01/10/2009 While Harmonix spent big to secure the appearance of most overrated band of all time in Rock Band, Neversoft have been content with a much lower profile for this latest version of Guitar Hero.
That's not to say there haven't been changes and improvements; unlike the fiddly menu-centricity of previous versions, there's great emphasis placed on fast, furious, finger-deforming party play. Serious dedication is placed upon getting players of every skill level jamming together as quickly and easily as possible.
After the opening splash screens, you are immediately shoved on stage to play a randomly selected song. Traditional gameplay modes lie but a menu away, but the aim of game here is to immerse players from the off. Without accessing even a single menu, players are able to jump into party play at the touch of a single button; difficulty and instruments can be switched mid-song without pausing. It's impossible to fail a song within party play mode, allowing experienced players to experiment with difficulty levels and less coordinated friends to avoid the ire of Guitar Hero pros. Unlike other versions in the series, outside of career mode all songs are available immediately.
Career mode itself has undergone a slight overhaul. New venues are unlocked much faster, making it impossible to experience the common series bugbear of getting stuck on a single track. Instrument-specific challenges (whammy for 80 seconds, hit the snares 300 times and so on) add a new dimension and further encouragement for repeated play.
The track list lilts from the inspired (Superstition, Lithium, One Big Holiday) to the ridiculous (Hungry Like The Wolf) and there's really no acceptable excuse that could justify the inclusion of Bush or Kaiser Chiefs in any game ever.
With Metallica, Van Halen and Smash Hits following up on last year's World Tour and Aerosmith, and with DJ Hero and Band Hero still to arrive this side of Christmas, you can't help but wonder when the whole plastic toy karaoke game genre collapses under its own gargantuan weight.
But that doesn't matter for now. In fact, if Guitar Hero 5 had only featured Louise Wener and Donita Sparks along with Shirley Manson, it would probably have been the greatest game ever made.
--James Bassett |
