There was some trepidation when Activision announced that they were
handing the reins of their successful Guitar Hero franchise to Neversoft,
but the resulting Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for Xbox 360 is an
outstanding title that should allay those fears. The basic play mechanics
of following notes and hitting them in succession remains very much the
same, and this installment feels almost identical to last year's in the
all-important gameplay department which should be a great source of relief
to veterans. Players who mastered the original game's timing and feel
should be able to jump right into the new installment and get rocking
right away. Guitar Hero III's tablature notes should be immediately
familiar with the usual special notes and star power chords adding to the
challenge. The pacing and style of each match is decided by the amount of
notes you correctly hit. It takes some practice, but you can do well by
looking a little bit ahead and focusing on the top of the screen so you
can anticipate where your hands need to be. Mastering the timing of the
more complex patterns is hard, though you'll probably get the hang of it
quickly. Once you've got the basics down pat, you can perform extra cool
moves such as using the whammy bar during the extended hold notes, which
increases your score faster. Using the Star Power mode on the PS3 is
simple. Once you've unlocked the star power by earning enough notes, all
you need to do is tilt the guitar controller up quickly and the screen
explodes. This lets you put your own flourish and personality into the
game and explodes your score. It's a really cool addition to the game that
adds just that little extra, but if you usually wait for the solo
sequences, where you can go off and score huge points. The game rewards
consistency so you'll need to make very few errors to gain the highest
scores and star rankings at the end of each song. Higher star rankings at
the end of each song means you earn more money that you can use in the
shop to purchase additional outfits, songs and guitars, which gives you a
strong motivation to keep playing.
Stringing
together chains of notes allows you to enable star power, which multiplies
your points for each note. This also increases your score on the rock
meter, which is very important, since if it drops too low, you'll lose and
the song will end early. Most of the earlier and simple tracks are fairly
easy to perform, but the latter stages and harder levels require quite a
bit of dexterity, since they throw multiple notes and chords at you
furiously. This makes the harder levels very difficult since you have to
master and memorize each song and play almost flawlessly in order to beat
that track. In the career mode, you unlock additional tracks by beating
three or four songs in each area and then facing an encore track, which is
usually much harder. Once you have completed all the songs in your main
level, you'll then face off against a boss character, which is a new
feature. The boss characters are based on a real-life Guitar Hero such as
Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello or Slash. When you face against the
bosses, you have to battle them note for note and can attack them as well.
You do this by hitting the special notes which appear on your note sheet.
This makes their single notes turn into chords, disables one of their
frets or traps them with a whammy bar. It takes some practice to beat
these bosses, since they'll attack you as well. This makes for some tricky
and exciting gameplay that adds a new dimension to the gameplay
experience. What's really cool about this is the fact that any defeated
bosses become playable characters that you can use. Beating a boss also
unlocks one of their trademark songs as well. It's definitely something
that adds a new competitive layer onto the game.
Guitar Hero III's structure is fairly
simple, allowing you to progress up the ranks fairly quickly and unlock
tons of extra songs and items. You won't find yourself bored, as the
variety of genres, encompassing more than 70 tracks, keeps you constantly
challenged throughout. Differening levels of aptitude and a flexible
playing style are required to beat Guitar Hero III's songs. They called
this edition "Legends of Rock" for a reason and the game's
tracklisting is quite impressive. It features more master (ie original)
recordings from legendary rock artists than the previous installments,
even including a few bonus exclusive tracks from Slash while other artists
re-recorded their songs specifically for the game. Ranging from classic
tracks by Aerosmith's "Same old song and dance," to the Rolling
Stones "Paint it Black", Pearl Jam's "Evenflow" to
anthems like Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock" and Beastie Boys'
"Sabotage", there's quite a variety of well known acts in the
game. Guitar Hero III also features a number of less-obvious songs from
more obscure bands like Nast, An Endless Sporadic, Rise Against and
Killswitch Empire. These make things less predictable than you'd expect
and the 'unknown' songs are more challenging due to the nature of their
less predictable appearance.
What's really cool for music fans is the
fact that both Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" and the Sex
Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" have been re-done exclusively for
this game. Add in more recent tracks from The Killers, Tenacious D, Weezer,
Rise Against, and The Strokes, you have a game that should cater to rock
fans of all ages. From Metallica's "One", Kiss' "Rock and
Roll all Night" and Guns N' Roses' classic "Welcome to the
Jungle" to more recent acts like AFI with "Miss Murder",
Queens of the Stone Age, Sonic Youth, performing "Kool King",
Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Suck My Kiss", there should be something
here for almost any rock music fan. The variety of genres also includes,
surprisingly enough several metal bands like Slayer and Iron Maiden, with
"Number of the Beast", that probably make this the most 'metal'
of the Guitar Hero games to date. The only disappointment in the tracks
overall are the appearance of the dreaded covers. While some of these like
Alice Cooper's "School's Out" are decent enough, others like
Social Distortion's "Story of My Life" and Heart's
"Barracuda" don't really capture the original songs' feel
effectively. Still, it's a decent selection of hard-rocking songs overall
and there are enough included that the game should have plenty of
longevity. In addition to these tracks, Activision is also starting to
release several downloadable song packs which should add even more songs
to play.
One
of the coolest changes this year is that, instead of a generic axe, Guitar
Hero III goes all-out and has allows players to rock out on a fully
licensed Gibson Les Paul-style controller. Not only does it look cool,
adding rock authenticity in the process, it also has several features that
previous ones lacked. The most important of this is that the new
controller is completely wireless, which allows you to rock out completely
unencumbered in your bedroom without worrying about tripping on wires.
Another cool addition is that the Les Paul has a detachable neck, which
makes it easier to store. It feels quite sturdy and solid in your hands,
with harder fret keys and a more solid feeling whammy bar that makes you
feel like you're holding a real guitar, not a toy. Guitar Hero III:
Legends of Rock has the timing down perfectly, and this enhanced
controller makes it all the more enjoyable to use. Besides its cool new
shape, the controller looks and feels exactly as it should and this makes
the game all the more enjoyable and cool to play. There are also a number
of other cool licenses in GHIII, such as actual drums, microphones and
other rock companies which add to its authentic flavor. In addition to its
sleeker guitar, GHIII also features some improvements in its graphics and
interface. The character models are cooler and there are more of them this
time around. Players will also notice more detailed venues, better crowd
animations, complete with improved lighting syncs that enhance the rock
and roll vibe. The menu system is still fairly easy to navigate and there
are funny slogans and sayings between rounds that provide a welcome sense
of humor as well.
It would have been easy for the team at
Neversoft to throw out what made the original game and try and build their
own look, but they have instead wisely opted not to fix what wasn't broken
in the first place. The basics are very familiar, but the addition of boss
battles, co-operative modes and slightly better visuals make this a
worthwhile purchase for the original games' legions of fans. You can say
that these changes are incremental, and not revolutionary but that doesn't
matter. The game's key appeal is its ability to transport you from your
living room to the stage and this year's edition does an excellent job in
all key areas. The game's extensive tracklisting features a broadly
appealing selection of rock tracks, with well-known anthems and some
surprises along the way to keep players on their toes. It's a solid
package through and through with the tight play mechanics you've come to
expect from the series, making for a game that's accessible for newcomers,
while offering plenty of challenges for those who scaled the original
games. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has a slightly different, yet very
familiar vibe and this is one of the key elements that made the original
so successful.
- Michael Palisano
Grade:
B+
