Guitar Hero knocks on heaven’s door

Posted by admin on Sep 23, 2008 in Arts & Culture | 0 comments

What do Soundgarden, The Eagles and DCTalk all have in common? No, it’s not just vocalists with disappointing solo careers; each band has also been included in some version of a Guitar Hero-style video game. Toby McKeehan and company make their game debut alongside groups like 12 Stones and Reliant K in a new edition that features only Christian music.

The release of Guitar Praise: Solid Rock, Digital Praise (no affiliation to the actual Guitar Hero or its developers) retunes GH’s proven game play and style into a more religiously-appropriate experience. From the entirely Christian-based song list to the inclusion of on-screen lyrics that the crowd is encouraged to “sing along with,” Guitar Praise tries hard to attract the Christian music fan demographic that may not be content with GH’s “unsavoury” lyrics and “questionable” graphic choices.

The game, currently available only for Mac OS X, comes with the wireless plastic guitar controller familiar to fans of the original GH series, but makes few changes to the game’s mechanics and modes; one- and two-player options, as well as a head-to-head duel mode provide the bulk of the game play. Notes falling down a virtual fret board must still be pressed in time with the song to advance, with the same varying levels of difficulty (Easy to Expert) providing the challenge.

The fundamental difference is, of course, the music. Artists like Skillet, Thousand Foot Crutch, Kutless, Petra, Caedmon’s Call, Superchick, Newsboys and Jennifer Knapp may not be as recognizable as GH mainstays Aerosmith, Rage Against the Machine and Pat Benatar. However, their intended audience will appreciate the depth and variety of the music genres—from metal to punk to pop—being represented.

Visually, the game suffers from its lower-budget roots. Menus and overlay displays are simple and crude at best, and the dull backgrounds and antiquated 3-D graphics cannot compare even with other cheap GH rip-offs like Frets on Fire. Newcomers to the genre will not be deterred by these shortcuts, but the chances of converting die-hard fans to such a lackluster product are slim.

Despite its shortcomings, Guitar Praise does deliver what it promises: the addictive game play of the Guitar Hero series with none of the vulgar, licentious content. The decisive factor remains the taste of the gamer; Jesus Freaks may be amused and satiated, but a Master of Puppets will be truly disappointed.