“For those about to rock……”

It’s not Warped Tour or Coachella, but this yearly concert tour is still one of the best shows in town. It’s got roaring crowds, outrageous stages, and even some special guest appearances. Best of all, they want you to play lead guitar.

The thrill of gaining admission into the world of Guitar Hero hasn’t diminished, even though this is the third time we’ve been to the show. For those unfamiliar with the series, Guitar Hero is a rhythm and music game played using a colorful plastic guitar. Any strange looks you get from the uninitiated are quickly dispelled when they pick up this odd peripheral and “feel” like they’re making the music themselves, even if they’re only hitting a combination of five fret keys.

The soundtrack of the Guitar Hero games is what sets this series apart. Except for perhaps the Tony Hawk series, there hasn’t been as big a videogame music breakthrough as Guitar Hero. The set list of GH3 is just as strong as the first two, with modern hits like “When You Were Young” by The Killers and “Miss Murder” by AFI alongside classics like “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones and “Anarchy in the UK” by the Sex Pistols.

Each track scales very nicely, allowing younger or inexperienced players to follow along on easy or medium while hardcore thrashers can turn it up to 11 with hard or expert mode. The challenge of Guitar Hero is what keeps people playing it year after year, and there’s a ton of replay value to be enjoyed in beating over 40 popular songs and two dozen indie bonus songs.

This year’s set list may be a bit divisive, as each new Guitar Hero tends to be. With pricey downloadable songs on the way, you’ll want to make these built in tracks last as long as possible. Fortunately there’s a good variety of old and new, but also some really clever riffs that are great fun to master. “Lay Down” by Priestess, for example, will urge you to master the hammer-on and pull-off techniques.

Though the difficulty might have been toned down slightly, it doesn’t detract from the fun. It can even result in higher scores and combos, as there’s a little more leeway now when you hit a note.

Guitar Hero has sold millions of copies by creating a specific formula for rock sauce, but what happens when you throw in a few new ingredients? The battle mode (which holds up well in multiplayer) and celebrity guest appearances (Slash just happened to be in the neighborhood?) might not be for everyone, but in terms of making this game feel like a star-studded MTV special they are pretty fun. It’s not a revolutionary step forward for the series, but Guitar Hero only needs to gradually refine its formula.

In terms of refinement, the greater number of master tracks gives Guitar Hero 3 a more genuine feel than its predecessors. While it’s still disconcerting to hear KISS songs by a crappy cover band, the authentic voices in other songs go a long way towards improving the series.

There are a few, slight missteps. The lip-synching, while improved in Guitar Hero 3, leaves the male singer looking like a creepy wide-mouthed monster. The animated cutscenes between venues look great, but they’re extremely short and don’t really qualify as a reward for beating a set of five songs. Otherwise, the background graphics and general presentation are colorful and extremely attractive.

The new publisher of Guitar Hero 3 has also apparently taken the approach of sexing up the characters unnecessarily. Judy Nails is so tarted-up in this game that she’s practically unrecognizable. Midori, a perky Japanese schoolgirl, looks very punk but also seems to be there solely for fanboy service. One level even features midriff-baring pole dancers, which may give pause to parents who would otherwise buy Guitar Hero for their kids without hesitation.

Despite these few missed notes (blame it, perhaps, on a bad sound engineer or unplugged amp) Guitar Hero is still the best show in town. Competitor Rock Band has a lot to prove, as Guitar Hero has made the stage dive to next-gen almost perfectly.

Tags: Activision, guitar-hero-3, Guitar-Hero-III, Neversoft, RedOctane

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