Finally a game that lives up to its hype!
Fortunately, I was not dissapointed. This game is great. It brings back what is missing from GH 3: FUN GAMEPLAY. All this without giving you arthiritis. This game actually makes people want to play - whether it's a hardcore gamer or a beginner. I actually had my wife playing with me for 3 hours, AND SHE HATES VIDEOGAMES! This game truly makes you feel like you are in a rock band! When you are giving a good performance, it's exciting to hear the people sing along with you. The game also encourages teamwork - it offers the other players the chance to save their teammates when they have failed the song. In a world, when today's video games only encourage people to kill, hate, or be competitive, this game can finally bring friends and family back together and get a little taste of what Rock Stars feel when they are on stage. It's just great.
I do, however, have some complaints:
The pedal on the drumset feels cheap. I used to be a drummer and I can tell you, this feels nothing like a real drum pedal. The spring is too strong and if you're not careful and not lift your foot right away or press hard against it when you hit a note, the pedal will bounce and make hit double notes. My advice: play with no shoes so you can get a better feel for the pedal and have more control.
Also on the drums, I wish they would have colored the pads all the way and not just the rims. when you are on hard mode and get your colors confused, you have to actually look at the pads to figure out which color is which, making you miss even more notes until you figure things out again. having the pads colored all the way would help you glance at them without having to take your eyes off the screen.
The other complain is the framerates on the actual concert. Altough the notes flow through the screen flawlessly, when you look at the concert behind them you can tell the game has some framerate issues, but nothing to worry about, as the only thing you really need a smooth framerate is on the notes, and this game delivers.
Overall, this is one of the greatest games I have played, and one that will actually make me want to keep playing for years to come and not trade in or sell in a month. If you can spend the $170, do it. Even though is a steep price, it's still a great value considering you are getting the game and 4 peripherals. GH 3, for $100, gives you only a crappy guitar that is not even backwards compatible. The TRUE kings of music simulation games, Harmonix, are back and better than ever!