Slashdot Mirror
Guitar Hero II Announced
Gamespot reports on the official announcement of an encore to the extremely popular Guitar Hero title from Harmonix. From the article: "RedOctane today confirmed the band was indeed getting back together, as it announced that Guitar Hero II would arrive on the PlayStation 2 this November. While the song list hasn't been announced yet, the publisher confirmed that there would be more than 55 tracks in dire need of shredding. There's also a multiplayer co-op mode that will let players collaborate, each playing lead, rhythm, or bass guitar portions." IGN is running an interview with the gents behind the game, giving us heads up on their plans for the sequel. Rock on!
Yeah, but where's my accordion hero?
Whoo, signature!
DesireCampbell.com
Secondly it would be nice to have a higher quality guitar. That thing looked and felt totally cheap, it was like a kid's toy. I would have felt like I was rocking a lot harder if the guitar was bigger and had taken itself a little more seriously.
Van Halen - How you can have a game called Guitar Hero and not have a Van Halen track is beyond my scope.
Still a cool game though.
That's because the game is called Guitar Hero... not Grunge Frontman Hero. Through the 70's and 80's the guitarists were the cult sensations. As far as I can tell, beginning with Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder (yes, I know they both play guitar), the emphasis turned more toward the vocalist.
"It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance." - Thomas Sowell
Actually, I do own an acoustic guitar. I have fun with it. (Granted, my first love is percussion and yes, I do own a drumset.)
However, I still have lots of fun playing Guitar Hero. Why? Because Guitar Hero isn't about playing guitar. It simulates performing for a crowd. I, sadly, do not have the time right now to join a rock band and put in the time I'd really want to in order to sound good to perform at large venues. Guitar Hero simulates performing on stage to an extent. Plucking on my guitar in my living room doesn't simulate playing in front of a crowd.
It's kind of funny that several elitist musicians bash on the game because it's a "cheap plastic toy", and that people should, instead, buy real instruments. However, I have known two people personally (which is not by any stretch a large number) who got Guitar Hero, enjoyed it so much, that they then went out and bought their first guitar and started to learn how to play one legitemately.
I would think ANY musician would agree that something that gets more people into playing music is a GOOD thing, and that they should embrace something like Guitar Hero not as a replacement for guitar playing, but rather an entry point for new guitar players.
(And in fact, one of my friends who enjoys Guitar Hero the most is also an amazing classical guitar player. If he can get over the fact that he's playing a plastic toy, I think anyone can.)
I'll tell you why. I've been playing guitar for close to 15 years. I own an accoustic, two electrics, a couple of amps, a few effects pedals.
And yet, I still love Guitar Hero. Why?
It's the same reason I enjoyed Gran Turismo, despite the fact that I own a real car. I can do things in Guitar Hero that I can't do in real life. I can sit down and instantly start playing a song just like the original guitarist. I can crank up the difficulty if I want more of a challenge and to get more of a "I'm really playing a guitar" feel, or I can dial it back and jam with my wife who can't even play an E chord on a real guitar.
I can do it in front of an audience that roars its approval on a massive shredding solo, without the grueling practice, coordination, and drama of a real band.
And just like Gran Turismo encouraged me to drive my car a little faster than I should, Guitar Hero has encouraged me to sit down and learn to play some of the songs on my real guitars. But like all good video games, it's there when I want a quick, easy, enjoyable experience.
What's so special?
It was actually released in the US and contained a large list of songs people in the US recognized. Two things Konami never did.
I love all my Bemani games, don't get me wrong (I've spent thousands of dollars importing IIDX, Pop'n, and Drummania) but Red Octane and Harmonix did what Konami wouldn't do. Konami is very dead set on their Japanese roots, and most people won't play guitar games with songs they don't recognize here in the US.
So, the difference is...Guitar Hero is marketed towards Americans. Guitar Freaks is marketed towards Japanese. That's not to say Americans wouldn't enjoy Guitar Freaks, but that's not their target audience. Especially since I don't believe Guitar Freaks ever got any release outside of Japan.