At a glance, Tap Tap Revenge 3 seems like a Guitar Hero junkie’s dream.
Just 99 cents, this iPhone music rhythm app has a similar interface to the console rockstar game, with colored balls (called “tappers”) that slide down a fret-board as you tap on beat for maximum points.
Arrows also float past, pointing in a direction the game wants you to shake your phone and furthering the notion that it’s almost impossible to play air guitar without looking absurd. (Self-conscious users like myself can turn these arrows off in the options page).
By far the best part of this app are the online competitions. After reading your location, the game lets you match up against other users in your area for a head-to-head tap off. Or you can face other players around the country by joining chat rooms and comparing your scores after the song.
But all is too good to be true. The game trades classic rock like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin tunes for Fall Out Boy, Marilyn Manson, and the kind of trashy club techno that makes you want to headbang your head against a wall. It does offer some free tracks, which I had trouble downloading, but others will cost you $2.99 for each six-track bundle.
The gameplay is actually more like Dance Dance Revolution than anything else, so if you’re okay with the idea of still going through Guitar Hero withdrawals and don’t mind tapping your digits to some melodramatic melodies, this iPhone game might be right up your alley.
