Guitar Hero: World Tour
Review
The second coming of the fab four?
by Chris Scott
reviewed on X360
Not everything is bright and shiny
Not all the new additions are as well thought out as the above, though. One of the biggest additions, vocal gameplay, seems plagued with inconsistencies. The basic idea behind the vocals in Guitar Hero: World Tour is very much in the same vein as Rock Band, Singstar, Karaoke Revolution or any other singing game for that matter. However, it just isnt very forgiving, even on the easier modes of play. Coupled with the overly difficult vocals is the random activation of star power while singing, which can, if released inadvertently, really hurt the overall score. Another thing that doesnt work quite so well is the inclusion of the various rock heroes: there is just something odd about seeing guys like Ozzy Osbourne and Sting play songs that arent there own.
Oh, and what is with the ridiculous amount of in-game advertising? Im not against in-game advertising for the most part but Guitar Hero: World Tour takes it to a whole new level. I was half expecting Colonel Sanders to be a playable character with all the Kentucky Fried Chicken product placement in the game. The biggest piece that doesnt seem to work quite so well is the much hyped music creator. The biggest problem with it is that it is quite unintuitive and the music quality is that of a mediocre midi creator. There are sure to be some people out there who make some amazing music using it, but for the average user it is going to be too daunting to even play with.
Cartoon characters are here to stay
Aesthetically the game is a mixed bag. Guitar Hero has always been on the cartoony side of things and Guitar Hero: World Tour is no different. The game features some absurd, yet fun, locales to play in ranging from a frat house to a rooftop stage in Times Square on New Years Eve. It also features a slew of old and new characters from Guitar Heros past and a robust character creation system, which is far more in depth than Rock Bands and it allows you to customize your equipment right down to the pick-ups on your guitar. However, all the characters except for your own seem a little off. Judy Nails doesnt quite look like Judy Nails but rather an amateur recreation of her and this goes for just about every character except for the rock star legends like Ozzy Osbourne and Jimmy Hendrix. The awkwardness of the characters extends to their animations as well and while they arent quite as bad as they were in Guitar Hero III, the whole crew still looks a little more robotic than alive.
Song list
Ive purposefully stayed away from talking about the set list in this review because the music is entirely subjective. Suffice it to say that, like Rock Band, Guitar Hero: World Tour features songs from a variety of rock sub-genres as well as a handful of different eras. There is everything from Michael Jacksons Beat It to Metallicas Trapped Under Ice so it shouldnt be hard for gamers to find something that fits their musical taste. Activision has stated that they plan on making the Guitar Hero Store on the same level as Apples iTunes, in regards to their plans for downloadable content. That's a pretty big promise, especially considering the amount of downloadable content their chief rivals already have, so we will just have to wait and see how it all turns out.
The verdict
When it comes down to it, people will undoubtedly compare Guitar Hero: World Tour to Rock Band 2. I myself did it numerous times in this review, but that is unfortunate because Guitar Hero: World Tour is a fantastic game in its own right. In the end Guitar Hero: World Tour is a huge step forward for the series that does not quite re-invigorate the genre the way Rock Band did but it is still worth giving some play time to.
Another Take
by Keato
Its hard to look at Guitar Hero World Tour and not just think of it as an attempt to hustle in on Rock Bands territory. Sadly, Guitar Hero World Tour doesnt seem to be able to match the level of Rock Band 2. The career isnt as good when compared to the World Tour mode in Rock Band (a mystery setlist option would have been grand), and the interface is confusing when compared to Rock Band's simplicity. The music creator is deep and interesting, but only time will tell if anyone will use it to its full potential, instead of just recreating the Super Mario Bros theme song.
Other than that, Guitar Hero World Tour is what you would expect, with drums and vocals thrown in. None of the peripherals are of the greatest quality, as I found the drums to have some issues with a lack of response in the bass pedal, and the guitar was uncomfortable to hold after a long period of time, not to mention that the new touch pad actually seemed to create problems with the game registering strums when I was fairly sure I wasnt holding the guitar with either hand.
Since the biggest part of a music game is the music, and music is so much about personal taste, the setlist will bring mixed reaction. Personally, I find it a bit too heavy on emo/goth songs. There are quite a few standouts, like Beat It, the Tool songs, and Purple Haze. It is still a fairly good game, but if you have to pick between this or Rock Band 2, you might want to go with the latter.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
