DESCRIPTION

Guitar Freaks simulates the playing of a guitar in a whole host of music styles. The ax that you strap on for this game is about half the size of an actual electric guitar, and instead of strings, it has a bar that you strum up and down to simulate an actual guitar's play.

When you begin a game, you select a difficulty mode, and then it's on to the songs. The game features over 15 different tunes, and they cover a number of genres, from blues to reggae to '50s style rock, all the way up to heavy metal. Then it's on to the actual gameplay.

The vertical bars that await you onscreen will be familiar to anyone who's played a Bemani game before. Down those bars come the notes, in three different colors that correspond to three buttons on the neck of your guitar. Your task is to hold down the correct colored buttons, and when the notes meet up with the play line at the top, you must strum your guitar. Some of the easier songs move slowly, allowing you to gently play, but some move at a very rapid rate, meaning you'll need to strum the bar back and forth at a quick pace, sometimes while holding down two or three buttons. Also, a golden guitar symbol will occasionally scroll down a larger horizontal bar on the right, and when this hits the play line, you must strike a pose, orienting the neck of the guitar vertically as you strum. When you do this, the game will play a long, exaggerated note, and you just might feel like a rock star. ~ Jon Thompson, All Game Guide