Guitar Hero

Remember back in the day when you would play the air guitar pretending to be a rock star? Those were the good old days when pretending only required an imagination. These days, kids don't have imaginations and pretending isn't enough… so videogames have to pick up the slack. Fortunately for kids and the inner child within adults, Guitar Hero will start you on your journey as an axe player... as far as a game and goofy looking guitar controller can take you anyway.

First things first, let's take a look at that controller. Whether or not it mimics the feel of a real guitar, I can't say since I've never played a real guitar in my life. But it does have all the necessities it seems: fret buttons, whammy bar, and strum bar. The build quality is very nice and it feels very easy to hold. Even if you've never used a real guitar, using this controller gives you a sense of ease. It's the actual game that'll push you down.

The concept, like most music games, revolves around timing button presses to an on-screen guide. It's not that difficult to learn… the difficult part comes in the form of actually mastering all the songs. Sure there's an easy mode which anyone can finish. But you can't unlock any of the extras without playing on medium difficulty or higher. Medium is fairly difficult though possible, anything above that may take some serious work. While the game may sound frustrating, give it some time and you will easily enjoy it- the experience never becomes dull.

Combined with over 30 of the greatest rock songs and excellent gameplay, Guitar Hero easily stands as one of the best music games of this generation. Upon successfully completing each song you get a score and the better you do, the more extras you can unlock. Mastering each song will take a bit of time for most but some might find it easy. Multiplayer easily shows why this game rocks (no pun intended) so much. Get a friend and another guitar controller and competitively play any of the games songs. This definitely benefits the replay value and gives reason to return to the game many times over.

While the game does not showcase stunning visuals, it fairs nicely to avoid distracting the player. The music on the other hand delivers quite a punch. The track selection is all rock of course and all great songs (unless you can't stand rock). Not only does the audio quality excel but since you're responsible for the guitar component, you play a role in how well the songs sound.

Guitar Hero is one of the most addictive and enjoyable games on any system. And playing against a friend should serve up some great times though those guitar controllers are pricy. And that's the only real con of this game. The price of the game/guitar bundle (the only way to get the game, since you need both to play) has an MSRP of $70 and a single guitar controller costs another $40 but that's only if you plan to play with a friend. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? You bet! While it may have its skeptics, most anyone will convert into a fan of the game once they pick up that toy controller and start playing alongside a virtual band to a great rock song. Sure, it may not be a real rock star experience but it's the closest most people will ever get and probably a lot more fun than the real thing.

Final words: A music game that does everything right; definitely worth the price of admission.
-Vinny