ctnovel Chapter 207 The Arcade Game with the Highest Barrier to Entry in History
Chapter 207 The Arcade Game with the Highest Barrier to Entry in History
Chapter 207 The Arcade Game with the Highest Barrier to Entry in History
Why would an arcade hire a rock band to perform?
Flea was stunned. If it weren't for the large neon sign filled with gaming elements, he would have thought this was a nightclub, bar, or livehouse.
"The piece is good, the sound system is excellent, the piano—I can't really tell, but it's still at a beginner level."
He pricked up his ears and listened carefully to a passage.
The Replacements' music is highly recognizable; its strong garage punk style is naturally similar to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' sound.
Moreover, I've heard that this band doesn't have a good reputation in the industry and is known for causing trouble.
This is also very similar to their band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
They've done plenty of things like stripping down to their underwear on stage.
This suddenly gave Flea the idea of wanting to spar with the other party.
Playing bass solos and meeting new friends is a pretty good pastime.
Thinking of this, Flea stopped and turned to walk into the store.
The interior space is much larger than it appears from the outside.
This was a truly novel experience for Flea, who hadn't been to an arcade much before.
In his memory, arcades were the kind of shops located in small cement houses in the suburbs, with machines densely packed together, and everywhere filled with the smell of smoke and drunkards.
But this place is actually quite stylish.
"Welcome to ArcadeArea, is this your first time here, sir?"
Henry, who was playing his handheld game, glanced at the door as usual and immediately noticed the unfamiliar face.
Although Henry couldn't possibly remember every single person in the store, he was confident he would have an impression of such a distinctive guy.
The person was wearing a color-blocked outfit that looked like a bunch of different colored rags sewn together, with some seams deliberately showing.
One of his legs had a trouser leg, while the other leg was bare, revealing a section of red stockings that almost reached his knee.
Behind him was a huge violin case.
Such attire is truly bizarre.
Henry suppressed his astonishment at seeing a ghost and greeted him as usual.
He looked at the violin case behind Flea, and after a brief hesitation, he quickly realized what was happening.
They're definitely here to play that new game console, Rocksmith!
"Sir, if you want to play Rock Smith, you'll probably have to wait in line for a while. There are a lot of players here today."
Henry gestured with his lip in one direction inside the store.
Only Gamenova has the ability to achieve this level of skill.
Flea followed his gesture and looked over.
A huge crowd of players were blocking the area, except for a small clearing in front of that machine.
Two young men stood there, one holding a guitar and the other a bass.
Both instruments were connected to that particularly eye-catching machine via a connecting cable.
Musical notes are continuously falling on the huge screen.
As the two played, the notes were continuously erased.
"?"
Flea then suddenly realized that the performance just now wasn't actually a live band.
It's actually from an arcade game!
Compared to the bassist who was clumsily trying to keep up with the game's beat, the guitarist next to him seemed quite at ease.
Flea's eyes narrowed slightly.
The man had a head full of frizzy, ramen-noodle-like hair, and clearly defined arm muscles, indicating he was an experienced fighter.
At this moment, he was completely immersed in playing the instrument, oblivious to the world around him.
"He's a hard rock player too?"
Flea recalled the bands she knew, but had absolutely no recollection of the person in front of her.
"This guest—if you'd like to play Rock Smith, we recommend you buy a pass so you can easily save your performance scores."
Henry spoke up to remind him, reaching out to brush his hand across the glass display case on the counter.
There were quite a few membership cards stacked inside; this was already his umpteenth batch of goods.
The sales of this thing are far more alarming than the arcade machines themselves.
Whether or not Flea has a membership card, it's always good to remind them.
"If you like playing Rocksmith, we have instrument-themed ones here. Look how beautiful this guitar is! Of course, your guitar is definitely more beautiful."
"This is a bass—this one on the card is also a bass—"
Flea shook her head helplessly. "Well, this kind of thing does happen quite often," she said. "Fine, just give me one."
The price tag doesn't look expensive, so I'll just buy one. It's a good souvenir even if it's just for the tour.
Holding her newly acquired student ID card, Flea approached the back of the crowd.
Just then, the performance came to an end.
Looking at the guitar's incredibly high rating of 100% accuracy, and then at his own pitiful 43%, the guy holding the bass sighed dejectedly.
He took off the shoulder strap, raised the bass in his hand, and faced the crowd of onlookers.
"Uh—who's next?"
Earlier, they had a minor argument over the opportunity to try out the game.
Ultimately, through the mediation of store manager Henry, a rule consistent with past games like Street Fighter was finally established—a tournament!
Whoever wins gets to play continuously, while the loser must give the opportunity to someone else who hasn't played yet.
Although the onlookers were all tempted, they didn't dare to actually approach the guitarist who was taking a few gulps of water and seemed to be preparing for a long battle.
Damn it, can't the professionals practice in a recording studio?!
Coming to a place like this made them a little embarrassed to stand out.
It's okay if you play poorly, the problem is when there are people playing well next to you for comparison!
Honestly, this was the first time in their lives they had ever seen an arcade game like this.
To truly master a good arcade game, do you need to learn a musical instrument first?
What kind of nonsense is this – skipping strings, sliding strings, hammering strings, and hooking strings? I don't know it, bro!
Not to mention the hot-swappable cable design that allows you to replace your own instrument with a new one.
Just like that guitarist who was about to win ten consecutive games, the guitar he was using was the one he brought with him.
Obviously, I'm more familiar with my own instrument.
They weren't sure if this factor influenced the person's record, but clearly those guys who brought their own instruments were more impressive!
It means that to truly understand this game, simply knowing this piece of music isn't enough; you'll also need a decent instrument.
Such a high barrier to entry!
Although the game has a dynamic difficulty setting, even complete beginners can join in the fun and have a go at rock and roll.
But facing such formidable opponents, playing on the lowest difficulty level is really—a little embarrassing—
"Um—can I try? I brought my own bass."
Seeing that no one was responding, Flea raised an eyebrow and spoke up.
In an instant, the bustling crowd automatically made way for him to pass through.
This outfit alone, along with that intimidating violin case, was enough to make them switch into spectator mode.