I'm back from a bit of a break and will be writing some more reviews soon, so don't all delete me fr...
I'm back from a bit of a break and will be writing some more reviews soon, so don't all delete me from your lists just yet.
Member since:22.03.2009
Reviews:38
Members who trust:24
Introduction
The original Guitar Hero was one of the landmarks in the rhythm game genre; it moved away from merely tapping out a beat to giving you a controller that resembled a real guitar. Sure, it's nothing like playing a real guitar, but then again most people can't just pick one up and sound just like Hendix or Clapton. It was a perfect bit of escapism with devilishly addictive gameplay, and it worked.
This was consolidated with a few sequels but then along game Rock Band which pretty much dethroned the original Guitar Hero with a seamless expansion of the gameplay to including singing and drums. Guitar Hero fought back with World Tour, which offered the same, but it was a rather messy affair that didn't totally gel together. As such, the onus was very much on this game to get the series back on track.
Gameplay
Happily, it's mostly succeeded. To the uninitiated, Guitar Hero works by showing a stream of notes coming towards you on the display. You press the buttons on the neck of the guitar
controller and strum as they go past, hopefully getting the timing right and producing something that sounds like the song. Too many mistakes and you'll get booed off stage, but get it right and you'll get the crowd on your side. With a nod to Rock Band 2's no-fail mode, there's an especially easy beginner mode that'll make sure you get through regardless.
Drums and vocals work in a similar fashion; you've just got to hit the pads and get the timing and pitch right respectively. It works a hell of a lot better here than it does with World Tour; even a die hard Rock Band aficionado should have no trouble moving over to this game.
Better still, the game will now work with Rock Band instruments, so you don't need to keep two different sets and can save a lot of money if you're a fan of both games.
Where previous games in both series have left the Wii as something of a poor relation, this isn't the case at all here as the developers have gone for feature parity with the 360 and PS3 and also thrown in a bundle of Wii-specific features. You can link with a DS for a new roadie battle, import your Mii characters for freestyle play, and use up to 32GB of storage on an SDHC card, so there's no need for a hard drive.
Graphics and Sound
With the full range of custom band/avatar options the Wii is finally doing itself justice on the graphical front. About the only thing that it won't give you that the 360/PS3 versions have is HD quality. Go into freestyle mode, and you can also import your Mii characters, as with World Tour.
As far as the sound goes, you'd expect nothing less than top quality audio and it delivers. With all songs based on the original recordings - and no filler from covers bands - it's every bit as solid as you'd expect.
One minor gripe might be that perhaps only a third of the songs are ones that would readily spring to mind when you think of the artists. That said, games like this can also be a good way of discovering new music; the nature of the game is that you've got to be a very active listener, after all, so I'd hold fire on too much criticism over this. Even so, there are plenty of readily attractive songs, such as Sex On Fire by Kings of Leon, Under Pressure by Queen/David Bowie and Lithium by Nirvana. For the rock connoisseurs out there, there are the likes of Spirit of Radio by Rush - with a guitar intro that'll finish off the unwary within seconds - Jeff Beck's Scatterbrain and an epic fourteen minute version of Peter Frampton's Do You Feel Like We Do? Surely something for everyone, I'd think.
Longevity
Whilst you can probably get through the 85 songs inside a few days individually, doing them on all instruments at all difficulty levels ought to keep you busy for a few months at least.
Then there's the band mode, now on a par with Rock Band 2, which makes for a great party game.
With downloadable content, the amount of fun you'll have out of this is potentially endless, although you'll obviously have to pay for it. I'd reckon that it ought to keep you interested at least until Rock Band 3/Guitar Hero 6 comes around.
Conclusion
Neversoft and Vicarious Visions have done an excellent job of getting a slightly wayward series back on track, and also extending the full feature set to Wii owners, with a few little bonuses that aren't even on offer to 360/PS3 players. They've also picked up on most of what was making Rock Band better, and also offered a few nice touches of their own.
Also, with now compatible instruments, it's no longer really a case of either or; you can enjoy both GH5 and Rock Band 2 with the same set of instruments, and that's great news for the end user.
It's still an expensive game to pick up from scratch because of the instruments though, and that'll be the most likely question you'll have to ask yourself before getting it.
Pictures of Guitar Hero 5 (Wii)
Roadie Battle is a fun competitive mode involving the DS.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Guitar Hero 5 Game Only - Guitar Controller Required To PlayThe game that started the ... more
modern music phenomenon is back, with more songs, more bands and more party game action. Just like Guitar Hero: World Tour you can play as a whole band with your fr...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It has five contoured fret buttons, a responsive strum bar and a working whammy bar. The ... more
neck of the guitar is detachable from its body, so its easy to transport, and the supplied strap fits either side of the fret board, so you can play left-handed as...
Postage & Packaging: Check Site. Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
It has five contoured fret buttons, a responsive strum bar and a working whammy bar. The ... more
neck of the guitar is detachable from its body, so its easy to transport, and the supplied strap fits either side of the fret board, so you can play left-handed as...
Postage & Packaging: £2.99 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Guitar Hero 5 Game Only - Guitar Controller Required To PlayThe game that started the ... more
modern music phenomenon is back, with more songs, more bands and more party game action. Just like Guitar Hero: World Tour you can play as a whole band with your fr...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Living room legends will rock any way they want in Guitar Hero 5. The entire set list is ... more
at your finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The Wh...
Advantages: Ability to choose any combination of instrument to play with your friends. Disadvantages: You must have additional instrument controllers to play the game. The downloadable tracks are rela
HarryKgh 02.10.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Guitar Hero 5 (Wii)
Advantages: Ability to choose any combination of instrument to play with your friends. Disadvantages: You must have additional instrument controllers to play the game. The downloadable tracks are rela
HarryKgh 02.10.2009 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Guitar Hero 5 (Wii)
Advantages: Amazing tracks, supreme graphics, and ludicrously addictive. Rock like a Guitar God! Disadvantages: Amount of decent tracks you can purchase is limited.
exceptional by (1%):
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