PlayStation 2 Game Recommendations | mariteaux

[#] Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Activision, PlayStation 2, 2007)

I'm in the minority here, I guess.

Harmonix's absence is sorely felt during the third (and most beloved of the whole series, so what the fuck do I know) Guitar Hero. Tony Hawk devs Neversoft took over here after Harmonix's contract ran out and they ran off to make Rock Band, and impressive as it is what they were able to cook up so quickly, it is a rough first attempt. I was at the peak of being over the moon with plastic guitars as a kid when it came out, but this game just left me cold no matter what platform I played it on. $10 at a used game booth in town as a better discerning twentysomething later, and the reasons I've felt in my heart all along are completely affirmed. That doesn't mean there isn't fun to be had with it, though.

First issue: the implementation needs work. The note charts are not great, stacked up with artificially difficult chord switches and Star Power phrases that go on way too long. The engine is definitely looser than II, but that just makes your timing being off all the harder to determine. Veteran Expert player I am, I actually went down to Hard for my full playthrough. Second issue: it's hideous. The venues look flat, the backing band look awful, the girls all breast boobily in a really sleazy way, and the product placement is extreme, with Red Bulls on the stage, a Pontiac venue, and an Axe body spray unlock guitar (really?). It's also just tonally all wrong, and the loading text is weirdly nasty at times, missing the satirical lightheartedness of the earlier games.

Obviously, those are some pretty huge issues (and that's not even counting the occasional bugs I ran into with bizarre screeching noises in songs and frozen in place characters), but even a lesser Guitar Hero is still fun. While the setlist is definitely lopsided, there's enough huge tunes on offer to make going through it worthwhile, and the bonus setlist is weirdly the best charted part of the game. Legends of Rock does try some new things, like the boss battles with all the distracting powerups that are very fun and over too quickly, and it has some background details I appreciate. I'd say it was definitely worth my $10—but if I paid full price for it, I would've been pissed and gone with Rock Band next time instead.