Guitar Praise- Christian Guitar Hero

[Cognitive Gear]

I knew that this would inevitably happen, but I just found out about it. There is now a guitar themed music game prominently featuring Christian pop music.
It's for PC and mac, and this is a link to the website.

I'm not interested in this, but I thought that I'd post it here for anyone who may get some use out of it.

[chibiphonebooth]

oh my gosh that looks STUPID.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

oh my gosh that looks STUPID.

Very much so. XD But I guess I can see some people still having a positive experience with it. =)

[Shao Feng-Li]

We've got 80s and Areosmith. Third Day and Jars of Clay sound good to me That is, if they have those bands...

[blkmage]

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."

[Sanderson]

*facepalms like the fist of the north star*

[Raiden no Kishi]

A guitar game based on . . . Christian pop music? What, do you just mime strumming three chords on an acoustic guitar? XD [/exaggeration]

No thanks. I've gotten over Guitar Hero (although I'll gladly play it in a social setting, I generally prefer my real Les Paul), and instead of the classic rock I love, this game has a bunch of Christian pop, most of which I find boring. If you like it, more power to you, but it isn't my thing at all.

What I really find odious is that it isn't an attempt to be at all original, innovative, or clever; the creators, like too many in Christian media, seem to be content to ripping off and dumbing down something popular. Way to exhibit the image of the Creator, people. I hope it sells just enough for them to cover their expenses. That way, they are able to stick around as a business so that they can get over their laziness and do something interesting.

.rai//

[Peanut]

Oh yes...Guitar Praise...I was actually a little bit surprised by the selection of songs they offered. It's actually not as bad as one would think, though not perfect. Of course...it's still stupid by being a complete rip off of something which already exists. You could accomplish the exact same thing that this game has accomplished by working with the makers of Guitar Hero to release an expansion (or song pack or whatever they are called) that contains Christian Music. Or they could have encouraged people to buy Audiosurf and play their favorite Christian songs on that.

[Scarecrow]

People always say someone made up and created the Bible. I think this is proof no one did. No Christian is obviously that creative

[blkmage]

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]

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.

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//

[Fantasy Dreamer]

if it were for playstation/xbox and made by one of them, not for the computer, with some really good christian songs on it... maybe? I don't know... I have no opinion >.>

[blkmage]

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//

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.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

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."

Also to point out that Gabe is a Christian as well.

[mechana2015]

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.

[Raiden no Kishi]

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.

I see what you mean, although I would argue there are significant enough differences between the Guitar Hero games and the Guitar Freaks series to make Guitar Hero a game inspired by Guitar Freaks, rather than an uncreative knockoff, which is how Guitar Praise strikes me. For example, we wouldn't call all platformers Donkey Kong or Pitfall knockoffs, would we?

And yes, I'm aware of why Guitar Praise exists - the concept of filling a market niche is not foreign to me. My point, however, is that Guitar Praise comes across as an uninspired, low-rent attempt to copy Guitar Hero (or Guitar Freaks, if you like), and that this lack of production values reflects poorly on Christendom. I wouldn't have any trouble with an effort to get Christian-created music in Guitar Hero or Rock Band (in fact, I would argue that this is the smartest move) or if a Christian-operated company were to make a serious contender in the genre, but everything I've seen of Guitar Praise says "cheap" to me. As always, YMMV.

.rai//

[Fantasy Dreamer]

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.

That's a good thing to wonder about... good point, I guess I should say.

[Shao Feng-Li]

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.

[Scarecrow]

Maybe a little bit more creative name... Like Hard Rock Angel edition or something. If you just said Christian music edition, how do you know what type of actual music you are gonna have on it? Hard Rock Angel or something would turn off a bunch of people just from the label and it would also suggest it's rock music.

[Shao Feng-Li]

Sure, sure, my point was though, if it were made by Guitar Hero, would it get as much flak? heh XD

[Mr. SmartyPants]

From Wiki:

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]

So it sounds to me like this is a good product. I admit I am shocked myself. I was also shocked when I learned Guitar Hero was itself a stolen idea, but that never changed the fact that it made the genre popular. (What game idea is original these days?)

[Mr. SmartyPants]

(What game idea is original these days?)

Like anything by Suda51. =p

[Shao Feng-Li]

Man, that's pretty cool!

[blkmage]

So I was trying to point this out: it's interesting how the mainstream gaming media is approaching this game and is much more positive than we are about it. I guess it also helps that they've probably actually played it.

[chibiphonebooth]

i just didn't really like the music choices they had. i'm somewhat picky when it comes to mainstream christian music. i only saw like 2 songs on there that i like. XD

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Like anything by Suda51. =p

Oh, and Mirror's Edge. Frakking love that game.

[mechana2015]

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.

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.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

I have my suspicions that doing that would be a bad idea. Sure, a subset of Christians might think it was awesome, but then they'd (the developers and publisher) come under fire from other groups outside protesting the pandering to a religious group. Not to mention coming under rabid fire from all the religious rightwing groups who think anything interactive and on a console is evil. They've only been previously ignored because they lack boobs and/or violence.

[ShiroiHikari]

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.

They probably should have jumped on this chance to make some more money and fill a niche.