GetDotted Domains

Viewing Thread:
"Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock (Wii)"

The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.

This thread has been linked to the game 'Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock'.
Wed 30/04/08 at 21:18
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
I had originally put off purchasing the latest Guitar Hero effort since a price tag of around sixty pounds isn’t something that I find too easy to meet for a single game. But after having a quick session round a friend’s house I had to get my own copy and practice it. That’s the wonderful thing about Guitar Hero, if you’re bad you have to play again and get better and it’s this addictive nature that keeps you coming back.

Remember the dance mat and how much of a phenomenon that was in the gaming industry. Guitar Hero is similar in that you are trying to press buttons in time with scrolling icons on the screen to famous music only instead of using your feet, you’re obviously using your fingers on a plastic guitar. It seems simple and it works very well requiring a certain level of skill especially in the later stages of the game.

There are five coloured fret buttons on the neck of the guitar and a plectrum at the base along with a whammy bar. The basic premise of the game is to press the coloured buttons in time with the icons on screen whilst flicking the plectrum to actually play the note.

Players of guitar will get to grips with this easier than newcomers since the idea is similar. Pressing the buttons is like holding the strings on a real guitar and in order to play them you pluck the string at the base or in this case flick the little piece of plastic on the Les Paul. You’ll play notes one after another, two or three at a time and also hold them for longer sections. The whammy bar much like a real guitar alters the sound of longer notes and lead to bonuses during songs. Like any rhythm game you just need to play well enough to survive a whole song getting a final percentage and star rating at the end. With four difficulty settings (the last two being very very tough) you are going to be busy for a long time.

While you can play alone and rake in the cash to buy new items and outfits for your character (sadly you cannot create your own) you can also play co-operatively with a friend. Here teamwork is name of the game combining your scores and giving a star rating based on how well you worked together. But if like me you just want to play against someone you can do that too. Either through playing the exact same sequence of notes, playing lead and bass or in the new battle mode where you can use items that break strings, flip the notes around or make them harder for your opponent.

While the offline experience is certainly fun, the online adds to the lifespan of this game offering what you’d expect. Compare scores for songs or even play strangers and friends online. Sadly though the connection tends to be a little dodgy and compared to the likes of the 360 and PS3 online system it is overshadowed. But it is promising to see that the Wii can handle a game like Guitar Hero online without much lag.

The guitar itself feels very sturdy and comfortable to hold. The shiny white look of the Les Paul guitar matches that of the Wii and included is a shoulder strap and designed stickers to make yours unique. Unlike the other console versions however, this guitar is more a shell for the Wii remote allow it to slip inside just above the plectrum. Using this method the remote not only allows tilting to be recognised during gameplay but also incorrectly plucked notes are heard out of the speakers too, something not found in other versions and definitely a nice addition here. Unfortunately however changeable faceplates aren’t an option here so you’re stuck with plain white or sticker covered.

The music selection is pretty decent. While I’m not the biggest music buff I noticed a few tracks in there including “School’s Out For Summer”, “Before I Forget” and “Welcome To The Jungle” to name a few and I have to admit listening to some more on the track list has caused me to add them to my MP3. Obviously unless you’re a fan of rock, metal or alternate rock there’s not going to be much here for you but if you are I’m sure you’ll like what’s here. A neat little feature too as mentioned before is the use of the speaker on the Wii remote where hitting the wrong note causes a sour sound to play from it.

Visually this game is good but since you are going to be focusing on the notes scrolling by you aren’t going to notice your band playing on stage in the background. Obviously the PS3 and 360 versions look better but for a game like this is it that vital?

Negative things? Well while I appreciate a tough game when I play on one song for nearly an hour and still can’t complete it, it become frustrating so the difficulty curve may prove too much for some. No downloadable content is a kick in the teeth but then again Nintendo need to release a hardware drive for its console for this to happen.

When Harmonix Music Systems passed the torch onto another developer fans were understandably concerned. Thankfully those worries can be put to rest as Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock is a great addition to the series adding more characters, songs and more importantly a full working online mode for the Wii. The major problem though is the price, but if you’re in a nice financial situation and looking for something new and addictive than you won’t find better. Own a 360 or PS3? Then I would go with those versions as the updated graphics, downloadable tracks and improved online mode make them superior to the Wii version.
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Wed 30/04/08 at 21:18
Regular
"Ghosts Can't Die!"
Posts: 774
I had originally put off purchasing the latest Guitar Hero effort since a price tag of around sixty pounds isn’t something that I find too easy to meet for a single game. But after having a quick session round a friend’s house I had to get my own copy and practice it. That’s the wonderful thing about Guitar Hero, if you’re bad you have to play again and get better and it’s this addictive nature that keeps you coming back.

Remember the dance mat and how much of a phenomenon that was in the gaming industry. Guitar Hero is similar in that you are trying to press buttons in time with scrolling icons on the screen to famous music only instead of using your feet, you’re obviously using your fingers on a plastic guitar. It seems simple and it works very well requiring a certain level of skill especially in the later stages of the game.

There are five coloured fret buttons on the neck of the guitar and a plectrum at the base along with a whammy bar. The basic premise of the game is to press the coloured buttons in time with the icons on screen whilst flicking the plectrum to actually play the note.

Players of guitar will get to grips with this easier than newcomers since the idea is similar. Pressing the buttons is like holding the strings on a real guitar and in order to play them you pluck the string at the base or in this case flick the little piece of plastic on the Les Paul. You’ll play notes one after another, two or three at a time and also hold them for longer sections. The whammy bar much like a real guitar alters the sound of longer notes and lead to bonuses during songs. Like any rhythm game you just need to play well enough to survive a whole song getting a final percentage and star rating at the end. With four difficulty settings (the last two being very very tough) you are going to be busy for a long time.

While you can play alone and rake in the cash to buy new items and outfits for your character (sadly you cannot create your own) you can also play co-operatively with a friend. Here teamwork is name of the game combining your scores and giving a star rating based on how well you worked together. But if like me you just want to play against someone you can do that too. Either through playing the exact same sequence of notes, playing lead and bass or in the new battle mode where you can use items that break strings, flip the notes around or make them harder for your opponent.

While the offline experience is certainly fun, the online adds to the lifespan of this game offering what you’d expect. Compare scores for songs or even play strangers and friends online. Sadly though the connection tends to be a little dodgy and compared to the likes of the 360 and PS3 online system it is overshadowed. But it is promising to see that the Wii can handle a game like Guitar Hero online without much lag.

The guitar itself feels very sturdy and comfortable to hold. The shiny white look of the Les Paul guitar matches that of the Wii and included is a shoulder strap and designed stickers to make yours unique. Unlike the other console versions however, this guitar is more a shell for the Wii remote allow it to slip inside just above the plectrum. Using this method the remote not only allows tilting to be recognised during gameplay but also incorrectly plucked notes are heard out of the speakers too, something not found in other versions and definitely a nice addition here. Unfortunately however changeable faceplates aren’t an option here so you’re stuck with plain white or sticker covered.

The music selection is pretty decent. While I’m not the biggest music buff I noticed a few tracks in there including “School’s Out For Summer”, “Before I Forget” and “Welcome To The Jungle” to name a few and I have to admit listening to some more on the track list has caused me to add them to my MP3. Obviously unless you’re a fan of rock, metal or alternate rock there’s not going to be much here for you but if you are I’m sure you’ll like what’s here. A neat little feature too as mentioned before is the use of the speaker on the Wii remote where hitting the wrong note causes a sour sound to play from it.

Visually this game is good but since you are going to be focusing on the notes scrolling by you aren’t going to notice your band playing on stage in the background. Obviously the PS3 and 360 versions look better but for a game like this is it that vital?

Negative things? Well while I appreciate a tough game when I play on one song for nearly an hour and still can’t complete it, it become frustrating so the difficulty curve may prove too much for some. No downloadable content is a kick in the teeth but then again Nintendo need to release a hardware drive for its console for this to happen.

When Harmonix Music Systems passed the torch onto another developer fans were understandably concerned. Thankfully those worries can be put to rest as Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock is a great addition to the series adding more characters, songs and more importantly a full working online mode for the Wii. The major problem though is the price, but if you’re in a nice financial situation and looking for something new and addictive than you won’t find better. Own a 360 or PS3? Then I would go with those versions as the updated graphics, downloadable tracks and improved online mode make them superior to the Wii version.

Freeola & GetDotted are rated 5 Stars

Check out some of our customer reviews below:

Unrivalled services
Freeola has to be one of, if not the best, ISP around as the services they offer seem unrivalled.
Excellent support service!
I have always found the support staff to provide an excellent service on every occasion I've called.
Ben

View More Reviews

Need some help? Give us a call on 01376 55 60 60

Go to Support Centre
Feedback Close Feedback

It appears you are using an old browser, as such, some parts of the Freeola and Getdotted site will not work as intended. Using the latest version of your browser, or another browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera will provide a better, safer browsing experience for you.