Free Bytes: Guitar Geek

by Nathan Meunier

It’s no surprise the immense popularity of Guitar Hero and Rock Band has led to scores of freebie imitators cropping up on Flash gaming sites across the internet. While many of these web-based music rhythm games come off as slapdash attempts to whip together a basic Guitar Hero clone, Guitar Geek has just enough style, original music, and tight gameplay to set itself apart from the pack. Grab some headphones; it’s time to make some noise.

Guitar Geek certainly isn’t the most original game concept -- it makes no bones about emulating similar gameplay to the hit title it riffs off of -- but it offers some heavy metal shreddery that will inject some adrenaline-fueled amusement into a dreary day. Though it certainly helps, you don’t have to be a serious metal fan to appreciate the addictive gameplay. The left side of the screen features a four note runway, and you’ll attempt to hit each note with the right key combinations and proper timing as they move down the screen along to the music. Thankfully, you can use the ASDF or 1234 keys to play. Playing accurately increases your score multiplier, while missing notes causes the sound to drop out -- miss too many and you’ll have to start over.

Guitar Geek sports a clean visual presentation that’s stylish and appealing. As the music is rocking, your one-eyed metal head character plays along on his Flying V with an ample amount of rock star flair -- adding a touch of humor to the gameplay. The six original instrumental metal tracks are quite good, and four difficulty modes let players of all skill levels jump into the rock action. The game isn’t gruelingly tough (unless you play on Geek difficulty), but it should provide enough challenge for seasoned rhythm game vets. With four fingers and a decent set of headphones, you’ll find it’s a great way to whittle away a few spare minutes out of your soul-sucking work day.