Sharks 30 - 10 WPAmid all that I started playing the latest incarnation of the Guitar Hero franchise, Warriors of Rock. I haven't finished it yet, but I think I've seen enough to give my thoughts on the game.
I already said in an earlier post that I'm a Guitar Hero fan, and for a fan the new stuff in Warriors of Rock almost certainly make it a worthwhile buy...
The main new feature is the Quest mode in which you play songs to power up the game's heroes to eventually save the god of rock. The hero abilities are just ways of making the song easier or higher scoring, so ultimately it's just a thin veneer over a somewhat non-linear progression through the game's songs, but the effort is appreciated compared to the poor efforts at story in previous titles.
The mode in which I spend most of my time is Quickplay mode, which has been upgraded to Quickplay+ with the addition of special challenges for all songs. Unfortunately not all songs start unlocked in Quickplay+ which is a bit of a step backwards compared to the freedom enjoyed in World Tour and GH5. The challenges themselves are the same kind as in Guitar Hero 5's career mode - get a high enough score, a long enough streak, a certain amount of alt strumming, etc. Completing songs and challenges in Quickplay+ unlocks various bits of eye candy such as new instruments or concept art.
All downloadable content and most songs from World Tour, Smash Hits/Greatest Hits and Guitar Hero 5 can be imported into Warriors of Rock. Unfortunately there's a small relicensing fee for the songs from previous games and some of the biggest songs from these games aren't relicensed and so aren't included. Some songs that I miss are Plug In Baby, Hotel California and legendary Guitar Hero song, Through the Fire and Flames.
As for the setlist included in Warriors of Rock, now that the Guitar Hero series has a pop counterpart in Band Hero, the songs are all from various rock genres. That makes me happy as that means a greater proportion of songs that I'll play to enjoy the music.
And finally, the new guitar controller looks a lot cooler than the one I have from Guitar Hero World Tour. The whammy bar's a little closer to the strum bar which may not be to everyone's liking, but makes it easier for me to whammy during shorter sustains.
New Guitar Hero controllerSo it looks like mostly positive steps taken by the franchise. So why can't I wholeheartedly recommend it? Well, despite all the fluff, the basic gameplay is completely unchanged. If you don't like the rock band genre, Warriors of Rock will do nothing to change your mind; and if you only ever play casually with friends, you're basically just buying a lot more song options, so you'd better like the songs. For reference, see wikipedia for the full list of songs.
Final Score: 8 / 10 - I'll be playing it a lot because it's the latest Guitar Hero game; nothing revolutionary but solid gameplay and good songs.
Notes on my personal rating scale: They are entirely based on my personal feelings about the game - I don't rate a game on its own merits but rather how much I've enjoyed and how much time it's sucking out of my life. Strategy games will do well and shooters poorly because those are my gaming preferences.
0-4 = Poor game that I won't be bothering to play any more
5-7 = Decent game - fun enough that I'll try play it some more if I have the time
8-10 = Good game that I'll be playing a lot more or have already finished and greatly enjoyed
Ooooh, your review makes me so excited to try it. Vienna Spoon must reunite soon to play it through:)
ReplyDelete