CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

chibiphonebooth (post: 1288028) wrote:oh my gosh that looks STUPID.

blkmage (post: 1288221) wrote:I'm wondering why this is getting written off as unoriginal. Well, I know why, we like to be especially hard on Christian media. But honestly, how is Guitar Hero World Tour any more original than Rock Band? Because they added a cymbal and open strings on bass?

I remember saying the exact same things about Guitar Hero that you're all saying about Guitar Praise. Ever heard of Guitar Freaks or Drummania? Yeah, Konami was doing this music game thing way before Harmonix got into the act.

What was the difference? Different songs and art/graphics and slightly different game mechanics. What's the difference between Guitar Praise and GH? HMMMM. And yet, Guitar Hero is original?

It's fine to be critical, just do it objectively.

Raiden no Kishi (post: 1288325) wrote:Wait. Guitar Hero isn't original, so Guitar Praise shouldn't be written off as unoriginal? I don't follow you. First, I can't find any post claiming that Guitar Hero is some paragon of originality. What I'm reading is that Guitar Praise is unoriginal, which it is. I think you're reading something into everyone's posts that isn't necessarily there.

.rai//

blkmage (post: 1288039) wrote:Interestingly enough, I heard about it at Penny Arcade, where they didn't ridicule it like I thought they'd do. In fact, Tycho makes two very good points:

1. "Most mentions of Guitar Praise: Solid Rock have a kind of smarmy, nudge-you-with-the-elbow vibe to make sure that you know that they know Christianity is not cool. It may not be cool, but it is cold, as in cold, hard, [expletive] cash, because when you aren't allowed to listen to "secular" music you can't spend your allowance on anything else. "Captive Audience" doesn't begin to describe it."

2. "If some Christian music is terrible, well, it takes many of its cues from the greater culture. The standard ratios apply. Of course, most of my reference points are ancient now, because I don't spend a lot of time in the House of the Lord. I just know that a blanket dismissal of this music is unwise."

blkmage (post: 1288365) wrote:Well, I should have been said Guitar Praise shouldn't be written off solely because it's unoriginal. Secondly, I'm saying that much of the criticism of Guitar Praise can be applied to Guitar Hero, and yet somehow it's considered innovative and fresh and amazing.

Why does Guitar Praise exist? Because there is a market for people who would otherwise not be able to play guitar-based rhythm games. If Harmonix won't consider that market, there's nothing to stop others from doing so, just like how Harmonix brought guitar-based rhythm games to North America, because Konami, for what ever reason, didn't.

mechana2015 (post: 1288392) wrote:At this point I'd be more interested in knowing the quality of play. (The graphics are... pretty mundane, at least in the promo video.) The 'big' music games have had some trouble in the past with transcribing music over to the game's format and difficulty levels, as well as making sure the music, graphics and controllers sync up. This is something that has been mentioned by both companies when talking about developing Guitar Hero (and later, Rock Band). In these games the proof is almost all in the programming, so I'm wondering how that all turned out.

Wikipedia wrote:Reception:

The game exceeded sales expectations, but according to icepowered.com, the game is selling faster than inventory is available.[4]

MTV Multiplayer's verdict is that Guitar Praise "is no doubt a slick and surprisingly competent “]

ICE gave the game a 7 out of 10, summarizing their thoughts by calling Guitar Praise "[a] “rock-solid” product that can stand up with the competition. While some of the problems were downers overall the game was quite fun."[5]

CMSpin thought that "Guitar Praise is a great game that didn’t disappoint me in the least. It’s a game for any age and if you can set it up in a family area, everyone can get involved because of the adjustable skill levels. Both beginners and experts will have fun with this product. I was very impressed with the music selection. It is wonderful to finally be able to play a game like this to the music I enjoy."[9]

PluggedIn Online concluded that "yes, Guitar Praise is indeed a Guitar Hero clone. Only this clone is better than the original. The controller is just as solid and usable, the game is just as much fun, the mechanics and onscreen displays are just as accessible and the songs are ... well, like I said before, wahoo![10]

Stars and Stripes says that "[d]eveloper Digital Praise obviously has an idea that strikes a chord with Christian youth and a few tweaks would make this a popular item. Even as it is, it’s fun — just not as fun as the others. However, I suspect a lot of parents and youth leaders will be happy to check it out."[11]

Wired noted that "Christian rock has joined the guitar videogame craze, introducing a new demographic to the joys of guitar-based videogaming without exposing devout would-be rock stars to the racier elements of Guitar Hero."[12]

Whitefang (post: 1288548) wrote:(What game idea is original these days?)

Mr. SmartyPants (post: 1288560) wrote:Like anything by Suda51. =p

Shao Feng-Li (post: 1288433) wrote:I wonder- would it be better if we had a "Guitar Hero- Christian Music edition (or something like that)" instead?

It's just a different track of songs.

mechana2015 (post: 1288682) wrote:I would think that it wouldn't be that difficult if either Red Octane/Neversoft or Harmonix wanted to tap into the market. They could get licenses, master tracks and what not and release a DLC package for their games.