Guitar Hero III PS3 Review

The good news is that they didn't break it. Despite having a new developer (Neversoft, of Tony Hawk fame) Guitar Hero III (3) Legends of Rock is most certainly a Guitar Hero game. Don't worry, there are plenty of new twists in the old GH formula, but it is essentially the same game with a fancier guitar. Unfortunately being that this is the third time we've seen this game you'd expect a more polished product. There are some graphical issues, and 90% of the gameplay is the same as before. Complaints aside, it still has the magic. GH3 is a party right out of the box, just like the last two versions.Let me get to my chief complaint. Why can't I use my old guitars? Seriously? Why can't I use the new PS2 guitar with the PS3 version? And why the heck do we need a dongle? I understand the the Xbox 360 uses an evil protected wireless technology, but the PS3 uses Bluetooth, no real reason for a dongle here folks. Activision, a word of advice, a little good will goes a long way, sell an adapter for the PS2 guitars and your fan base won't even blink at the Rock Band. But to be frank, if I have to purchase a second PS3 guitar when I already own two PS2 guitars I may as well put that cash towards Rock Band. Alright, scolding complete.

Let's do the bottom line up front this time. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a ton of fun and you will have a blast playing it. Yes, there are some issues, but this is the Halo of music games, you want it, they know you want it, and with good reason, it's fun.

Now that you know it's great, let's get to some issues the game has. NEXT GEN GAMES SHOULD LOOK GOOD! Got it? A game that is the third of a series appearing on a next gen system should look superb. Guitar Hero III looks mediocre. The cut scene animations are nice, thank you. But the crowd models look like Pitfall Harry, all jaggy and bumpy. I had to pause the game to laugh at the staircase-like fingers on one of the models, I seriously thought I was playing Guitar Hero PSone Retro Edition.

On the plus side, the boss battles and battle modes are superb. Don't listen to the other whiny reviewers. These play modes are fun, creative, and require skill. One of the toughest things about puzzle/rhythm games is adding new gameplay without breaking the system, this worked perfectly.

Finally, the music is varied and sounds superb, as you would expect. The game is much harder, so be prepared to work for your fun.

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