guitar hero hits the commodore 64

filed under: hacks-mods | retro | video games

November 28th, 2007 post a comment (12) stumble it! digg it! by: technabob

If you’ve never bothered to get out of the 80’s and upgrade from that old Commodore 64, it turns out you don’t have to miss out on modern video games. Heck, why shouldn’t you be able to play Guitar Hero on your C64?

Shredz64 Guitar Hero on Commodore 64

Toni Westbrook’s Shredz64 project aims to interface a Playstation GH controller with a C64, then to create a rudimentary version of the rhythm matching game that runs on the classic computer. Plans are to use the system’s retro 8-bit beeps and blips to crank out its tunes.

Thusfar, Westbrook has gotten the controller working with the C64, and started work on the game itself earlier this year. While his initial tests were written in good old Commodore BASIC, he expects to write the final game using C and 6502 assembler language.

Now if only I could get Mass Effect to run on my Atari 400 and Bioshock on my TRS-80, I’d be set.

[via Waxy.org via Kotaku]

November 28th, 2007 post a comment (12) stumble it! digg it! by: technabob

tags:

8 bit, c64, commodore, controller, guitar hero, hack, music

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12 comments post a comment

1. manchicken | November 28th, 2007 at 9:44 am

Actually, from what I remember (I first used the C64 when I was 3, and we lost it *sob* when I was about 11), the C64 actually had a surprisingly advanced midi synth built-in. Oh the nostalgia. This makes me want to try to find another C64.
2. Adam Gott | November 28th, 2007 at 10:13 am

Nice! But I think I would rather use the money spent on a Guitar Hero guitar to upgrade my computer….
3. G-Funky | November 30th, 2007 at 11:28 am

But… why?
4. hobs | December 3rd, 2007 at 12:06 am

g-funky, if you have to ask, you’ll never know
5. John | December 17th, 2007 at 12:13 pm

Nice — the old Epyx(?) form fitting grip joystick in the background! I still have one of those in a box somewhere.
6. aaron | March 21st, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Hi Tony,

Would you be interested in helping us post a bbs for our band website using a commodore 64.

http://www.thestrums.com

Thanks the Strums
7. technabob | March 21st, 2008 at 2:46 pm

BBS? What year is it?
8. Aaron | March 22nd, 2008 at 6:29 pm

It’s 1982 somewhere in the world, but you make a good point.
9. technabob | March 22nd, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Well if you’re feeling really adventurous, pick up an old c64 and go to this site:

http://www.bbsdocumentary.com/software/

They’ve got installers for just about every BBS ever made. Now all you need is an old Hayes 300 baud modem, and you’re all set.
10. Aaron | March 22nd, 2008 at 7:31 pm

This is starting to look like alot of work.
Do you have to have a dedicated phone line for a bbs, I can’t really remember how this stuff works. I used to mess around with this when I was kid, the question is, can you set up a pc to access the bbs from a standard website ? ? ? Also, is anyone still out there - accessing a bbs and if so would you really want them as a fan of your band?
11. technabob | March 22nd, 2008 at 9:32 pm

If you really want to go old school and you don’t want to constantly have your phone line interrupted, yeah, you need a dedicated phone line. As a matter of fact, the way it used to work is that you needed one line for each person who was connected to your BBS.

Towards the end of the BBS phenomenon, people started to write “virtual modem” drivers that let you use the BBS over an Internet connection. (i.e. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOSSIL) I have no idea how you’d get something like that to work on a C64 though.
12. ankara nakliyat | May 24th, 2008 at 4:27 am

very nice article.