Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Game: Guitar Hero III
Genre: Guitar Simulation
Systems: 360, PS3, PS2, Wii

There was once a time when I thought that Guitar Hero could do no wrong, and any game with the Guitar Hero name on it was sure to blow my mind with its sheer awesomeness. Then came Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s, which was a little disappointing, and I became slightly wary. However, it looks like Guitar Hero III is here to make it up to me.

Really, all they had to do was give me a good track list and some cool unlockables and I would have been more than satisfied. However, Activision went above and beyond the call of duty to make the best Guitar Hero yet, and I can’t get enough of it.

The basic concept is pretty much the same: play through a setlist of songs, unlocking venue after venue as you progress, on one of four levels of difficulty. It definitely seems like this Guitar Hero is geared less towards a pick-up-and-play gamer and more towards the hardcore fans; a difficulty increase is quite apparent, and even on medium the notes advance at almost the same speed as they do on hard. This is good for GH’s core fans who like to play through every difficulty to unlock everything, but don’t enjoy the tedium of slow-paced guitar-playing.



The graphics, characters, venues, and guitars have been completely revamped and look fantastic. Judy Nails and Casey Lynch in particular have really benefited from their new makeovers, although I can’t for the life of me figure out why they got rid of Pandora. The wireless Les Paul guitar feels great, and the inclusion of brief animated cut scenes that show the band’s progression is pretty neat, too.

Among the new additions to the game is a co-op career mode, in which you and a friend can play through a track list significantly different from the single-player career mode. Some songs are only attainable this way, and it adds an entirely new level to the game that even further extends its already lengthy replay value. Don’t have any friends? No problem! For the first time ever, Guitar Hero III has incorporated online play into the mix, so there will always be someone to play with.

The new two-player Battle Mode, in which dueling players sabotage each other with special power-ups, is certainly interesting. However, the inclusion of boss battles in the single player career mode is definitely something I could have done without. It adds a new challenge to the game, but it’s pretty frustrating to not be able to progress after getting five stars on every song because I can’t freaking beat Slash. I would have rather kept these rock legend battles in their own separate single-player mode, but I guess I can’t have everything.

I really want to say this game is perfect, but like most games it does have a few flaws. The biggest one is that, occasionally, the game will lag when star power is deployed. Luckily, this hardly ever happens, but it really shouldn’t happen at all. Also, the time allotted to hit each note accurately has been extended, which can sometimes make your rocking out feel slightly imprecise. Still, the wonderful song list (probably the best one ever), shiny new guitar, and overall gameplay more than make up for these minor details. If you’ve ever had even a passing interest in Guitar Hero, just go pick it up immediately. You will not be disappointed.