Neversoft’s iteration of the Guitar Hero series took cues from Harmonix, the originators of the rhythm game genre, particularly in user interface design. Guitar Hero: Metallica on Xbox 360 showcased a familiar interface, incorporating elements like the star power meter, score counters, and the star rating system. This star system, ranging from one to five stars, provided a quick visual assessment of a player’s performance on any given song. It served as a user-friendly performance indicator, complementing the note streak counter, a feature pioneered by Neversoft, which catered to players seeking a more granular challenge.
For those eagerly anticipating Guitar Hero: Metallica and who pre-ordered from retailers like Gamestop, an exciting bonus awaited: an extra kick drum pedal and the necessary connector for existing World Tour drum kits. This addition marked the arrival of double-bass drumming to rhythm games, realized in the challenging Expert + difficulty setting on Xbox 360. Expert + mode essentially mirrored the Expert difficulty but charted every single bass drum note. As illustrated by the purple bars in the center column of the gameplay display, these notes represented bass drum hits, making Expert + a formidable challenge even for seasoned rhythm game veterans on Xbox 360.
While the double bass pedal might seem excessive in many musical genres, its inclusion felt perfectly natural within the context of a game heavily focused on metal music. Metallica’s drummer, Lars Ulrich, is renowned for his fast and powerful double bass drumming, a technique that previously proved too demanding for even the most skilled players in earlier rhythm games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero. To compensate for the single-pedal drum kits and to prevent potential player injuries, previous games had simplified bass drum charting. However, Neversoft recognized Guitar Hero: Metallica as the ideal platform to offer a more authentic drumming experience, making Expert + a compelling option for players seeking an intense challenge on their Xbox 360.
Visual Presentation and User Interface on Xbox 360
Since taking over the Guitar Hero franchise, Neversoft adopted a grittier aesthetic for the series. While some players may have appreciated this shift, others found it to be a less appealing imitation of the series’ original style. The character designs, once subtly inspired and clever, became more exaggerated and stereotypical. The witty loading screen messages were replaced with what some considered to be forced and cliché rock-themed phrases. Furthermore, the user interface, while aiming for a stylized look, was criticized for sacrificing functionality. For example, the star power meter used six lights to represent four segments, with only three initially visible, a design choice that some found confusing and less intuitive compared to previous Guitar Hero iterations on Xbox 360 and other platforms.
Despite incremental improvements over time, the interface of Guitar Hero: Metallica, even on Xbox 360, was considered less polished and user-friendly than the sleek and easily navigable interface of Rock Band. The song selection menu was also criticized for being cluttered and difficult to read, similar to Guitar Hero World Tour. Character customization, including musicians, logos, and tattoos, lacked the intuitiveness and inspiration found in Rock Band. This customization suite, largely carried over from World Tour, felt somewhat superficial. Overall, the presentation of Guitar Hero: Metallica on Xbox 360, while ambitious in scope, was considered by some to be merely adequate.
However, Neversoft excelled in bringing the band members of Metallica to life within the game. Metallica participated in motion capture sessions specifically for Guitar Hero: Metallica, resulting in character models and animations that were significantly more detailed and realistic than those in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The animations were fluid and convincing, capturing the nuances of each band member’s stage presence. Lead singer James Hetfield’s in-game representation was particularly praised, with details like subtle movements and even visible saliva during vocal performances adding to the realism. One memorable animation featured Hetfield glaring menacingly at the camera during “Enter Sandman,” perfectly capturing his stage persona. The game’s intro sequence, featuring the band entering the stage to Ennio Morricone’s “The Ecstasy of Gold,” further enhanced the immersive experience of playing as Metallica on Xbox 360. Neversoft’s dedication to accurately portraying Metallica was a standout achievement.
Multiplayer and Bonus Features on Xbox 360
Unfortunately, the multiplayer component of Guitar Hero: Metallica on Xbox 360 suffered from the same issues that plagued Guitar Hero World Tour. Online matchmaking was slow and often unsuccessful, particularly for full band sessions. Song selection was randomized rather than host-controlled, and difficulty levels had to be set before matchmaking, hindering flexibility. Furthermore, choosing between guitar and bass roles within a band was often a guessing game. These design flaws resulted in a frustrating online experience, especially when compared to the smoother multiplayer functionality of Rock Band, which had been released almost a year prior. Despite the time difference, Guitar Hero: Metallica did not improve upon the online multiplayer experience of its predecessor.
Reviews of Guitar Hero: Metallica on Xbox 360 often overlooked or only briefly mentioned the multiplayer aspect. Therefore, it’s important to emphasize that players seeking a robust online multiplayer experience should be aware of these limitations. The online modes were not a strong point of the game.
Guitar Hero: Metallica included some bonus features that showed promise but were not fully realized. The inclusion of lyrics for every song was a welcome addition, allowing players to sing along while playing. The “Metallifacts” feature, reminiscent of Pop-Up Video, provided song-specific trivia that appeared during gameplay replays. While initially interesting, the repetition of facts became noticeable over time. Given Metallica’s extensive history, the Metallifacts feature could have been expanded with more diverse and in-depth content. Live performance videos were also included, offering a real-world perspective of the band, but their appeal was primarily limited to dedicated Metallica fans.
Ultimately, Guitar Hero: Metallica on Xbox 360 is a game that caters specifically to hardcore Guitar Hero enthusiasts and dedicated Metallica fans. For those groups, the game offers a challenging and immersive experience centered around Metallica’s music. However, players seeking a broader range of artists, robust online multiplayer, or features like downloadable content and song exporting might find the game lacking.
Recommended for:
- Metallica Fans on Xbox 360
- Rhythm game aficionados seeking challenging solos and drum parts on Xbox 360
Not Recommended for:
- Players expecting reliable multiplayer modes on Xbox 360
- Gamers looking for an accessible party game for Xbox 360
- Consumers seeking budget-friendly features or extensive downloadable content for Xbox 360
- Gamers desiring the long-term replayability of games like Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360
