A preview of this latest edition to the series.
recently had the opportunity to play through a few tracks from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and though I was expecting a rehashed version of Guitar Hero II with a fresh song list, I walked away with my expectations not only satisfied — but exceeded. It was clear that Activision didn't set out to reinvent the series, but why would they? Last year's iteration saw enormous success, so why alter a winning formula. Though the changes Activision did make aren't plentiful, they are significant enough to produce what I feel is a better experience than that of years past.
Hit me with your best shot! Oh, Pat Benatar, what an impression you made on me. With my volume set high, this energy packed song was my first foray into Guitar Hero III. Observable changes were made to
the animations and interface. Both now look and feel as they should on a next-generation console. Audio quality seems to have increased as well, which adds to the rather important, "rock star atmosphere."
It was hard to tell, at this point, if improvements were made to gameplay. If anything, things seem to be more responsive. The difficulty seems to have been tweaked up, though it may just have been the song selections, or a buildup of rust since I last played Guitar Hero II.
With the song list recently released, Guitar Hero III aims to please a diverse audience of rockers. The highly anticipated online multiplayer wasn't available, but is a feature many Xbox 360 owners should be looking forward to. Early reviews from critics have been slowly trickling in, with scores ranging 5-10 points lower than last year's edition. I can acknowledge that sure, the innovation that the title brought a few years back is fading, but the fun you had is all there — with an awesome set list to back it up. Picking this title up on launch day shouldn't leave fans or newcomers disappointed.
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