Guitar Hero: World Tour
Review
The second coming of the fab four?
by Chris Scott
reviewed on X360
Band and the instruments (cntd.)
On the vocal side of the peripherals the full bundle ships with a Guitar Hero branded USB microphone, but I also tested the Rock Band mic and a Logitech mic with the game and they all worked fine. It should also be noted that all the Guitar Hero: World Tour instruments work just fine in Rock Band 2 and everything from Rock Band 2 seemed to work just fine in Guitar Hero: World Tour. So if you have already bought a bundle full of plastic instruments previously, you won’t have to do it again, although the drum kit really is worth the price of admission.
Career gameplay
Regardless of what hardware you decide to use in Guitar Hero: World Tour you will be treated with five separate gameplay careers, including a single player career for each of the instruments (bass, drums, guitar and vocals) as well as a band career that can be played with up to three other players. The progression of Guitar Hero: World Tour has been changed from previous Guitar Hero’s and it feels a lot like the challenge mode in Rock Band 2. To advance in your chosen career you must play through a series of sets, each getting progressively longer and harder as you work towards band super-stardom.
As much as Guitar Hero: World Tour would like you to believe in its full band image, it is clear that Neversoft took the series title seriously because the gameplay strongly favours the guitar, and the bass, drum and vocal careers all seem a bit like add-ons instead of fully fleshed out gameplay options. That’s not to say that they are not fun to play, though; I personally found playing the bass and drums in Guitar Hero: World Tour more rewarding than in Rock Band or Rock Band 2. The bass in particular, with the inclusion of open notes, has been spruced up a bit, making it more interesting and all around more rewarding than it has ever been previously in any music game. The overall difficulty of the game seems a bit toned down from Guitar Hero III, although most of the songs will pose you more of a challenge than Rock Band or Rock Band 2 do. Ultimately, the career progression works quite well but when compared to Rock Band or Rock Band 2’s Band World Tour mode the game can end up feeling a little gimped. Yet, it is still a blast to play through and, like almost everything else in this package, it is going to come down to your personal taste on which you style you like better.
Gameplay additions
There are a handful of new gameplay additions that generally enhance the gameplay and at times help take it above its competitor. On the guitar side of things, there is the introduction of extended sustains, which are played by holding down one note and then strumming on another note, resulting in two or more notes going into sustains. It’s a fun addition that actually adds quite a bit to the guitar experience, which has largely been the same for four years. On the bass side of things, there is the introduction of open notes, which are played by strumming without holding down a fret button and much like the extended sustains it adds something new to the mix and quite a bit to the overall experience.
The game now has an RPG-like progression for your individual career, called Rock Rank, which levels up as you play gigs and make more money. There is also an all-new gameplay difficulty, Beginner. In beginner mode there are no coloured frets or notes but rather a series of “open” notes that require the player to play something in time with the music. While it is not a substitute for Rock Band 2’s No Fail mode, it is actually useful for teaching younger players the ropes and helps them learn how to keep time with the music. Guitar Hero: World Tour also borrows the pause countdown from Guitar Hero: On Tour, where, if you pause the game, a restart countdown will appear so as not to thrust you or your band members into the fire without being able to get set. It is probably the most useful new addition and would be a welcome addition to the Rock Band games as well.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
