|
Neversoft’s first take on the Guitar Hero franchise is a smash hit. As a quick history lesson, Guitar Hero and its sequel were developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane. After the success of Guitar Hero II, Harmonix was acquired by MTV Games while RedOctane was acquired by Activision. Guitar Hero III, developed by the Tony Hawk development team at Neversoft, is the first game to be released after the split. How does it fare? Extremely well. Any worries about a non-Harmonix Guitar Hero game should be eased.
Since Guitar Hero III was wholly-developed by Neversoft without the assistance of Harmoix, there were some questions about whether or not Neversoft could capture the series’ signature gameplay. The short answer: yes it has. That’s not to say that the underlying gameplay is the same, though. The game is a bit more forgiving in the amount of time it gives you to hit a note than previous games, although not to the point where it’s ridiculous. But there are now more emphasis on chords (you’ll often have to switch between two- and three-note chords in the harder difficulty settings) and more emphasis on hammer-ons and pull-offs (where you play notes without strumming). Ultimately, the game still feels like Guitar Hero, while making the beginning more comfortable for newcomer and still challenging veterans.
Guitar Hero III includes all of the modes of its prequel and then some. The game includes the expected Career (where you earn cash by playing progressively more difficult songs and occasionally play boss battles), Quick Play (play any song), Multiplayer (Face Off and Pro-Face Off) and Practice modes. New to the game are a complete Co-Op Career mode, with some exclusive songs and a different track listing than the regular career mode. The game doesn’t ship with Co-Op quick play out of the box, but that is coming via an update shortly (at least for the Xbox 360). The game also boasts a Battle Mode, where “Star Power” turns into “Battle Power” allowing you to collect a number of power-ups (Difficulty Level Up, Lefty Flip, Double Notes, etc) to make your opponent fail the song. The mode won’t be a hit with everyone but experienced Guitar Hero players will find that it adds just another layer of challenge.
For the first time ever, Guitar Hero III includes online functionality (except on PS2). The game includes Face-Off (where you alternate playing different sections of the song), Pro Face-Off (where you both play the entire song), Co-Op (same as Face-Off but not competing) and Battle mode. Neversoft has developed an online community site for the game at guitarhero.com that allows you to set up tournaments, clans and compiles many stats on your playing. As expected, downloadable content is coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game exclusively. But the PS3 version lacks the ability to send game invites online to players as can be done on Xbox Live or even the Wii version’s online system.
Guitar Hero III includes a brand-new wireless guitar for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. The new Les Paul guitar is undoubtedly the sturdiest, best playing guitar controller on the market. All three versions are wireless (though the PS3 version does include a dongle) and work flawlessly. The Wii version even incorporates the Wii Remote to provide rumble and can even play the “note missed” sound effect through the remote’s speaker. The Xbox 360’s Les Paul works with Guitar Hero II (you can also use the X-Plorer on Guitar Hero III), but the PS3’s guitar doesn’t work with the PS2 versions of Guitar Hero I or II played through backwards compatibility. The PS2 version of the game includes a brand-new wireless (with dongle) Kramer Placer guitar, which is more or less in line with previous guitars on that console is backwards compatible with Guitar Hero I and II. As a bonus, the guitars can be separated into two pieces for easy transportation and support custom faceplates.
Where Guitar Hero III really succeeds though is where it’s ultimately most important: having an amazing soundtrack. You’ll find master recordings of Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Slayer, The Killer, The Rolling Stones Guns n’ Roses, and yes, even Metallica. With more masters than ever before, and even some songs recorded exclusively for the game, many people will find Guitar Hero III’s soundtrack to be the highlight of the series.
The game’s graphics have been greatly improved. The character models sport a lot more detail and better textures than they did before, and the venues also sport much more detail than they did previously. A lot of the animation behind the characters is good, especially the guitarists and singers. The drummer, however, looks rather robotic and the crowd seems a bit tame. Neversoft tweaked the user interface a little, which takes some getting used to (and can’t be called objectively better) but it works just fine. The addition of a note counter is a nice touch. The Wii and PS2 versions of the game don’t look quite as good as the other versions but share the same art style and looks good nonetheless.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is undoubtedly the best game in the series. The amazing soundtrack, superb wireless guitar, subtle tweaks, and excellent online multiplayer are exactly what fans have been wanting from the series. If you’re looking for a recommendation on the platform, I would suggest the Xbox 360 version due to the truly wireless guitar, future downloadable content, and ease of sending game invites. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Oct 29, 2007
|
