Wow, just to say, Red Octane did an amazing job with their 3rd release of the amazing Guitar Hero series! Guitar Hero 3 boasts a huge lineup of amazing songs, along with an assortment of new features and enhancements. Most notable enhancements to the game include, introduction of Slash and Tom Morello as players, battle mode, finally Xbox Live play, and enhanced hammer-ons and pull-offs. They work so much better in GH3 now.
Gameplay: The basic concept of the game is still unchanged from Guitar Hero 2, you still play a guitar, and you still hit notes as they scroll down your screen. There are still the standard modes of play aswell, as a new one, Battle Mode. Battle mode is competitive play between you and another player, or you and the computer. Instead of building up star power, you build up attacks that you use against your opponent to make them lose the battle. Power-ups like, Broken String, Difficulty Up, Amp Overload, Whammy Bar, Steal Power, Double Notes, etc.
There are also a bunch of new venues to play at. My personal favorite is Shanker’s Island, where you get to play in a jail for inmates.
Graphics: The graphics, have gone through some major upgrades. The characters are more crisp, the scenes have more going on in them. There isn’t much to say about the graphics, they aren’t really important, its the music that makes this game awesome.
Sound/Music: With Guitar Hero 3 you get over 71 tracks to play. 46 of those songs are part of the main set-list, and the other 25 are bonus tracks or unlockables. Some are alright, most are excellent. I would have chosen at least 5 different songs, but thats my opinion.
Pros: This game boasts an impressive soundtrack and will definitely provide hundreds of hours of entertainment for anyone who plays it. This is not a game you pick up, beat once, and never play again. I think this game lives up to all the hype it has received and I was not let down at all. There were more than enough copies at all of the stores I visited, unless you wanted a Gibson wireless controller. Good job Red Octane.
Cons: I have a couple problems with the game. I seem to have come across a slowdown, when you use the star power and there is a lot going on on stage, effects, etc, the game gets choppy depending on the amount of notes on the screen. The 360 is a powerhouse system, and this is unacceptable and I hope this gets fixed in a patch. Also, I noticed a couple of advertisements right in-game. Axe body spray has 2 different guitars. This was the only one I noticed, but I am sure there are more.
Conclusion: Overall this is an awesome game, and is suitable for anyone. Everyone in my house plays it, my 3 roommates which range in age, and my 6 year old son. This game is definitely recommended. If you already haven’t picked yourself up a copy, you can download the demo on XBox Live, or Decembers issue of OXM is loaded with the GH3 demo.
Score:
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 10/10
Net Play: 10/10
Total: 9.5/10
The game would have been a perfect 10 except for the problem I mentioned with the star power. I am not sure if this happens on other systems, you may have to look around to see.