Stepping into my local game store, I was immediately drawn to pick up Guitar Hero 3 for the Xbox 360. Just the game itself, mind you – resisting the allure of Halo 3 for another day, but also grabbing the Orange Box. Booting it up at home with my band alias THAC0, I dove headfirst into the Medium difficulty setting and estimate I’ve already shredded through about half, maybe a bit more, of what the game has to offer. Online play is still a frontier for me as my 360 isn’t wired up yet, so those online battles will have to wait. Sticking with what I know for now, I’m using my trusty Guitar Hero 2 controller, holding out for the new guitar bundled with Rock Band.
Familiar Gameplay with Minor Tweaks
For anyone who’s rocked out before, the core gameplay of Guitar Hero 3 on Xbox 360 remains reassuringly familiar. The note highways are back, and strumming along to the beat is just as addictive as ever. One thing I noticed right away is that hitting notes feels a bit more forgiving compared to Guitar Hero 2. My scores were consistently higher on my first playthroughs, racking up those coveted 5-star ratings more frequently. The “star power” mechanic has been redesigned, and honestly, it’s a little less intuitive to gauge how much you’ve accumulated. A new addition is a combo meter that tracks your streak of successful notes, and while it’s cool to see those big numbers climb, the large pop-up messages announcing milestones at the top of the screen can be a bit distracting, even causing a few missed notes as my eyes darted upwards. Achievement pop-ups during gameplay suffer from the same interruption issue.
Story Mode: A Quirky Narrative Backdrop
Between each venue change-up, Guitar Hero 3 on Xbox 360 introduces story segments, presented through visual vignettes with expressive sound effects but no actual dialogue. While your chosen character makes a cameo in the initial scene, subsequent story bits focus solely on your generic band members. The storyline itself is a somewhat strange addition, stretching the Guitar Hero premise into slightly odd territory. We’re asked to buy into the idea that a cover band is not only creating original music videos but also headlining major shows and arenas. And let’s not forget the lead singer who apparently has the vocal range to mimic both Jack Black and Keith Richards – suspension of disbelief is key here!
Visual Presentation: A Step Backwards?
Visually, Guitar Hero 3 on Xbox 360 marks a noticeable shift, and not entirely for the better. Much of the charm from previous iterations seems to be lost in translation. The loading screen, once a source of clever and amusing tidbits, is now a distracting, animated mess. In-game character models are more detailed and higher resolution than before, which is neither a positive nor negative point in itself. However, the “star power” visual effects are decidedly less impressive and even a bit bland, as are the victory animations. Crowd design is where the visual shortcomings become particularly apparent. One venue, set in a jail, features an audience composed almost entirely of the same character model duplicated repeatedly with minimal animation variations and spacing. On a brighter note, the different venues themselves are imaginative and varied, clearly aiming for a different aesthetic palette than Guitar Hero 2, which is a welcome change.
Boss Battles: Challenging Encounters
So far, I’ve faced off against two boss battles: Tom Morello and Slash. These encounters are easily the most challenging sections of the game encountered thus far. The gameplay shifts slightly; instead of simply trying to outplay your opponent, the focus is on disrupting their performance. Bosses can win automatically if you don’t strategically sabotage them before the song ends. To disrupt them, you need to accrue attack power (similar to building star power) and then tilt your guitar at the opportune moment to unleash an attack. Mastering the timing of these attacks and ensuring you collect every available power-up seems crucial to victory. After defeating a boss, you unlock an encore performance where they join you on stage, though it doesn’t really feel like a collaborative performance. Once conquered, bosses become available for purchase as playable characters, alongside other unlockable figures like the Grim Reaper and the God of Rock. (Valhalen would have been an amazing addition!)
Song Selection: A Mixed Bag of Tracks
The song list in Guitar Hero 3 for Xbox 360 has been somewhat of a letdown so far. While it undeniably includes some iconic tracks, like “Paint it Black,” many of the song reveals haven’t generated much excitement. My standout favorite so far is “The Metal” by Tenacious D, although even that feels like it could have leaned into a more hardcore rendition. For those curious, the full set list is readily available to explore and form your own opinions.
Final Verdict: Enjoyable but Not Revolutionary
Overall, Guitar Hero 3 on Xbox 360 is an enjoyable addition to the franchise and a logical next step after mastering Medium difficulty in Guitar Hero 2. I’m eager to explore the online multiplayer and cooperative modes to fully maximize the game’s value. However, it’s clear that Guitar Hero 3 doesn’t revolutionize the core Guitar Hero experience. Its replay value might be somewhat limited. My hope is that the adjusted difficulty curve will make Hard difficulty more accessible and engaging. Ultimately, whether Guitar Hero 3 is worth the $60 price tag (potentially more if you need a guitar controller) is something you’ll have to decide for yourself based on what it offers.
