Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

There is a lot of hype around the upcoming Rock Band, but people shouldn’t turn their back on Guitar Hero just yet. Although Harmonix has departed to work with EA, Activision and Red Octane have recruited Neversoft to craft and refine the next entry to the Guitar Hero series. The result is bound to please everyone.

There have definitely been a few overhauls in terms of graphics and presentation. The characters all move smoother, the fret boards are less imposing, and the splash effect on activation of star power has gone altogether. The star power meter is now a series of valves and the score and combo meter has been given an overhaul to make it easier to read.

Some new characters have also been included (although my personal favourite Pandora has been given the chop – sad panda), including guitar gods Slash and Tom Morello.

But nobody plays Guitar Hero for the graphics or characters. No, the thrill is jamming on a Fisher Price guitar pretending you are a rock god. And the key to this is playing songs that have your fingers running up and down the plastic fret board: songs that are fun to play. In this regard, it looks like Guitar Hero III could have Rock Band beat.

Sporting a track list of about 70 songs (not counting unlockables), including a host of international acts and original master tracks, Guitar Hero III looks set to turn the volume up to 11 and then some. Besides, it has Knights of Cydonia by Muse, so it’s pretty much game over as far as any supposed “competition” is concerned.

In terms of next generation features, there will now be online play in addition to the downloadable content. The new battle modes also include a Mario Kart-style power-up system, where players can handicap their oppoents in a variety of ways.

For example, players could break the string of their opponents, forcing them to play without that note for a while. Although this will undoubtedly inspire screams of “CHEAP!” it will definitely spice things up, and will certainly prove a hit at parties.

With a fleshed-out and fun track list with multiple master tracks, and with the inclusion of wireless guitars based on the famous Gibson Les Paul, Guitar Hero III looks set to be a winner – especially for Wii owners, who don’t get Rock Band whatsoever. Keep it locked to NZGamer for a full review in the near future.