Customer Reviews

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Bundle

5 star:		(132)
4 star:		(79)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I come to Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii having played Guitar Hero 2 on the PS2 at Expert difficulty. Sometimes formula can be a bad thing, other times it's not. This is one of those "not" times.

The game plays basically the same as its predecessor, and on top of that it's got a better set list. After reaching 5-star level on nearly all the songs at Expert difficulty in Guitar Hero 2, I found that the list of songs that I actually just enjoyed playing was very short. That's not so much the case with Guitar Hero 3, which has a larger collection of songs that are both fun to play and to listen to.

There are flaws, though. It seems to me that the new developers decided that they needed to tweak the Hammer On/Pull Off controls a little, and the result of this tweaking was that there were many times throughout the game where I instinctively didn't strum because two notes were close together, but one of the notes inexplicably required you to strum. Although this increases the difficulty, it feels awkward and forced (you could, after all, just do away with HOPOs altogether rather than making them unworkable at seemingly random times).

I'm not a big fan of the boss battles, either. The battle mode seems a good idea for balancing multiplayer Guitar Hero, because Guitar Hero 2 suffered significantly from the fact that an Expert player could hardly help beating anyone playing on Medium in the Face-off mode, at least not without putting down the guitar, which isn't exactly fun. However, the battle mode really has no place in the single-player career mode, where all I'm looking to do is play some songs.

It doesn't help that the boss battles are not very well executed. The final boss battle had me stuck for quite some time, simply because the battle power-ups that I was getting weren't very useful against the opponent. When I finally got the right power-up, defeating him was trivially easy. That means the battle was far too dependent on randomness, which isn't really fun in a game that's good precisely because it depends completely on skill.

Add on top of this the fact that, for no obvious reason, the songs that you play in the boss battles can't be accessed away from those battles. That means there's no way to just play these songs. You've always got to be worried about defeating an opponent who's messing up your ability to play. Along the same lines, certain songs are only unlockable by playing multiplayer mode. I wouldn't call that a good idea in any case, but it's especially annoying on the Wii version, because there currently is no guitar available for separate purchase, which means you must find someone else who owns both a Wii and Guitar Hero 3, and most people I know who have the game have it for PS2 or XBox 360.

The game is still lots of fun even with these flaws. There are some good new features to balance things out, such as the ability to play the game online (though again it seems that more often than not when I go looking for an online game, there aren't any available). I think I like the Wii guitar controller better than the PS2 controllers for Guitar Hero 2, in part because they seem more responsive. A number of times when using the PS2 controller and strumming very rapidly while attempting to deploy Star Power, I have had the controller frustratingly not register my movement despite holding the controller vertically. I haven't noticed such problems on the Wii.

As far as difficulty goes, if you played Guitar Hero 2 on Expert, then it won't take you long to get through Guitar Hero 3 on Expert, either. Some of the songs are still difficult (and some will cramp your hand), but because the gameplay mechanics are the same (and that is a good thing), if you're good at Guitar Hero you're good at Guitar Hero. You won't have too much trouble with the vast majority of the songs in the game.

All in all, if you liked Guitar Hero 2, you'll probably like Guitar Hero 3. If you didn't, why are you reading this?

I've never played the previous games in this series but this game is addictive! The Wii remote is easy to tuck into the guitar and the tutorial is pretty easy. Instead of strings you have a bar you push corresponding to how fast the notes move. I've never strummed guitar, my husband has. And I'm thrashing him at this game!

You work you're way up from a garage band, earning money along the way that you can spend in the games store for goodies like new outfits, real songs from around the world, and extra characters.Your current playlist is good with songs everybody knows even if their a poptart. You may even get asked to do an encore! My one gripe is their aren't that many chick songs, at least not on the levels I've played.

If you can find a second guitar remote you can rock head to head, which I plan to do with the spouse. I'll need to find a pink faceplate though. The makers said they'd have alternate fronts, so here's hoping. The guitar/remote is about the size of a eukalalie but still manages to make you feel very boss and you'll suddenly find yourself moving with attitude to the rhythm.

Stop reading and go play one!!!

Guitar Hero 3 is great, however there are some problems with this particular version.
First, let me point out the obvious. This is the first and only Guitar Hero game for any Nintendo system. Currently only Rock Band Special Edition has been released for Wii, there are no plans for any of the three other Guitar Hero games will come to Wii. In other words this is the only game in town for GH on the Wii and sadly the game plays songs only in Mono. This means if you have a fancy surround system, the music would only come out of the center speaker. You can rig it up so that the same mono sound comes out of other speakers, but that is not even an approximation of Dolby Pro Logic II. This is a negative, but shouldn't really prevent anyone from picking this game up.

The game itself is still as good as Guitar Hero 2 Bundle with Guitar or Guitar Hero (Game Only). In fact I would say that generally on the same difficulty level this game is a bit harder that the others. The set list, like the others, is a combination of classic and modern music. This is an online game, so you can play against people online and they claim that at some point additional songs will be available to purchase (not likely).
The new feature for this one is the battle mode. In these special boards you will face off with Slash, Tom Morello, etc... and instead of star power you get attacks to use against your opponent. It is well done, but since it is only a few songs it doesn't play a major part in the game.
The Gibson branded guitar looks great and the Wii-mote actually plugging into it allows for better tilt functions. Also it rumbles and sound comes out of the controller, though it is rarely used (rumble for star power and speaker mostly for missed notes) it does put this version over the other guitars.
The big negative is the mono sound from the game. Even though the packaging clearly says Dolby Pro Logic 2, it is only in that sound format for the menus and whatnot. [On 12/6/07 Activision acknowledged this bug and offers a disk exchange.]

Since this is a music game, the mono sound is a negative, but really it shouldn't prevent anyone from picking this up. There will be a disk exchange coming in the future [I totally called that one], in the meantime, rock on.

EDIT: Here is the press release from Activision spokeswoman Rhy-Ming Poon:
"We recently became aware that some consumers have not been able to enjoy the full audio output in the Nintendo Wii version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. We are currently working with Nintendo and are planning to issue an improved audio experience in future versions of the game. We expect to have re-mastered discs available by early 2008 and we will be offering consumers replacement discs at no cost once they become available. We thank all of our customers for their support and patience."

I love the Wii version of GH III. I love the PS2 version, too! (I have both.) "Why?" you may be asking.

I love the Wii version because of the cool, new, wireless guitar controller. It's so shiny and pristine white and works well with no glitches in play no matter what direction I am pointing. I love the online function.

What I don't like is that it's tough (right now at least) to find a good online partner (or stranger) to play. I am the only person I know who has the Wii version. Wii guitar controllers only come in the GH III bundle, and reports are that these solo controllers won't be available until early 2008. (Are you kidding me???)

So I have to play co-op and battle mode with my PS2... which is fine, but that means I have to complete the levels twice on two different systems. I'm a GH nut, so I don't mind doing that...

All in all, I love the Wii version. It's just so fresh and new with the new controller and the online play. But it's still untapped fun (until we can buy a second controller and can download other songs online).

This game rocks. No doubt about it. Anyone who has played the previous games will already know this. But this game rocks extra hard on the Wii.

The controller fits nice and snug in the guitar. What is nice about this setup is the wiimote will vibrate or use the built in speaker all the time. Whenever you mess up and don't hit a note, that annoying sound isn't really loud on your speakers. And if you're like me you'll play this game with the volume way up on a nice system. So for the missed note "ching" noise to be only on the wiimote is very nice. Also, whenever you use the star power the wiimote vibrates. It's just a little extra to make this game great.

The graphics are good, but who cares. This game is all about fun play style and the music! This game is so fun and addicting! The first night I had it I had a BBQ at my place and everyone loved it. The music is awesome for the most part. There are a few songs that I don't really care for, but the majority of the songs rock.

If you're having second thoughts about buying this, don't. Trust me, this game is actually worth the $80 price tag.

I'm someone who had never played Guitar Hero 1 or 2 before I bought Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii. I can't really compare it previous versions of the game, nor can I compare it to the other systems' versions of Guitar Hero 3. What I can do is give a viewpoint to what this game is like to someone just playing this series for the first time.

The sound is a big part of what this game is about, and obviously I'm talking about the sound track in large part. Of the incredibly varied list of songs, over 70 in all, I enjoyed most of them. There are a few songs in the bonus track listing that I don't even both to play because the music just isn't good, but overall still far more hits than misses. As a first time Guitar Hero player a big thumbs up for the soundtrack, though there's certainly room to improve in future versions.

Now on to the gameplay. There is certainly a substatial learning curve for new players. Obviously you start with easy mode, which isn't bad as begininer song. Then on medium where three four chords are used, and hard where five are used. The practice mode is very helpful, and if you want to get good you'll have to spend a lot of time there. I haven't even gottent to expert and I've had the game for a few months. It's very much an experience that's very fun and challenging, no matter what your skill level. The controls are perfectly responsive, obeviously important for the harder difficulties.

In the end I can't get enough of this game. The Wii wireless guitar works great, with the sound coming out of the Guitar and a rumble feature on star power (things apparently not available in other versions of the game. It's powered by the Wiimote inside the guitar shell, but doesn't use battery life as fast as you might fear. As a first time Guitar Hero player I have to give this my highest recomendation. Minor issues aside (not that impressive of visuals and some crappy songs) it's a great experience.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the 4th and best game in the Guitar Hero Series. For those of you who don't know, Guitar Hero comes with a plastic guitar with five buttons instead of frets, a strum button, and a whammy bar. The object is to hit notes scrolling towards you by pressing the buttons and the strum button in time with the music. If you miss to many notes, you will get "booed" off the stages. However, if you hit every note, you are rewarded with "Star Power", which increases your score. You can also use the Whammy bar on extended notes.

In a game like Guitar Hero, The game lives and dies on its soundtrack. Guitar hero III delivers on the soundtrack. For fans of Classic rock, there is The Who, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Heart, and Foghat. For Fans of Hard Rock, there's Mountain, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Guns n' Roses, and Black Sabbath. For Punk fans there are the Sex Pistols, Social Distortion, and The Dead Kennedys. 90's Rock Fans will enjoy Pearl Jam, Weezer, Rage Against the Machine, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Metal Fans will like Slipknot, Metallica, and Slayer. Also, Jazz makes its long-overdue debut in GHIII, with Eric Johnson's Cliffs of Dover, which is my favorite song in the game. There really is something for every rock fan. However, there is no Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, or Van Halen, so there is room for improvement.

The Graphics are not very good in this game. Though the Guitarists and Venues look nice, The backing band looks bad (The drummer seriously has right angles for elbows). However, when playing, you are too busy concentrating on the upcoming notes to care about the graphics.

There are a few new features in Guitar Hero III, some good and some bad. A good feature is the Online Play via The Nintendo WFC. If a friend of yours has the game and a home network, you can play multiplayer online together. It works the same as the local multiplayer and there is no lag. A Not-so-good new feature is the battle mode. In the career mode, you will face off against famous guitarists like Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine and Slash from Guns and Roses. In this mode, you receive power-ups that screw up your opponent. Your opponents can fire back and easily end your game. The Final guitarist you face is very cheap and difficult to beat.

Overall, this is a great game that you will play for weeks on end. This game is great for kids of all ages (The Teen Rating is unwarranted as there are very few songs that swear)because of the difficulty levels. This is the best game in the series and I highly recommend it.

I'm used to somewhat lackluster ports for Nintendo consoles, as a one time GameCube-only owner. It's nothing new. This one, however, has turned out to be _particularly_ bad.

First, though, I'll talk about Guitar Hero 3 itself. Great game. If you liked 2, it's likely you'll more than enjoy 3. They've eased up the timing required on the notes, while at the same time seemingly ramped up the complexity on later songs. Not sure how I feel about that, but it's not too bad. You can still turn on a "precision" mode too, to tighten up the timing window...but you'd best have robotic hands before trying it!

The setlist is good. There were only about 3 or 4 songs that I didn't particularly enjoy, and a couple of those were still fun to play (just lackluster musically). It's not hard to track down a full list, I'll leave it to you to decide how you feel.

I'm not a fan of the boss battle system. I'll not go into detail, I'll just say that in general it's not particularly fun. Battle mode against another human is a bit more interesting, but against he AI it just doesn't do it for me. Fortunately, with the exception of (I believe) the final battle with Lou you can simply wuss out...lose three times and they'll let you move on regardless.

Okay, now on to Wii-specific issues. First, two minor ones. The graphics are horrid; it appears, at least to me, to be a straight PS2 port even though the Wii can do better. Not a huge deal, though, since I don't play this for the graphics...plus, I've heard of some sporadic slowdown issues on the 360/PS3 versions, and on a rhythm game a solid framerate is _much_ more important than how it looks. The only other minor issue is paying essentially the same for a guitar that is actually a "shell." No transmitter. At first I thought the Wii version was $10 less because of this, but then I remembered that PS3/360 games MSRP for $10 more in general ($60 over $50). So I guess we'll see if/when the standalone guitars come out for Wii. I hope they don't think they can charge the same as the "fully functional" wireless ones for other systems.

Now, the major ones. First up, and a huge one: no stereo sound. The in-game music/sound is mono-only. It says Dolby Surround on the box,and apparently one of the intro videos is (the rest are not), but when you're playing, it's a flashback to the 1930's with brilliant single-channel audio. The developers have yet to acknowledge the existence of this problem, let alone announce any plans to fix it; write them, and they'll give you the runaround trying to get you to fiddle with your amplifier/decoder settings or Wii audio settings. As I know perfectly well what I'm doing in this regard, I had already tried all of this...it appears that their goal is to get you to output this mono channel through both speakers, which is good enough to fool at least some people. It's still mono, put on headphones and you will be able to tell _easily_. Pay attention to the music and you can tell without headphones.

So, considering that music has been released in stereo for decades and consoles have been in stereo for decades as well (since SNES/Genesis), and that the audio on all three other consoles is stereo/surround as well (including PS2), this is pretty unforgivable. Lying and attempting to deceive the customer by trying to get them to set their audio up in a way that might fool them is as well. Failing to simply acknowledge the problem, announce a plan to fix it, and make it happen is pretty bad as well. In short, this version (Wii) is defective, and if you own any other console I'd avoid it. Even if you don't, I'd hold off until the problem is acknowledged and fixed.

The only other major problem on the Wii is the lack of downloadable content. Could be due to limited storage space, I don't know. But the point is that the Wii (along with the PS2) versions leave you with the songs included on the disc...you're not getting any more. I noted somebody in another review (and it's a common one) complaining that the boss battle songs were only playable in battle mode; well, on PS3 and 360 this has been fixed, and those songs have been released for normal play as downloadable content. Regardless of the reason this wasn't done for the Wii, it does somewhat cripple the game compared to the other "online" consoles.

Overall, if you're a huge Guitar Hero fan and only own a Wii (or perhaps want to play online and only own a Wii/PS2) I guess this is the version you're stuck with. I'd _highly_ recommend waiting, however, until there is some official word on the sound issue. I can't imagine they won't fix it (especially since it claims surround on the box...false advertising and all) at some point, and I'd hope they'd replace existing copies. However, the former could be solved by removing the surround logo, and even if they do fix it the latter is not guaranteed.

Seriously, hold off on buying this.

EDIT: As of this edit, both DLC for Wii and (finally!) the intent to fix the issue and replace discs have been announced by Activision. I will do a complete re-write of this review shortly.

Like pretty much every rhythm game, Guitar Hero can be insanely addictive. There's always that sense of "oh, just one more song. Oh, just one more song. Oh, just one more song."

The song list is incredibly deep and will keep you occupied for a nice long time. The difficulty level is a little off, though. The Medium was just a bit too easy to get through. There's definitely room to go back to top your score, but just blowing through the stages to get to the end was a bit too easy. Hard difficulty, on the other hand, lives up to it's name.

An extremely nice feature is Practice Mode, which will let you take sections of any song and slow them down. I would have preferred a slider to control how much I wanted to alter the speed, as opposed to just full speed, slow, slower, and slowest, but it works well enough.

An obvious thumbs down for the Wii version is the lack of downloadable content. Don't get me wrong - mastering every included song will take you awhile, but the fact that there's a definite ceiling to the number of songs you'll have access to takes away a lot from the Wii version.

This is one game where one of my first concerns was simply whether or not it was lefty friendly. I think, for the most part, a left-handed person might have a bit of an advantage when it came to Guitar Hero because the "picking" doesn't need to be nearly as precise as when you're actually playing a guitar. Alas, I have the misfortune of actually playing the guitar, and I'm left-handed.

The lefty flip option is simple enough, and the guitar strap is set up so you can easily play the guitar upside down. The only two issues I have with it are a) the whammy bar is a bit more difficult to use, so trying to actually bend notes can actually lead you to screw up, and b) the '-' button is out of reach. While tilting the guitar up activates the power-up, there are times where I'd really prefer to be able to hit the button with a free finger.

While this is definitely a solid purchase, I'd only recommend it if the Wii is the only console you own. If you own an Xbox 360, then I would highly recommend going with that version.

I'm going to try to make this brief. Okay, you might just think I gave this game 5 stars for the heck of it, but literally this game is a whole lot of fun, doesn't matter if you're a total beginner and have no idea what to do or you're a complete expert and can play every level with ease, it has 4 totally different levels (All the songs are the same on all levels, though.)
Positives
- The songs' notes go to the rhythm of the song at times, but it could rapidly be the opposite other times. Some people might put this as a Con, but I think it makes the game a whole lot better.
- There is a huge list of songs originally (43 or something), as well as a whole bunch of other songs to buy.
- The tutorials really are helpful, and explain everything in a matter of seconds.
Cons
- The guitar battles can be really frustrating, trying over and over again. It's probably the part of Guitar Hero III, I hate the most. It get's discouraging.
- The whole things of Star Power, the Whammy Bar, etc can a bit confusing, and sometimes, overwhelming, but it adds choices to the game, I guess.
- You have to have big hands to master all the levels. I find it quite impossible to hit all five keys randomly if you have to keep moving your hand. All five keys are only in the Hard & Expert levels, though, so you really don't have to worry about that, unless you get really good, and need more challenge, but can't go onto the next level, because you don't have a big hand.
Overall, Guitar Hero III is probably the best of all the Guitar Heroes, but that's just my opinion, other people would disagree. It's really fun for the whole family, and I would recommend it as a Wii (or Playstation or Xbox 360) game any day.