1998

Guitar Freaks

FROM: Konami

BEHIND THE MUSIC: A breakout smash in Far Eastern arcades: Armed with a Fender-like plastic guitar controller featuring color-coded buttons and a motion sensor, shred along to on-screen graphical indicators.

WHY IT ROCKS: Sound familiar? Despite Konami's failure to capitalize on the series' popularity in the US, the original "guitar hero" predates its best-selling cousin by the better part of a decade. Somewhere out there, we just know there's an developer still weeping into his Schlitz.

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