When Guitar Hero was released in late 2005, many people shrugged it off as a DDR wannabe and told anyone who played it to buy a real guitar. However, once that plastic guitar is in your hands and the music begins, an interesting transformation occurs. You are no longer holding a small plastic guitar controller in front of your TV, you are holding a true axe of glory and playing in front of a crowd of millions who worship every bending note you pick. An entire culture has developed around this game, and anyone who has played it can speak for its fun and addictiveness. Some people have taken this addiction and become legends in their own right. These virtual virtuosos are the Masters of Guitar Hero.
Who is the best Guitar Hero player? That is like asking whether Slash’s melodic hammer-ons and pull-offs are more red than Paul Gilbert’s insane string-skipping. As of now, Chris Chike holds the highest score in Guitar Hero 3.
High scores are not everything, however. A highly skilled guitar player may be able to play faster, but something is lost in the translation. If you don’t believe me compare the soloes of Jimi Hendrix and Michael Angelo Batio and tell me which is the most pleasing to the ear (not to hate on MAB, I love his fretwork). Style and feeling definitely count for something. Who is the most stylish Guitar Hero player I’ve seen? None other than Mr. Pizza.
Not all guitarists stand alone. Marty Friedman and Jason Becker weaved incredible sonic tapestries of Rock on stage which mesmerized their audiences and inspired other beginning guitar players to adventure into the realm of dual (not duel) guitar soloing. Although they may not shine as brightly separately, these Guitar Heroes are able to feed off of each other’s energy to produce scores high enough to melt the pickups off of my guitar.
The beauty of music and music-based games such as Guitar Hero is that there is always the opportunity for someone to push the genre in a new direction or challenge a high score. It is through this period of evolution and competition that true Guitar Heroes are born.
