Title: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Publisher: Activision
Type: Music
Players: 1-2
We had heard about it for months – rumors of a band specific Guitar Hero making its way soon enough and when Activision and Red Octane finally announced Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, reactions were mixed. Fans of the band rejoiced that they could rock out to some of the sweetest riffs while many who already owned Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock felt the developers should simply release individual songs as downloadable content. Of course we preferred until we got our hands on the game to talk about what works, what doesn’t and if it’s a worthy addition to the franchise.
Gameplay
If you already own Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock then you’ll know exactly what to expect. Control wise, the game is untouched. When you strap on the guitar, you’ll feel like you’re just playing GH III but with new music. That’s not to say that’s a bad thing, but it won’t turn any heads as far as major changes. One thing I did notice however is that the game seemed a tad easier than GH III. I’m not the greatest player in the world, but playing on Hard didn’t seem as tough on GH: Aerosmith than it did in GH III. What is pretty cool though is that the game essentially takes you from the band’s early beginnings coupled with new documentary style videos of members of the band talking about making it big. Each video ends up laying the foundation, storywise, to the upcoming venue. For Aerosmith fans, this will be sweet as you’ll get an idea as to how the band made their way up as you progress through 31 songs (not counting bonus ones) along with a pair of songs from different groups. Online mode and multiplayer mode are unchanged.
Graphics
Honestly, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith appears to be a reskinning of GH III: Legends of Rock with the addition of Aerosmith characters and DMC. You’ll also see some new guitars that are modeled after Joe Perry’s collection. Aside from that you’ll essentially be seeing the same thing you have before.
Sounds
We all know that Guitar Hero music sounds great and this one is no different. With my surround sound hooked up to my Xbox 360, the sweet tunes of Aerosmith blasted out and came off sounding awesome. I’ve listened to Aerosmith for years now, but to be able to hear their music and be a part of it with the game, the experience is definitely fulfilling.
You’re not doing the game any justice if you only have a stereo system or are using your TV’s speakers. If that’s the case then you’re nuts.
Fun Factor
As I’ve mentioned, if you’re a fan of the band, you’ll definitely love the game. Getting down with multiplayer is the same as you’ve experienced before but Aerosmith’s music makes it even better.
Lasting Appeal
Ok so this is where the game is going to suffer and for two major reasons. First of all, there is and will not be any downloadable content to the game. Sounds like a bummer right? So if a song didn’t make it into the game, tough luck, you won’t be playing it. With downloadable songs still coming to Guitar Hero III, the investment of $59.99 seems a little steep for this game and the value isn’t quite there. The other hit the game takes is that Guitar Hero: World Tour is just around the corner so fans who already own GH III will likely want to hold tight until the next full upgrade to the franchise comes later this year.
The 411
To put it plainly, if you’re a huge Aerosmith fan or if you don’t already own Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, then Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is a fine addition to your library that will get your house jumping. On the other hand if you already own GH III or Aerosmith isn’t exactly your cup of tea, you may want to hold off until October for World Tour. Still, the music rocks so a rental is highly recommended.
Graphics
8.5
Graphics still look good, though it's a reskinning of GH III. Aerosmith models look good.
Gameplay
7.5
Same as before but it seems a little easier.
Sound
8.5
The soundtrack is great as you'd expect.
Lasting Appeal
5.0
No downloadable content and the next Guitar Hero is on the way.
Fun Factor
7.0
Still as fun as previous iterations but the formula is showing its age...leaving the door open for Guitar Hero: World Tour.
I'd recommend renting it, because quite frankly if you're any good at GH3 you'll breeze through this in about a day. I rented it for 5 days and got 655 points out of it; the achievements in the game are SUPER EASY (pretty much the only reason I rented it)
Posted By: m8 (Guest) on August 09, 2008 at 02:07 AM
I agree. Rent this one. I ran through the game in a little over a day. Very simple, will prob buy it just to have when it gets in the used bin.
Posted By: Major Spoiler (Guest) on August 12, 2008 at 05:01 PM
