A set of rather popular
arcade games created by the famed
Konami group in
Japan. It all started with
Guitar Freaks, though some say it was
Dance Dance Revolution. However,
DDR is
dancing, and the
Konami Sound Creation Series is focused on imitating
music.
The whole point of these games is to follow a rapidly moving "guide" on the screen and either hit the "drum", pluck the string or press the key as the game askes you too. When done right, it is as if you're really jamming on the drums, playing a guitar, or whatever. I'm a musician, and it is a tad unrealistic. The dream of becoming rich and famous musicians is the point these games are even popular. Living an impossible dream.....
Guitar Freaks was followed by Percussion Freaks, the drumming game, Keyboard Freaks, an electronic piano game, and Mix Master, a DJ game. Keyboard freaks and Mix Master were not too popular for some reason. Percussion and guitar remained the main attractions, sucking up billions of quarters from wannabe musicians everywhere, especially in the chigger-heavy areas of Hong Kong, Japan and the West Coast.
Second and third mixes have come out, and currently the 2nd mix of percussion freaks and 3rd mix of guitar freaks can be linked together for a dual session, where two players can pretend they are playing real music. There is even an international ranking ladder for longest combos and best percentages. Inane? Apparently not, the games have succeeded wildly, and despite the obviously fake nature of the games, people don't care. It makes a good show for the musically inept.
I wonder if there is a violin freaks game? I should rule in that game. But I wouldn't be surprised if I sucked totally at it, because it is, after all, a farce.