Shady O’ Grady’s Rising Star

I mentioned to a friend of mine that I was playing with Shady O’ Grady’s Rising Star, which is a “run your own band” sim.

“Wow!” he said. “Do you run around and hit people with guitars?” “Er, no,” I said. “Oh. Is it in 3D?” “Well, not really 3D as such,” I said. You get a band together, write songs, and try to get gigs at local venues, hoping to eventually score a recording contract and become a huge star.”

I didn’t really get my point across to my friend, so I’ll be more succinct here: Rising Star is one of the most addictively fun little games I’ve played this year. Part RPG, part Sim game, part mini-game fiesta, Rising Star combines a number of simple game mechanics into a package that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Pick a city, and form a band. I chose Cleveland, because I hate my life. Band members are represented by 5 statistics: song-writing ability, instrument playing skill, business sense, production skill, and stage presence. Band members also have a preferred music genre, and have different personalities. The drummer might be your buddy, but hates the bassist, which makes it harder for them to work together.

The early part of the game is spent writing songs (via a “concentration” mini-game), practicing them, looking for odd jobs, and going to shows to be part of the local music scene. Eventually, you’ll be asked to play gigs, where you pick a set list to drive the audience wild.

With skill and luck, you’ll pick up a record contract, go on tour, and trash hotel rooms. Despite its simple graphics and humble game-play, it is an absolute blast, and I found myself staying up until 2 am more than once.

“Just one more gig!” 5 Stars. But really, this one goes to 11.