Conclusion
Writing songs is an unusual experience that simply requires the matching of pairs of cards. The more cards you match the better quality of song you will produce. Although this mini-game does have a musical theme (the cards have instruments imprinted on them) I couldn’t help but feel that it could have been something more relevant to the song writing process. Due to this fact, writing songs becomes tedious, despite it being an integral part of the whole game.
Other ways of making cash range from selling CDS and t-shirts at gigs or finishing in top position in a battle against other bands, all of which are carried out via the menu systems.
Now, contrary to what you may expect, you won’t be able to watch your band in action or hear any of the tunes that you have created. Shady O Grady’s Rising Star is an RPG and prides itself on the gameplay rather than any fancy graphics or cut-scenes. When your band plays you’ll simply see a list of attributes it has affected, including CD and t-shirt sales. Despite the lack of fancy visuals this musical RPG is a fresh and entertaining insight into the rock and roll lifestyle.
It’s worth mentioning the equipment editor that is available at the start of the game. Here you can amend certain attributes for an instrument and then import a picture of that piece of equipment into the game’s file. Therefore, you can surf the net and choose that Les Paul guitar that you’ve always wanted to buy and bring it into the game. Okay, so you won’t actually play the guitar for real but it does demonstrate to us how the guys from Shrapnel games have bent over backwards to ensure that we’ll be submersed in the world of music. There’s also the option to import your own mp3 files, so budding musicians could also have their own tracks on any album that you produce.
Click for larger imageThere’s far more depth to the game than I’ve been able to cover in approximately 15 hours of gameplay. Within its numerous menus there are plenty more options, such as viewing the latest album charts and communicating with your tour manager. Despite the ‘matching pairs’ game it’s extremely addictive, and the thought or making your first successful album and gig encourages you to keep going.
Shady O’ Grady’s Rising Star isn’t for everyone. Fans of music or anyone who’s ever dreamt of playing in a band will absolutely love it. RPG fans may be put off by the GTA-styled driving missions, that can be fairly repetitive, but Shady O’ Grady’s Rising Star does manage to draw you into its world and encourages you to make every effort in making your band a success.
UPDATE : You can smash a hotel room to pieces - Rock and Roll!
Release date : October 2006
North American pre-order : August 15th
