Wannabe rock-stars, the time has come to rejoice. It’s been over one long year since Guitar Hero 2 became a worldwide phenomenon, delivering on its promise to turn even the hopelessly tone deaf into certified rock gods. Why bother to take lessons and practice for years when you can pick up a Guitar Hero controller and rock out within minutes? Air guitar is so passé. The wait might have been longer were it not for the corporate scramble to release the game in time to entice you into spending your hard-earned holiday dollars. And this game is certainly hard to resist, which explains why more than 3 million units of Guitar Hero 2 have sold on the PS2 and Xbox 360 platforms. With the simultaneous release of Guitar Hero 3 on PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii (with PC and Mac versions to come later this year), GH3 is poised to become one of the best-selling video games of all time.
However, the formula behind the award-winning Guitar Hero franchise has been altered this time around. The companies who brought you the original two Guitar Heroes, RedOctane and Harmonix, have split ways, and both have been acquired by much larger companies: RedOctane by Activision, and Harmonix by MTV Games. So, in addition to the head-to-head guitar battles that you’ve become accustomed to on your TV screens, there’s also some dueling guitars between Activision’s Guitar Hero 3 and MTV’s Rock Band to see who can have you shred the loudest.
The idea behind Guitar Hero 3 is simple: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And Activision has upheld that principle with this game. It still feels and plays like a Guitar Hero game, with the addition of a few key features. The deluxe edition is packaged with a wireless controller, so you need not fear that you’ll knock over your beer while maniacally jumping around to Slayer’s “Raining Blood.” They’ve also added the ability to challenge players online or play with friends no matter which couch you’re situated on around the world. Throw in some fancy anime-style cut-scenes and boss battles that pit you against Slash or The Devil himself, and it’s clear that Guitar Hero’s popularity won’t be diminishing anytime soon. As for the track-list, there’s a bit of everything for everyone, spanning many decades and genres. With Activision’s financial backing, the higher budget brings many more master tracks instead of the usual watered-down karaoke versions. The eclectic mix of songs can be taken as both good and bad. Depending on your musical tastes. The thought of playing “Freebird” ever again on Guitar Hero 2 makes me wince, but now it looks like I’ll have to play Disturbed’s “Stricken” a few times more often than I ever cared to. The gameplay is also harder than GH2. Good luck trying to pass “Through The Fire And Flames” by Dragonforce on Expert. You might have to suffer some bleeding fingers and carpal tunnel to master that bitch. On a downside, some of the strumming mechanics seem a little bit uninspired.
A much more costly venture (for both them and us) is MTV’s Rock Band. Rock Band takes the idea of Guitar Hero and expands it even further by combining the ability to sing and play bass, drums and guitar all in one game. It’s the meshing of Singstar, Guitar Hero and DrumMania— and it’s a huge undertaking— but MTV has really managed to pull it off. Rock Band is the ultimate party game, but if you’re not up for company, you can choose to play one instrument at a time or pick other band members randomly online. With so much happening on the screen at once, it can very easily become a little too cluttered, and if you have a smaller television, it can be especially hard to see. The graphics in Rock Band surpass those in Guitar Hero 3, but the characters and their animations lack the latter’s entertainment and fun factor.
It’s tough to decide which game to pick, as both have a similar appeal. Some songs, like The Strokes’ “Reptilia” and Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” even appear on both titles. If you’re already a fan of Guitar Hero, then Guitar Hero 3 is a safe bet as the gameplay has truly been perfected with this third installment. Rock Band has a unique feel and look that takes some getting used to. However, if you want to try your hand at vocals and drumming and creating your own living room “garage” band with your friends, then Rock Band can’t be beat. Rock Band is a much bolder and complete musical experience. (Throw in some groupies and you’re done.) But if you’re only interested in the guitar, then Guitar Hero 3 is much more entertaining. Or the third option is to buy a real guitar. But then again, unfortunately, real guitars don’t have starpower …

Hai Vu