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Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
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Cover for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, with Slash shown in the center, along with fictional guitarists Judy Nails on the left and Lars Ümlaüt on the right |
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| Developer(s) | Neversoft (Xbox 360 & PS3) Aspyr Media (PC & Mac) Vicarious Visions (Wii) Budcat Creations (PS2) |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Series | Guitar Hero |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360, PC, Mac |
| Release date(s) | Console versions NA October 28, 2007[1] AUS November 7, 2007 EU November 23, 2007 PC |
| Genre(s) | Music |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) OFLC: PG BBFC: 12 |
| Media | Blu-ray, DVD, Wii Optical Disc |
| Input methods | Guitar controller - game packaged with Gibson Les Paul (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), Kramer Striker (PS2), Gibson X-Plorer, (PC and Mac) controller, gamepad, Wii Remote, Keyboard, Mouse |
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision and RedOctane. It is the third full installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall. Guitar Hero III was first released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, with the PlayStation 2 version developed through Budcat Creations and the Wii version through Vicarious Visions. Aspyr Media assisted in porting the game to the PC, and Mac platforms in late 2007. Due to the acquisition of RedOctane by Activision, Harmonix Music Systems is no longer involved in developing titles in the Guitar Hero series; instead, they developed the competing Rock Band.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock retains the same gameplay as the other games in the series. The player uses a special guitar-shaped controller to simulate the playing of rock music by playing in-time to scrolling notes on-screen. Guitar Hero III includes a new cooperative career mode and "Boss Battles" against both in-game characters and other players; the game is also the first in the series to allow for online play for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions. The game features over 70 total songs shipped on disk, many of which, in contrast to previous games, are master tracks. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions also feature the ability to download additional songs. Several musicians appear in Guitar Hero 3, including Tom Morello (of the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) and Slash (of the bands Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver) as in-game characters. The PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions also include Bret Michaels (of the band Poison).
The game was well-received, though reviewers noted the difference in the feel of the game compared to the previous installments due to the change of developer. The game was the best-selling video game of 2007, both in terms of units sold and revenue earned, according to Activision.
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The Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock gameplay remains unchanged from previous titles in the series; the player must hit notes as they scroll towards the bottom of the screen in time with music in order to maintain their performance and to score points.[4] Hitting notes using the guitar controller requires strumming the strum bar while holding down the correct fret button(s). Playing with the standard controller only requires the correct button to be pressed.[4] Notes can be sustained (in which the fret button(s) must remain held until the note is complete) and can also form a chord — almost always two or three notes played together. (Four-note chords first appeared in the song "Go That Far" (Bret Michaels Band), and they have subsequently appeared in the Joe Perry Guitar Battle in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, "Pride and Joy" in Guitar Hero: On Tour, "Sweet Home Alabama" in Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, and "Santeria" in Guitar Hero: World Tour.) The game also simulates hammer-ons and pull-offs for sections with a rapid series of notes. Missing a note will cause a performance meter to drop; if this meter drops too low, the player will fail the song, represented in-game by the band being booed off the stage. A string of 10 consecutive correct notes earns a multiplier to increase the player's score (up until four times), and special sections, marked by starred notes, can be used to build Star Power; when released (by tilting the guitar controller up vertically or hitting a button on a standard controller), the player's multiplier is doubled, the performance meter increases faster when a correct note is hit, and there is less of a penalty for missing notes.[4] As with the previous games in the series, Guitar Hero III contains four difficulty levels: Easy (which uses three of the fret buttons); Medium (which makes use of four of the fret buttons); Hard (which utilizes all five fret buttons); and Expert (which adds no new fret buttons, but increases the number of notes and the general difficulty).[4]
As with previous Guitar Hero games, a player will progress through multiple tiers of songs, unlocking new songs along the way. The single player career mode in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features 8 tiers with 42 songs total.[4] The player is required to complete a number of songs in each tier, the number depending on the difficulty level, and then is offered an encore performance with one additional song. After a tier is complete, a new tier is introduced.[4] New in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock are career mode boss battles; at three points during the career mode, the player is required to compete against a boss character, Tom Morello, Slash[5] and Lou the Devil, in order to progress. Each successfully completed song earns in-game money that the player can use at the game's store to unlock new characters, outfits, guitars and finishes, bonus songs, and videos. Additionally, beating a song in career mode unlocks it for play in all other game modes.[4]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the first game in the series to feature a storyline for the Career mode, portrayed through animated cartoon scenes in between venues.[4] The band starts out as a neighborhood sensation, before hooking up with a record producer named Lou at one of their shows. After a successful music video hits the web, the band travels to England, and then performs at an island jail (despite Lou encouraging them to 'sell out'), which ends up boosting the band's popularity. As a result, they are invited to headline the Desert Rock Tour festival.[4] After a botched performance in Japan (thanks to Lou) they attempt to break free of their contract with Lou, who then reveals himself to be the Devil and the contract as ownership of their souls. The band is dragged down to Lou's "Inferno", where the final showdown comes. In this final showdown, the player must defeat Lou in a boss battle to earn back the band's souls, and the title of "Rock Legend".[4]
Two players using the same console can participate in Co-op Career Mode, which is arranged similarly to the single player Career mode, with one player on lead guitar and the other on bass or rhythm guitar. There are only 6 tiers of songs, with each encore song being unique to the co-op mode. There are no boss battles in this mode.[4]
The co-op storyline portrays the vocalist and drummer looking for a guitarist and bassist. After their first performance, the drummer has the idea of making a video to make a name for the A. The video skyrockets the band's popularity, earning them a gig in Japan, but differences between the core members put the band on a three-month hiatus. In the band's comeback performance, the pyrotechnics start a fire in the neighborhood, and the members are sent to jail, where Lou bails them out as long as they perform for the inmates. As soon as the band leaves prison, though, they are sent to Lou's "Inferno", where they must find their way out by playing a live show.[4]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock introduced Battle Mode, a competitive mode between two players either locally or over network play.[6] The mode puts a twist on the Pro Face-off mode introduced in Guitar Hero II. Two players compete against each other, trying to make his or her opponent fail or lose by successfully playing "Battle Power" sequences (which replaces Star Power) to earn attacks that can be used against the opponent. Players can store three attacks at a time. To activate these temporary attacks, the player tilts his or her guitar upward, presses the select button (PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 releases), back button (Xbox 360 release), or minus button (Wii release). If neither player fails the song, they will face each other in a Sudden Death segment, where all further "Battle Powers" attainable are Death Drain attacks, which inevitably makes the opponent fail by draining his or her Rock Meter.[4]
Guitar Hero III for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii allow for various online competitive play with another user through the console's network service.[7] This includes the standard score attack challenges from the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II, and the Battle Mode introduced in this game.
The Wii version of the game has several exclusive features, since a Wii Remote must be inserted into the guitar controller. The game utilizes the Wii Remote's wireless capabilities and accelerometer, as well as making use of the rumble feature and the internal speaker:[8] The internal speaker on the Wii Remote is used to emit a sound simulating the guitar strings when incorrect notes are hit; This feature, however, can be turned off in the player's interest. The Wii Remote's rumble feature is utilized when Star Power mode is activated. While the Wii version has online play against other online strangers, or against friends utilizing game-specific friend codes, downloadable content was not available at launch. Activision had announced that it would be releasing downloadable content for the Wii in the first quarter of 2008,[9] but never delivered on this promise (Guitar Hero: World Tour is being touted as the first Guitar Hero game to have download content). The Wii and PlayStation 2 versions also use slightly different graphics and sounds from those on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, such as a different typeset, loading screen, and the Wii version featuring "miss" sounds more akin to the first Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. However, in the new remastered Wii game disc, the "miss" sounds have been changed to those heard in the other versions. The Wii and PlayStation 2 versions of the game includes characters that are not found in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, Elroy Budvis and Metalhead.
Neversoft lead developer Alan Flores revealed that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock has a cast of thirteen characters.[10] Characters returning from previous titles are Johnny Napalm, Judy Nails, Axel Steel, Izzy Sparks, Casey Lynch, Lars Ümlaüt, and Xavier Stone. Midori is an original playable character that can be selected; additionally, each system has two additional playable characters that can be unlocked: the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions include the characters of Metalhead and Elroy Budvis, while the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC versions include The God of Rock and The Grim Ripper.
In addition, the player can access the three boss characters — Tom Morello,[11] Slash,[12] and Lou the Devil — as playable avatars once they have completed their respective boss battles in career mode. While Bret Michaels appears in the game and sings specific songs, he is not a playable character in the game. Michaels is only included in the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. However, his motion-captured movements are all done for the in-game fictional singer for all versions that resembles Anthony Kiedis, including the Wii and PlayStation 2 versions.
In May 2006, RedOctane, the publisher of Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, was purchased by Activision,[13] while MTV bought the developer of previous Guitar Hero games, Harmonix, in September of the same year.[14] As a result of both purchases, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was instead published by Activision, with development responsibilities shifting from Harmonix to Neversoft Entertainment.[15] Neversoft president Joel Jewett noted that his company was asked to perform the development work based on a humorous conversation that Jewett had with RedOctane's founders Kai and Charles Huang at the 2006 E3 Convention, describing how Guitar Hero helped to reduce the stress in the Neversoft offices during their development of Tony Hawk's Project 8; months later, Jewett was contacted by the Huangs, requesting them to work on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.[16]
Activision initially stated that the game was planned for release in the fiscal year of 2008, which stretches from March 2007 to March 2008.[17] On April 9, 2007, RedOctane clarified this by unofficially stating on their website that "Guitar Hero 3 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii are currently scheduled for release in the United States in Fall of 2007."[18] On April 16, 2007, RedOctane founder Kai Huang revealed that all versions of the game would feature wireless controllers as well as online multiplayer and downloadable content.[19]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was officially announced by Activision and RedOctane on May 23, 2007 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. The fall 2007 release date was reconfirmed. New wireless controllers shaped like a Gibson Les Paul (PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360) and Kramer Striker (PlayStation 2) models were confirmed, along with removable faceplates that will allow players to personalize their guitar. Activision avoided all mention of the title "Guitar Hero III", instead referring to the game as "the next Guitar Hero".[20] Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane, promised "new online and multi-player game play modes", and that "many of the top bands and songs we've tried to get in the past are now on board, and we've definitely got some giant aces in the hole to say the least."[7] The online play feature will extend to the Wii version, as announced by Nintendo at the 2007 E3 conference.[21] A week later, IGN revealed the wireless Les Paul controller, which features a removable neck for travel purposes. Additionally, new gameplay videos and screenshots were revealed.[22]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock introduced three new characters modeled after real-life musicians. Slash is one of the "bosses" and an unlockable playable character in the game. Slash did motion capture with RedOctane to record his movements for the game, and by beating him in a one-on-one competition (playing an original composition of his), he will be unlocked as a playable character.[23] The master track of "Welcome to the Jungle" appears as an encore song which is playable with Slash.[24] Similarly, Tom Morello is a boss and unlockable character within the game. Bret Michaels appears as non-playable vocalist for certain songs, providing his voice for these master tracks.
A demo of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock appeared in Tony Hawk's Proving Ground for the Xbox 360, as well as being available as both a Xbox Live Marketplace download[25] and an ISO image that could be created through a PC to use on the Xbox 360.[26] The demo features five songs ("Lay Down", "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Even Flow", "Hit Me with Your Best Shot", and "The Metal") played within the Desert Rock Tour venue.[27]
On September 11, 2007, Aspyr Media and Activision announced that Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock would be developed for both the PC and Macintosh platforms.[28]
1UP.com reported that none of the versions allow players to play offline Co-Op Quickplay mode, a feature which was included in Guitar Hero II. However, a patch is currently available for download at Gamespot.com for the PC version of Guitar Hero III:Legends of Rock. This patch features updates on graphics, the whammy bar, and various freezes and lags. Instead, Co-Op mode is only available in "Co-Op Career" Mode, which uses a different setlist from the main career and therefore does not provide Co-Op multiplayer for the entire soundtrack. Co-Op quickplay mode was added to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions via a patch. No further information has been given regarding similar treatment on the Wii and PlayStation 2, so far.[29]
GameSpy had some technical issues with the PlayStation 3's controllers and online matchmaking, noting "...[the included USB dongle] functions on 2.4 GHz wireless, rather than the console's built-in Bluetooth. You won't be able to use the PlayStation button on the guitar to turn on your console; instead, you'll have to use a Sixaxis or physically turn it on... The Les Pauls will power down after a period of disuse ... online multiplayer for PS3 is fairly incompetent in presentation... As of the time we're reviewing this, the PS3 Quick Match option is completely broken."[30]
Though the Wii version of the game was advertised as supporting Dolby Pro Logic II, users have reported that the game outputs in neither Pro Logic II nor stereo, providing only mono sound. Activision now offers a free replacement remastered game disk that corrects this issue.[31] Activision later expanded this offer to include those living in the UK and Europe.[32] On February 22, 2008, Activision extended the replacement program to include a full refund of the game's purchase price as an alternative to getting a replacement disc.[33] A class-action lawsuit over the mono sound issue was settled out of court; Activision agreed to ship free faceplates for the Les Paul guitar controller to those who requested a replacement disc.[34]
Players attempting to upload their scores to the official Guitar Hero website have also experienced difficulties. According to Neversoft, "the launch of Guitar Hero III has produced heavy amounts of traffic to the website, and this traffic has caused a number of users to have problems with linking their accounts and uploading scores. We are well aware of these issues, and we are working as fast as we can to fix both problems."
The PC version has been criticized for having very high system requirements, but still suffering from lag and slowdowns, even on high-end systems with the graphics tuned down to a minimum.[35]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock features 73 playable songs - 42 are "main setlist" songs, 6 are exclusive to co-op career mode, and the remaining 25 are "bonus tracks". In total, 54 of the game's songs are master recordings. In addition, the career mode includes three guitar battles: one each against Slash, Tom Morello, and Lou (The Devil). Slash and Morello both wrote and recorded original battle music for the game. Guitarist Steve Ouimette plays as the Devil for the final battle, and he re-recorded a metal guitar version of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" for that purpose.[36]
The soundtrack features such songs as "Paint It, Black" by The Rolling Stones, "Cherub Rock" by The Smashing Pumpkins, "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys, "The Metal" by Tenacious D, "My Name is Jonas" by Weezer, "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse, "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss, "School's Out" by Alice Cooper, "Slow Ride" by Foghat, and "Barracuda" by Heart.[37] It also features re-recordings of "Anarchy in the U.K." by Sex Pistols and "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour specifically for Guitar Hero III, as the original master tracks could not be found.[38] This game is the first in the series to feature a bonus track ("She Bangs the Drums") that is not an original recording.
Xbox 360 players who purchase the compact disc soundtrack (which contains select tracks from the game) will have access to a code that can be redeemed for 3 exclusive playable tracks on Xbox Live Marketplace.[39]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock also supports future downloadable tracks. Since the game's release, several free and for-cost downloadable songs and song packs have been made available on both Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store.[40] Some of the downloadable content is from very new bands. "Impulse" by Endless Sporadic is one of those songs, and has gotten very popular, even inspiring a percussion ensemble cover.[41] While the Wii version can be used to play against others online, the game does not have the functionality of downloading new content, due to limitations with the internal memory storage of the system, an issue that will be overcome for the release of Guitar Hero World Tour.[42] The rock band Metallica also released their new album Death Magnetic as a downloadable song pack on the same day as the release of the album. The songs will also be playable in the new Guitar Hero game, World Tour.
| Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Publication | Score | |
| 1UP.com | B+[43] | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.0, 8.5, 8.0[44] | |
| Game Informer | 8.75 of 10[45] | |
| Game Rankings | 86 of 100[46] | |
| Gamespot.com | 8 of 10[47] | |
| Gamespy | 4.5 of 5[48] | |
| IGN.com | 8.9 of 10[49] | |
| Metacritic.com | 85 of 100[50] | |
| Official U.K. Playstation Magazine | 9 of 10[51] | |
| Official Xbox Magazine | 8 of 10[52] | |
| Wii and PlayStation 2 | ||
| Publication | Score | |
| 1UP.com | B+[53] | |
| Game Rankings | 87 of 100[54] | |
| Gamespot.com | 7.5 of 10[55] | |
| Gamespy | 4.5 of 5[56] | |
| Metacritic.com | 82 of 100[57] | |
| Nintendo Power | 9 of 10[58] | |
| IGN.com | 8.6 of 10[59] | |
| Gametrailers.com | 8.5 of 10[60] | |
| Official Nintendo Magazine | 90%[61] | |
Activision has called Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock its "largest product launch ever", selling over US$100 million in the first week after release in North America alone.[62] As such, Activision reported concerns of being unable to meet the demand for the game for the 2007 holiday season.[63] The game was the highest selling video game of 2007, in terms of units sold and revenue earned, according to Activision.[64] As of July 15, 2008, the game has sold more than 8 million copies.[65] According to the NPD Group, GfK Chart-Track, and Enterbrain, the game has sold 3.037 million units in the United States, 412,000 in the United Kingdom, and 26,000 in Japan, respectively, for a total of 3.475 million units during the first seven months of 2008.[66]
On average, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock received strong review scores, although it generally scored lower than its predecessors.[67] In the October issue of Game Informer, the magazine gave a full review of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock a month before the game's release. It rated the game a 8.75/10, with a 9.0/10 as a second opinion,[68] while Official Xbox Magazine awarded it an 8/10. The game was praised for its graphics and fun, addictive gameplay that was the staple of the Guitar Hero series. IGN also scored the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions an 8.9/10, while GameSpot gave the game a 8/10 score. In addition, the Gibson Les Paul controller included with bundled version of the game received particular praise; GameSpy, in a five page review of all four console versions, praised, "GH3's new Les Paul model kicks ass in every way imaginable. It's wireless, the shape feels more comfortable, and the fret buttons and strum bar are as smooth as butter." The same review also called the Wii guitar the best of the guitar peripherals, praising the vibration option.[30] Most critics have also praised the soundtrack for its song selection and quantity of master tracks.
The game has also been subject to criticisms. For example, IGN's review of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions noted, "…there's not really a whole lot new here. We understand that this was Neversoft's first take at the franchise, but it's a pretty safe effort as the basic formula remains exactly the same." The review also criticized the lack of customizable rockers.[69] IGN's review of the Wii version noted the game's presentation and art direction feeling "forced" and, as a result, less visually appealing than previous installments.[70] GameDaily stated, "While playing through the songs — one question stayed at the forefront of our minds — what's up with the white boy soundtrack? We would have liked to see more from legends like Jimi Hendrix and Prince in the mix."[71] GameSpy criticized some of the tweaks, stating, "the Star Power phrases tend to be so long, if you have enough skill to get them you can beat the song anyway" ... "the sequences are a little too much of a trial-by-fire compared to past Guitar Hero games. From the first tier, Medium simply feels like Hard-minus-the-orange-button."[30] GameSpot criticized the "heavy dose of in-game advertising" in its reviews.[72] GameSpy stated that the PlayStation 2 version got "the short end of the stick" due to a lack of online play.[73] Official Xbox Magazine has also criticized the game for being, "...too competitive and not in the spirit of the previous two installments."[52]
Guinness World Records has created a category for the "Highest Score for a Single Song on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" as part of its Gamers edition based on the song "Through the Fire and Flames." This record was previously held by Chris Chike, who also won the 2008 Play N Trade National Guitar Hero III Tournament,[74] and broken by Daniel Johnson as of May 23, 2008.[75] Chike was able to unofficially beat Johnson's record by hitting 100% of the song's notes and scoring 987,786 points in the process, recorded by Chike on YouTube.[76] Chike later regained the official record holder on September 11, 2008.[77]
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