Power Gig: Rise of the SixString is a coming at a very difficult time. With a launch date for October, the three-piece band music game, while containing some interesting ideas, will be facing the awesome wrath of Rock Band 3 and the next Guitar Hero. It’s especially difficult considering their main selling point, a guitar controller that can be a real stringed guitar as well as a game device, has been superseded by Harmonix and their offerings.
However, there are some interesting concepts at play. With exclusive licensing with Dave Matthews Band, Eric Clapton, Kid Rock, and more, there is certain music that can only be found on this title. Considering there are strings all the way up the neck, power chords can be learned from the game, a small, if nice, perk from the game. Also, while the guitar offerings is not quite as robust as Rock Band 3, the drum set-up is….conceptually interesting. Diverging from a large drum kit, players instead use small kit with IR receptors, a pedal, and a power-meter foot-button. Using the special pair of sticks, players flail in the area above the respective pads. It’s a silent alternative to the noisy pads of the past, and with a small bit of practice, actually hitting the gems worked ok. Still, I personally prefer real pads, and I suspect most people would agree.
Now, Power Gig, in contrast to other music titles, actually has a plot. It’s a story of a futuristic society in which rockers go underground in opposition to a leader who hates music. It’s not exactly original, but it’s there, take what you will. With plans for over 70 master track songs, plans for consistent DLC, and with 3 players, there is certainly content here, but I’m afraid that Power Gig: Rise of the SixString has an uphill battle of gaining traction over me-too status. While some of the songs were great, such as the Ting-Tings “That’s not my name”, it just feels like Seven45 Studios, while ambitious, are coming in too late to be a force in this already crowded and expensive genre.
Published: Jun 18, 2010 08:00 pm