playing a proper guitar feels like. Firing up Hero for the first time saw me stood right in front of my TV in a power stance for about 4 hours straight. Returning to work the following morning, my fingertips were shredded and raw.
My introduction to Rock Band couldn’t have been cooler. To celebrate the European launch, EA booked out the local night club for a Battle Of The Bands. As the lead guitarist for the amazingly glam Frightening Lightning, I popped my Rock Band cherry on stage in front of a couple of hundred people. The lights were flashing, the smoke machines were, er... smoking and we rocked out. What a feeling! All it took were some plastic instruments, high heels, tight pants and a liberal application of face paint. No actual musical skill at all!
The crazy thing is that even with it set up in your living room, you can get a bunch of mates over and bang out a quick song. When that big rock ending hits and you all nail it, I can guarantee you’ll throw up the horns and high five yourself into a stupor as if you’ve just come off a sell out tour. The wigs are optional but I do recommend having some kind of dress-up option close to hand.
As much fun as this is, there are loads of people who disagree with the whole thing. Predominantly musicians in their own right, they can’t understand why we waste our time with these cheap facsimiles and don’t actually go and learn a proper instrument.
I went to school with this guy who happens to run the biggest music shop in town. I bumped into him again in a local pub and we got chatting about the whole Guitar Hero thing. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that he’s opposed to it. The problem is that Johnny Gamer picks up Guitar Hero and it makes them feel like Clapton or Slash reborn within a matter of hours. JG then thinks – “Why don’t I try that for real?” and picks up a guitar. Several days later, his hands are destroyed and the damn thing won’t make a noise even remotely close to how it all sounds on the telly so he puts it down and never goes back. I get the same from my brother all the time. He’s an excellent guitarist but can’t seem to understand why I’m not particularly a fan of going through all of the stuff that he did to get where he is right now.
It’s a similar story online. Take a stroll through the music videos on Youtube and you’ll find all manner of comments about how an individual is awesome at this particular song on Rock Band. That person then gets slated by the resident band fans who’ve loved the music for ages and wish that these new ‘fans’ would just get a life and leave their hobby alone. And that’s just a bit sad really.
Thanks to the titles in this genre, my musical taste has expanded. I’d never listened to Priestess, NIN or Sabbath. Boston were definitely uncool and surely Creedance Clearwater Revival was purely for our parents? Hell, without these games, would you ever have heard of The Slip?
Personally I think these games should be applauded for widening the musical taste of gamers. The fact that they do it whilst making you feel like you’re on stage at Glastonbury is a bonus.
133 days ago
It was awesome seeing you at the Fusion event playing with Andy and Sandy White Alex. Rock Band is the ultimate modern form of true entertainment.