A brilliant track list and new online play make Guitar Hero III an instant hit.
For those 2 or 3 people out there that are unfamiliar with the Guitar Hero games, let me break it down for you right here. You get this cool looking, guitar shaped controller, which has 5 colored buttons along the neck, a strum button that goes up or down and an awesome whammy bar. You press the color-coded buttons in time with the appropriate note on the screen to rock out. The more notes you hit, the higher your score will be. Hit notes consecutively to perform combos and hit the glowing notes to fill up your Star Power meter. Once it's been filled up, tilt the guitar upwards to unleash it upon the masses. Always keep an eye on your Rock Meter at the bottom right of the screen though. Green means you're doing good, yellow means you're doing average, red means you're in danger and glowing red means you better start rocking harder!
Some changes have been made to the tried and true formula that made Guitar Hero such a successful franchise but, for the most part, they are good ones. Let's start with the overall look of the game. A considerable overhaul has been given to the meters and the guitar neck, giving them a more "electronic" look. The venues have also changed and look more polished, with lights reflecting off surfaces and a good amount of shadowing. The characters have also gotten somewhat of an overhaul and look better than ever. During gameplay, it actually looks like they are playing their instruments along with the song. All in all, the graphics aren't fall-out-of-your-chair spectacular, but they do their job well.
But, honestly, since when have the Guitar Hero games been about graphics? It's all about the music man! This edition has a very solid track list to it's credit, the best one ever in my opinion, with a bunch of original licensed recordings. Even the band Living Color reunited exclusively to record Cult of Personality for the game, with a brand new guitar riff. Now that's awesome. Different genres are present here, from 80s rock to speed metal, and most of the songs are fun to play. Pretty much every song I've played put a smile on my face and made me think "This is exactly why I bought this game." You'll also be able to buy and unlock bonus tracks, just like in previous games, but this year's list is especially great. You'll be able to purchase them in the Shop, along with other things like guitars, characters and so on.
All of the game modes from previous GH games return in this 3rd installment. You have Quick Play, Practice Mode and Career. Since the first two are pretty much self-explanatory, I'll talk a bit about the Career. You still start off as the guitarist in a garage band who are trying to make their way into the big time. You'll still play in different venues, but this time you'll get to travel around the world, visiting places like Japan and Britain. You'll also get some crazy gigs such as playing in a prison, a men's club and even in hell. They also added a little story in there. None of the characters talk though, they just mumble and show you what they mean. The scenes are quirky and serve well as bumpers between the song sets.
This year's Career Mode also features boss battles. At certain stages in your career, you'll go up against established guitar legends (hence the subtitle of the game) and beat them to continue on. Instead of accumulating Star Power here, you'll pick up power ups to help you defeat them. These power ups can be used to cut a string, where you'll have to press the fret button repeatedly to replace it, break the whammy bar, where you'll have to press down on your whammy bar to repair it, and so on.
You'll face 3 bosses during your career. Tom Morello, ex Rage Against The Machine and current Audioslave member, Slash, ex Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver member and, finally, Lou, the ruler of the Underworld. Tom & Slash bring their own compositions to the game. Once you beat them, you get to play an encore alongside them. I'm not too fond of the boss battles. They just seem out of place in a game like this and aren't all that enjoyable.
Tired of playing by yourself? Now you don't need somebody right next to you to play with another human being, since GH III is now online and playable through XBox Live. You'll be able to face off against your buddy in Battle Mode, or team up with them in Co-Op Mode. Some songs will only be available when you play online, such as Sabotage by the Beastie Boys and Give It Away by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. When you play co-op, you can choose between the bass or the guitar and, on some occasions, you can choose between rhythm or lead guitar. The online works surprisingly well and is lag free, no matter where in the world your buddy is located. Only blemish here is that you cannot play Co-Op Career online, as it is only available locally. Total letdown right there. With all of the games coming out with co-op gameplay, this one should have had it for sure.
Without a doubt, Guitar Hero III has the best track list amongst all of the Guitar Hero games, while keeping the same enjoyable gameplay you've grown to love. It also seems like the series wants to bring new ideas along with online play and boss battles, but there is still work to be done on both accounts. Nonetheless, Guitar Hero III is a step in the right direction and, with it's amazing track list and always sturdy gameplay, it's sure to remain at #1 of many people's charts.