I got Guitar Hero

[Agent 57]

And holy freaking crap is this game fun. I just finished playing for roughly three hours straight and I had a blast! All the times I've played air guitar on my steering wheel have come to life in a video game. Very cool.

GH plays nearly identically to Harmonix's other games, Amplitude at the very least (I never played Frequency), but the mechanic is different enough with the kickass guitar controller that I don't feel like I'm just playing the same game over again with different songs.

One thing I gotta tell you, though - this game is NOT easy. When I was fiddling around in free play before I started career mode, I decided to try "Smoke on the Water" on the medium setting, and it absolutely kicked my ass. I mean, as far as rhythm games go, I'm much more used to Parappa and Um Jammer Lammy, and you need three fingers total on both hands to play those - in GH, once it gets to medium, you're using four fingers on your left hand plus strumming with your right. It's crazy! (I'm not sure I even wanna know what playing Expert mode is like. I fear.)

Anyway, if any of you guys were interested in this game, here's a firsthand account that says it's fun as all hell.

[Tortolia]

Frequency was postitively brutal on Expert mode (and somewhat on Normal). I have no doubt this is similarly difficult.

[Nev]

One thing I gotta tell you, though - this game is NOT easy. When I was fiddling around in free play before I started career mode, I decided to try "Smoke on the Water" on the medium setting, and it absolutely kicked my ass. I mean, as far as rhythm games go, I'm much more used to Parappa and Um Jammer Lammy, and you need three fingers total on both hands to play those - in GH, once it gets to medium, you're using four fingers on your left hand plus strumming with your right. It's crazy! (I'm not sure I even wanna know what playing Expert mode is like. I fear.)

I'm shocked, what with actual guitars being easy to play, and all.

[SineSwiper]

I'm shocked, what with actual guitars being easy to play, and all. :)

Note to all: this is sarcastic, and I do not think guitars are actually very easy to play, having attempted to learn several times. I know they have the reputation of being easier instruments than most to play, but I tend to think this is bullshit, having tried to learn several very different instruments over the course of my life (piano, guitar, and viola, and very, very briefly, recorder).

Hmmm...the disclaimer is longer than the actual sarcastic comment. BTW, sarcasm loses its flavor when you put a disclaimer on it.

[SineSwiper]

Tell me when they make another version of Rez.

[Nev]

I think you're right actually. There we go.

[Zeus]

Tell me when they make another version of Rez.

Ain't gonna happen, the guy doesn't work with Sega anymore. Buy Electroplankton for the DS if you want more of his stuff. Unfortunately, it's ONLY available online from Nintendo directly, which is CRAP

I might get Guitar Hero this weekend, that game looks great

[Kupek]

Guitar Hero has Thunderkiss 65 and Symphony of Destruction. That's enough to get me to play it.

[Lox]

Guitar Hero has Thunderkiss 65 and Symphony of Destruction. That's enough to get me to play it.

Sweet!

[SineSwiper]

Ain't gonna happen, the guy doesn't work with Sega anymore. Buy Electroplankton for the DS if you want more of his stuff. Unfortunately, it's ONLY available online from Nintendo directly, which is CRAP

I wasn't really that interested in his game on the PSP, because I'm not a fan of eurotrash. And why does it have to be from this man? After all, the idea is out there, so make some different versions of it. There are plenty of different dance/rapper games out there (Space Channel 5, Paparrapa, etc.).

[Agent 57]

Re: the tracklist - I'm more of a classic rock guy, so I was more psyched to see tracks like the aforementioned Smoke on the Water (I loved that scene in School of Rock), More Than A Feeling, and Iron Man. I still liked the new stuff, though, and it turned out I've heard a lot more of it than I'd thought. Either way I definitely approve of the tracklist.

Re: "call me when they make a new Rez" - You know, I played a couple levels of Rez a few years ago, and to be perfectly honest I didn't get what all the fuss was about. Sure, the visuals were trippy, the music was good, and the vibrator was a giggle-worthy peripheral; but at its core, the game was simply a rail shooter, and Panzer Dragoon Orta was a much better game in that regard. In fact, even considering sheer aesthetic appeal alone, I don't think Rez is any better than the other "trippy shooter" game I can recall in recent memory, Internal Section - and iS at least had good gameplay to back it up.

And I gotta tell you, IMO, Rez was nowhere near as fun as Guitar Hero. *shrug*

[Tortolia]

Agreed on Rez.

[Zeus]

I personally loved Rez. It was so much fun. And it's worth quite a bit now

[SineSwiper]

Re: "call me when they make a new Rez" - You know, I played a couple levels of Rez a few years ago, and to be perfectly honest I didn't get what all the fuss was about. Sure, the visuals were trippy, the music was good, and the vibrator was a giggle-worthy peripheral; but at its core, the game was simply a rail shooter, and Panzer Dragoon Orta was a much better game in that regard. In fact, even considering sheer aesthetic appeal alone, I don't think Rez is any better than the other "trippy shooter" game I can recall in recent memory, Internal Section - and iS at least had good gameplay to back it up.

Never heard of Internal Section. I remember saying something about PDO once, but I'm sure that's a Sega Saturn or DC game, right?

[Zeus]

Re: "call me when they make a new Rez" - You know, I played a couple levels of Rez a few years ago, and to be perfectly honest I didn't get what all the fuss was about. Sure, the visuals were trippy, the music was good, and the vibrator was a giggle-worthy peripheral; but at its core, the game was simply a rail shooter, and Panzer Dragoon Orta was a much better game in that regard. In fact, even considering sheer aesthetic appeal alone, I don't think Rez is any better than the other "trippy shooter" game I can recall in recent memory, Internal Section - and iS at least had good gameplay to back it up.

Never heard of Internal Section. I remember saying something about PDO once, but I'm sure that's a Sega Saturn or DC game, right?

Orta was the Xbox attempt by Sega to revive the Panzer brand. It failed not because the game didn't do well (it sold decently) but more because it sold less than they thought it would, which is why it dropped in price so quickly

Rez wasn't about being an on-rails shooter solely. It's appeal lay in the way the game blended with the music. It didn't matter when you shot something or what you did, it all sounded like a great techno beat.....all based on what you did rather than when. It was a pretty neat thing to play a game and create the song at the same time and have it be completely different tune every time. I personally loved the game. The guy just did Electroplankton and that one is less of a game and more of a musical exploration. I'm dying to check it out....if Nintendo ever releases it in stores

[SineSwiper]

Rez wasn't about being an on-rails shooter solely. It's appeal lay in the way the game blended with the music. It didn't matter when you shot something or what you did, it all sounded like a great techno beat.....all based on what you did rather than when. It was a pretty neat thing to play a game and create the song at the same time and have it be completely different tune every time. I personally loved the game. The guy just did Electroplankton and that one is less of a game and more of a musical exploration. I'm dying to check it out....if Nintendo ever releases it in stores

Well, Rez was actually a fun game besides the music. The music wanted you to play it more, and was a primary device in making it good, but it was fairly hard anyway.

[Tortolia]

Is Guitar Hero $70 worth of amusement? I'm a bit wary to pick it up at that price.

[Agent 57]

Is Guitar Hero $70 worth of amusement?

*shrug* I can't answer that for you, of course - I can only tell you what I think and what I've observed.

What I think is that it's a blast, the music is great, the learning curve is brilliant/bordering-on ingenious, and that I am addicted to the point of obsession.

What I've observed is that just about every reviewer has given it at least a 9, that copies are being sold on eBay for more than MSRP less than a week after release, and that just about everyone who plays it has a lot of fun with it.

And that's all I have to say about that.

[Tortolia]

Yeah, I'll pick it up later. I've heard nothing but good things about it.

[Tortolia]

OK, Guitar Hero owns.

[Agent 57]

And now I have to go play!

[Zeus]

Stupid game isn't up here yet. I've been waiting for the damned thing!

[Tortolia]

Incidentally, here's the complete track list.

The main 30 are all covers, but damn if they're not great ones. For most of 'em you have to consciously listen for differences.

[Tortolia]

Finished Career mode on Medium tonight. The last set of songs are brutal, but there's truly a feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

Only song on Hard I've tried (and completed) is Infected. Probably not the best one to transition to a new difficulty on, but having to slide up and down the frets at high tempo is as good a way to adjust as any.

[Agent 57]

I worked my way up and beat the first tier on Expert last night, and I must say that you don't truly start <i>playing</i> the game until you hit that difficulty.

But when you do, it's an amazing experience. Damn, I love this game!

[Tortolia]

Before I went on vacation I'd gotten to the third tier on Expert. I just can't beat Symphony of Destruction.

[Kupek]

I played Guitar Hero yesterday, and it is indeed fun. Icidentally, Tort, I played your copy at your girlfriend's place.

[Tortolia]

The appeal of the guitar is indeed widespread.

[Zeus]

The appeal of the guitar is indeed widespread.

We've been waiting on the game for a freakin' month up here. Next week it comes in. Got mine pre-ordered

[Agent 57]

I've been bringing it around to parties, showing friends at every opportunity - basically, I've become the GH pimp of the Northeast.

And I'm at 29/30 on Expert now - Bark at the Moon is all I've got left.

[Tortolia]

I bought it for my brother as an early Christmas gift. He loves it.

I've only run into one person so far who hasn't liked it, and I think that was mainly her hesitance to learn the game in front of other people.

[Agent 57]

I've run into some hesitancy as well - mostly, just getting people to try the game. Most who won't try it say something like "I have no interest in it" or some BS like that, even as they're watching other people try it and enjoy it (and then there's me, rocking out and loving it).

Doesn't make much sense to me.

[SineSwiper]

I played Guitar Hero yesterday, and it is indeed fun. Icidentally, Tort, I played your copy at your girlfriend's place.

If I read that wrong, I could easily think this as an insult akin to the "That's what your girlfriend said last night" kind.

[Tortolia]

Nothing insulting about it. Kupek and a mutual friend hung out at my girlfriend's apartment over the weekend when I was out of town.

[Agent 57]

It is done. I have completed Guitar Hero on Expert (just barely squeaked by Bark at the Moon on my 40th try or so, but still) and now wield the mighty Battle Axe.

I also jumped around my living room like an idiot after I beat it, with many a "FUCK YEAH!" and such. My girlfriend was quite amused.

By the way, Tort, if you - or anyone else here, for that matter - are still in the Boston area (you were the one here who used to go to Tufts, right?) there's going to be a Guitar Hero-themed concert on Saturday Dec. 10 at Harper's Ferry in Allston. There'll be GH merchandise, a big screen setup for people to play on, and a bunch of the bonus song bands (being Boston bands in the first place) are going to be the ones playing the show.

Should be a good time!

[Tortolia]

Heh. Shame I'm back in Virginia now.

[Tortolia]

Beaten all the licensed songs on Expert but Cowboys from Hell (got to 98%... *twitch*) and Bark at the Moon (63%).

Good times.

[Agent 57]

Heh...CfH and BatM are the ones that just about everybody gets stuck on (Crossroads also gives people fits). Couple tips to pass those two:

-Be able to do the main riffs damn near blindfolded.

-Well-timed usages of star power are essential.

-You can practice the whole song (kinda) if you plug a spare controller into port 2 and just let it sit there while you play mutliplayer. There's no failing, so you get to see the whole song and practice the riff the maximum number of times.

-To pass the ridiculously hard solo riff in BatM, activate star power right when it starts, and only play every other 16th note for the first three sections (it goes R R R R Y Y Y Y B B B B B, Y Y Y Y B B B B O O O Y O, then R R R R Y Y Y Y B B B B O O Y O). That'll get you in the green for the last section with the 24th notes, and then just flail around and hope you hit enough to keep yourself alive until it's over.

Also, I paint modded my SG to look like "the Cheatar" that the HSR guys made for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a while back. I screwed up around 8 times and broke the whammy bar, but since I ordered myself a new guitar even before I finished I'm not too broken up about it.

Pictures here: http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default ... t=184&p=11

Story here: http://forum.guitarherogame.com/Default ... osts&t=772

[Tortolia]

Beat it on Expert tonight. I am now a goddamn Guitar Hero. Awesome.

Purchased everything on Expert but the bonus guitarists and the videos (I'd gotten the videos on normal already). I've beaten about half the bonus tracks on Expert, so I'll finish the rest up then try to earn enough money to unlock the Grim Ripper.

I <3 Harmonix.

[Nev]

I played it at Best Buy the other day. Really, really fun.

Since I absolutely suck at most instruments, and my voice isn't bad, I picked up Karaoke Revolution instead...wondering if I should have gone with Guitar Hero just for the fun factor, though. The graphics are quite neat...I like the cartoon versions of each of the original bands that did the songs.

[SineSwiper]

Played it a bit at Best Buy as well. Ace of Spades is fairly hard but doable (on Easy at least). Then some older dude picked a Stevie Ray Vaugn song that kicked both of our asses. There was also a hot chick that did Smoke on the Water perfectly. I guess she probably played guitar, since that's usually a good starter song for playing guitar.

[Zeus]

Guitar Hero kicks Star Jones-size ass!

We had a poker game last Saturday night and anyone who got knocked out (no limit hold 'em) was playing that game. All freakin' night (we played 3 poker games). It's so incredibly well done and awesome tunes. Seeing Stevie Ray Vaughn and Hendrix was just great. The game owns in so many ways. I used to play an instrument (but never the guitar) for 7 years (sax), so I love these music games (Gitaroo Man and Mad Maestro were tons of fun too, but not this much).

Man, this one is relatively difficult off the bat. I'm no guitarist, but I can follow music well enough and this game was a bit of a challenge even in easy. Mind you, I never got below 91% on easy and only failed once on the last Medium one, but it wasn't like other music games which are a complete breeze on the easier modes (Taiko comes to mind, and I ain't no drummer). I like it, keeps you on your toes. I can imagine the guitarists out there will have a much easier time, but anyone else is going to actually have to work at it. Beat Medium last weekend so now I gotta worry about that fifth button :-)

One small complaint: I don't like how you have to rebuy everything for each level of difficulty. Bit of a cheap way to get replay in; like the game ain't fun enough you want to play it over and over again anyways. This is an EXTREMELY minor complaint to an otherwise awesome game that EVERYONE should have.

[Agent 57]

One small complaint: I don't like how you have to rebuy everything for each level of difficulty. Bit of a cheap way to get replay in; like the game ain't fun enough you want to play it over and over again anyways.

One thing to keep in mind about that - anything you unlock in any difficulty is available in all other modes (of course, multiplayer is the only other mode you can choose your guitar/character). So what that means is you can buy, say, all the songs in medium; all the guitars & skins in hard; and the two bonus characters in expert, and you'll have everything available to you in multiplayer (not to mention all the songs will also be available in quickplay, at any difficulty).

I believe I personally bought all the songs & movies with my Medium cash, bought all the guitars, skins, and extra characters with my Hard cash, and then saved my Expert money for just the one guitar & skin that I wanted to use until I finished it (and now that I have, I have enough money saved up to buy all the songs to complete in Expert).

I've heard that if you 5-star all 30 core songs, you get enough money to buy everything for that difficulty - but since you can only unlock the movies once, buying them in every difficulty is dumb, so that saves you money in two out of the three difficulties. Not to mention that you should be trying to 5-star all the songs anyways, just because it's fun!

One final tip regarding that - I'd recommend you stay on the lower difficulties for as long as possible, and 5-star everything at a lower difficulty before you get too wrapped up in a higher one. The main reason I say that is to give you the max amount of replay value - I sorta ripped through the early difficulties in an effort to beat the game quickly, but spending so much time on Expert has made Easy/Medium incredibly boring. With that in mind, I recommend you spend as much time perfecting those difficulties as you can, so that you get the max enjoyment out of them while they still seem challenging!

[Zeus]

One final tip regarding that - I'd recommend you stay on the lower difficulties for as long as possible, and 5-star everything at a lower difficulty before you get too wrapped up in a higher one. The main reason I say that is to give you the max amount of replay value - I sorta ripped through the early difficulties in an effort to beat the game quickly, but spending so much time on Expert has made Easy/Medium incredibly boring. With that in mind, I recommend you spend as much time perfecting those difficulties as you can, so that you get the max enjoyment out of them while they still seem challenging!

Man, I got my ASS handed to me on some of these Hard songs. I've gotten about 8 done, but it takes multiple times. Stupid cords.

I will want to go back and get the 5 stars on everything eventually and Medium is the mode most of my friends will play anyways. Besides, I don't know how much I"ll replay the harder difficulties, I'm just trying to survive here.

[Tortolia]

Finished all 47 songs on Expert. Woot.

Only 8 are 5 star performances. I mean to improve on that.

[Zeus]

I don't plan on going that far. Not enough of a guitarist so it would take me forever.

Although I now have 25 of 30 songs done in Hard. Man, it starts getting nuts

[Tortolia]

Hard to Expert isn't as significant a jump as Medium to Hard.

By the time you finish the licensed tracks on Hard, you'll be more than capable enough to do the first two sets of songs on Expert.

[KluYa]

We had a poker game last Saturday night and anyone who got knocked out (no limit hold 'em) was playing that game.

If you ever want another player I'd love to get in on some of those poker games. :)

[Agent 57]

Finished all 47 songs on Expert. Woot.

Only 8 are 5 star performances. I mean to improve on that.

I haven't gotten into the bonus songs that much as of yet - played through a few of them before I went to see that GH show (Cheat on the Church was really freaking hard), instead I've been working more on improving my Expert scores. Got the first two tiers 5 starred and the next two tiers 4 starred...will be moving on to try to 4 star tier 5 and possibly the first two or three songs in tier 6 before moving back down and trying to 5 star tiers 3 & 4.

Don't know when I'll bother butting heads with CfH and BatM again - the lack of a practice mode (for slowing down the song, repeating sections, etc.) means that my only way to learn those songs well enough to 4/5 star them is to record them on my VCR and analyze the tape, but even so, the only way to get any sort of game-recognized practice in on them is to take them on at full speed. Which is not really that much fun - yet.

[Zeus]

We had a poker game last Saturday night and anyone who got knocked out (no limit hold 'em) was playing that game.

If you ever want another player I'd love to get in on some of those poker games.

Heh, I'll let ya know. We generally only play for $5 a game (no limit elimination only) to ensure that we keep it fun to hang out and not get too serious. But the guys are always talking about making it a little more serious and playing a few $20 games a night. We can always use another play, so I'll message ya here when we do it next