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Jam Session: Guitar Hero DS?
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The ad says "Available by 2 PM barring manufacturer's delays."
Well there wasn't no goddamn manufacturer delay because I went over and got a copy from the local video game store just fine.
What's the point of Best Buy advertising things as "available by" if they don't do anything for the customer if it isn't available by that time other than make a frowny face and ask if they want to leave your number for when it does get in?
Then again, I've been taking guitar lessons... it might be a little too minimalistic or too much of a "music toy" instead of a game for people who just want to play Guitar Hero on their DS.
I almost didn't believe you, but then I tried it anyhow.
That's hilarious.
Also pretty lame at the same time.
I have no guitar playing skills period, so I'm at a loss with most of this application.
What you're imagining is actually slightly more than what's there. They give you the chords on the top screen, and if you want it they'll also remind you which key [dpad or abxy depending on handedness] you need to hit to achieve that chord. "Expert" play is when you don't need to be reminded anymore I guess, but there's not a "hard mode", you just turn key reminders on or off at whim. It'll also make suggestions about whether a certain note should be an "up" or "down" strum. There's no drum backup, but you can have a metronome keep time if you want.
And then you just play. And if you want, sing - it will use the microphone to record you and you can play it back. It's kind of a karaoke guitar.
Anyhow, there's really not a lot of "game" here, as people have suspected. No recorded vocals, and only some of the songs even have a recorded "demo" to tell you how the chords are supposed to be played, which kind of upsets me. Like, I can figure out "How Sweet it is to be Loved By You" on my own, but a little help on the tempo for, say, "I'm Gonna Miss Her" by Brad Paisley - a song I don't know - would be helpful. It can't be that hard to put in there.
The game literally gives you no tempo feedback beyond the metronome as far as I can tell. If you hit the right notes, the chord chart moves along with you no matter what speed you hit them at. In short, you definitely don't get instant gratification from the game like Guitar Hero gives you when you're doing well.
The upside is, as a virtual guitar this thing is really, really impressive. There's quite a bit of finesse you can put on the notes with pressure and speed, you can do muted notes (kind of, at least), up and down strokes have a distinctly different sound, and there's a crapton of chords to select from for putting on the dpad (which allows you the 8 d-pad directions plus 8 more modified with the L shoulder button). I've figured out Al Yankovic's "Yoda" (or Lola, if you prefer, I suppose) and "Lean on Me" already to the point where I can almost strum through them without even really thinking about it. With a little practice, I can see this thing being a lot of fun to actually make casual music with - and frankly that may be cooler than the more in-depth game it might have been.
XBL / GFWL Gamertag: Ravenlock80
Wii System Code: 3019 1654 2730 1955
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Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Yup.. that's pretty much it. About the only thing you are missing in your description are lyrics on the chart, and the little options (like adding chorus & tremolo, or recording).
Pretty much. Like I said, I think it's really a "karaoke guitar system" much more than it's a game.
"Here, we made an impressively accurate guitar for the DS and we'll record you playing and singing if you want. Oh, and here's the notes and lyrics to some popular songs, if you want to cover those. Okay, have fun!"
That about sums it up.
XBL / GFWL Gamertag: Ravenlock80
Wii System Code: 3019 1654 2730 1955
<Whore> Listen to me rant on the Immortal Machines PC Gaming Podcast! </Whore>
Cool.
I mean, it sounds like it would be fun for people who are musically inclined, and creative, and enjoy open-ended stuff.
It might even be cool for someone who wants to 'learn' how to recreate songs on the thing.
But.. as for me... I think I'll just have to pass unfortunately.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
Obviously, this helps immensely when recording your own songs.
I think my single major disappointment so far comes from the way this works. I was hoping to grab some of he tabs or sheet music for simple stuff from my (beginner) guitar lessons, and amuse myself by playing in on the DS. Most of it relies on chords a bit, and then plays a few single notes or arpegiates (spelled wrong I'm sure) up and down the chord. I keep getting frustrated being unable to do that.
It is decidedly not a game.
It's pretty nifty, I imagine if I wasn't lousy at music it would be pretty sweet.
As it is, I don't really know fully acoustic arrangements of most/any of them, and I ended up scouring YouTube last night to try and get an idea of how to play them.
Meh.
The japanese version is just an incredibly bare-bones sim. It's the equivalent of being handed a musical instrument.
This version hands you the instrument (with some neat detailling on it), a bunch of sheet music that is suited to it and a few books and guides on how to play the instrument.
But there is no game mode that can track your skill by giving you a score which you can improve. That's the big diffirence that should informe your decision. At least, that's what I think.
As such I think this is the perfect example of extending who and what video games are for.
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To be fair to Ubisoft, they never said that there was, either.
I enjoyed playing through the included songs, but after I finished that, I don't really have anything to do with the "game". I can't say I'd recommend it. I mean, it does what it does, and does it seemingly well, but what it does isn't much more than a novelty.
As far as people who are on the fence, if you have no musical talent, and don't desire the learning of a DS guitar, don't buy it. It is not a game, as everyone else had said. One of my friends sold his the day after purchasing because he expected a DS guitar hero, which this definitely isn't. All in all, I like it a lot and see myself spending a good amount of time messing around with different songs, mostly learning my own. My only qualm is that I wish they would include full strumming length/number/direction for people who want to properly emulate the song they're covering. It's cool that they let you go 'free-form' at it, but if you aren't very familiar with the song, you won't know what to do.
im thinking of getting a ds for this, so when im on a road trip, or anywhere else without my guitar, i can pick it up and write stuff.
all the videos ive seen so far though have been acoustic, and they do really simple chords and strums. can i do individual notes? 8ths, 16ths, 32nds, etc? can i mimic hammer-ons and pull-offs? is there tapping?
360 Gamertag: Baronskatenbass Steam: BaronVonSnakPak HgL: AnsonLuap
I'm a musician. Kinda. Maybe. Ok, I'm really a bass player.
Anyway, I've only been playing with it for like an hour or so today, but from what I noticed, the best you'll get out of it is like a musical notepad to try out stuff. No individual string plucking, no hammer ons/pull-offs, though you can determine the note's length.
Now, I'm learning to play the guitar (after playing bass for about 5 years) and this seems like a great tool for beginners like me to figure out songs or write your own without being frustrated about sucking at changing chords and all that. But that seems to be about it. It lacks the depth required for skilled musicians, or so I imagine anyway.
Also, I may have missed it (like I said, I only played around with it for about an hour), but is there an option to use an actual electric guitar instead of just putting distortion over an acoustic one? 'Cause that sounds like absolute crap.
So yeah, it's a fun little gadget with some, if limited, usefulness as far as I can see. Some game elements would've been nice.
Nintendo Network ID: unclesporky
Does that go for UK purchases as well?
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I have no clue.
Nintendo Network ID: unclesporky
I apologize for the crappy recording quality, but for anyone who wants a very quick demo of what this non-game lets you do - this is what it lets you do. People who can't play guitar (me) can now play guitar (sort of). I chose not to subject you guys to me singing.
For those who have it - do you all get that rather annoying, high reverb on some of the chords? I thought it was mic feedback, but no, I hear it with headphones in too.
EDIT: I'm also now trying to figure out Indigo Girls' Closer to Fine... what I've got there doesn't sound quite right, but what I've seen for it on tab sites doesn't sound quite right either. I don't think they HAVE a chord in Jam Sessions low enough for the opening note of the song. Maybe it's supposed to be a single string, which Jam Sessions doesn't do. Lil' help from an actual guitar player?
XBL / GFWL Gamertag: Ravenlock80
Wii System Code: 3019 1654 2730 1955
<Whore> Listen to me rant on the Immortal Machines PC Gaming Podcast! </Whore>
http://zacks.selfip.net/firstcomposition.mp4
That's a real nice tune there, I like it. Maybe I'll think about purchasing this, maybe.
http://zacks.selfip.net/firstcomposition2.mp4
The note chart: http://zacks.selfip.net/firstcomposition.mov