SlashGear Japan
You have to wonder how many people have risen to the top of big companies simply by taking someone else’s great idea, changing it just enough to be really crappy and then putting it on the shelf for unsuspecting grandparents and relatives to purchase as a gift. Well, whoever came up with this little gem likely got some kind of a promotion I’m sure.
Guitar Hero is a very popular franchise these days, however, it can be quite an investment for someone. First you have to have the console to play it which will cost you at least $100, then you have to throw down the cash for the game and controller which will cost you a decent chunk of cash. Why not just buy a plastic guitar that hooks right into your TV? Then you can play music from Hot Wheels, Barbie and Spongebob.
Mattel has launched their own game called I Can Play Guitar which will actually cost you more than any version of Guitar Hero, without the purchase of the console. I seriously hope that no one gets duped into paying $100 for one of these. The kid receiving this is going to be sorely disappointed.
Guitar Hero knock-off boasts more buttons, chords [via opposablethumbs]
29 Responses to “I Can Play Guitar – The crappy Guitar Hero knockoff from Mattel”
John Hayne August 22, 2007
I like guitar hero but i like this one a lot better cause you can actually learn. Guitar hero stunk beacause there are only 5 fret buttons and one string! and its not even a string. FACE IT. They may have ripped off guitar hero and it may be more fun in OPINION but i can play guitar is much easier to learn how to play the guitar. and i can play guitar is the real thing!
+5Chris August 22, 2007
Yes, it’s my opinion that this game won’t be good because they’re capitalizing off of the popularity of Guitar Hero. Yes, Guitar Hero might not be great in the sense of playing an actual guitar, but I have no desire to play the real thing. It’s a relaxing game that lets me rock out with out the years of dedication it would take to play these songs on a real guiter. Not to mention this game only lets you play songs from Barbie, Hot Wheels and Spongebob, what kid is going to get that excited about that song selection.
Also, there’s no need to chime in and respond to your own posts, they’re logged by IP address and your email, so we can all see that it’s the same person responding.
-6Chris August 22, 2007
Sorry man, I gave you fair warning. We don’t mind you stating your opinion, but you’re spamming the comments. I’m not sure if you work for Mattel or what, but you can’t keep posting comments under different names.
-7Slider294 August 23, 2007
I think people may like guitar hero better but for all the kids out there who want to learn it would be better for them. There arent just spongebob songs but Rock 101, nashville hits, and american idol. But i think older kids would like to play guitar hero more. So i think you may be right CSB.
Neutralkimber74 August 25, 2007
Hey I think that this just might be better than guitar hero1 &2 for younger children. We HAD the guitar hero games and there is much toooo much evil in those games for young kids to be watching and listening to. So i’m all for Spongebob, Barbie, Hot wheels, American Idol, Bring it on!!!
+5laura August 28, 2007
i think that it should be about the same amount of money for the i can play guitar and guitar hero bcause the i can play guitar comes with 2parts with crappy backgrounds and graphics as guitar hero comes with a guitar and a disc with great graphics so to me they are about the same
-3dave September 6, 2007
I think that this game is certainly geared to a much younger audiance, but i didn’t know it was as expensive as it says. I might ant to check that out seeing that you were alittle off on the whole price of the guitar hero console. Becasue if you know where I can get a playstation for 100 bucks id like to know.
NeutralJOHN September 8, 2007
just as a fyi, this guitar isn’t a game like guitar hero…it’s meant to teach young kids about the guitar in a fun interactive way. i bought my son the i can play piano system, and it’s really fun, but can be really hard even for adults, it teaches you the notes, chords, and some songs, and using correct fingering makes it even harder…the guitar is same idea but geared for older kids…
+4all the same i can rock some guitar hero…evil and all!!!
Michpad September 13, 2007
I think it’s pretty obvious this was made for younger kids. My daughter is turning 5, and saw Drake (from the Nick show Drake & Josh) playing this on a commercial. She wants it! Her brother’s play Guitar Hero on XBOX and she tries, but I’m thinking this might be more up her alley. Thoughts??
+2Hypersloth September 14, 2007
I think both opinions are correct. If I were a child and wanted Guitar Hero, I’d be very upset if this was under the x-mas tree. If I were a child and really wanted to learn how to play guitar, I’d want this. By the way, I am a pro bass player and find guitar hero impossible to play; very counter intuitive and really nothing to do with music . Sort of like learning to dance salsa be playing Dance Dance Revolution. I plan on getting this for my kid who loves Drake and Josh and wants to play guitar in a band some day.
+3Cheryl September 27, 2007
My understanding about I Can Play Guitar is that it is actually supposed to teach kids to play guitar correctly. My 2 1/2 year old is kicking butt on a couple of Guitar Hero songs (he can sit in front of it for HOURS), and I am thinking of getting him the Mattel guitar so he can really learn to play guitar. I don’t mind spending the money if the thing teaches as advertised.
+1surculus October 8, 2007
you can buy additional software to teach you songs from american idol !
-2Robert October 31, 2007
I had both… I like both. All of my non-guitarist friends liked both… seriously. I like that the fingering is more sophistocated on the “i can play guitar” than on guitar hero.
THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE WITH THE FISHER PRICE PRODUCT IS ONLY THIS….
+1It’s upside down. If your child is learning to play guitar, he or she should learn to read tablature in addition to traditional notation. I have been reading tab for over 25 years and found this to be the most counter-intuitive way to represent the fingerboard on the screen. If you have no experience reading tab AND DON’T REALLY WANT TO LEARN GUITAR… great, it’s easy to pick up. If they will just reverse the image on the television (from top to bottom) I’ll go buy another one… I’ll buy two… and buy another as a gift. The idea is so very pedagogically sound… but with one fatal flaw in implementation.
Perhaps they should include in the options menu a choice of how you want the neck laid out on the screen…
I’m just sayin’
jasmine November 3, 2007
i think it is cool kids love it i am a kid in fact. also it has more than spongbob and barbie.it aslo has american idol , rock 101 and i tcoems with some songs i highly recomend this product i am getting one myself and look forward to playing barbie songs so there is your opion for a kid
-1Dave November 10, 2007
Guitar hero is a great game. So another company used a proven fun format and applied it to a real guitar layout for those who want an easy way to learn…how is that a shitty knockoff? If anything its an inspired knockoff. Was made for a different crowd with different goals
+4Jay November 15, 2007
Just an FYI the different cartridges have popular rock and roll songs. The names of the cartridges describe the style of rock. Hot Wheels has songs about the road, Born To Be Wild, On The Road Again, I Can’t Drive 55, Free Ride, Peter Gunn, Space Truckin . American Idol has Walking On The Moon, Fly, Pinball Wizard, You Really Got Me, Rock And Roll All Nite, What I Like About You. Spongebob has Spongebob Squarepants Theme, Pipeline, Green Onions, Sailing Sailing, Surfin USA, Wipe Out. Each cartridge has 6 songs and a game to learn chords . The guitar comes with Smoke On The Water, Puff The Magic Dragon, All Star, La Bamba, My Girl, Twinkle Twinkle. I will be buying this for my son who will be 7 in February. It seems like a great starter instrument pryor to taking leason.
+1lary November 24, 2007
Any moron with sight can match colors lets see you unplug your Hero “toy” and play Bach on it! Hero teaches you nothing you can apply to a real guitar.
Neutral$100.00 not bad I paid $850.00 for my clasic 1970 fender strat.
Dan (dad) November 25, 2007
I can play guitar is obviosly more intended to provide instructions.
Guitar Hero is NOT intended to provide instructions, face it !!
My son has learned to do different betas, different ways of strings, approach, hammering vs plucking etc. By doing this he beat his 2 year older relative when at guitar hero.
I would like to see a I can play guitar Guitar with a WII interface with the Guitar Hero sound. That is a winer.
+1Musicgradstudent November 25, 2007
Chris Scott Barr,
I am currently earning my Masters and I’m doing research on music video games such as Guitar Hero and “I can play Guitar.” Its obvious you are very opinionated about this topic, and seem to be unhappy that Mattel has “ripped off” Harmonix and RedOctane. But, what you apparently didn’t know when you wrote this article is, Guitar Hero is also a rip off.
Back in 1998, Konami produced a game titled “GuitarFreaks.” That was Seven years before Guitar Hero came out! It was designed like their game Dance Dance Revolution, but with the use of a guitar. Not only have they done it with Guitar, but they have even created a game using a drumset and one with a keyboard. Using a drumset- Does that sound familar? Of course, I’m referring to Rockband, which is being produced by the same companies that created Guitar Hero.
Please keep that in mind if you choose to write any more articles on this topic. Also, I can play Guitar was created with the intent to teach kids that learning music can be fun, not solely to rip off another good idea.
+2Ed Rhodes November 29, 2007
[quote comment="27168"]Sorry man, I gave you fair warning. We don’t mind you stating your opinion, but you’re spamming the comments. I’m not sure if you work for Mattel or what, but you can’t keep posting comments under different names.[/quote]
I don’t work for Matell, I do work for Wal*Mart (a moment of “pity silence” please) which is where I saw “I Can Play Guitar.” It’s actually a spin off from their other game “I Can Play Keyboard” which, obviously, did the same idea to teach how to play a keyboard.
Yes, Guitar Hero is a better GAME, but ICPG will actually leave you with something.
NeutralEd Rhodes November 29, 2007
[quote comment="27168"]Sorry man, I gave you fair warning. We don’t mind you stating your opinion, but you’re spamming the comments. I’m not sure if you work for Mattel or what, but you can’t keep posting comments under different names.[/quote]
I just tried to leave a comment and your bot said “Duplication detected, looks like you’ve already said that.”
I’ve never been on this board before, how could I have a “duplicate entry?”
NeutralBen Smith December 10, 2007
Eh. Guitar hero is for entertainment. “I Can Play Guitar” is for learning to play guitar. There is no way in hell you are going to learn to play guitar from Guitar Hero. None. “I Can Play Guitar” actually makes you form real chords and play it yourself.
If most people that played Guitar hero spent 50% of that time practicing actual guitar, they’d have something to show for all the time they put into it. Even if the targery demographic is a lot younger than that of Guitar Hero’s, Guitar Hero is a complete waste of time.http://www.slashgear.com/samsung-unveils-160gb-18-inch-hard-drive-226880.php
+2next entry
Ben Smith December 10, 2007
Eh. Guitar hero is for entertainment. “I Can Play Guitar” is for learning to play guitar. There is no way in hell you are going to learn to play guitar from Guitar Hero. None. “I Can Play Guitar” actually makes you form real chords and play it yourself.
If most people that played Guitar hero spent 50% of that time practicing actual guitar, they’d have something to show for all the time they put into it. Even if the targery demographic is a lot younger than that of Guitar Hero’s, Guitar Hero is a complete waste of time.
NeutralEric Jackson April 1, 2008
This article was uninformed and useless. You obviously have no experience with the product and just make ignorant assumptions and claim anyone that disagrees works for Mattel. Thanks for wasting my time.
-1Ashley December 14, 2008
I have this product for my son, and I also own every guitar hero currently on the shelves. Yah, guitar hero is ok, but as previous comments have said, you walk away with nothing but a “high score”… with this, my son is learning how to play. They aren’t even in the same category… Comparing the two is like saying a barbie is better than a toy car- it depends on who you are and why you want it.
NeutralRebecca December 19, 2008
I LOVE GUITAR HERO!!
NeutralRebecca December 20, 2008
I LOVE GUITAR HERO!! I love playing WORLD TOUR! All you pansy’s who play the other game..keep playin’. What songs are you learning…bah bah black sheep? A barbie and a toy car? Come on lady! You have OBVIOUSLY NEVER felt the feeling of playing Carlos Santana’s Black Magic Woman or Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Texas Flood on EXPERT! Master THAT and THEN tell me how your little “I Can Play Guitar” stacks up to Guitar Hero.
Love…
a guitar Hero Lover…with the mic stand…the LUCKY 13 (Merry Christmas to me!) guitar strap…and Steven Tyler scarves to match….
p.s. nothing better than rockin’ out to GUITAR HERO. If you want to learn how to play the guitar….buy lessons.
NeutralAaron Russell (Business Student) December 25, 2008
It is Christmas morning and my little brother got this from an relative. This is junk and i am pissed to be in a situation where i have to make him feel better about a junk product. There are 2 reasons you might be duped into buying this. 1) Guitar hero is expensive/unavailable. 2) You are under the impression this actually teaches you about music. Let me clarify that neither of these are valid. In comparison to GH this is laughable at best. 2 This teaches nothing about music… The actual notes and intervals are way off, delay between computer and sound make it impossible to benefit from. Let me add this, the AV cable which connects the guitar to the computer has a short in it. Who thought it would be a decent idea to use a 8th jack to AV for a toy which would be tossed around, it was practically broke out of the package.
Now for whats going on here. The amount of positive reviews and spamming of good reviews for an obviously sad excuse for a toy shows me that there are Mattel reps on here trying to increase sales. Let me give you info about myself I am a Information Systems and Economics double major. I am not here to promote anything. Please DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT. I am sending some information to GH reps about a possible copyright lawsuit. I am returning the product because luckily this was broke out of box.
Neutralpatrick January 12, 2009
i got the guitar game for only 30 bucks! i bought for my sister becuase i knew it would help her play eventually and she is only 5, i kno on amazon the damned thing is worth at least 100 dollar! but WOW! ha and i got the little cartradgies for 5 buccks at the same place! and they restock them too! its a store called Freds… i bought it in the Cabot, Arkansas store
Neutral