Guitar Freaks

"Closest I'll ever come to being a guitarist!"

First off, I love guitars, especially rock! I air guitared pretending to be Eddie, Clapton, etc. Having a stone hand and being too old, I have given up on learning how to play a guitar. I was very excited when Un Jammer Lammy came out, but gave up on the game since it was too hard with too many buttons.

I was in Japan 2 weeks ago and saw Guitar Freaks in the arcades. It was the coolest thing and when I found out that it's available for PS, well, I just had to get the game and the guitar controller.

My friends, this is closest I'll ever come to looking and sounding like a rock guitairst. The game is simple enough with 3 buttons on the neck of the guitar and the main pick bar. You follow what's on the screen much like the Beatmania. The simulation is a blast, totally unbelievable. I'm rocking!

All I have to say is get this game with the guitar controller. You can play with existing controller, but that wouldn't be the same. It's also a lot of fun for anyone watching. Even my wife was having fun on the simple stage and she hates video games. I have short attention span and also do not have the time to play for hours. Therefore, most of my PSX games go unfinished or even unstarted. With Guitar Freaks, I'm playing night and day!

My brother is dieing to borrow it, but I can't part with it. If you ever wanted to be a rocker or play a very cool and amusing game, this is it!

Let me give you an idea of fun factor. I also bought Resident Evil 3 and Hot Shot Golf 2 on this trip and these 2 hardly get played. In fact, I'll be lending them to my brother!

This game is my dream come true.

Now if they can only get license for Rock classics. Imagine playing More Than a Feeling, Stairway To Heaven, any Claptons, or Eddie Van Halen's Eruption. I'm drooling at the thought.

Graphics: 7 (Std Beatmania look)
Sound: 10 (These tunes have a familiar ring to them)
Replayability: 10 (You will keep playing to improve and open new tunes)
Fun Factor: 10 (Fun for you and all those watching)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 06/08/03