Guitar Hero III

I picked up GH III this past Sunday.  Some impressions:

 

- This being Neversoft's first stab at the franchise and them having to build the engine from scratch, they've done a great job and I do not notice any difference in the timing of the notes.  Actually, there is a difference in that the window of error is actually larger, so it makes the game a bit easier in that regard.  To compensate, the game overall seems to be harder, as some songs on Hard could probably pass for Expert songs in Guitar Hero II.  If you are someone who does not really use pull-offs or hammer-ons, you probably can't get by like you could in the previous games.  You MUST learn to use them (they work great though).

 

- The song selection is great.  A lot of master tracks this time around.  Unfortunately, three of my favorite songs to play are all covers.  Black Magic Woman, La Grange and Pride and Joy.  They are still fun, but they would have been insane as master tracks.

 

- The Boss Battles, which have been covered a lot, don't add much to the game in my opinion.  I beat the game on Hard the other night and there were a total of 3 Boss Battles.  I actually beat them all on my first try so maybe that is why I am so indifferent to them.  If they would have given me a hard time I'd probably be complaining right now.

 

- I really like the note counter that lets you know what your current note streak is.  You also get a pop-up on screen after you hit certain streak numbers.  Some find this distracting, but it does not bother me and I like it actually.

 

- Playing over Xbox Live is a lot of fun.  Since I only own one 360 GH controller I haven't been able to play competitively before (I did not buy the GHIII pack that came with the guitar since I will be getting Rock Band in a few weeks and don't want to have 5 plastic guitars laying around; I have two already for the PS2).  My online experience has been great so far.  I do not like the online "Battles" very much though, since they can be over very fast and you usually spend more time looking for a match than playing the actual battle.  Pro Face-Off is great!

 

- I've been enjoying the game but this being the 4th Guitar Hero game I play in 3 years (if you count me playing through part 2 twice on PS2/360) the series has lost some of its initial magic.  The game is still fun, but it is no longer as new and fresh as it used to be.  The Career mode is really starting to show its age, especially after reading about Band World Tour mode in Rock Band (which sounds a million times deeper).

 

So, bottom line, if you are a fan of the series, there is no reason why you wouldn't enjoy this one.  Many great tracks on here.  But if Guitar Hero 4 doesn't do something to change the formula drastically (like Rock Band is doing), I do not know how much longer this series will last.