Jam Sessions

"Not a game, but an awesome guitar application."

Now, this isn't really a game for the DS, since all you really do is imitate guitar chords, and strum. Most gamers wouldn't spend their time on this, but for people who play the guitar, want to learn guitar, or think being able to play familiar songs on your DS, this game is for you.

Graphics - 8/10
Okay, graphics can't be really rated in this game, as all you need to focus on are the chord buttons, and strumming. However, there are different themes and types of strings you can choose from to customize your screen. The visuals for changing the sound, and tutorials are also alright, but again, this game isn't meant for graphics, so there is no reason to look down upon the game for it.

Sound - 10/10
Sound game. Means sound is the most important factor about it, and Jame Sessions nails it to perfection. The game has over one hundred chords for you to use, the ability to change pitch, tone, distort it to make it sound a bit electrical, and more. The sound coming out of the DS's little speakers
is actually very good. You'd think the tiny system wouldn't handle it, but it pulls off all the chords to perfection. An amp is hardly needed with the DS, but if you want one, it will only sound better.

Gameplay - 9/10
Well, you start off you are brought to the tutorial, which explains the basics to you, then you get set tot he menu. From here, you have the choice of doing more of the tutorial, warm ups that help you get the feel for the game, songs that you play along to, and finally, free play. The songs section lets you play with twenty songs, ten which have a demo for you to watch. Once you want to play a song, they pretty much throw you in. If you want the guide up top to tell you the beats and when to stroke up or down, you have to turn that on, which you don't know at first, so it may confuse you. Aside from the various songs to play with, there's free play. In free play, you can customize the palettes which have two sides, and can fit eight chords on each side. You swap the palettes by holding "L" or if you change the options, but just pressing "L". You can also change the tuning, pitch, tones, add distortion, and many other customizable effects. You can also save palettes that you have created, and load them up later, so you can mess around with different chords now. Once the sound and palettes are to your liking, you then are sent to the "jamming" screen where it displays the current palette, the strumming bar, the options menu, and a button for recording your songs. With all this customization and power to do just about anything you want, the game play gets a solid ten.

Playability - 9/10
So, with all these features, can anyone just pick up the game and start jamming? Well, yes and no. It's pretty easy to pick up, and learn how to play, and follow along with the built in songs, but free play wont be seeing much of someone who has no real experience in music. Of course, if you find a site that tells you the chords of certain songs, then you can go there and have no previous instrumental experience and play Gerudo Valley(I use this only as an example) to your heart's content. All in all, anyone from hardcore gamers with no musical talent, to musicians looking for a little chord player to carry with them can pick up this game and enjoy it.

Overall - 9/10
This game is great for anyone, as we all enjoy music, and want to play it. This gives us the ability (although, with a bit of hard work) to play any song we like. Jam Sessions is a great game and gift for anyone, and if you love music, you should not hesitate to purchase this great game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/17/07

Game Release: Jam Sessions (US, 09/11/07)