Column: Guitar Hero brings both fun and nostalgia

by Kaylin Bowman

“Easy, medium, hard, and expert.”

These are the choices for what mode you want to play in a famous 2000s game called Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero was a very popular game, with its first release of Guitar Hero 1 in 2005. The game itself was originally designed for the PS2 and PS3. Still, it eventually expanded to other consoles, including the Xbox 360, Wii, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, and even mobile devices and handhelds like the Nintendo DS.

There are at least 25 Guitar Hero games. From Guitar Hero (2005) to Guitar Hero Live (2015), and other games based on Guitar Hero like Rock Band, Clone Hero, and DJ Hero as well! I prefer the original, but it’s always fun to try the other games as well. Now I have Guitar Hero for the Xbox 360. Sure, there are some lag spikes here and there, but other than that, it runs smoothly, and I enjoy the game a lot.

There are different ways to play Guitar Hero, too. You can use the Guitars, Drums, Microphone, and even your console controller. I prefer to use the Guitar controller; it makes the experience more immersive and more enjoyable. Guitar Hero even has a practice mode, as well as a learning mode. Practice mode allows players to practice the songs in the game, while learning mode teaches new players how to hit the notes and strum the bar to time it perfectly. It also teaches you cool techniques you can use when playing the songs to help you understand the game’s concept. 

Not many people play Guitar Hero anymore. When I’ve talked to my parents, teachers, and even other students, which sucks because, sure, it’s an older game that’s outdated, but it can still be fun to play if you actually try it out. 

Should other people play it? Yes, for sure it’s not a violent game, and you battle your opponents with guitar skills instead of guns, chainsaws, knives, etc, and once you beat the game, you’ll have all the songs unlocked so you can practice your skills even more and eventually make your way to expert, which is the highest you can get.

When I’m playing Guitar Hero, I’m fully immersed in the game, from how entertaining it is, and I’ve been playing it for over a year now, and I still love the game. Even though it took me forever, I finally made it to expert, and I’m proud that I made it that far with the game.

“Jump straight to expert. It’ll be difficult at first, but it’ll get easier as you play.”

Those are words that my dad told me when I first started playing, and that’s what I did, and turns out I could do it when I thought that I couldn’t at all, and when I listened to what he told me that day, it all made sense why he said that. When I first tried it, I sucked at it because of how fast the notes were moving, but over time, I learned how to do it, and I got better at it, and that’s how I got to where I am today on Guitar Hero.

Guitar Hero even has a lot of bands in it; some bands even have their own Guitar Hero game dedicated to them. Like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, Guitar Hero: Van Halen, and more. Some bands that are in the main games are Nirvana, AC/DC, DragonForce, Foo Fighters, Queen, Slipknot, KISS, and so much more. Another game that a lot of rock songs are on is Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, which has a lot of rock songs that a majority of people know about.

Sadly, over time, Guitar Hero stopped due to market saturation and declining sales, which is sad, but the games that are out, you can still buy and play them. Another reason why they stopped is that Guitar Hero peripherals often did not work with new game versions, requiring further investment, and Activision officially discontinued the series and disbanded its music game division to refocus on other online and interactive entertainment. Even tho RedOctane is the original publisher of Guitar Hero, and over time they closed Guitar Hero for other new rhythm games. But will there be more games in the future?

So what will it be? “Easy, Medium, Hard, or Expert?”

Review: Texas Roadhouse sets the stage with southern style

by Cherish Brown and Kaylin Bowman

“Legendary food, legendary service.”

This is the motto of a restaurant that most definitely blew us away with its Texas-themed atmosphere and incredibly delicious food. Texas Roadhouse! Texas Roadhouse is one of the great restaurants out there. Its first location opened in Clarksville, Indiana, in 1993 by Kent Taylor. The vision for Texas Roadhouse began with a dream sketched on a cocktail napkin, a dream that was soon turned into the reality that we are reviewing today.

The Texas Roadhouse we visited was 757 Lewis and Clark Parkway, Clarksville, IN. Let’s start with the looks. This restaurant is Texas-themed, and they definitely rose to the occasion. With country music in the background and an armadillo for a mascot, we’d say this is the most southern place we’ve been to.

When we got inside. It was quite busy. There were people in almost every booth. We walked through the sea of customers and got to the line to get our seats. Cherish gave them her number, and we waited for a text to let us know we could proceed to our seat. We waited and walked around the mall for about 45 minutes, and then we finally got the text. That was actually pretty good for the large number of people there.  

When we got to our table, they started us off with our drinks and asked if we wanted any appetizers. When our waiter arrived, he was very energetic and full of joy to be serving his customers, and it was a pleasure to have him as our waiter. When our waiter first came to our table, he complimented Cherish’s hair and made us laugh a lot. We had a great time with him and the other waiters in the restaurant.

We both got our drinks, Cherish got a lemonade, and Kaylin got a Dr Pepper. They were both about 4 dollars. They offer many different drinks, including Coke products, lemonade, sweet tea, and water. Ages 21+ can hang out in the bar, where they have margaritas, cocktails, beer, wine, and their famous margarita “The Legend.”

They started us off with complimentary rolls and peanuts as soon as we arrived at our table. The rolls were nice and fresh and came with two types of butter, regular and cinnamon. When Cherish bit into the roll, it burned her mouth because the rolls were so hot, but overall, they were really amazing.

When our food came to the table, it was nice and hot as well. Kaylin got the Chicken Critter dinner for $14.49, and Cherish got a kids’ mac-n-cheese for $5.99. According to Kaylin, the chicken was crispy, juicy, and flavorful, and Cherish’s mac-n-cheese was cheesy and rich,  surprisingly good for a kids’ meal. We both had fries as one of our sides, and Kaylin had corn, too. The fries were so hot they burned our mouths, but they were nicely seasoned.

Overall, the food was really good, the rolls were amazing, and we enjoyed our stay there. When it was time to pay, we both paid half; Kaylin paid with a card, while Cherish paid the rest with cash. Everything was excellent. The staff was nice, the food was spectacular, and the atmosphere was amazing. The only complaint we had was that the floors were a little dirty. Other than that, we had a great time with Texas Roadhouse’s legendary food and legendary service.

Restaurant Report Card:

The Place: Texas Roadhouse

Address: 757 Lewis and Clark Parkway, Clarksville, IN

Phone: # 812-280-1103

Hours: Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sun 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m

Reservations: https://www.texasroadhouse.com/order/action/waitlist 

Food: A+

Service:  A++

Accessibility: A

Our Grade: A+

Straight to the Point

Archery Club Teaches life lessons and boosts confidence

by Liddia Waterbury

Captain Tobey Wilder of the Archery Club walks up to the bow rack. Coach Robert Russell blows the whistle twice, and Wilder grabs a bow from the rack. They then walk to the line, standing in front of the quiver with the bow to their toe. 

Archery Club captain Tobey Wilder shoots arrow during archery practice on Sept. 16 in the cheer room at JHS. “Trusting the process is ending up making you get better overall and accepting that you’re not going to do a fantastic job every single time,” said Wilder. Photo by Liddia Waterbury.

When Russell blows the whistle once, Wilder grabs an arrow, moves it up and over the bow, and nocks it onto the string. They then shoot at the target. After quickly shooting five arrows, Russell blows the whistle three times, and Wilder heads to the target to pull the arrows out. 

Once a week, kids like Wilder from every grade, just starting or shooting for the last year, walk into the cheer room. They help the coaches set up the targets, and then they get out the bow rack along with the arrows.  

“Back in 2022, I signed up for a grant, and it was about a $5,000 grant, through what is called the National Archery and Schools program,” said Russell. “It was something I’ve been wanting to do for a while…I thought it would be pretty cool to have an archery program here at the high school.” 

The program has since grown, providing students with the opportunity to learn archery. Unlike many sports that focus on speed, strength, or teamwork, archery teaches players precision, patience, and focus.   

“It’s all about consistency, it’s about perseverance,” said Russell. “Archery just takes a lot more discipline, and you can’t get frustrated; you’ve got to keep on doing it because the more you do it, the better you’re going to get.” 

Russell’s advice highlights the importance of perseverance, as archery requires time to improve. Even advanced archers know that learning the harder skills means being patient. 

“Trusting the process is ending up making you get better overall and accepting that you’re not going to do a fantastic job every single time, that you’re going to struggle through some parts and accepting that,” said Wilder. 

“It’s all about consistency, it’s about perseverance. Archery just takes a lot more discipline, and you can’t get frustrated; you’ve got to keep on doing it because the more you do it, the better you’re going to get.” 

Archery Club Coach Robert Russell

Archery isn’t about instant success; it’s about patience and steady progress. For beginners, that mindset makes it easier to enjoy, like one member who shared why they joined and how they’ve loved it for a long time. 

“I’ve loved archery since I was really little, and literally for the first Christmas I can remember, I asked for a bow and arrow,” said beginner member and freshman Finch Schardine. 

To make it better, beginners don’t need any special equipment to get started. They just need a standard Genesis bow, arrows, and a safe place to practice. Coaches also provide extra guidance to help archers build more confidence.

“When I’m working with beginners,” said coach Brian Cleveland, “there are about seven elements that they have to learn to do; they have to master each element at a time.”  

Teaching archery involves breaking down the process into manageable steps, allowing new archers to focus on one skill at a time. By building confidence, he sees beginners start to see their own progress. 

“The biggest motivator in the world is the discovery that you can do something,” said Cleveland. “If I can get you on the target and shooting a group, the discovery that you can do that will motivate you. Practice makes permanent. It doesn’t make perfect, you have to make it perfect.”   

That sense of progress when practicing keeps the members motivated, and for some, it leads to trying out competitions. This is where they can test their skills in a new way, both inside and outside of school. 

“NASP, the organization that regulates the competition, does competitions regionally, locally, or statewide. They usually take place at some other school, so like on a Saturday morning, someone who’s competing would train and prepare here but then go wherever they’re having a competition,” said Cleveland.

Competitions change the atmosphere of practice, moving from regular training to a more serious focus as the members prepare for the competition ahead.  

“Near competitions, it’s very serious and all of us are really trying to get better before our final push before our competition,” said Wilder.  

Wilder then explained that being close to a person while at a competition, having fatigue, and not being able to focus are big challenges.  

For the archery team, it’s not just about hitting the target. It’s about patience, focus, and steady progress. From beginners to advanced members, each person learns that with practice, every shot brings improvement.  

Click on Behind-the-Scenes photo essay on Archery Club below: