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Got a black magic woman
Got a black magic woman
I’ve got a black magic woman
Got me so blind I can’t see
That she’s a black magic woman
She’s trying to make a devil out of meDon’t turn your back on me baby
Don’t turn your back on me baby
Yes don’t turn your back on me baby
Stop messing around with your tricks
Don’t turn your back on me baby
You just might pick up my magic stickGot your spell on me baby
Got your spell on me baby
Yes you got your spell on me baby
Turning my heart into stone
I need you so bad, magic woman
I can’t leave you alone…
Playing Guitar Hero 3 surely made me look at rock again, and realise how I love those guitar solos and riffs and everything. While I was playing, I played through songs from bands I didn’t like – and usually I learned to love them. Santana is one of them. I really disliked the guy, I didn’t know what’s so special in his music… now I know.
But let’s go back… For those who didn’t know, Guitar Hero is a series. The gameplay is simple – you have to press the right keys at the right time. The magic in it is you play the game with a fake guitar shaped controller, you press keys like you would press the fret (well, not exactly), and you strum like you would stroke the strings (well, not exactly). The controller also has a whammy bar to make those waahwaah notes, like on a real electric guitar (well, not exactly). It sounds strange, like those dancemat games. However… it’s freaking good. I always wanted to try it, or play it.
In career mode, you advance from tier to tier (in the 3rd episode there’s even a storyline-kinda thing), in each tier you have to beat 3 of the 4 available songs, thus unlocking the next tier and the next 4 songs. If you play well enough, you get to play a specific encore song, unlocked only by this way (so you don’t know what it is in advance…).
In February I bought it for my brother’s (and his wife’s) birthday, because I know them, and I knew they’ll like it – and they did. At least I know he did. They got the Rock The ’80s episode, which comes after Guitar Hero 2.
A month later I could afford a PS2 and a couple of games, including Guitar Hero 3. I bought (well, my brother bought) the console system in Hungary, and I ordered the game from HMV… but there were complications. Long story short, the game arrived in about 4 weeks…
The game rocks. The first couple of songs immediately was a success for me, and when I unlocked Paint It Black as the encore for Tier 3, I was delighted. I played through the song two times, and had a grin like I ate razor blades.
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Today I continued my career, and songs came after songs… in Tier 4 I used the Weezer song My Name Is Jonas to practice pull-offs and hammer-ons, and I grew to love the song. At the end of Tier 4, after I defeated Slash in a guitar battle, the encore song was Welcome To The Jungle from Guns ‘n Roses – another song I was looking forward to play. Oh well, I’ve checked the track list before I bought the game, obviously!
And then… ‘Meh, a Santana song…’ I thought, and started to play Black Magic Woman, so I could get to the next tier… and after a few notes, I’ve found myself enchanted. After this song I downloaded the full tracklist in mp3 so I can listen to them any time…
The next tier was metal songs – and I was shocked when I realised how I liked to play them. I’m reallly not a metal fan (pun unintentional), and I surely didn’t like Disturbed before…
Long story short – Guitar Hero is a really cool game, everyone should give it a try. I can’t wait to try it in coop career mode, where one player plays the guitar, and the other plays the bass…

