Green Tee Readings

I have a pretty strong itch to play some more Guitar Hero II, but there are sleeping people in the house, and sound travels well enough from where the PS2 is to where they are for playing to be darn inconsiderate. I figure that I’ll write about it a bit, in order to let memories get all the fix I need.

I have been constantly pleased by how much the game lets a musically uneducated people feel like they are actually playing the song, regardless of ability with the mechanics of the game. My first exposure playing it was this past Christmas when my mom and step dad bought the game for my half-brother. After his desire waned (or was directed on to other things), and people started moseying out of the room, I picked up the guitar and tried playing a couple of things on easy (Woman and Heart Shaped Box). It wasn’t easy, entirely because I haven’t had to keep track of both hands while they’re doing related but distinctly different things before. I was hooked.

I wasn’t able to pick the game up for myself for a while, thanks to semi-significant car repair bills and paying for tuition and rent on a part-time wages. When my Federal tax return was deposited into my account, I hurried out to the local big-box retailer and bought the game. Easy was pretty easy by this time, and I was four-starring most of the songs right out of the gate. It felt awesome. Even songs that I hardly knew were fun to play. I could tell that there were missing elements to the game, as it’s pretty obvious that the number of notes in the Easy version of Jessica bears little resemblance to the amount notes the Allman Brothers’ played. Also, there were two unused fret buttons, so some extra complexity was inherent in the future levels.

Normal felt like a step up, and even though I’m on the underside of apathetic towards all things Kansas, a definite thrill went through me with the first call for an encore. Halfway through Normal, I thought that Hard would be a similar jump up, namely a few more notes and the addition of the orange fret. This feeling managed to persist through the entire level, even though I started despairing of ever getting five stars on all the songs. I played through Freebird with a four star rating and thought “I’m clearly multiple kinds of awesome, I’m so ready to rock so hard through Hard.” I wasn’t.

The speed difference between Normal and Hard was a shock, as was the need to move my fingers around on the frets. I had a huge weakness in my complete inability to press the red/blue chord and anytime the orange key came down at me I lost all awareness of anything else. I was a disaster. I failed many, many times. Woman was particularly awful, with the relentless notes and the requirement of figuring out how to do the hammer downs and pull offs. I went back to Normal, proverbial tail between my legs and picked up some more chops by getting five stars on all the songs. It was hard work, and I have no idea how I managed to pass Psychobilly Freakout.

I persevered though, and after getting through Shout at the Devil and Woman, I breezed through Hard (with some 4 stars and, a five star on either Girlfriend or Heart Shaped Box, with the latter being far more likely) until I hit the block with Crazy On You, Jessica and Rock This Town (Trippin’ on a Hole wasn’t too bad for some reason). I stumbled. I thought about weeping. I played a lot. I got through it with perseverance and the practice mode all the way to Freebird, where halfway through the song the game froze. I nearly cried. I didn’t want to have to play Misirlou again. That song’s ridiculous. But I did it, because the game again tricked me into thinking that I really was playing the guitar. It felt so real, and I could tell that I was improving.

Eventually, I got it and graduated to Expert, which doesn’t seem to be nearly as hard of a jump as that between Normal and Hard, for the purposes of getting through the songs. I have no idea how I’m ever going to find the time to get five stars on any of them with those freaking crazy solos. I’ve beaten 28 of the 40 songs and only gotten a four star rating on one, Search and Destroy.

I love the game, and I’ll surely pick up the first installment sometime. I really, really want to play a Queen song. Brian May’s such an under-appreciated guitarist. But anyway, I’ve mentioned a couple times how much the game makes you think you’re playing the guitar, and that’s what’s so addicting about the game. You really feel it, and you cringe a little inside when you miss an important note or totally blow a riff that takes you out of the zen-like trance that comes when you’re playing well. However Harmonix figured out what notes were important enough to make you forget, early on, that you weren’t playing anywhere near the whole song is beyond me, but they did an amazing job.

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