Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
November 11,2007 - The quick and dirty is that the highly anticipated third installment of the Guitar Hero phenomenon is a totally solid, worthwhile game, especially for longtime fans. The song list has some unbelievable gems, the difficulty has been catapulted into the cosmos, and there’s the late-but-welcome, fully functional online component that gives the game incalculable replay incentive. Guitar Hero III has met expectations and proven that, years later, the series is still fun to play solo or with friends. That’s good and all, but it’s also a just kind of a big, fat expansion pack. (Actually, with its own lineup of downloadable content already available, it’s kind of like an expandable expansion pack.)

The downloadable song packs that were available for Guitar Hero II might be to blame for this unshakable sentiment. Veterans will recall that between the first Guitar Hero and its sequel, there was absolutely nothing in the way of new material to play, so by the time Guitar Hero II finally arrived, fans went bananas for it. Between Guitar Hero II and this game, however, we’ve seen literally dozens of downloadable songs, not to mention the “Rocks the 80’s” expansion on the PS2. As a result, Guitar Hero III feels like a plain old helping of “more.” If you play it, you’ll like it, but you can live without it.

Needless to say, not much has changed since the first Guitar Hero melted our faces, and that’s fine. The gameplay fundamentals remain. Colored circles representing the notes of various guitar licks scroll toward you on an onscreen fretboard. Your job is to hold down combinations of the five matching colored buttons on your little plastic guitar in response to the onscreen cues, then flick the switch (also on the guitar controller) to “strum” the notes at the right times. The differences are the expectedly upgraded graphics, the successful online playability, and the newfangled Battle Mode that pits players against one another, basically to see who can mess the other up the quickest. Imagine unleashing star power and causing your opponent’s fretboard to temporarily flip over to mirror itself. Now imagine them doing that to you. Now, repeat the process in your head until one of you fails. The oft-discussed boss battles are exactly this, only they happen during the campaign. That’s the gist of Battle Mode, and it’s even less interesting in practice than it is on paper.

All things being equal, this is still a really freakin’ good expandable expansion pack at the very least. Not only does it have what is widely agreed to be the best song list to date, but it features the largest number of original recordings in the series, including Metallica’s legendary hit “One.” That’s right, Metallica, not to mention SlipKnot, Pearl Jam, The Who, Disturbed, Tenacious D, more Guns ‘N Roses, more Rage Against the Machine, more Stevie Ray Vaughn, brand-new tunes from guitar luminaries Slash and Tom Morello, a heavy metal version of The Devil Went Down to Georgia (originally by The Charlie Daniels band), and perhaps best of all, not even a trace of the insufferable Made in Mexico. Topping it all off, the audio for every song (even the covers) is top-grade. This wave of excitement crests prematurely, though, since questionable design choices force players to go through the co-op campaign to unlock certain songs, and three of the above awesome songs are only available to play as “boss battles.” Boo. A patch released for the Xbox 360 version undoes yet another problem with the other versions (unless you don't have Xbox Live), that being the inability to play "Quick Play" in co-op without first beating the co-op career. That, in addition to the fact that Xbox Live offers the best way to get connected with friends online, makes the Xbox 360 version the best way to go if you have the option.

For what it's worth, Guitar Hero III ships as a standalone game or as an optional bundle that includes a sweet miniature Gibson Les Paul. The unit is a great deal curvier than the X-Plorer from the last game, making it a lot more comfy for when you’re sitting down. The fret buttons feel maybe a trifle better as well, neither too mushy nor too “clicky.” The whammy bar is also more responsive than the previous model’s. Our experiences with it have been altogether pleasant, and the Les Paul has taken its place as the best design to date. However, reports of guitars deploying star power with even the slightest upward movement abound, so try before you buy, if possible.

There are two good reasons why you might need to ignore our “rent it” recommendation and go buy Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock right now. One, you’re absolutely sure you’ll have a blast playing with and against people online and moving up the leaderboards for a very, very long time to come (again, this isn’t an option on the PS2 version). Two, you can’t wait another minute to have your fingers tied in knots by the three-note chord and wiggly solo onslaughts this maniacally challenging game throws your way. Ironically, if either of the above applies to you, you’ve already bought this game or intend to do so no matter what anyone says. Totally understandable. But if you so much as suspect you might have had your fill already, you can do without this entry, at least for a while. As a matter of fact, with all indications pointing to Rock Band thoroughly outclassing Guitar Hero III when it releases (case in point: Guitar Hero III has a playable Metallica song; Rock Band is going to have a playable Metallica album), it’s not such a bad idea for everyone to bide their time.

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