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> Results: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
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The ESRB Says
Lyrics: GamerDad heard references to death, violence, and... come on these are rock songs. Do your kids listen to MTV today? If so, they're hearing much worse! Wanna rock? Now that Guitar Hero has become a bona fide phenomenon, parents know what to expect. They know that this game won't teach people how to play guitar but it will teach them about rhythm and about an obscure ancient form of music called "rock and roll" that existed in the days before MTV and the radio became havens for hip-hop, R&B, and the latest train-wreck former Nick or Disney pop star. As the title implies this is the same game as Guitar Hero II - it has the terrific face off and co-op modes and you can play with different difficulties (so your son can play on Expert while you stick to Medium - admit it!). Only now it's filled with 80's rock tracks and... well... is that a selling point or not? I grew up in the 80's and for most of it I stuck to music from the 70's. I preferred Zeppelin to Winger, thanks. But playing this game has unleashed a flood of nostalgia and they've cleverly inserted some unexpected gems. Who knew that the Guitar part in "I Ran" from Flock of Seagulls was that cool? Turns out these songs snuck into my ears at school dances, friends houses, and I found myself really enjoying playing them. I'm talking "Bang your Head", "Heat of the Moment", "The Warrior" and "Round and Round" here. You can pick your own poison - and thankfully there's no Poison. There is Maiden however. Sadly most of the music is NOT done by the original artists - and as it turns out "18 & Life" really, really needs Sabastian Bach on vocals to sound cool. Some cool visual jokes like a dead ringer for Iron Maiden's mascot appears at a crucial moment and there's a PMRC logo on the drums in the fourth venue give observers something to look at - as do the 80's outfits on the familiar characters. Turns out Judy Nails is a Madonna wannabe. Who knew? Oh and I love the subversiveness that made them put "Turning Japanese" right before "Hold On Loosely" - all they needed was "Stroke" to have a self-love trifecta. Guitar Hero III comes out in November, this will hold you until then, but we still encourage them to release more of these Encore packs. How about cutting a deal with Led Zeppelin maybe? Please? Pretty please? Now for the disappointments: 1) Where are the real Guitar Heroes of the 80's? I'm talking Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhodes, etc.,? 2) Why is this $50? Really, why? Huh? 3) Are these obscure songs so precious that only a handful are done by the original artists? I mean, can Quiet Riot really be charging that much for the master track of Metal Health we have to suffer a cover band this awful? 4) The cover bands are still pretty bad here. Worse in fact. So, whether or not this smaller than Guitar Hero II game is worth $50 is a personal decision. I'll be playing it plenty, thanks, but if you stopped playing Guitar Hero II months ago... just skip the 80's and wait for III. Finally, I declare Oingo Boingo's "Only a Lad" as the perfect ironic theme song for this website. Sing it with me, if you don't know the words buy the game and have your teen sing it with me: "Only a lad - you really can't blame him. Only a lad - society made him." Nobody believes that here... so rock on!  
The ESRB has rated it T-Teen because of some mildly offensive lyrics but I think that's a little silly. Parents leery of rock n' roll know to avoid this one and almost everyone else isn't going to find this music all that offensive given what's on the radio these days.
Difficulty and co-ordination are factors, but kids over six who are already adept at rhythm games, or who are already playing real guitar will find a lot to like in this game. Parents will enjoy watching too, especially parents weened on classic metal. Some of the lyrics are questionable but they've avoided the Satanic stuff while also staying away from death metal and overt references to sex and drugs. There's nothing so shocking as what you find on MTV and modern radio these days. The game won't teach your kids to play guitar, but it'll get them off the couch, away from all that zombie killing, and forcing them to concentrate, practice, and work hard for the love of rock n' roll. What happens next? Maybe interest in a real instrument? Or maybe just a better appreciation of music in general. Now that's cool. Guitar Hero is good for kids over 6, but perfect for kids over 10. And a must for aging rock fogies who want to get the band back together! This review edited by Michael Anderson Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s |
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