March 16th, 2007
Sending out an S.O.S. (late to the scene)
This week while having a very long discussion with my boss about myself, he noted that “the smartest people are the dumbest people.” Essentially what he meant was the more you know that you really know nothing, the wiser you are.
I can’t even pretend to think that I know a good amount about anything. I am constantly aware that there are uncounted thousands of pieces of media which I would really enjoy and probably benefit from. The sad reality is that even if I hear a lot of hype about one in particular, I probably won’t try it for some time because I spend my precious time focusing so intently on things I already know will pay off immediately. But, when enough people tell me enough times, I may eventually look into it. This blog is the best example.
Guitar Hero has been on the radar for a couple years now. It’s apparently a glorified version of Guitar Freaks, with better marketing and execution. Still, I’m kind of stubborn and for the longest time I just kind of skimmed past the headlines. However, I finally had an easy chance to try it since our boss brought back a copy from the States this week. So late last night after nearly everyone had gone home I poked my head into the meeting room and gave it a try.
I see why it’s sold over two million copies.
The first time I picked up the controller I tried “Message in a Bottle” on easy and got a 94% hit rate on the notes. When I started the song, I was tense and my fingers were shaking. People were watching and I was nervous about messing up. But by the end of the song I was physically unable to resist the urge to sway back and forth, pulling up on the neck to finish off riffs. I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to rhythm games, and Guitar Hero just became my new crack.
After it got really late and everyone went home, I went back into the meeting room and tried “Message…” again on medium. The increase in difficulty was staggering, but I suppose the general progression is to clear most of the songs on easy and get comfortable with the note patterns and then start on the simpler medium difficulty songs.
But The Police are cool, and I wanted to devour “Message in a Bottle.”
So I tried it over and over, figuring out the riffs and practicing sliding down the neck. I got about 50% cleared, and after about forty minutes my hands were starting to get tired so I called it a night.
But during the ride home, I listened to “Message…” over and over on the iPod; I had to figure out bassline. Laying in bed before going to sleep, I found myself practicing the fingering, working those transitions over and over in my mind. Man, I got it bad, and I’m afraid there’s no cure.
It’ll be a miracle if I last a week without ordering an import copy.
