother warned me of this very dilemma just before I purchased it, “dude, it isn’t like the real thing, it’s more like those dancing games, but instead of jumping on a mat, you press buttons on a guitar.”

I  took all of this in, and decided to go ahead with the purchase of the Guitar Hero pack anyway, to jam on my new Nintendo Wii.  Included in this pack, is Guitar Hero 3.  I eagerly prepare my guitar, pasting stickers on it, adjusting the strap and placing the Wii remote inside.  I finally setup my rig and am instantly blown away.  Deciding to unlock as many songs as possible and considering that this is my first shot, I jam on easy.  Unsurprisingly, the songs are pretty easy to complete, but a quick switch to expert blows my socks off.  I lose in about 10 seconds.  Wow.  A game where easy is easy, and where you actually have to be an expert to play expert.  Nice.

From the outset, the best thing about Guitar Hero, well, Guitar Hero 3 in this case, is the brilliant track compilation.  Each career ‘level’ is marked with awesome songs which make you want to finish your particular scenario to see what is next.  Artists include: In Flames, Black Sabbath, Cream, Sex Pistols, Santana, The Killers… The list goes on, and on, and on.

Controls are responsive, gameplay is addictive and if you are a guitarist, you are immediately advantaged (however, don’t expect guitar hero to make you any good at the real thing).  While the required button bashing is not always in time and nowhere near accurate compared to the real thing, this game’s wow factor is immense.

Although in reality, Guitar Hero may be closer to dance-a-lot17.5 than real guitar, it sure makes you feel like you are doing the real thing.  And makes you inspired to try the real thing.  Bottomline, this is a great bridge between music and games.  In fact, in 1337 speak, this is imba.  Buy it if you like music, buy it if you wish you played guitar, buy it if you play guitar, buy it if you have friends, … … BUY IT!

95/100