PixlBit

Rock Band 3 isn't the only game integrating a real guitar into a music game.

If you had asked me prior to E3 what Power Gig: Rise of the SixString was, I would've looked at you in complete confusion. As I came to learn on the last day of the show, Power Gig is actually a music game, and similar to Rock Band 3, the game works in the use of a real-deal guitar.

I was able to get a few minutes of hands-on time with the game's guitar and play a very simplified version of Kryptonite from 3 Doors Down. Similar to Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and every other music game on the planet, Power Gig features a number of difficulty settings. Obviously, to accommodate everyone attending the show, the game was being shown off in the very easy mode.

In this mode, players only needed to hit a string on the right fret to play the song, based on the highway-style notes featured in the game. Essentially, if you have ever played Guitar Hero or Rock Band on easy mode, this was not much different except you were plucking a string rather than holding a button and tapping a strum bar.

As a guitarist who can actually play Kryptonite, the song was pretty boring on the easy setting the demo was set at. According to a representative for the game, the expert mode will be true to the tablature, which was very exciting to hear.

While i was playing, I was quite impressed to see that the game new exactly where my fingers were on the guitar. Given this, it seemed reasonable to assume that the game will likely work properly as it already has an idea of where your fingers are sitting on the fret board.

The construction of the guitar felt sturdy, and anyone familiar with the First Act brand will be familiar with the electric guitar found here. The studio in charge of the title, Seven45 Studios, is a sister company of First Act. Though First Act guitars are not the best, this particular guitar control seemed well made, with special thought put towards using it for both game and real music making. There was a rubber bridge at the bottom of the neck that players could engage during gameplay. If they want to plug into an amp, they can drop the bridge and go crazy.

The demo also featured a drum set that didn't work like a traditional video game drum controller. Players drummed in the air to play the instrument. I wasn't able to actually try out the drums, but they seemed to be working based on my partner's performance during the demo.

Overall, Power Gig: Rise of the Six String seems to be shaping up nicely, and I hope that I can give it a shot and see how it compares to Rock Band 3 when both products are on the market.