Guitar Hero III Review

The original Guitar Hero was one of the most innovative music video games ever created. Guitar Hero II enhanced aspects from Guitar Hero, and Guitar Hero III improves elements from Guitar Hero II. The third edition of this game franchise (Guitar Hero III) is now available for the PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2. There is laundry list of playable songs available in the game. The songs and bands playable in the game are amazing across the board. Some of the myriad of bands entail Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, and Pearl Jam. A grand total of 71 songs are included in the game, and they are all engrossing. The game does emulate a similar formula that made the first two games brilliant. This includes rock music that is as old as thirty or forty years ago. A few flaws with the game are the lack of any songs from AC/DC and Led Zeppelin; however, fans of Slash will enjoy his music that is in the game. Hopefully, AC/DC and Led Zeppelin will make an appearance in Guitar Hero IV. Another drawback in this game is the absence of a create a guitar player mode.

I would have expected something like that to be in the game, but it was missing in action. The gameplay is exactly what any avid fan of Guitar Hero expects it to be. Veterans of the previous Guitar Hero video games will feel right at home with this adaptation. Guitar Hero III is just more of the same excellent gameplay I have come to imagine. The career mode has been altered to accommodate Guitar Hero aficionados. For example, gamers can play through the entire game from beginning to end in single or cooperative player mode.

Both players will be playing different instruments in the game in cooperative play mode (ala Guitar Hero II). For instance, player one can play as the lead guitar player. Player two will be in control of the bass. There is a much more pivotal responsibility of the bass player in this game. If anyone wants to hear all the songs the game has to offer, then cooperative play is mandatory. As you progress through career mode, there will be guitar duels that you will encounter. These duels will coerce gamers into going up against formidable guitarists like Slash for rock music supremacy. My personal favorite had to be these entertaining boss meetings. I only wish there were more than just the insufficient three that are available in this game. Nevertheless, the boss guitar sequences are more than enjoyable. Excluding the emphasis of the bass (in the cooperative career play mode) and the guitar duels, Guitar Hero III is virtually identical to Guitar Hero I and Guitar Hero II. Playing the guitar to earn money is present, and you can spend that money you earned on content. The storyline in the game was marginally more cohesive in this iteration. Guitar Hero III has a plot that is told via a comic or cartoon style. Unfortunately, there is no voice acting in any of these succinct comic book moments. On the bright side, the game does an adequate job of making a smooth transition from one location to a different location. Visually, the graphics in the game have a vaguely better than the previous games in the series. I did notice the animations look cleaner on next generation consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

The graphics are not going to impress anyone, but who really cares. The audio is the bread and butter of Guitar Hero III, and that is where the game shines with radiance. Now that I think about it, the game is not dreadful. The game is not remarkable. Guitar Hero III is just more of a similar rehashed game. Yes, we have seen this game before. So what? Should that really matter? It should not matter. Overall, Guitar Hero III is video game that will keep anyone rocking on for about the same time as Guitar Hero I and Guitar Hero II.
Final Verdict: Guitar Hero III is a fairly good game.
8.9 out of 10