Video game reviews: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3)
The release of Guitar Hero III was huge news in the world of console gamers. At the local bar, where we host Guitar Hero night every Saturday, we all waited anxiously for midnight to slowly roll around so we could send someone to pick up a reserved copy. When we were finally able to play (XBox 360 version) we saw a lot of differences from Guitar Hero II. Most were small, but there were a few huge new things.
The first thing we noticed was that in Guitar Hero III we now had the option to play a Co-Op Career Mode. What this means is that if you want to play with a friend, but not competitively, you still have that option. However, you can actually have a career together, as opposed to Guitar Hero II, which was only quickplay for co-op.
Another thing that stood out was the graphics. Everything looks a lot cleaner and better, especially the characters! One annoyance, however, was the sounds made when you miss a note. They seem much louder in Guitar Hero III unless you change the sound effects setting.
When checking out the songs available for play, we were all relieved and excited. There are many familiar songs, such as "One" by Metallica, "Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine, and "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones. There are also a lot that we weren't as familiar with, but are still so much fun to play.
With the new songs we wondered about gameplay. We had no need to worry. Game play actually got slightly better. For instance, with longer notes in Guitar Hero II there was never a time that you could do a hammer-on or pull-off onto another note after the first note was done. In Guitar Hero III, however, it is a recurring practice.
When playing Guitar Hero II before, we also wondered if we had a good note streak going. There was no way to know until the end of the song, when your one longest note streak was displayed. In Guitar Hero III there is a counter underneath your score. At about a 30-note streak the counter pops up and begins counting, so knowing your note streak is always just a glance away.
While playing single-player career mode we encountered another monumental new thing: Battling. During the third set list, Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine) challenges you to a play-off. Instead of having star-power notes, there are notes that have blade-looking edges. If you hit these in succession, you receive some sort of power. Whether it be "Double Notes," "Amp Overload," or "Broken Whammy," you lift the neck of your guitar (star power style) to use this power against the other player. The first person to fail the song loses. When you defeat Tom Morello (and two others later in the game) he asks you afterwards to play an encore with him. It's a lot of fun, and a twist on facing off against someone. Battling is also available in multiplayer, and it's a blast.
There are a few new characters in Guitar Hero III, including Tom Morello and Lou (devil-like creature who used to be your band manager). Aside from alternative outfits available for sale, there are also alternate styles, which change the outfit colors.
All in all, I think that Guitar Hero III is a great game. While Guitar Hero II will always have a special place in my heart (and I still play it often) Guitar Hero III is the game to play. The level of difficulty is higher, visually it has more to offer, and there are a ton of new songs to learn. It's a must-have to me. In fact, I have to stop writing so that I can try to beat "Through the Fire and Flames" on Expert now!
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