"Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's is great fun, but it is an expansion at heart."

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's, while still Guitar Hero gameplay and excellent tracks, is less than a full game, and more of an expansion pack. It's worth buying, but do not pay full price.

Gameplay: 10/10

It is still Guitar Hero 2 gameplay at heart, and that is excellent, so it scores full marks here. It has all the same modes: Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert. It also includes Co-Op and Face-Off modes for those that like to rock with friends.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics aren't uber-realistic, but they aren't supposed to be. I'm scoring this game based on the updated graphics that match an 80's style. The menus and venues have been reskinned, as well as the character models. These are all great, but they could've done a little more 80's updating. I would have liked to see hot pink fretboards and maybe some more pyrotechnics to match the over-the-top nature of the decade.

Music: 9/10

What Guitar Hero is all about, the music. The tracks are wonderful 80's cheese, and you'll find yourself discovering and rediscovering old songs that you either never knew about or forgot existed. Fall in love with songs like "The Warrior", "We Got the Beat", "I Wanna Rock", "Heat of the Moment", "18 & Life", "No One Like You", "Ain't Nothing But a Good Time", "I Ran (So Far Away), and "Turning Japanese" among others. The game includes 30 tracks, and that's why this one doesn't score full marks, there should've been more tracks to at least round out as many as Guitar Hero 2 had in the main setlist.

Bonus Features: 8/10

Less bonus characters, no bonus tracks, no videos, but it still has lots of great unlockable guitars and guitar skins. Two points off for this. The 8 points are mostly for the 80'sed out Grim Ripper!

Replayability: 10/10

The same as GH and GH2, you'll find yourself playing the songs over and over, either to master them on Expert, or just for fun with friends. Co-op and Face-Off modes are still here, so if you enjoy those you'll get to rock out with (or against) friends in the 80's.

Overall: 8/10

This isn't an average of all the scores, but rather my feelings on the overall rating for this game. Because it is an expansion pack and they priced it too high, not to mention lacking bonus songs, it gets two points off. But it's still a great game (8/10 is a great score IMO, especially for an expansion) and worth you money, just not at full price. Either buy this one for the lowered 39.99 price or wait a month or two for it to come down even lower. It's a rental for those of you who wanted Guitar Hero 3, though, as this is most certainly not a brand new game, but rather an expansion on what GH2 gave us. Rock On Dudes!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/07