With infinite electronic dancing games and boring Karaoke games, it almost seemed like the rhythm genre of gaming boiled down to Dance Dance Revolution or cheap rip-offs of the feet-moving Japanese dance game. Then, there came a light that would add new attitude to the world of rhythm gaming forever. That light’s name was “Guitar Hero.” With excellent song selection and great visuals along with a wicked new controller, “Guitar Hero” rocked its way to the top of the video game world.

In Red Octane’s rhythm brainchild the player utilizes a newly developed guitar controller. Five colored buttons adorn the neck of this controller with a strum button and whammy bar to add to the illusion of actually playing the guitar. The controller also contains a motion sensor that detects the movement of the guitar to determine if the player is rocking both visually and rhythmically. A player gets more points for pleasing the crowd and tipping the guitar vertically during your sick solos.

The song selection of “Guitar Hero” is a very impressive list of famous artists and noteworthy bands. While the game understandably employs mostly older rock and metal tunes, it doesn’t forget the younger audience. You’ll be able to rock out to Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” but you’ll also get some newer tracks, like Sum 41’s “Fat Lip” and Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out.” Whatever your music tastes, if you enjoy listening to the guitar you will enjoy playing along with these hits. There are 30 songs in career mode, plus another batch of unlockable tunes that can be obtained by playing well in the career mode or taking on higher levels of difficulty.

The learning curve of “Guitar Hero” had a lot of thought put into it. In the earlier levels of gameplay the easy section only uses the first 3 buttons and doesn’t force the player to do anything too difficult. However, as you advance though the career mode the player will find that he must use the whole fret and begin to think about using the forgotten gaming finger, the pinky.

The largest problem found with “Guitar Hero” is not that of gameplay, but price. Because “Guitar Hero” must use its own guitar controller the game is a pricey seventy dollars. The unique controller also leaves most rental companies unable to offer this game, making buying this expensive game the only option to those whom want to play.

However, gamers that make it past this games price tag will be the proud owner of one of the best rhythm games ever. “Guitar Hero” is a great game that makes playing the guitar easy and fun. Throw those years of guitar practice out of the window; “Guitar Hero” is here.

Final Score 8.5/10