Guitar Hero World Tour

"I'm tired of guitars...break out the drums and microphone!"

Since Harmonix left the Guitar Hero license behind to make their multiplayer band juggernaut Rock Band, Neversoft has had their hands full with the Guitar Hero property. Competing with Rock Band using the guitar-only Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was a challenge in itself. A high difficulty and rather sparse gameplay made the game tend to stand in its competitor's shadow. Fortunately, Neversoft is ready to take the next big step for the franchise: a full band mode. Guitar Hero: World Tour is the newest installment in the critically-acclaimed franchise and Neversoft has a few new tricks up their sleeves for this one. Can it compete with the Rock Band experience?

If you've played the original Rock Band, you'll notice that Guitar Hero: World Tour takes quite a few gameplay styles from the famed band simulator. The drum controller is shown with different pads and a kick pedal. If you have an official World Tour drum set, you get two cymbal pads along with three drum pads. Activating Star Power requires you strike certain drum pads simultaneously, which is a cool improvement from Rock Band's stationary fill sequences. You can also freestyle drums at specific times in the song. Singing with the microphone requires specific pitches, but like the drums, there are freestyle moments where you can go improvisation and call out to the crowd. Activating Star Power with the microphone requires you to tap your hand on the top of the microphone, which is pretty distracting and can be unresponsive at times. As expected, the guitar and bass controls are the same as always: hold down buttons on the neck of the guitar and strum using the strum bar. The official World Tour controller also has a touch pad for sliding solos, but the positioning of the touch pad makes it more of a hassle in important situations. Tilting the guitar controller up or pressing a button on the controller activates Star Power for the guitar. Not much has changed with the guitar, but it still remains a major part of the gameplay itself. The improved freestyle sequences and cool Star Power activation motions are welcome to the genre, even if some of the motions tend to be a bit unresponsive.

Once you enter the world of Guitar Hero: World Tour, you're introduced to the character creation and band creation aspects. These are pretty addicting if you're looking to remake yourself in Guitar Hero imagery and are quite complex as well. You also get a selection of modes to play: Career, Quickplay, along with multiplayer options and the brand-new music creator. Career is the meat of the game where you play gigs to unlock songs and venues. The near-linear progression makes World Tour feel dated, and it can be a real hassle when all you want to do is play your favorite song. Once you get the songs unlocked, however, the game really gets fun. Quickplay allows for solo and band mode, so any player can jump into unlocked songs quickly. The game also allows for a solid multiplayer mode, both online and off, and playing against other bands online is a great time. But probably the most progressive of modes in World Tour is the music creator, which allows for the creative to develop their own tracks to play. While it's definitely a great idea, and if you have the time and patience you can really create some excellent songs, the song quality is usually low. It can be quite addictive and it's great that the folks at Neversoft decided to try something new, but the result is pretty so-so. Regardless, the modes in Guitar Hero: World Tour manage to match Rock Band 2 well, creating some familiar and unfamiliar ideas that in the end capture the feel of being in a band.

Guitar Hero: World Tour has a comprehensive set list, featuring songs from many decades. You'll find classics like Fleetwood Mac's “Go Your Own Way” and Wings' “Band on the Run” along with newer hits like System of a Down's “B.Y.O.B.” and Bullet for My Valentine's “Scream Aim Fire.” Even progressive metal band Tool makes an appearance with three songs. You won't find a flawless list, though. As easily as you will find a song you absolutely love to play, you'll find another that you won't. Overall, however, the set list's mix of genres and collection of big names in rock and metal will be sure to please. The set list is complimented by some great downloadable content from bands like Smashing Pumpkins and even Jimi Hendrix. However, if you've been keeping up with Rock Band, you'll find the list of DLC to be pretty low compared. It's something that Neversoft is still attempting to master, but it's a major improvement from Guitar Hero III. If you like rock or metal, you'll find a majority of the tracks to satisfy, even if a few won't.

Guitar Hero's presentation has always been a great mix of the alternative and experimental, and World Tour delivers that same quirky humor and excellent graphical tricks. You'll find plenty of great and stylized animations in the opening alone. During gameplay, the animations are smooth and great to watch, although you'll mostly be focused on the scrolling words and circles while playing. The use of real-world artists and venues is also quite cool. Seeing Billy Corgan come on stage to play “Today” is actually quite cinematic, and watching stages erupt with fantastic animations during encores makes the game brilliantly presented. Of specific note is the Tool stage, which doesn't have the band members, but instead shows a trance-like visualization in conjunction to the already alternative tracks of Tool. As expected, the soundtrack is plentiful and well-presented. The use of master tracks adds a sense of authenticity to the game and sound great as well. In contrast to Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour adds a sense of personality and pizzazz to the band, and the over-the-top animations match up well with the Guitar Hero's classic atmosphere.

Pros
+ Song list is full of familiar tunes
+ New music creator is inventive
+ Great band multiplayer
+ Incredible presentation
+ A major step forward for the franchise

Cons
- Takes a while to unlock all the songs
- Still sparse on DLC
- Microphone Star Power activation is unresponsive
- Career Mode feels a bit dated
- Music creator is minimalist and low quality

Guitar Hero: World Tour is by far the most expansive and in-depth installment in the series thus far, and although it has its share of barriers and inconsistencies, it manages to propel itself forward with plenty of new content. The minor alterations from the Rock Band standard manage to work well and fuel the gameplay's creativity, while still making it accessible and easy to jump into. The song list, though slightly flawed, has enough rock and metal to satisfy your local headbanger. The modes are plentiful and varied, and like many other band-based rhythm games, the game is a blast to play when with friends. The inclusion of the music creator is definitely a worthwhile idea, and although the final result isn't the most best-sounding of plans, it manages to give the genre a much-needed step forward. The presentation is classic Guitar Hero, with the expected over-the-top animations and great performances to show. Guitar Hero: World Tour has plenty of great additions to the gameplay and modes and definitely has the power and longevity to match Harmonix's Rock Band 2. Between the two, it's a tough call as to which to buy, but it is safe to say that Guitar Hero: World Tour has entered the band game market with its dukes up. Any music game fan will love World Tour's plentiful modes and rock-solid gameplay. It's an expensive purchase for sure, but it's Guitar Hero at its finest.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/09

Game Release: Guitar Hero World Tour (US, 10/26/08)