I Want To Be A Guitar Hero
Ok. So someone made this video game where you get to prove how awesomely Eddie Van Halen you can get, where your street cred is measured by the speed of your virtual arpeggios and, the fate of the world rests on your ability to hammer out the solo from “More Than A Feeling” with note for note precision. And, they did not make this game for the X box. This makes me seriously regret exchanging my PS 2 for an X Box.

There was a visit paid to the local ‘Video Game Fools’ store the other night. At my age, this activity induces about as much shame as cruising SE 82nd for a quick trick. All the moms in the store, trying to keep their pre-pubesent sons from overtaxing their Visa while also engaging in UN style negotiations over the definition of the word “(M)aturity”, give the dirtiest looks to anyone over 25 who isn’t chaperoning their own hooligan.

Had shame not been a factor, I think I’d still be at the game store right now playing the demo for Guitar Hero. I did flounder my way through a Bad Religion song and The Good Doctor had a chance to rock some Ramones before one of the obligatory zit-faced employees took over the guitar, set in on ‘Expert’ mode, and went all Steve Vai on us.

Soon, the gaming gods will release Guitar Hero II on the world. In the new version you’ll be able to play split screen against another opponent; one person holding down rhythm guitar while the other blazes the lead part. Amazing. Only three things could make this better: 1) release a version of the game for X Box, 2) Make the guitar controller a Flying-V and, 3) make it so I can play along with any song currently in my iTunes catalog.