Now that's what I'm talking about...

This needed to happen, and I am so glad that it has. "Guitar Hero" has come to the iPod. A new release this week through the iTunes Music store called "Phase" brings the fun of rhythm games to your hand. Developed by Harmonix the creators of the original Guitar Hero games (except for Guitar Hero III). The game is instantly understandable and very easy to play. Using the right, center and left buttons of the click wheel you are charged with keeping in time with the rhythm scheme being presented to you. Occasionally you'll also be challanged by sweeping runs of "notes" that you use the scroll portion of the click wheel to maneuver a little "basket" to catch the string of notes. The response time on the button presses is pretty easy to master, but catching the strings of notes with the basket can take some getting used to. The coolest feature of this game by far is that it makes your entire iTunes available to you to play through this game. Yep. That is right. Any song that you have in iTunes can be added to the game. When you install the game after buying it from the iTunes it creates a new play list for you. Want to rock out to "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground? Simply drag the song to your new "Phase" playlist sync your iPod and you are ready to go. The game generates the note sequences for any song you add to your play list. It's a great way to kill sometime while stranded on public transportation. ROCK ON!

One of the things that I am very intrigued about with this game is the fact that it is capable of generating the note sequences for any song that you throw at it. The fact that Harmonix has developed a program capable of doing this is really exciting. Especially when you consider that we are beginning to see the release of these types of games on the PC. The idea that someone out there in Mod world might be able to make something that will give me the ability to rock out to my entire iTunes library is amazing!