I wanna rock. I’ve always been told that I’m pretty good at Guitar Hero, so I decided to enter the Guitar Hero II tournament put on by LSU Student Media. This tournament, which also featured Nintendo Wii Sports, pitted University students against each other to determine who is the ultimate guitar hero. That hero definitely wasn’t me. The first round was far tougher than I expected. With a randomly chosen set list, I had the chance of being stuck with songs I had never played before or that I absolutely hated. I also had the pressure of defending all of womankind, being one of the two girls entered in the tournament. The song chosen for my first round was “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, and my opponent was John Schnake, physics, math and philosophy senior. He easily bested my 150,000 points by scoring more than 300,000 of his own. My 132 note streak didn’t even compare to his 711. I hung my head in shame as he gave me the obligatory “good game” handshake. I was confused. I thought I was better at Guitar Hero than that. Schnake, who has been playing since the summer, entered after some encouragement from his friends. “I play with a couple of friends, and they saw an ad for the tournament,” Schnake said. Although Schnake was freakishly good, he doesn’t spend hours playing the game. “It’s just another game to me,” he said. Since the tournament was double elimination, I still had a chance to redeem myself. My second opponent was Quentin Warner, mechanical engineering freshman. After hearing the song that had been randomly selected for us, I knew I still had a chance. The song was “Search and Destroy” by Iggy and the Stooges. I refused to lose a second time, and I played my little heart out. In the end, I was victorious. Although Warner hit 97 percent of the notes and I only hit 96 percent, my 210-note streak gave me enough points to be named the winner. I knew my chance at rock stardom was over, though, when the announcer called out my name and the name of one of the best Guitar Hero players I know – Will Harris. Harris, philosophy and political science junior, had beaten me at Guitar Hero before with his eyes closed – literally. If I thought I had even the slightest chance of winning, my fate was sealed when our song was pulled. “Jordan” by Buckethead was the song chosen – easily the hardest songs on the game. At one point during the song, I stopped playing. The song was just too hard. Harris beat me, getting 75 percent to my 53 percent. Harris has been playing Guitar Hero since the first game in the series was released, and he entered the tournament to see just how good he was. “I think tournaments are a great way for people who usually play this game alone to compare their talent,” Harris said. After 20 players and many rounds, it came down to the final two participants, Schnake and Zack Bordelon, ISDS freshman. The competitors played the only song fitting of a championship round – “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. For a while it looked like the undefeated Schnake had met his match, but he pulled ahead toward the end of the song to defeat Bordelon. Schnake was rewarded for his prowess with a new guitar and Guitar Hero III, among other prizes. “I didn’t really expect to show up and win like I did,” Schnake said. “I had no idea who was coming or how I really sized up against anyone.” Jami Smith, communication studies senior and marketing manager of Student Media, said the money raised from the tournament will go toward planning other Student Media events, including a spring tournament. “The tournament was a great success, and we’re hoping to carry it on in the spring,” Smith said. “The turnout is so good, and everyone is having a good time.” I guess I’ll have to start practicing for next semester’s opponents.
—-Contact Sarah Aycock at [email protected]
Reporter dreams of Guitar Hero glory
November 30, 2007