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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Frets on Fire: A Freeware "Guitar Hero-Style" Game for Windows, Linux, and Mac

Another unbiased review. This time it's for a Guitar Hero remake called Frets on Fire. Before I go ahead maybe it would be best for you to see actual game play:




Right off the bat you notice a lack of background graphics. Depending on your preference, this could be good or bad. I personally appreciate this "lack" because it makes it easier to see the "notes" and prevents you from getting distracted by the character in the background.

Another question is how do you use the guitar? Answer: the keyboard. Take a look at this gentleman playing:



Automatically given, you will look like a dork. But gameplay is excellent on the keyboard. I can only say that it is very comparable to playing on a guitar for Guitar Hero. The only deficiency here is the whammy bar (a.k.a vibrato).

Another deficient feature is the "star power" found in Guitar Hero, where one can easily multiply their point score by performing combos. This is my only disappointment of the game. "Star power" is a huge in-game strategic element that makes Guitar Hero enjoyable and it is sad that it is lacking in this game.

My favorite aspect of this game is that you can import songs. Because the user base for this game is fairly large, you can find practically any song online (from Bach to the Megaman Theme Song, and even the songs found on the Guitar Hero series). The import is fairly simple, only requiring you to place three files in the correct folder. Another great feature is that the songs are compressed into .ogg format, meaning more hard drive space for you.

Lastly, the game lacks certain game play modes: 2-player (kind of) and career mode. If you are a fan of career mode (I am not) then you are out of luck. The game does not have a 2-player mode inherently built into the game but there are mods online that allow versus play on the same screen.

The best part of the game is its compatibility and its cost. It works on basically any OS (Windows, Linux, and Mac). Its cost: Free.

In conclusion, Frets on Fire is a sufficient alternative to the recently popular commercial game series, Guitar Hero. Because you are able to import songs, the game does not get as old as the songs in the Guitar Hero series. My rating: 5 pants out of 5 pants.

Download Frets on Fire here.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I just thought I'd post a few items since I just recently downloaded this as well.

1. You can use a GH guitar, ps2 needs an adapter but the 360 version can plug right in.

2. There are mods for this game that turns it more and more into GH.

3. I think I even read about a 2 player mod but I've yet to test it.

As far as the game goes, it will never be exactly like GH but is a great alternative if somebody is using your TV and you want to limber your fingers up.

Enjoy.

Anonymous said...

are you sure that 360 version guitar works? 'cause i'll maybe buy that guitar and i will cry if it won't work :D so i'd like to be sure that it works before i buy it.

Anonymous said...

I just got my Xbox 360 guitar ordered from Red Octane in the mail and it works perfectly on PC... I dont even have Xbox...

Anonymous said...

FOF Mods have grown to the point where the need of GH is fading.

-Raphs GH mod (guitar hero theme)

-Rf mod (2 player mode, guitar type)

-500+ songs

What more do you need?

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