Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Review - Wii

6

Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 7
Audio: 4
Multiplayer: 7
Innovation: 5

Introduction

Guitar Hero, barely three years old, already feels like a gaming institution. Guitar Hero fulfils one major role of interactive entertainment: wish fulfilment. Who hasn't dreamed of rocking a full house with elite guitar skills to a stunned crowd that cheers for more and screams for an encore?

Thanks to Guitar Hero one and two, plus the 80's themed expansion pack, such wishes have been fulfilled at least one already, with classic and favourite tracks from just about every genre making it a game that a fan of just about any musical genre can appreciate.

Guitar Hero's story, what little there is, revolves around the band, playing in backyards and clubs until signed onto a record deal, after which things get nasty. The story has no impact on gameplay, but it does set up a nice finale, all the while providing not so subtle commentary on the nature of the music industry. Playing in a prison venue was a nice touch, but it's a pity there was no Johnny Cash song to back it up.

But after three titles, the fourth is starting to feel a little worn, as the library of classic tracks to draw on is whittled down by repetitiveness (only a few bands have more than one song in Guitar Hero's entire franchise) and the refusal of some license holders to allow their music to appear in the game. I won't name names, but there is a certain electrical acronym that springs to mind.

So if the game plays the same as it ever did, but with new tracks to play, what is there to get you to pay another one hundred and fifty bones for a new fake guitar and a mix tape?

Gameplay

The first thing you will notice about Guitar Hero is that it has its very own controller or, in the case of the Wii version, its very own Wii remote shell. You pop open the flap in the back, plug your Wii remote into the little nunchuck attachment in there, slide it in and replace the lid. Tada! You're all set.

The cost of the guitar does seem to be a bit of a problem though. For one thing, all the tech needed for the guitar controller is within the Wii remote to start with. The wireless, the rumble, the tilt sensor, the speaker, whereas the guitar itself has the buttons and a whammy bar (useful for milking long star notes for star power). Despite this, with the Wii remote being the tech and the guitar controller being a shell, it still costs as much as a complete wireless controller (without the needed Wii remote) on another platform.

Is Activision cutting their losses on other console controllers to make it more viable in the market, or are they just screwing over Wii owners because they can? Gripes about possible gouging aside, the gameplay is still the same as ever in ... (continued next page)