Guitar Hero III

Publishers: Activision, Neversoft, Vicarious Visions (Wii), Budcat Creations (PS2)

Genre: Puzzle/Rhythm

Players: 1-2 (online compatible)

Rated: Teen

Platform: PlayStation 2, XBOX 360, Wii, PC, Mac

 

It does not take a musical prodigy to know that the guitar is the most popular instrument in America.  Almost every band has at least one, college kids play them under every tree on campus, dogs have been trained to play them, even the talentless know how to play an awesome air guitar.  Those who have not been blessed with the gift of rock could once only envy guitarists, but in 2005, Harmonix Music Systems shined some light on these poor souls with the exclusive PS2 release of Guitar Hero.

A highly experimental game in the same rift as Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero boasted a guitar-shaped controller which gamers could use to shred along to classic songs like “Iron Man,” “Smoke on the Water” and “Fat Lip.”  The concept was instantly gobbled up by the public, making the game a huge success.  Seeing their profit margins increase, Harmonix decided to cash in on the idea, producing the sequels Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero Encore: Rock of the ‘80s.

The fourth effort, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, although unmistakably similar to its predecessors gives its musically challenged gamers something new.  For one, Harmonix took no part in the game’s development, allowing Neversoft to completely take the helm.    The canon of songs also cuts back on covers and uses original pieces to appease the fans.

GHIII is also the first of the series to feature online play, opening the door for players to jam with people across the globe.  To enhance this online experience, Neversoft also introduced Battle Mode, a competition between two players either locally or over network play.  It is similar to GHII’s Pro-Face Off with the addition of Battle Power, which replaces the Career Modes Star Power to sabotage your competitor.  Various power-ups allow the gamer to break one of the opponent’s strings, increase the opponent’s difficulty level and double the opponent’s notes among other things. 

There are also a score of Wii exclusive features including a rumble that activates for Star Power and screw-up sounds produced by the Wii remote.

To simplify things, let’s take a look at Collin’s Quick List:

Pros:
•    Lots of songs
•    Online
•    It’s Difficult
•    Good Multiplayer
•    Addictive Gameplay

Cons:
•    I always lose online.  It pisses me off
•    Not many alternative songs
•    Some songs are repetitive

The pros, however, greatly outweigh the cons, creating possibly one of the most addictive video games on the market.  If you are new to the series or just want to increase your Guitar Hero library, this is the game for you. 

–Anthony Kozlowski & Collin Sicard

Tags: guitar, guitar hero, guitar hero 3, guitar hero guitar, Mac, PC, ps2, video game, Wii, xbox 360