Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Wireless Bundle - Xbox 360 Reviews

• Still the same Guitar Hero, but with some great additions

  
  By AA691X30P31T4 on 2007-11-01
  Guitar Hero 3 (GH3) is the fourth iteration in this series of games despite it being labeled the third, though for most people the 80s edition that was the actual third game was a bit of a footnote since it only came out on PS2 and had very little in it that differed from Guitar Hero 2 other than the songs.
  
  GH3 continues with the same basic formula as the previous games which will keep fans of the series happy, but at the same time adds some welcome new features. One of the best additions is that of online play so that you can now do co-op, face-off, pro face-off and battle mode with a friend over the Live network.
  
  The battle mode is a change up from the normal face-off modes in that instead of gaining star power you acquire attacks from playing certain sequences of notes. Then when you turn the guitar up as if you were going to use star power it instead launches an attack at your opponent. The attacks vary in their nastiness and while I was skeptical of this new aspect of the game it's actually a nice twist for those more competitive players.
  
  Another addition is the co-op career mode, but unfortunately you can't play this mode online which means you'll have to get a friend over with their guitar to experience this mode.
  
  Speaking of the guitar the new wireless Gibson Les Paul style guitar controller is a welcome change from the original 360 GH2 controller. Overall it just feels a lot more solid, especially the whammy bar. Not being wired makes a big difference in terms of convenience. There are GH3 bundles out there with the original GH2 controller in them and I would recommend passing on those in favor of the wireless bundle.
  
  The career mode remains mostly the same as in the previous games. There are now little animated vignettes between each set that don't add much to the overall experience, but certainly are a welcome change from the old bus driving across the country scenes in the previous games. The other addition to career mode is that at the end of certain sets you have to enter battle mode with another guitarist. By now most people know that Tom Morello and Slash are the two real guitarists who you battle against in the game. Both contributed original guitar compositions for their battle sections and can be unlocked as avatars in the game.
  
  The playing experience itself is much the same, though it seems the game is even more forgiving in the timing of when you play notes than even GH2 was and hammer-ons and pull-offs are also very easy to do. For experienced players this will obviously make the game easier in some respects, but at the same time the note structure has been mixed up a bit and the later songs are pretty challenging on Hard and Expert.
  
  While the multiplayer aspect adds a lot more playability to the game at the same time the core of the experience remains the songs and for this game there are even more original songs than before and the song list is pretty great.
  
  Overall GH3 rocks the house in much the same way as the previous games, but with the addition of some new features it doesn't feel like more of the same. Multiplayer adds a new aspect that should give the game a lot more life overall between those times when you get your friends over to the house.
  
  Here is the list of tracks by the original artists (or in the case of Talk Dirty to Me, original vocalist) used in the game. This doesn't include the bonus tracks by the less well known artists.
  
  "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison (Vocals re-recorded by Bret Michaels)
  "Bulls on Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
  "When You Were Young" - The Killers
  "Miss Murder" - AFI
  "Lay Down" - Priestess
  "Paint It, Black" - The Rolling Stones
  "Anarchy in the U.K." - Sex Pistols (re-recorded)
  "Kool Thing" - Sonic Youth
  "My Name Is Jonas" - Weezer
  "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
  "Same Old Song and Dance" - Aerosmith
  "Welcome to the Jungle" - Guns N' Roses
  "Cherub Rock" - The Smashing Pumpkins
  "The Metal" - Tenacious D
  "Before I Forget" - Slipknot
  "Stricken" - Disturbed
  "3's & 7's" - Queens of the Stone Age
  "Knights of Cydonia" - Muse
  "Cult of Personality" - Living Colour (re-recorded)
  "Raining Blood" - Slayer
  "The Number of the Beast" - Iron Maiden
  "One" - Metallica
  
  --Co-Op Campaign--
  
  "Sabotage" - Beastie Boys
  "Reptilia" - The Strokes
  "Suck My Kiss" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
  "Helicopter" - Bloc Party
  "Monsters" - Matchbook Romance
  
  

• Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero 3

  
  By A3AAK33K3BUUTM on 2008-03-22
  Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2BO4KHRZ336TH Length: --:-- Mins
  
  
  So which to buy, Rock Band or "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock"? The big money is on both, but which of the two is the best? That all depends on what you want out of YOUR kicka$z rock simulator. Both have flaws and can be excruciatingly difficult, both are insanely fun to play, both are great party games, both cost an arm and a leg and both ROCK THE MUTHA@#%*ING HOUSE! The wireless guitar controller for GH3 works wonderfully with RB, but there is no such love for GH3 if you buy the RB guitar. If you don't want to drum (singing can be done in a pinch with your xbox live headset), then buying the GH3 bundle is a no brainer as the gameplay, song quality, and presentation is far superior than RB's. Plus, after you're done thrashing it up with GH3 you can get the RB game for a mere $60 (or cheaper) and enjoy it's very customizable characters and super-eclectic song selection using the GH guitar. Also in GH3's favor is a new version of "Anarchy in the UK" recorded by the Sex Pistols just for this game. Slash, Tom Morello, and Brett Michaels also make appearances in-game which is sweet. Score one for the Legends of Rock.
  
  However, the fun of playing drums in RB should not be underestimated. It's pricey, but if you've got the dough and a little bit of rhythm and aren't tone-deaf (like me) than RB is like 3 games in one: guitar/bass, karaoke, and drums. Plus there is an amazing and ever-growing selection of downloadable songs (priced about $2 each) from bands like The Police, Grateful Dead, The Clash, and Metallica. So for a few extra bucks you can increase the game's replayability even more. Not a big fan of the "nickel-and-diming", but to play "Complete Control" and "Synchronicity II", it's worth it. Plus, did anybody say "ultimate party game?" My friends and family aren't gamers so I don't get to indulge the multiplayer nearly as often as I'd like (though the wife does enjoy singing on occasion and this marks the first time she's enjoyed a videogame not named "Tetris") but I can assure you that the Band World Tour career mode is outstanding and much better than the lonelioness of the Solo Tour. GH3 also features downloadable songs, but they aren't particularly enticing to me even though the game itself features the most rockin' collection of songs humanly possible: thrash, hardcore punk, blues, avant-garde alternative rock, and much more. I've also gotten 4 songs ("Dream On" and 3 Dropkick Murphy jams) for free by keeping an eye on xbox live so hurray for Activision on that one.
  
  Now the bad. It's annoying to have to beat every single song to progress on solo modein RB. I've been stuck on the insanely long and difficult "Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws on drums and I don't really have time to practice a 10-minute song over and over. GH3 let's you skip a song on each difficulty level if you choose and is easily the more challenging game when it comes to the guitar. The notes come fast and hard even on normal difficulty and the final run of songs will make you head spin and fingers hurt if you're not one of those inhuman gamers who can do this stuff blindfolded. And if you are, I'd like to eat your brain and gain your powers like Sylar because I've got only slightly more talent for this than I do real guitar playing -which is significantly easier than playing expert difficulty on GH3. I play these games to relax, not to go all Pete Townshend on my gaming equipment. Normal difficulty on RB is absolute cake after playing GH3, and the timing on notes often isn't right either, but when you go into hard difficulty the game goes from slightly challenging to impossible for me about halfway through the solo career mode. At least GH3 ramps up the difficulty slowly. There is no such problem on Band World Tour mode, by the way. YOu can pretty much pick and choose what you want to do and what songs to play. RB's flaws and a very cool, over-the-top style make GH3 the king of guitar games. But, again, if you want to drum or sing RB is the only game in town. Unless you get American Idol , that is. And if you do, you suck. Majorly. And still can't drum.
  
  The bottom line is this: if you love rock music, save up whatever you can and buy both. Even if you have to buy them piece-by-piece like I did, both games are awesome for rock music fans. If you're into the hard stuff like Slayer and Dead Kennedys and do most of your gaming singleplayer than go for GH3; the game's song selection adn challenge is unrivalled. If you prefer more mainstream alternative music like Radiohead and REM than RB is your ticket. While GH3's guitar battle mode is very cool, RB definitely gets the win on the multiplayer aspect. If you've got 3 friends or family members who are into it, there is no better way to enjoy some great music together than with RB. There is some song overlap as both games feature "Sabotage", "When You Were Young" and others which is annoying and there should never, ever, EVER be a rock game -much less two- with no Jimi, no AC/DC, and no Van Halen. It's just not right. But all is forgiven because these are two killer gaming franchises that will keep us busy (and broke!) for years to come. Rock on!
  
  
  

• Great Music, Great Solo Play, Great Group Play

  
  By A3V6Z4RCDGRC44 on 2007-10-29
  I adore the Guitar Hero series. It is incredibly fun, can be played co-op, and exposes players to all sorts of great music. Guitar Hero III ups the ante with even more fantastic songs plus a new battle mode for fun head to head gameplay!
  
  Once again you're a small time band starting off in your garage - or make that, your back yard. As you play through songs on your guitar controller, your career begins to take off. You make videos, play larger arenas, and earn money. The money lets you buy yourself new outfits and guitars. As you battle special players, you unlock their characters - like Slash from Guns 'N Roses.
  
  In every Guitar Hero game there have been songs I've liked and other songs I haven't liked. That's going to be true pretty much no matter who you are. They try their very best to provide a wide range of music to suit all guitar tastes, and they do an excellent job at it. Some of the songs are SUPER in this set and got me up off the couch dancing around while I played along.
  
  The new battle mode is a ton of fun. Before, you'd get a simple encore at the end of each set. This time you occasionally have to fight a newcomer for guitar supremacy. In battle mode you earn "attacks" that you can then lob at your opponent. These do things like break strings, make you play double notes, make your screen shake, and much more. It is super fun. Near the end of the game when you're down in "Hades", you have to battle the devil himself playing ... Devil went down to Georgia!
  
  There are of course the extras to unlock by doing things like playing 100 notes in a row, the ability to play against friends head to head locally, plus the new ability to play against others online! Talk about a true challenge! It was always scary enough looking at XBox Live and seeing how amazingly high some of those scores were. Imagine trying to play those people live?
  
  The graphics are great. Each location is fleshed out in fantastic detail, from the flickering flames of Hades to the glowing red lanterns of your back yard. The audience always seems a little robotic, but heck, how much do you want from a guitar game?
  
  Many of the songs are now original band-sung songs - including a Living Color song that the band re-recorded specifically for this game! There are still a collection of songs that are "in the style of" - some are good, some are really not so good. The Stevie Ray Vaughn song stands out as the not-so-good reproduction. Still, what can you do. Why aren't those bands giving the Guitar Hero guys permission to use their real tracks? Don't they know how immensely popular this game is?
  
  The wireless guitar controller and it's worked pretty flawlessly so far. We've noticed a tiny amount of 'misses' with the red button, but that may be us getting used to it, we'll have to see.
  
  Highly, highly recommended. It was so much fun that my boyfriend, a guitar player, would occasionally try to play the "real notes" rather than the Guitar Hero game notes. It really is absorbing!
  
  Make sure you get TWO guitars to go with it, so you can play with a friend!
  
  

• As a big fan to the other two

  
  By A10L8O1ZMUIMR2 on 2007-11-12
  So being a big fan of Guitar Hero 1 & 2, I was overall pretty disappointed with this installment. I don't really have a gripe with the song selection, and it's nice to see some songs with the master tracks, but the overall set-up of the game is frusterating.
  
  First off: the guitar controller itself. When I first got mine, my blue button didn't work, but after wearing it in for an hour it got to working most of the time. All the sudden it's my green button that doesn't work - and my green button has been giving me problems for 2 weeks now. My friend bought it on the first day it came out also and ALL of his buttons didn't work! So he returned it and got a new one only for some more of the buttons to not work. He's since worn his in and I think it's pretty much fine now. I also read many reviews online about other peoples' guitars malfunctioning. This is unacceptable really. I don't care if the guitar looks nicer - if it doesn't work then it's a piece of junk. Sometimes Star Power doesn't activate very easily.
  
  Second: Sometimes, the visual note placements in the game don't match the notes of the actual song, and it throws you off. For example, a note in the game will appear like a second AFTER or BEFORE the note in the song and that's really unacceptable also. Put the notes where they belong! This is coming from a person who beat the game on the Hard and Expert difficulties.
  
  Third: Battle Mode was fun - for awhile. All of the "attacks" are reasonable except for the Lefty Flip. This one will most likely demolish you no matter what. The other attacks are reasonable to get around and escape from, but the flip is unreasonably difficult. And there's no option to turn it off!
  
  Fourth: Star Power often lags. Yes, you heard it right. I have the first two Guitar Heroes for PS2 and those NEVER LAGGED! But now, on XBox 360, the star power lags. Sometimes it lags so bad that it makes you miss notes. I'm sorry to say this again, but this is really unacceptable - especially for XBox 360.
  
  Fifth: During Quick-Play sessions, which are usually the times when you gather all your friends around and take turns playing songs, they put the Difficulty Settings BEFORE you even get to the setlist. So each time a player wants to change the difficulty, you basically have to quit and go back to the main menu, go back into Quick-Play, change the difficulty, and then go to the setlist. The previous two games had a difficulty settings before each song. This becomes tedious and makes the game less and less fun the more you play it.
  
  Those are just about my major complaints. I know the game was bought by a new company, but these flaws are really unacceptable. If everything worked the way it was supposed to, this would be a great game. But from the game to the guitar controller itself, this game is deeply flawed. NOT worth the 100 bucks most stores are charging for it.
  
  

• Main complaints against GH3

  
  By A11STAIF0BFAXG on 2007-11-03
  Ok, so I am bound to get some strife about this but please here me out.
  
  I love Guitar Hero. It is a wonderful game that allows me to play songs that I could never play on guitar. But I think Guitar Hero 3 "Legends of Rock" has a few BIG mistakes....
  
  First off, not enough 'legends of rock'. Where are AC/DC? Thin Lizzy? David Bowie? Hendrix? Why were they left out? To make place for the many 2006 song releases by groups like AFI. Come on. Sorry, AFI, Weezer, and Muse are not 'legends of rock'. You can't be a legend of rock if your band is 10 years old. Sorry.
  
  Second, the sell out factor! AXE Bodyspray guitars and a Pontiac Truck Bed for a music shoot? Come on. This would be fine if the career mode hadn't made it a point to shun on 'selling out'.
  
  Lastly, and most important *PEOPLE TAKE NOTICE* the controls are much more sensitive. So much so that I went back to GH1 and GH2 to make sure my controller wasn't broken. You can not hard strum any longer. You are now forced to leave your finger on the strum key....period. If you strum just a bit too hard it will count as a double hit. Horrible. How can you rock out if your hand must rest CONSTANTLY on the guitar?
  
  Other then that the game is excellent. I just hope ROCKBAND has less sensitive controls. If it doesn't, I won't be buying it.
  
  
• Another step forward for this great franchise!
  By A388ZDFVK72VCA on 2007-10-30
  What do you get when you take a series that is virtually flawless and endlessly addicting and combine it with a developer who is known for ruining a virtually flawless and endlessly addicting series? You get a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, Neversoft, the studio responsible for the rise and fall of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, has decided to take that recipe and throw it out the window. Since acquiring the rights to the Guitar Hero name, Activision has seen to it that Neversoft be in charge of creating all future games in the franchise. And for a built-from-scratch first effort, they succeeded beyond my wildest expectations! Guitar Hero III not only continues the tradition of great music rhythm games, but it adds in some much needed features and game modes that really make it a must-own for any Xbox 360 owner!
  
  First off, let's discuss the changes that Neversoft made to the game. The art direction in general takes a much more "hardcore" approach, as characters like Judy Nails go from being sweet little rocker chick to big-breasted, pierced alt rocker. Most of the other characters have undergone similar changes, most of which are for the worse. The original games had a very cartoony type of image to it, and Neversoft tries to recreate that with more edge, but they end up looking like they're trying too hard to make the game hardcore. Fortunately, this is a music game so graphics will ultimately take a back seat to the gameplay and music.
  
  Gameplay-wise, Guitar Hero III picks up where II left off. New game modes have been introduced into the series, including Co-Op Career (a long-needed mode that features songs you can only unlock through it) and Battle Mode, which allows you to gain attacks (rather than star power) which you can then launch at your opponent to make them fail a song. The last person standing wins! The first time through this mode can be daunting, but after a while it quickly becomes a welcomed addition to the franchise! Also included this time around is full Xbox Live support for Face Off, Pro Face Off, Co-Op, and Battle Mode (unfortunately Co-Op career is not available for online play at this time). The system works great too, and in my dozens of matches online, I've only experienced brief lag once. There's something thrilling about going to battle with someone you've never met and throroughly embarassing them! This feature was well worth the wait, and will undoubtedly add hours upon hours of play to an already addicting game.
  
  Of course, the real strength of a music rhythm game will always rest in its soundtrack. Fortunately for us, Guitar Hero III rocks one of the most comprehensive and diverse soundtracks ever put in a video game. Neversoft has finally figured out what Harmonix never could; you can have difficult songs on the game that aren't metal (i.e. Muse's "Knights of Cydonia" or QotSA's "3s and 7s")! Add in the fact that a large portion of these songs are master recordings, and the game's music just sky-rockets to a whole new level! And while Gutar Hero III's soundtrack is clearly the best in the series, it is not without it's missteps either. For example, "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys is a great song, but it really doesn't belong here as there's very little guitaring going on in the song. Overall though, the diverse collection of songs in the game almost assures it's acceptance by those who may have been hesitant in the past, as there's definitely something for everyone!
  
  My complaints with the game are few. My largest gripe is the new Red Octane wireless controller which is very pretty, but has given myself and other gamers some problems. For me specifically, some of the fret buttons will occasionally stop working during a song and you'll need to stop playing, disconnect the controller, and reconnect it for it to work again. This is a huge drawback, but hopefully they can get the bugs worked out in later models. Another small complaint is the lack of a matchmaking system for online play. I play on expert, but I'm more of a low-mid range expert who doesn't stand a chance versus someone who's been playing the game for a few years now. In the end, however, these complaints really overshadow what is a phenomenal game and a great first effort for Neversoft. I highly recommend it to anyone who may be on the fence about it. $99 for a video game is steep, but the hours and hours of enjoyment you'll undoubtedly get out of Guitar Hero III are well worth the price. Buy it now!
  
  8 out of 10 Stars
  
  
  
• Should be ashamed
  By A10972L5FLDE4A on 2007-12-16
  This bundle costs no more than 99.00 in the stores. Should be ashamed trying to rip off customers trying to sell for over 2x the actual price
  
  
• Guitar Hero III is the way to go
  By APAXVMYA240P1 on 2007-10-27
  I first pre-ordered this game a few weeks back and I was surprised to have gotten it yesterday when I thought it didnt get realesed until the 28th. I'm about halfway through the campaign on expert which is pretty fun. The battles against Slash are pretty tough and hard to get the hang of but once your used to it it makes sense. I would definitly recommend this game, especially becasue the wireless guitar is awwwwwsome. The track list is pretty good and I can't wait to find out what other songs are on it. The price was a little steep but its definitly worth it. This game is sick!!
  
  
• Somewhat of a disappointment
  By A349MGZV85SZPH on 2008-02-02
  I have played all Guitar Hero games extensively so far, and while I still like this one OK, it is also somewhat of a disappointment.
  
  First, the pros: I like the selection of songs best of any Guitar Hero game (and also better than Rock Band's).
  
  Then, the cons: I do not like the guitar controller as much as Rock Band's. The guitar is too small and too light. The whole thing is too short to hold it comfortably. It feels like a toy. (Which I guess it is, but you get my point...).
  
  The game also is very hard. I have played all other GH games on "Expert" (the same is true for Rock Band) and I was always able to pick up the majority of songs and play them through the first time. With GH3, I already had to play the 5th song 4 or 5 times to get through. Then, I got stuck on the first boss-battle, which is the 10th song. Yikes!
  
  Talking about boss-battles: I really do not like them. The game throws a very solo-heavy piece of noise at you that you have to play against a boss who seems to hit pretty much every note. I do not enjoy this at all. Some people may like this, but the problem is that if you don't, you are completely stuck with this nonsense. I am not sure who came up with this idea, but it def. takes a lot of the fun away. It has always been a weakness of the GH games that one ends up playing songs one doesn't like/can't do so well more than any of the other songs. With this silly boss-battle machanic, they now push this problem to the extreme.
  
  The problem is not just that I am stuck on the boss battle, but also that I dislike it so much that I may not bother trying again. I also downloaded a few songs, but I really do not want to spend money on additional songs when I only got to play 9 songs that came with the game so far. (I do not mind the idea of buying more songs in general... I have bought a ton for Rock Band, but this is just a rip-off, if you ask me...)
  
  
• Very disappointed!
  By A2XQZLBHQ0RWH7 on 2007-10-28
  I own Guitar Hero II and have been looking forward to III, thinking the songs would be better, as difficult, if not more so than II, and of course, better graphics. The only good thing about III is Slasher, a new character. I started on Hard mode (I am up to level 7 on Expert in II) and got down to level 7 in III before I failed a song. I was bored through most of the songs, which had a lot of 2-note repetition over and over and 1-note strings. Guitar II has a much better song presentation - a lot more fret work and the songs you purchase in the Store are much more fun/interesting than the dull, boring songs presented here. The graphics for the most part look cartoonish (shouldn't they be MORE realisitic, not less?) and some of the characters look plain ugly. While you're trying to play, popups display when you hit 50 and 100 note streak (very difficult to determine when you have reached star power with all the onscreen popups). It's very distracting and not really necessary. There are more distracting flashing lights going on the screen on the stage, including the flashing when you hit a note, which seems more bright than II. The battle with the computer character is OK and about the only difference to the game that I found as a nonmultiplayer gamer. Oh yes - I never did get the wireless guitar to connect - I went back to my reliable II wired guitar instead. I'm going to continue working on beating II and then wait for Rock Band. Hopefully, they will produce fun songs to play like they did in II. (In case you think I just don't like hard rock, I do - I love Transiberian Orchestra and grew to love the songs in II. But III songs are just boring to me.)
  
  
• The game is great, but the controller dosn't work
  By A2KSY1CPPATB5B on 2007-11-04
  I love the game, but my red button wouldn't work on my first wireless controller which came with the bundle. After a returned it my second controller had issues. The whammy bar was always activated and it is nearly impossible to activate the star power. I need to hold the base of the guitar by the bottom with both hands and whip it around the room to activate the star power. I researched the problem in forums and found out that there are a lot of other people with the same problem. Do NOT buy the bundle. The new controller is horrible it ruins the game. I cannot believe that a company would release such a crappy piece of equipment on the third generation of a franchise. It makes me wonder if they even tested the controller before releasing it. Use your old controller and save yourself fourty bucks.
  
  
• The Rock Gods have smiled upon us!
  By AWO0Q404FVX04 on 2007-10-28
  For anyone who has been playing the GH series since it came out around late 2005 it's hard to look back at what music based games used to be like.
  
  For anyone who has NOT been playing the GH series...WTF ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
  
  The third installment of the Guitar Hero series is here! Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. I bought this game opening day around 11:30am-ish and since have played a solid 8 hours straight. Frankly...my hands hurt. *whimpers*
  
  GH3 is absolutely AMAZING! I've been playing GH from the get-go and it seems that Red Octane is going to continue to up the ante with every installment. The gameplay is polished to a mirror sheen in this version with the controls being extremely smooth and totally free of any errors or problems. (Anyone who remembers the original Guitar Hero remembers how bad the flawed hammer-on and pull-off system was.) Just to repeat: Shiny and very good system. Vastly improved from all previous versons of GH. Graphics for Legends of Rock is also very big. They new graphics (especially for the 360 and PS3 versions) are absolutely gorgeous. Half the time I find myself paying more attention to the female character's *ahem* charms, which are perfectly rendered in 3D, more than the notes I'm playing. Call me what you will but seriously the shadow effects as well as the new texture maps make the graphics almost surrealy-realistic. Thumbs up to Red Octane!
  
  Finally...the song list...What else can be said other than..."Holy mother of all things held sacred...." If I had to sum up this track-list in one word it'd be "EPIC". These songs will be recognized by anyone into any genre of rock. Everything from Classic rock, to modern alternative, classic metal, heavy metal, euro-rock, it's all there. For a more detailed song-list there are hundreds of websites that'll give it to you if you just google "GH3 song list".
  
  I've only found two problems with this game:
  1.) Two of the promised tracks were shorted from the game. "Thunderstruck" AC/DC and "Stairway to Heaven" Led Zepplin.
  2.) The learning curve of this game pretty bad. I could play Hard mode sections 1-7 quite well but as soon as I hit section 8 I was overwhelmed. The songs went from playable to downright insane in a split second.
  
  
• The greatest game i've played in a long time
  By AFKMK18ZXRU0Q on 2007-10-29
  I didnt get Guitar Hero or II, had i known it was this much fun i would have though. I really love old 80's style hair metal and every time a new set unlocked in the game, I was tickled pink with what popped up new!
  
  My first thought when playing my first song was.. wow, this is sort of difficult for me to get straight in my head. I played guitar for about 14 years and used to play some of the songs in the game. The odd thing that happened though is the controller feels like a guitar but the the fingers on my left hand want to do something else! Oddly enough, I unlocked the Slash video and hey said basically the same thing and I didnt feel so crazy anymore. He said that the game would be much easier for someone that had never played guitar before! I'll have to agree. But the cool part is, its not that hard to overcome. You'll just have problems playing on the medium settings.
  
  On Easy, you basically can just look at the colored dots and match them up to your buttons. The problem I had on the medium settings is many passages in songs only wanted me to take actions 1/2 the time, but my brain knew how the song went from playing it on real guitar and I had a really hard time not picking every note that was supposed to be there. Expert however tends to make you do something for every note so that part at least is easier. The issue I notice on expert though is, somehow those 5 little buttons are harder to play than 6 strings and 24 frets on a real guitar! The last song, Metallica "One" I used to play on guitar, I tried on expert mode in Guitar Hero III and I couldnt even come close to doing it!
  
  Just like real guitar, if you want to play in expert mode, you're going to have to practice every song many times to get it. I actually had quite a bit more fun playing on easy, there were quite a few songs where I felt immersed into the song and had the feeling as if I were really playing it.. that was really cool! Expert mode, well reminded me of the days of learning a new song on the guitar.. except using 5 buttons and a strum paddle. I'll tell ya.. I wish i could just plug my Strat into the Xbox and just play that way. I would start practicing guitar again for the first time in 10 years and I'd know more about what i'm doing.
  
  Dont get what I said so far wrong. The fun factor on this game is huge. My roomate that never has played guitar in his life, in fact, never really plays video games at all got into this game. I can actually picture having a party and people fighting over who's next on this thing.
  
  My hopes are that Guitar Hero III will bring rock guitar back and to a new level and hopefully spawn a new generation of guitarists! Anybody that likes rock music, is going to love this game. You'll feel like the guitarist you always dreamed of being. Even on the easy level!
  
  
• Hammering On And Pulling Off
  By AH0I89CLHQ414 on 2007-11-06
  Normally my reviews are in depth, cover what people are wondering and what they haven't wondered yet, but I won't bother this time. Most has been said, with one glaring exception.
  The most satisfying part of GH2 was hammering on and pulling off. In GH3, a lot of notes normally played like that are now strummed individually, its a pain and less satisfying. I think they did it for realism, because they checked to see if the notes would ACTUALLY be played like that on a REAL guitar, but screw realism, this is a game, if I want realism I buy a real guitar. Its simple. This is also taking into account that in some tapped phrases they have random strums where they don't seem to make sense to be put there. It really takes away from it. I wish they didn't try to add that little slice of realism in there.
  
  
• Great fun family game.
  By AV958JCCVRXGN on 2007-12-05
  I bought this for my teenage sons who have been begging for it, and when it came I found I loved to play it just as much.
  The track list is a lot of classic rock songs, and newer rock, perfect for the kids and parents.
  This is one video game where I don't mind the volume turned up all the way.
  
  The guitar controller takes some getting used to, but once you learn, it's tons of fun rocking out and working your way up to rock star god!
  
  This is one of those games where the parents can feel good about letting kids play it. No violence, no swearing, just good rock n' roll fun!
  
  
• Video Games, Reinvented
  By A1YPQE4YHA2K3A on 2007-10-30
  This is by far the most gratifying gaming experience ever. Whereas other games are measured by few-and-far-between victories, with often meandering intermediary levels, GH3 is non-stop-rockin' action, with nary a slow moment. Also, GH3 eschews clever plotlines and fancy cut-scene animations for pure RAWK. There are hardly words to describe the delight in nailing a sick solo or a difficult series of notes.
  
  
• Great game, but not flawless
  By A35VJC424AGADX on 2007-10-30
  Guitar Hero III is a lot of fun. Having played the other two I'd say GHIII is just as fun. The graphics have been improved over GHII, but not by much. The animations are sometimes questionable, but since they don't affect the gameplay it's not really an issue except from an aesthetic standpoint. I also noticed a little bit of frame rate stutter during some moments, and although distracting they didn't throw off the timing, so it wasn't detrimental to the gameplay. The track list is great and perhaps the best of the series. A new battle mode has been added and breathes a little freshness into a series that was in danger of going stale. Unfortunately, some of the characters from the previous games have gone the way of the dodo for no good reason. But for all it's small flaws the core of the game is still great, and I'd reccommend GHIII to anyone interested.
  
  
• Now with public humiliation!
  By A1Y5EINEZ032HU on 2007-11-04
  Guitar Hero III : Legends of Rock brings longevity to the Guitar Hero series with online play and more shiny things to unlock and buy. You may be a little cheezed at the incentives to buy new controllers for each Guitar Hero release, but the wireless is definitely worth it. The tracklist isn't any larger, but the promise of downloadable content keeps the game fresh long after its predecessors would wither.
  
  The basics are not tough to tackle and haven't changed: notes correspond to buttons on the controller both in color and in fret positioning. They come at you like the dotted line on a freeway and you have to press your buttons and use the strum bar in time to the music, as the notes disappear from the screen. If you play horribly or stop playing altogether, you'll be booed from the stage. If you do well, you can get bonuses in points, money, and cheers from the crowd. It doesn't sound tough, but damned if I know how people play this game on expert mode! (At that point, you may be set for a REAL guitar.)
  
  GHIII still has the basic bevy of selectable avatars, graduated difficulty in 40-odd songs as you progress through career mode, along with a two-player co-op mode that's probably never seen the light of day. Until now.
  
  The online play offers co-op, face-off, and pro face-off modes in both ranked and unranked matches. You can play randomized songs or have each player select a song. In all modes except the pro face-off, you play a duet with different parts. Players can select their own difficulty mode, so even though I suck and play easy or hard, I've had the pleasure to witness some talented players in hard mode and compete with them based off accuracy alone - just because they're playing a more difficult piece does not guarantee their victory. In battle mode, sections you play well earn you tricks to play on your competitor, like cutting one of their strings or electrifying their fretboard. There are songs in co-op mode that aren't available in single-player mode, so all of this extends the replay value of the game immensely.
  
  There are some other fun new bits. The franchise took notes from the Karaoke Revolution series and added more characters, more guitars, and more outfits for you to buy with the money you earn in career mode. The occasional guitarist comes out to challenge you in career mode, and you get to play a track characteristic of their style. For example: Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine plays a scratching, syncopated duet with you. If you beat him, you get to play a RATM solo as an encore. Slash from Guns N' Roses also has an appearance in this game, along with an original devil character "Lou" (who challenges you to "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" - what else?). These battles are fun and unexpected, but I wish there were more of them!
  
  I have mixed feelings about the track list. As the title would suggest, this release is definitely more butt-rock-centric than its predecessors. Most of the recordings are the masters, so you get the pleasure of listening to a few of your favorite songs in their original glory. Some of the songs are brand new - I even have a few of these on my iPod at the moment. But there are less chart-toppers and fun songs than previous releases. Like before, the "bonus tracks" are probably tracks you've never heard of, and with good reason. Unless you're playing in co-op mode, the 42 songs on your normal setlist get old very fast, and there will only be a handful that you will want to play regularly.
  
  The controller comes with stickers for your axe, and interchangeable faceplates can be purchased. Sam may want to buy another faceplate, since I plan on decorating our default with pink stars, hearts, and glittery unicorns. There are animation sequences between each venue, and they're well done; stylistically similar to a Gorillaz video. The interface is less annoying when moving between songs and difficulty modes.
  
  Overall, GHIII is an upgrade, and is more likely to hold your attention than previous Guitar Hero games. If you never plan on playing online or co-op, you may want to rent it, reuse your old controller, or make sure you love the track list before giving the cashier your Benjamin Franklin.
  
  The saga of Divastrummer continues. And if you see me in battle, I apologize in advance for sucking and always selecting Weezer.
  
  
• Great gift for boys 10-14
  By A28I6XNIDG8CU0 on 2007-11-29
  The boys in my house and the neighbors house ranging from 10-14 love it. It does seem to be addicting though.
  
  
• Amazon Price Gouging
  By A3532XM3Y25UJB on 2008-01-01
  I'd expect this to be priced new at $209 by somebody selling on eBay, but Amazon selling this new for $209 is nothing but blatant price gouging. I bought this on release week at target for $89 ... what a rip off ... wait a month people you'll find them somewhere else.
  
  
• Fun Guitar
  By AQ0OADQ9EFHH on 2008-02-21
  A good guitar for Guitar Hero, but it's not compatible with Rock Band which is stupid. So you have to have 3 guitars if you want to be able to play both games unless you get a universal one!
  
  
• More of a Great Thing!
  By AHCT0BUBL47ZZ on 2007-10-29
  If you liked Guitar Hero 2 then you will definitely like Guitar Hero 3. Lots of new songs with a few different twists on the graphics, but a lot of the same type of things in GH2, just with different songs. The wireless guitar is cool and only takes a button press on both the guitar and the console to connect. It was worth the money to me even though there is not a ton of changes from the previous version. Not quite what I would call a fully revamped edition from GH2, but enough differences to add it to your game collection.
  
  
• OMG Killswitch engage unlockable my curse
  By A1DUVZKFO5VXT on 2007-10-31
  this game is outstanding!!!! has me up all night playing my curse by killswitch engage after unlocking it i cant stop playing it... the boss battles are fun and challenging. slash is a tough one even on medium.
  the game has changed graphics wise from 2 it doesnt look as cartoony as it did...all in all i had to give this 5 stars for the wide selection of good songs to include some: miss murder by afi, welcome to the jungle by guns and roses, schools out and many more. this game will have you playing the songs in your head all day.. i highly recommend this game for anyone who loved 1 and 2.
  
  
• Great game for players who loved GH2
  By A1R1AMGFKSSP14 on 2007-11-05
  Guitar Hero III is such a great game because we finally get to hear some new songs after playing GH2 over and over. There is also a new "battle mode" that makes the game not exactly the same as the previous version. Personally, I think the best thing about this game is the new songs... not much else different about it.
  
  One thing I wish that I had known was the guitar (to me) feels exactly the same as the wired guitar. I thought there was a solo section on this guitar, but I think that is going to happen on the "Rock Band" guitars. So, the only reason to purchase the bundle with this guitar is if you want to go wireless. From what I hear, I think the "Rock Band" guitars will be compatible with GH3, so you might want to wait for those if you already have wired guitars... Also, my guitar (not sure if others are like this) seems very sensitive and its hard to NOT activate the "double point" mode (forget what the actual term for this mode is -- you know... when you tilt the guitar up and you get double the points). I have to really be still if I want to save up and activate it later.
  
  
• Funny how this series has grown on me
  By A12DAQ23MYLNAN on 2007-11-07
  It's funny how I automatically dismissed the first Guitar Hero when I received it as a gift- "why would I want to play with a toy guitar" I balked. But the series has grown on me. I look forward to every new release. I bought GH3 the morning it came out and I love it. I little off topic but I can't wait for Rock Band, it seems the majority of the GH camp is ready for it.
  
  
• The Best One Yet
  By AYHYYTTNUEAX4 on 2007-11-27
  Guitar Hero 3 is the best Guitar Hero out there. It has the best track list yet and it is very challenging on hard and expert. You can download alot of content both online and on your computer with the right directions. One thing I like about it is you can practice all you want and you can kick but on the last two games to show off to your friends. It is the best game for paries including Rock Band but some parts break unfrotunately on that game and it is very expensive. Better plasitc guitar design and awesome graphics and challenges on the Xbox 360 version. I've tried it out at my friends house and it is on my list including an Xbox 360 and Halo 3 which is another awesome game I would recommend. At first, if your a starter, it might leave you kind of frustrated because it is difficult at some certain songs, practice dosn't hurt and it so awesome once you master the song, trust me. You can't go wrong on this game it is highly addictive and so much fun, even my sister and parents who don't barely play alot of video games (exept World of Warcraft) even have this idem on their lists. It is one of the best games I have ever played and you can't go wrong with this system.
  
  
• Not just for kids!
  By ATIVF8EYMXUR5 on 2007-12-23
  Ok, I'll admit that I'm over 40. And I'm a chick. But I love this game! It doesn't hurt, of course, that a lot of the songs are "classic rock" that I grew up loving. (I will also say that, having played all 42 of the setlist songs, there are a few I would prefer never to hear again... .)
  
  This is not like playing a real guitar, and it won't train you to play a real guitar. Instead of strings, you press little buttons and "strum" a lever. But the action is similar enough. The graphics are very good and the sound is stereo quality (well, if you run through a receiver, anyway -- as I do). And in "easy" mode, you can be up jamming and having a blast in minutes. The game gets progressively harder on different levels (all the way up to "Expert") -- so you needn't worry about mastering the game right away and getting bored. You also needn't worry about getting overwhelmed -- the "practice" mode lets you take a song (at any level) in pieces and practice it very slowly to learn the sequence until you can play at speed. I found, however, that the progression of difficulty of the songs in "career" mode is just right, so that if you play them in order, you may surprise yourself at how well you can do by the time you get to the end of the set list.
  
  You can also do a multiple player mode and have guitar battles, etc. I'm just scratching the surface here.
  
  What's extra fun for me is that my husband is an excellent bass guitar player, so we actually have fun "jamming" together! And sometimes I'll go into "practice" mode, where I can play the bass guitar track myself, just to get a rough sense of what he's playing.
  
  The game anticipates that you will search for "cheat codes" -- there is a place under "Options" to enter "cheat codes" (keystroke combinations). These are useful for unlocking all of the songs without having to "earn" them in career mode, or for replacing the bugly singer with Bret Michaels. There is also a feature for adding dowloaded songs, which I haven't yet explored.
  
  The Guitar Hero III controller is wireless (and works without a hitch) and feels solid, similar to a "real" guitar. I recommend that controller very much. One problem is that I haven't found a wireless controller for sale without the game, so if you want to add more controllers for "jam" sessions, you have to go with wired ones (or find friends who have wireless ones they can bring over). Playing together is great -- I was inspired by my teen-age stepson to improve rapidly.
  
  So you "grown ups" who enjoy rocking out and always wished you could jam on a guitar but never had the time to learn -- don't just buy this for your kids; get it for you! But be forewarned -- it can be addictive and a major time drain!
  
  
• A potentially great game nearly ruined by new developer.
  By A2X8KN82L07RSK on 2008-01-19
  I recently got into the whole Guitar Hero craze with Guitar Hero 2. I never thought a game with such a simple concept could be so fun and enjoyable. Needless to say after completing GH2, I couldn't wait for GH3 to come out. Sadly GH3 does not have the same fun level that GH2 had. I actually started my Guitar Hero playing "career" with the Demo version of GH3 on XBL. I had an absolute blast playing the demo songs such as Pearl Jam's "Evenflow" and Tenacious D's "The Metal". I however could not see myself paying $100 for a game (w/ the guitar) so I just continued playing those songs. Then one day my wife's cousin brought over GHII and long story short, a few weeks later I bought GHII. I eventually got GHIII for Christmas and here is where my review begins.
  
  First off, for those that don't know the original creators of GH and GH2 are not the same developers behind GH3. GH3 was taken over by Neversoft and it is quite apparent that Neversoft does not quite get that the point of these types of games are to have fun. For whatever reason, Neversoft decided that having fun is no longer important and took many things that made GH2 fun out of GH3.
  
  First off while I was able to breeze though Medium, the jump difficulty level to Hard is downright ridiculous on the final tier of songs. I struggled through the first tiers but finally was able to make it to the final tier only to run into a brick wall with the ridiculous endless hammer on and pull of sequences. And I do mean "endless"; it's nearly impossible and your fingers will beg for it to stop, but it never really does (until you fail of course). I finally got through the last tier of songs on hard, but now I'm stuck on the impossibly hard and cheesy boss battle (more on this later). I'm almost to the point where I'm ready to just give it up and play on quick play mode from now on because its just not fun anymore. Yes GH2 songs were also hard the first time through, but even with me failing songs and having the "video crowd" boo me, I never stopped having fun in addition they didn't have stupid boss battles just to make the game harder and more frustrating for no good reason. It's been said many times, Hard and Expert is just hard for hard's sake and there is no reason for a game that is supposed to be FUN to be this frustrating. Don't get me wrong I enjoy a challenge (i.e. Ninja Gaiden for the XBOX), but for goodness sakes, don't go overboard with it!
  
  As for the boss battles, this is probably the worst thing about the game. NeverSoft thought it would be a good idea to add "Boss battles" to career mode. Basically in boss battles, you battle computer controlled guitar players like Slash and eventually the Devil himself. Instead of star power you are given the opportunity to gain "power ups" to mess up your opponent. I think most are pretty cheesy, but the absolute worse is lefty flip which flips the note track forcing you to do everything backwards. This always results in failure adding more frustration to the game. On its own I suppose the battle mode would be fine (ie playing against a HUMAN opponent), but forcing players to do this nonsense during career mode is absolutely ridiculous. The computer clearly has the advantage here and it's even more apparent on the higher difficulty levels. Some people have called the bosses nothing but "computerized beat machines" which is a quite accurate description. Winning boss battles especially the final one is mostly based on LUCK and how Neversoft thought this would be enjoyable is beyond me. The new boss battle feature pretty much ruined the game on its own. If this is going to be a permanent feature in future GH games, then I am done with the GH series.
  
  As far as the song list goes, while there are some great tracks on this game, overall, the songs on GH2 are better. In addition, the songs are GHII are just more fun to play. Like GH2, in GH3 you are still forced to play through all the songs in order to have them available in quick play mode. However it is a good thing that you can unlock these songs playing ANY difficulty level because if I had to play these songs on Hard in career mode in order to play them in quick play mode, I would have stopped playing a long time ago.
  
  In summary, Neversoft really needs to go back to the drawing board and find out what Harmonix did to make the previous GH games fun because they have missed the boat here with the downright frustrating difficulty, stupid boss battles, and an overall average song list. This is not to say GH3 is not a fun game, but it could have just been so much better and honestly I think it's a step in the wrong direction compared to GH2. They need to make the game fun again, and pick more songs that are actually fun to play. I am actually finding myself playing GH2 more than GH3 these days.
  
  
• You do not have to like Rock music.
  By A3LCZLU3KYM52L on 2008-02-17
  I listen to mainly Rap and hip-hop music. I was curious of buying Guitar Hero and I did. It is a really fun game to play. You don't have to like rock music to play it, you eventually become in the game.
  
  
• Please do not buy this bundle!
  By A3P8Y3CSLD0WSK on 2008-05-05
  First you must know that I love this game. But the reason you MUST NOT buy this bundle is because of the guitar controller that comes with it. Sure it's wireless and all, and there's even a detachable neck, right? Well, that's the problem. The detachable neck causes a huge problem in the game because it is somewhat loose when put into the main body. This looseness makes for a bad connection which causes star power (if you know the game) to activate when the neck is barely jiggled. This will be horrid for people who are hardcore gamers. Sure, if you just play casually and getting good scores is not for you, then this is the way to go. But if you want a functional piece of equipment, look elsewhere. Buy the game separately.
  
  

• Guitar Hero 3
• AK Rock Box Gaming and Storage Ottoman with Drum Lift
• Xbox 360 Les Paul Wireless Guitar

• Xbox 360 Rock Band Special Edition
• Grand Theft Auto IV
• Halo 3
• Assassin's Creed
• Xbox 360 Wireless Controller