"An over priced expansion"

I've enjoyed the Guitar Hero games as they have released. I'm still annoyed about 2 going to the 360 with exclusive songs and stuff but whatever. We got this expansion of sorts instead, still missing those songs to by the way. So, is it as good as the other games in the series? Is it worth the price of a regular game? Read on!

Graphic wise this game looks the same. Large character models with decent amount of detail put into them. They do look their part this time. Very 80's hairstyles and clothes. It's a nice touch. I found the boards themselves to look much more interesting this time around also. I also like the camera work for the stage performances. Nicely done.

Sound is the most important part of any music game. It's all about the music and if you grew up with 80's rock music, maybe some 80's pop then you'll most likely enjoy this soundtrack. "Turning Japanese", "I ran", "Balls to the Walls". Songs like that litter this set of songs and guess what? I enjoyed it. It had a bit of nostalgia to it all and brought back some amusing memories. Of course nothing beats "Holy Diver".

I played this game solely with the guitar. It's the same as always. Hit or hold the colored button matching the ones on the screen. Now you need to tap the bar at the base of your guitar with each note. That's all and it is as easy as it sounds. Easy mode is perfect for beginners as it only uses three notes so it's a great way to ease into the game.

The whole idea of the game is to play these songs and try for your highest score. The notes scroll down the screen at you and you need to hit them when they come to the line at the bottom. As you advance in the game you'll notice that this is the first Guitar Hero game to really overuse the three note sections (meaning you need to hit three notes at once).

Even though the game play itself hasn't changed there are some other additions to the game. Not 100% sure if this was in GH2 but now at the end of a song you can see what your stats are. Which sections gave you problems, where you missed notes. It's kind of cool and gives you an idea on what to do to change those stats.

On any difficulty besides easy you gain money. In the last two games this meant you could buy characters, guitars, skins for the guitars and a ton of new songs. Well, most of that is still here. The problem is that the game offers no songs to buy. This means those 30 or songs you get from playing the game is all you get. Kind of a let down that they didn't include anything extra to buy or unlock that actually made the game longer. Multiplayer is still here but no on-line which is a shame.

Encore: The 80's would be a fine addition to anyone's Guitar hero collection. The problem is that it's watered down in terms of additional content. And at full retail price this game really isn't worth it since it's more like an expansion. I'm sure the cost might have to do with them needing to acquire songs rights and stuff but this game is the easiest Guitar hero yet and there just isn't enough bang for the buck here.

Story - N/A
Graphics - 8/10
Sound - 10/10
Control - 9/10
Game Play - 8/10
Replay Value - 3/10

Final Score - 7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/07