Calling all ‘Guitar Heroes’!

So now you want to be a in a Rock Band.?

Leah Werier

I always thought that it would be really cool to be in a band. However, I had an unrelenting fear of hitting my drum kit too hard and preferred to listen to music, rather than compose it. Fortunately for me and several other unmotivated rock enthusiasts, Guitar Hero came to life. All of a sudden, I could tear through ballads such as “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple and “Crossroads” by Cream.

Guitar Hero is a music video game which uses a controller that is shaped like (surprise) a guitar; by plunking away at keys corresponding to the directions on the screen I became a rock goddess. Well, I actually was horrible at the game and after about five minutes of failure I decided to watch Kenny vs. Spenny, which was much more worthy of my time.

Guitar Hero was first released in 2005. Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II have grossed $360 million. Activision, the video game giant, purchased RedOctane — the company that manufactured the guitar-shaped controller and owns the Guitar Hero name. MTV recently purchased Harmonix — the developer of Guitar Hero I and II. This caused a division in the franchise, which led to two new music video games on the market. Neversoft (another video game development company) carried along the Guitar Hero franchise and, with Activision, released Guitar Hero III on Oct. 28. The third installment in the series adds a battle mode, but it may not be enough to battle the game’s fierce competition: Rock Band..

Produced by Harmonix and set for a Nov. 23 release, Rock Band. adds drums and vocals to the mix. Rock Band. will be released on Xbox 360 and Playstion 3; it allows anyone to put together a band and tour with it, racking up fame and fortune along the way. Rock Band. boasts 45 tracks to master that range from artists like Bon Jovi to Black Sabbath. Also, Rock Band. states that huge amounts of songs will be available for download, making the game interesting and fresh every time you play it. Even more shocking, you can “mold a unique rocker” using the game’s character creator with your own specifics, including tattoos and body shape.

With all of these options and songs, it makes you seriously wonder how much time players spend mastering this game. Perhaps if they spent this time actually learning how to play the instruments, they would find more satisfaction and possibly a career. Maybe to the average gamer, having a lot of points and beating all your friends is rewarding enough. Even though it may be a waste of my time, I am looking forward to trying out Rock Band.. With the excellent range of music I think it will be time well wasted.





Volume 95 Issue 12	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	November 07, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Calling all ‘Guitar Heroes’! So now you want to be a in a *Rock Band.? Leah Werier I always thought that it would be really cool to be in a band. However, I had an unrelenting fear of hitting my drum kit too hard and preferred to listen to music, rather than compose it. Fortunately for me and several other unmotivated rock enthusiasts, Guitar Hero* came to life. All of a sudden, I could tear through ballads such as “Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple and “Crossroads” by Cream. Guitar Hero is a music video game which uses a controller that is shaped like (surprise) a guitar; by plunking away at keys corresponding to the directions on the screen I became a rock goddess. Well, I actually was horrible at the game and after about five minutes of failure I decided to watch Kenny vs. Spenny, which was much more worthy of my time. Guitar Hero was first released in 2005. Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II have grossed $360 million. Activision, the video game giant, purchased RedOctane — the company that manufactured the guitar-shaped controller and owns the Guitar Hero name. MTV recently purchased Harmonix — the developer of Guitar Hero I and II. This caused a division in the franchise, which led to two new music video games on the market. Neversoft (another video game development company) carried along the Guitar Hero franchise and, with Activision, released Guitar Hero III on Oct. 28. The third installment in the series adds a battle mode, but it may not be enough to battle the game’s fierce competition: Rock Band.. Produced by Harmonix and set for a Nov. 23 release, Rock Band. adds drums and vocals to the mix. Rock Band. will be released on Xbox 360 and Playstion 3; it allows anyone to put together a band and tour with it, racking up fame and fortune along the way. Rock Band. boasts 45 tracks to master that range from artists like Bon Jovi to Black Sabbath. Also, Rock Band. states that huge amounts of songs will be available for download, making the game interesting and fresh every time you play it. Even more shocking, you can “mold a unique rocker” using the game’s character creator with your own specifics, including tattoos and body shape. With all of these options and songs, it makes you seriously wonder how much time players spend mastering this game. Perhaps if they spent this time actually learning how to play the instruments, they would find more satisfaction and possibly a career. Maybe to the average gamer, having a lot of points and beating all your friends is rewarding enough. Even though it may be a waste of my time, I am looking forward to trying out Rock Band.. With the excellent range of music I think it will be time well wasted.


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