Title	GuitarFreaks
Developer	Bemani
Publisher	Konami, Konami Digital Entertainment
Release	1999
Genre	Rhythm
Arcade system	System 573 (until V),Bemani Python 2-based (until V4), Windows XP Embedded (as of V4)
Display	Raster
Input	Guitar Controller
Platforms	Arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 2

(also GUITARFREAKS, abbreviated GF) is a music video game series produced by Konami. The player uses a controller to simulate the playing of an electric guitar. The game consists of music predominantly from rock and roll and J-Pop genres, and is now in its 19th version, GuitarFreaks V7, which was released in March 2010. "Guitarfreaks V8" has been announced to be released on February 2011.

Controller

GuitarFreaks is played using a controller designed to imitate the shape of an electric guitar, most like the Fender Jazzmaster or Fender Mustang. The neck houses three buttons, colored red, green, and blue. On the main face of the guitar, a pick lever is used to simulate the picking and strumming of an actual guitar. A small metal knob near the pick is used to alter the sound produced by the game, such as adding Chorus/Delay effects.

Gameplay

The interface is similar to other games in the Bemani series. Two note scrolls—one for each player—are displayed at the left and right sides of the screen. Colorful animations for each song are displayed in the center of the screen. Each note scroll consists of four columns: one each for the red, green, and blue buttons, and a fourth column, known as the Wailing Bonus column. Individual notes and chords are represented by small colored bars that scroll upward in the columns. To play the correct note, the player must hold down the buttons corresponding to the colored bars, and move the fret lever when the bars reach the yellow fretting line. When a guitar icon is displayed in the Wailing Bonus column along with an associated note, the player can tilt the guitar upright while playing the note to receive bonus points.

The player's accuracy is judged for each note played. The current system uses the names Perfect, Great, Good, Poor, and Miss to indicate a player's accuracy. Ratings of Poor or Miss will deplete the player's Groove Gauge, while Perfect and Great ratings will replenish it. If the Groove Gauge is emptied completely, the player fails, and the game ends. Players are allowed to play anywhere from one to five songs depending on the game cabinet's configuration, with the ability to earn additional songs in certain versions of the game

Upon successful completion of a song, players are graded on their performance. When the game ends, the player's total score across all songs played is tabulated.

Session linking

One of the major selling points of GuitarFreaks is its ability to be linked to another of Konami's Bemani games, DrumMania. This allows up to three players to join together to play simultaneously in Session Mode. During a session, the music will play simultaneously from both games, and the players' guitar and drum sounds are relayed between the two games.

Because the second version of GuitarFreaks was released prior to the first version of DrumMania, GuitarFreaks is one "mix" number higher than the DrumMania version it links up to. For example, GUITARFREAKS 6thMIX is designed to be linked with DrumMania 5thMIX. The mix versions were synchronized with the release of GuitarFreaksV & DrumManiaV eschewing the long-standing number system, and replacing what would have been the 12th and 11th mix, respectively.

Super Session

Seen only in two releases each of GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, Super Session allowed the games to be linked up with Keyboardmania 3rd Mix as well. In addition to having three players control the guitars and drums, two more could be added playing along on keyboards. However, when linked with Keyboardmania, only about a dozen songs are available to play. Keyboardmania 3rd Mix can be linked with GuitarFreaks 5th Mix and DrumMania 4th Mix, or GuitarFreaks 6th Mix and DrumMania 5th Mix.

Soundtrack

As with DrumMania, the current version of GuitarFreaks features 500 songs in total. Most songs are either crossovers from other Bemani games, and J-pop and J-Rock. Some mixes also contain covers of popular North American songs.

List of GuitarFreaks games

See also

DrumMania

Guitar Hero

External links

Drummania/DTXMania community Forum

GFdm Gateway, Konami's official arcade website for GuitarFreaks and DrumMania (in Japanese)

, with arcade cabinet details

GDAmania, a popular GF/DM community website with simfiles, songlists, lyrics and worldwide locations..

References

Category:1998 video games Category:Arcade games Category:Bemani games Category:Guitar video games Category:Video games developed in Japan

Name	Mattias Eklundh
Background	solo_singer
Born	October 06, 1969
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboards, Kelstone
Genre	Progressive metal, Fusion, Experimental, Heavy metal, Jazz rock, Speed metal, Power metal, Hard rock
Occupation	musician, songwriter, producer
Associated acts	Freak Kitchen, Planet Alliance}}

Mattias "IA" Eklundh (born 1969 in Gothenburg, Sweden) is a guitarist and vocalist, known for his work with the bands Freak Kitchen, Frozen Eyes, Fate, The Jonas Hellborg Trio, and Art Metal; he has also released several noted solo albums. He was also prominently featured playing his trademark-style solos on 3 Soilwork albums.

Biography

Mattias began drumming at the age of six; when he was thirteen, he began playing guitar. He has named Frank Zappa and Kiss as his two major musical influences, but his record collection also included gypsy jazz, Miles Davis, and Slayer among many others.

In the mid-80's, Mattias formed the band Frozen Eyes. Frozen Eyes split up soon after their self-titled album was released in 1988 and Mattias subsequently joined Danish metal band Fate as lead guitarist. Mattias appears on their 1990 album Scratch 'n Sniff. He later returned to Sweden, forming his own band Freak Kitchen in 1992 with former Frozen Eyes drummer Joakim Sjöberg and bassplayer Christian Grönlund. The band played together for 8 years, until Sjöberg and Grönlund left in 2000, only to be replaced by Christer Örtefors and Björn Fryklund.

Outside of Freak Kitchen, Eklundh has recorded several solo albums, and made appearances as a guest musician for Swedish heavy metal bands like Evergrey and Soilwork. His two Freak Guitar solo albums are released on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label, and include drawings and other artwork by friend Anders Nyberg. In 2005, he grouped with Swedish bass guitarist and composer Jonas Hellborg in the Jonas Hellborg Trio along with drummer Niclas Campagnol and played their first gig in Mumbai, India and followed with a tour of India. His album "Freak Guitar - The Road Less Traveled" features a rock/metal-like remix of not title theme, but the background theme from the 1985 film Fletch.

He also annually hosts and teaches at the Freak Guitar Camp. Mattias Eklundh endorses Caparison guitars, who make his signature Apple Horn guitar, and Yamaha Guitars for the company's unique Silent Guitar electroacoustic. He is also a long time user of Laney amplifiers, currently using a VH100R. Russian manufacturer AMT Electronics have created a signature overdrive/distortion pedal for Eklundh called the Freak Guitar. Recently, Mattias Eklundh became a devoted Kelstone user.

Discography

Solo

Mr Libido - Sensually Primitive (1996)

Freak Guitar (1999)

(2004)

With Freak Kitchen

Appetizer (1994)

Raw (1994)

Swedish Hard Rock and Heavy Metal 1970-1996 (1996)

Spanking Hour (1996)

Junk Tooth (EP) (1997)

Freak Kitchen (1998)

Dead Soul Men (2000)

Move (2002)

Lost in Bordeaux - promotional single (2002)

Swedish Hard Rock & Heavy Metal - bonus CD (2002)

Nobody's Laughing DVD single (2002)

Organic (2005)

Land of the Freaks (2009)

Other

Frozen Eyes - The Metal Collection III (1987)

Frozen Eyes - Frozen Eyes (1988)

Fate - Scratch 'n' Sniff (1990)

Road Ratt - Road Ratt (1992)

Is this tough or what? - Compilation (1992)

Pagan - The Weight (1993)

Triple & Touch - T & T (1993)

Tornado Soup - Tornado Soup (1994)

Hans Lindell - En del av bilden (1996)

Sven Olander - Air Blue (1997)

Locomotive Breath (1997)

Hans Sahlin - Hans Sahlin (1997) (Unreleased)

Evergrey - The Dark Discovery (1998)

Torben Schmidt (1998) (Unreleased)

Janne Lucas (1998) (Unreleased)

Soilwork - Steelbath Suicide (1998)

Soilwork - The Chainheart Machine (1999) song - Machinegun Majesty

Guitar Oddysey - A tribute to Yngwie Malmsteen (1999)

Soilwork - A Predator's Portrait (2001) song - Needlefeast

Warmth in the Wilderness - A tribute to Jason Becker (2001)

Bumblefoot - 9.11 (2001)

Plug In (2001) (Unreleased)

Mister Kite - All In Time (2002)

Locomotive Breath - Heavy Machinery (2002)

Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (2002) song - No More Angels

Johan Randen - Lead Guitar (2002)

''Audiovision - The Calling (2005)

United - DVD (2005)

Petrus - Come What Might (2005)

Martin Motnik with Gregg Bissonette - Bass Invader (2005) song - YYZ

Art Metal - Art Metal (2007)

Instruction Videos:

Freak Guitar Vol 1 (1995) (VHS)

Hyper Freak Exercise (1999) (Audio CD)

Hyper Freak Exercise DVD (2001) (DVD)

Super Virtuosity DVD (2004) (DVD)

References

External links

Mattias' Website

Official MySpace

Mattias' Bio at Favored Nations

Freak Kitchen among Anders Nyberg' CD covers

Interview

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Swedish musicians Category:Swedish guitarists