Guitar Hero III

The original Guitar Hero caught a few people by surprise, including me.

A game where you sat there holding a fake guitar strumming along to music didn’t seem like an idea that would catch on. As most of us are aware, the naysayers have been thoroughly proven wrong as the Guitar Hero franchise has become one of the most popular gaming franchises to hit the market.

I picked up my copy of Guitar Hero III the other day and promptly commenced playing. The game can use the guitar controllers from earlier versions of the game so it is not necessary to shell out $100 for the game plus controller, unless you don’t already have a controller from Guitar Hero II. The controls are exactly the same as before so players will be familiar with the control scheme. You have 5 frets, a whammy bar, and a strum switch just like before. 

The song line-up for this iteration of the franchise is awesome. From Paint it Black, Bulls on Parade and Welcome to the Jungle, the line-up of classic rocks songs is impressive. There is also a healthy helping of newer rock songs to help round out the selection. Add in the ability to purchase more songs off of XBOX-LIVE and this game will have some serious replayability.

The multiplayer for the game is done very well. You can play together on a song (one player takes guitar while the other handles bass) or you can battle. The battles are very fun. If you play well on your own and hit the right notes, you can then attempt to mess up your opponent while they play. Hit your special action while the other person is playing and their screen might shake, the notes might skip frets, or they might have to hit the whammy bar before they can properly play any notes. It’s fun and competitive.

The graphics for this game are a major improvement over Guitar Hero II. The game sounds better, looks better, and is an easy recommendation for purchase.