Gamernode: Reviews - Guitar Hero III

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• Guitar Hero III
• Xbox 360
• Neversoft Entertainment
• Activision
• October 29th, 2007

Battle mode is basically like pro face-off except you have the ability to throw different "weapons" at your opponents by tilting your guitar upward, as if you were to use star power. You receive different weapons after you hit a string of notes, much like you hit a string of notes to boost your Star Power meter. By using your weapon, your opponent may have to tap their whammy bar rapidly because you broke it, they may have to play double the amount of notes, or they may see notes disappear when you hit them with the "Amp Overload" weapon. Although this mode sounds exciting, it's truly nothing more than a big waste of time when actually played out. The first person to get a weapon usually wins, and it really takes no skill other than being able to hit a few phrases that get you a given weapon. I was highly disappointed with this mode.

Battle mode has also made its way into Career mode, sadly. During three different points during your career, you will have to battle three different guitarists, including Tom Morello, Slash, and some big demon that looks like he's from Tenacious D. Because there are eight different tiers in career mode, it seemed odd that they only had three bosses. I thought it would be nice to have one boss per tier, but hey, what do I know? Anyway, in order to beat the three bosses, you must use your weapons that go along with the new Battle Mode. This new boss feature feels incomplete at best, and I hope that RedOctane and Neversoft either revamp it completely or remove it when Guitar Hero IV comes out.

The greatest new edition to Guitar Hero III is the online mode. Never before have you been able to prove your skills against an opponent online. Now you won't have to have a friend over if you ever feel like PWNing somebody. The matches I played online were an absolute blast, and practically lag-free. Ranked matches can be played in three different modes: pro-face off, face-off, and battle mode. You and a friend can even battle two other opponents in a co-op face-off. Nice.

Overall, Guitar Hero III is pure excellence. A killer song list and the addition of a brand new online mode can't be beat. I'd recommend this game to any person who has ever played a video game or even heard a rock song one time in their life. You'll be the envy of all your friends and family, so pick it up; it's only $90-100 with a free axe depending upon which system you buy the game for. Guitar Hero III is one of the few video games that is actually exciting to watch, and it's great to have at a party or when you have a couple of people over. I would have liked to see more depth to the boss section of career mode and also a better battle mode, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

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