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> Results: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
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Wanna rock? Well, now you can, thanks to your PS2, Wii, Xbox 360, PC, or PS3 and Guitar Hero 3 from new developer for the series, Neversoft (creator Harmonix is off to make Rock Band). The concept is simple. Follow a vertical music bar while hitting buttons at the right time. A guitar controller comes with the game and it's surprisingly well constructed - it even holds a Wii-remote inside it. Older controllers work too, of course.
As your, for PS3 and Xbox 360, HD 3D avatar shreds, players assume a guitar playin' stance and watch the vertical music bar show you what to do. Notes appear as color-coded dots, they're coded to the fret buttons, and playing the game basically means pressing the correct fret with your left hand and flicking the switch (strumming). Long series of notes can be played by holding down the fret and flicking the switch up and down, and chords involve pressing multiple buttons on the handle. For long held notes you press the button, hold the switch up or down, and use your pinky to wammy that note for extra points. It even works well for lefties - which is just plain clever. But points aren't the goal here. See, when you hit the right note the song sounds great. Miss a few and you get horrible plonking noises. Oh, if you're on a role and don't miss a single note for a while, you'll get starred notes. Hit all of those and a bar fills up. Tilt the guitar vertical and you'll unleash your rock god energy for extra score. The music range this time is superb. Everything from "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" to "Welcome to the Jungle," "One", and "666 the Number of the Beast." Even "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson, some Stevie Ray Vaugn and modern stuff like the Killers appear. The new Boss battles are fun. Use the tilt to wreak havoc on opponents and for applicable versions, multiplayer is now possible over the 'net. Tested on Xbox Live, play was smooth.  
The ESRB has rated it T-Teen for lyrics mostly. But 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. Neversoft has added dancing girls to a couple venues and the HD versions of the sexier avatars are sexier now. Oh, the big boss at the end is named "Lou" and he's got that whole metal Satan thing going on. Lots of occult imagery here. 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 III: Legends of Rock |
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