GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK
(Activision; Xbox 360, PS2, Wii; Teen)
Upon first glance, this latest (and highly-anticipated) installment of Guitar Hero isn't much of an improvement on the two previous versions. The graphics are predictably more advanced — a shaggy-haired singer accompanies all the songs, noticeably mouthing along with the lyrics; video montages play while in transit between cities. Star power now comes in varying degrees of 6, and a consecutive note streak alert flashes to egg you on. Like its predecessors, you can change your outfits and guitars, but that hard-earned prize money is blown more realistically (a $300 bar tab? Oof).
Players will welcome the addition of new characters like Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morrello and Slash of Guns N' Roses — both realistically rendered, thanks to hours spent in a motion-capture suit. They emerge as rivals that you must battle, then defeat, in order to move onto the next city (and to unlock them as purchasable commodities). These one-on-one duels, also playable in a separate ''Multiplayer'' mode, incorporate a Mortal Kombat-type element: the key isn't so much note accuracy as it is technique — in order to blast your opponent with tricks (like the comical ''lefty,'' which flips the screen sideways). Sometimes frustrating, sometimes genius, this action-packed player mode adds longevity to the game experience.
Onto the most important part of the game: the songs. There are 71 of them, as compared to Guitar Hero II's 64. GH3 boasts the theme ''Legends of Rock'' and its selection of rock anthems span all decades, from such '60s nuggets as the Rolling Stone's ''Paint it Black'' to more recent tunes like Pearl Jam's ''Even Flow.'' Overall, though, the tunes are more contemporary, less pedal-to-the-metal, with a slew of MTV-appropriate tunes, like Weezer's ''My Name is Jonas''. (That said, can AFI really be considered rock legends?). Best of all, more than 70 percent of the songs are master tracks. Finally! No souped-up karaoke version. And encore songs include some lesser-known international hits, like the UK's Kaiser Chiefs and German punk band Die Toten Hosen.
Difficulty levels also seem to have been taken up a notch. The ''expert'' mode now flies by with shifting three-note chords and scattered finger-riffs, and the hurdle between ''medium'' and ''hard'' is lessened, given the former's increased difficulty. Included in GH3's bundle is a newer, wireless Gibson-based guitar: PS2 owners will get a Kramer Striker, all other formats get a Les Paul. Basically a slicker version of the original red axe, the new guitars are more sensitive to the turbo-power-activating flick in the air. (On the downside, wireless controls mean that you will notice a slight delay in the timing.) Bonus: the necks of the guitars are detachable, meaning that you can travel with the guitar conveniently stowed away in a bag. And if your roommates bemoan the game because you've been hogging the television, a new co-op career mode allows you to plow through the game with a partner, choosing alternatively between the bass and lead guitar player. B — Youyoung Lee
You Might Also Like
- Review Cereal Numbers | Nicholas Fonseca
- Television News ''Simpsons'' celebration | Mike Flaherty
- Television News Ongoing cast negotiations delay ''Simpsons''
- Television News ''Simpsons'' duo doing new animated show
- Television News Talking about ''The Simpsons''
