THE TOWERLIGHT - Baltimore Student Media

The Towerlight February 18, 2008
22
Music gaming gains popularity
Rhythm games evolving, giving players an escape from reality
Courtesy ign.com
“PaRappa The Rapper” is often considered the genesis of modern rhythm games like “Guitar Hero.”
Tyler Waldman
Columnist
TYLER TECH
Until a few years ago, gamers
who wanted their games
with a side of rhythm had it
rough. Outside of Konami’s
Bemani games (“Dance
Dance Revolution,” “Karaoke
Revolution”), early Harmonix
games like “Frequency,” and the
occasional niche title from Japan, music gaming was
really a small market.
Fast forward to 2008, and it’s one of the biggest
trends in gaming right now. “Rock
Band” and “Guitar Hero” games are
scorching sales charts. How that Anybody
happened is a long story, but here
are a few classics in between that
deserve second looks.
attentio
notice all th
“PaRappa The Rapper”
(PlayStation 1, PlayStation Portable)
is often considered the first modern
rhythm game. Following the
“Simon Says” game play model, the
player takes control of the titular
two-dimensional paper canine and
guides him through a set of rap
battles. In case you didn’t figure
it out while reading that sentence,
this game was developed in Japan.
I’ve noted s
Sega’s “Rez” (Dreamcast,
Playstation 2, Xbox 360) has
game play that feels more like
“Panzer Dragoon” meets “Tron”
and Harmonix’s “Frequency” on an extended acid
trip. The player floats through five different levels,
shooting attackers and hacking a network while the
onscreen action essentially remixes the game’s awesome
trance music on the fly. Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the
brain behind recent hits like “Lumines” and “Every
Extend Extra,” produced it.
The game was recently given a second life on the
Anybody paying
attention would
notice all the games
I’ve noted so far are
quirky and Japanese.
But in recent years,
Americans have been
starting to claim the
throne, most
of them at Bostonbased
Harmonix
Music Systems.
Xbox Live Arcade.
Considering the game goes for far more on eBay,
800 Microsoft Points ($10) is the bargain of the century.
“Elite Beat Agents” (Nintendo DS) was an unlikely
hit in America. Based on the Japanese game, “Osu!
Tatakae! Ouendan,” “EBA” has players take control
of three well-dressed agents, not unlike the “Men in
Black” or “The Blues Brothers,” as they use their talents
to help people in need. Targets pop up onscreen,
which the player hits to the rhythm.
Higher difficulties will have players tapping furiously
at their screens to the tune of Western hits
(covers) from acts like Jamiroquai, David Bowie, and
The Rolling Stones.
Anybody paying attention would
notice all the games I’ve noted so
far are quirky and Japanese. But in
recent years, Americans have been
starting to claim the throne, most
of them at Boston-based Harmonix
Music Systems.
“Frequency” and “Amplitude”
(PlayStation 2) can be considered
parents to “Guitar Hero” and “Rock
Band.” The player uses the controller
to assemble beats in tracks of
a song. In a sense, the multiplayer
mode of the two games, where each
player controls the track for a single
instrument, can be considered the
beginnings of “Rock Band.”
2005’s “Guitar Hero” launched a
phenomenon and became a pop-culture
sensation. The premise is pretty
simple. But the game’s addictive
qualities and charm turned fan euphoria up to 11.
The series was such a success that everybody
involved, developer Harmonix and publisher Red
Octane, was later bought out by bigger companies.
Harmonix’s new bosses at MTV then put them to
work on the music game world’s newest hit: “Rock
Band.”
See TECH, page 23
LIFE
Student juggles
life, work, success
MBA student heads consulting firm,
recognized for entrepreneurship
Courtesy jssolutions.com
Graduate student Justin Jones-Fosu, 26, the founder and CEO of
JS Training Solutions, was recently honored by Ebony magazine.
Angela Young
Contributing Writer
Well-dressed with a briefcase in
hand Justin Jones-Fosu exhaled
a sigh of relief after a long day at
work and fighting traffic on I-695.
But the University of Baltimore/
Towson University MBA student
and entrepreneur kept a positive
outlook.
“No matter what happens, or
how my day goes, someone would
love to have my bad day. People
would wait in line,” he said with
a smile.
Though he is busy juggling his
responsibilities as the CEO and
founder of JS Training Solutions, a
T. Rowe Price training coordinator
and graduate student, Jones-Fosu,
26, is in love with life.
Jones-Fosu was recently named
one of Ebony Magazine’s “Young
Leaders Under 30 on the Rise,” an
award to honor entrepreneurs age
30 and under who are making a
mark in the corporate world. Jones-
Fosu said he was both honored and
humbled by the nomination.
His response when he learned of
the nomination:
“Wow—to even know that someone
thought enough of me to send
in my information,” he said. “Just
that someone noticed the positive
I was doing and the impact it was
having [is humbling].”
Jones-Fosu said he was even
more honored by the nomination
after learning about what the others
on the list had accomplished to
earn them the nomination.
“There are more people on this
earth who could have been included
before me,” he said.
In addition to his work, Jones-
Fosu stays busy by working towards
his masters through the UB/TU
MBA program. He is also a member
of the Golden Key National Honor
Society and the Beta Gamma Sigma
Business Honor Society. Although
he has a 3.68 grade point average,
Jones-Fosu still pushes himself to
work harder.
“I’m not too happy with that. I
got my first B last semester,” he
said.
But Jones-Fosu’s ambition and
mark in the business world can
be seen through his work with his
training firm, which offers services
See AWARD, page 23