Looking For A More Authentic Guitar Experience In A Rhythm Game? Check Out Six-String
March 18, 2010
Universal has set out to change the way you play rhythm-based games on your iPhone or iPod touch by attempting to offer a more authentic guitar experience in their new game Six-String.
In Six-String, notes and cues still stream down your screen like every other rhythm game, but instead of simply tapping on each and every thing that flies by, you will be plucking, changing chords, and strumming your six guitar strings on your way to rock glory.
As you may have guessed, Six-String features a total of six guitar strings on your screen. Musical notes and cues stream down these strings until they reach your guitar pickup, or as I like to call it, your tap and strum zone. When a green or yellow note is over the top of the guitar pickup, simply tap on it or tap and hold. When an arrow passes by the zone it indicates that you need to strum in whichever direction it is pointing. You must be sure to strum only the amount of strings the arrow is covering, otherwise your guitar will make a nasty sound warning you of your mistake.
Six-String also adds to the usual tap-based gameplay by requiring you to change chords in the medium-hard difficulties. When a large blue bar passes over your guitar pickup, you must tap the "change chord" button located in the lower left-hand side of the screen. Notes will immediately follow these chord changes, so if you fail to hit the button, you will miss all of the subsequent notes until the chord changes back. This adds another dimension to the game.
Six-String features two different game modes: Practice Mode and Studio Mode. You must first participate in Practice Mode to get the hang of and unlock new songs before heading into Studio Mode where you will be competing for the highest possible score. Scores can be sent as challenges to friends, and since Six-String features Plus+ integration, you will also be able to compare your scores with the world and unlock awards.
But what's a rhythm game without some decent music? Six-String ships with six tracks:
• Bon Jovi – “You Give Love A Bad Name”
• Tom Petty – “Runnin’ Down A Dream”
• Peter Frampton – “Show Me The Way”
• Fall Out Boy – “Thnks Fr Th Mmrs”
• Scorpions – “Raised on Rock”
• Orianthi – “According To You”
Other tracks from bands including Angels & Airwaves, Beck, Dashboard Confessional, G.B.H., Gary Go, Hinder, Hollywood Undead, Kaiser Chiefs, Maroon 5, No Doubt, Papa Roach, Peter Frampton, Rise Against, Robert Palmer, Sum 41 and more can be purchased for $.99 each.
If you are looking for a new twist on the rhythm game genre, Six-String absolutely delivers. The strumming and chord switching may take a bit to get used to, especially for those who haven't mastered the genre already, but the challenge is worth it. Six-String's only major downside is its $4.99 price tag, which is rather steep for a game that ships with a total of six songs.
