Jam Sessions

Jam Sessions is practically flawless at what it’s trying to do. If you come in expecting a game, you’ll be frustrated and disappointed. If you come in expecting a versatile musical tool, you’ll be pleased and impressed.

Don't expect this game to turn you into any kind of music expert if you're not one already, but if you already have some skill, Jam Sessions is a surprisingly good tool for any musician who wants to dabble in song creation.

A logical evolution of "Guitar Hero." Being able to record our sounds and keep them ensures longevity. [Nov 2007, p.64]

Jam Sessions offers a toy for wannabe guitarists who don't have time to learn. [Oct 2007, p.87]

To put it plainly, Jam Sessions works on basically one level, but achieves near-mastery in it.

Like any good tool, though, the amount of enjoyment gotten from Jam Sessions is going to be directly related to how much work goes in.

It’s not much of a game, and it’s no Guitar Hero, but it’s a pretty decent instrument simulator for the aspiring guitarist.

Jam Sessions from Ubisoft is a unique guitar simulation application that doesn’t have any merit as a game, however as a portable mini guitar, it works.

There's not really much of a game here, with no goals and too few songs to choose from. The inability to record vocal performance hinders it, too. It's still worth jamming with, though, so find a seat.

It's not a game, but as a neat virtual guitar Jam Sessions provides great sounds, a tons of musical options and the ability to record your own tracks.

The one killer drawback to Jam Sessions is that you can't play individual notes.

Jam Sessions is neat if you want to turn your DS into an acoustic guitar, but that's about all it does.

While it's an excellent package worthy of further investigation for those interested in music, it's likely to be quite a disappointment to those interested in buying a game.

With the number of cookie-cutter titles out there, it's a breath of fresh air to see developers taking a risk with a new genre. Unfortunately, innovation does not necessarily translate to quality. Jam Sessioins is dull, and calling it a game doesn't seem right because it's mainly one big music lesson.

Overall, though, Jam Sessions is different and enlightening enough to be worth at least a mild recommendation, especially if you're in the same boat as other aspiring guitar players around the world.

This is no Guitar Hero, or even a rhythm-action game, but something more akin to a portable notepad for musicians. [Nov 2007, p.97]

As a concept it sounds pretty liberating, but in reality, the fact that there are no preset challenges actually limits Jam Sessions in terms of actual playability.

For those of you that are considering adding Jam Sessions to your collection, be warned: this is not a game. Instead, it’s a program that basically turns your DS into a makeshift guitar. It fulfils that job well; the sound is remarkably crisp and accurate, the controls are easy to pick up, and some guitarists might appreciate all of the little tweaks and customizations available. But when it comes to the other gameplay aspects, Jam Sessions falls flat.

It takes more than just a neat idea to be a truly compelling piece of software. With no scoring system, backing music and vocals, or career mode, this isn’t really a game in any sense. And, honestly, strumming and singing to yourself gets old after about 15 minutes. Stick to Guitar Hero.

Jam Sessions is the simulator for musicians at heart. Featuring any note you could want from a guitar and the ability to record your music, it can deliver hours and hours of soul food for self-expression and the arts. For everyone else, there is still Guitar Hero.