I hope you like Aerosmith.
The latest installment of the mega-hit “Guitar Hero” rhythm game franchise lets players strum the plastic to a soundtrack dominated by one of America's greatest rock bands.
As in previous “Hero” games, players must timely press down fret buttons and pick the strum bar on a plastic guitar peripheral controller while the correct fret pattern scrolls down the screen to the rhythm of the music.
The single-player mode is a rewarding odyssey through the career of Aerosmith as they go from playing Nipmuc High School in the early 1970s to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the turn of the century. All five members of the band are interviewed in documentary snippets between segments, and their rocking likenesses are featured on stage during game play.
With the note design improved to bridge the difficult gap between the “Medium” and “Hard” modes of “Guitar Hero 3,” “Aerosmith” presents another strong addition to the “Hero” library. Though it copies several load screen messages (such as “Never think you were the first band to wear all black on stage”) and menu sound effects from “3,” such window dressing weighs little on the game's complete package of rock goodness.
Any criticism of the game can be confined to its major distinguishing feature - the Aerosmith-heavy soundtrack. Here the designers make the questionable choice to include several songs by other bands, such as “Dream Police” by Cheap Trick and “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots.
For a game obviously geared toward Aerosmith fans, it seems the smarter decision would have been to go all-out with the Boston band's discography in order to decrease the likelihood of fan complaints about missing songs. I'm no Aerosmith lover, and I was surprised by the absence of “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Janie's Got a Gun,” among other songs.
A game branded with one band is already likely to exclude all but fans of both said band and the “Guitar Hero” series, so the half-hearted attempt at crossover appeal ends up useless. When - not if - the “Guitar Hero” series focuses on another band, hopefully they will fully dedicate its soundtrack to them and no one else.
If you play
Game: “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith”
Score: B+
Parental rating: Teen for lyrics and mildly suggestive themes
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Platform: Wii (also available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360)
Price: $49.99 ($99.99 for game and guitar controller)
Features: 1 player, multiplayer
Life span: 5 hours
The final boss: Any “Guitar Hero” fans with equal fervor for Aerosmith will flock to this game combining the two.
As in previous “Hero” games, players must timely press down fret buttons and pick the strum bar on a plastic guitar peripheral controller while the correct fret pattern scrolls down the screen to the rhythm of the music.
The single-player mode is a rewarding odyssey through the career of Aerosmith as they go from playing Nipmuc High School in the early 1970s to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at the turn of the century. All five members of the band are interviewed in documentary snippets between segments, and their rocking likenesses are featured on stage during game play.
With the note design improved to bridge the difficult gap between the “Medium” and “Hard” modes of “Guitar Hero 3,” “Aerosmith” presents another strong addition to the “Hero” library. Though it copies several load screen messages (such as “Never think you were the first band to wear all black on stage”) and menu sound effects from “3,” such window dressing weighs little on the game's complete package of rock goodness.
Any criticism of the game can be confined to its major distinguishing feature - the Aerosmith-heavy soundtrack. Here the designers make the questionable choice to include several songs by other bands, such as “Dream Police” by Cheap Trick and “Sex Type Thing” by Stone Temple Pilots.
For a game obviously geared toward Aerosmith fans, it seems the smarter decision would have been to go all-out with the Boston band's discography in order to decrease the likelihood of fan complaints about missing songs. I'm no Aerosmith lover, and I was surprised by the absence of “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)” and “Janie's Got a Gun,” among other songs.
A game branded with one band is already likely to exclude all but fans of both said band and the “Guitar Hero” series, so the half-hearted attempt at crossover appeal ends up useless. When - not if - the “Guitar Hero” series focuses on another band, hopefully they will fully dedicate its soundtrack to them and no one else.
If you play
Game: “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith”
Score: B+
Parental rating: Teen for lyrics and mildly suggestive themes
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Platform: Wii (also available for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360)
Price: $49.99 ($99.99 for game and guitar controller)
Features: 1 player, multiplayer
Life span: 5 hours
The final boss: Any “Guitar Hero” fans with equal fervor for Aerosmith will flock to this game combining the two.
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