''D-Pad Hero'' is a 2009 video game

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of the ''

Guitar Hero ''Guitar Hero'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2005, in which players use a guitar-shaped game controller to simulate playing primarily lead guitar, lead, bass guitar, bass, and rhythm guitar across numerous songs. Players match ...

'' series developed for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

. An unofficial release, the game is a

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which must be dumped onto a cartridge or played via emulator. A sequel, ''D-Pad Hero 2'' was released in 2010.

Gameplay

''D-Pad Hero'' is played as a

rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pres ...

. Notes fall from the top to the bottom of the screen in sync with music. As they reach a threshold players hit buttons on the controller which correspond with the note. If the player hits the correct button sequence at the right moment the guitar track in the song will continue to play. If the note is missed the guitar track will silence until the player successfully hits a note. This is similar to the ''

'' and ''

Rock Band ''Rock Band'' is a series of rhythm games first released in 2007 and developed by Harmonix. Based on their previous development work from the Guitar Hero, ''Guitar Hero'' series, the main ''Rock Band'' games have players use game controllers mod ...

'' video game series, in which notes appear on a virtual highway which progressively moves lower onto the screen. The games feature

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versions of popular rock songs such as

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

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Sweet Child o' Mine "Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released on their debut studio album, '' Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). In the United States, the song was released in June 1988, topping the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 cha ...

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The Way You Make Me Feel "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 9, 1987, as the third single from his seventh studio album, '' Bad''. It was written and composed by Jackson and produced ...

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", and

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Burning Love "Burning Love" is a 1972 song by Elvis Presley, written by Dennis Linde, originally released by Arthur Alexander earlier in 1972. Presley found major success with the song, it becoming his final Top 10 hit in the American Hot 100 or pop charts, ...

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's Chris Kohler noted that the game's learning curve is quite steep, and that upon its release it better served as "more of a curiosity." The game also features a listen mode which allows players to listen to the song and watch the notes progress without playing.

Reception

The game received coverage from media outlets. ''

1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conte ...

'' listed it in their 31 Homebrew Games You Must Play feature, and called the game "punishingly hard." In 2009 it was featured in the German magazine ''Games, Entertainment, Education''. Both games were featured again on ''1UP.com'', who called the sequel "twice as hard".

References

External links

* {{Homebrew 2009 video games Fan games Guitar Hero Guitar video games Homebrew software Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Entertainment System games Nintendo Entertainment System-only games Rock music mass media Unauthorized video games Video game demakes Video games based on musicians Video games developed in the United States