Video Game Review: ‘Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’ Delivers on Expectations

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CHICAGO – If you think that most of the music games in the most impressive new genre of the last several years have been nothing more than expensive expansion packs then I doubt that “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” is really going to change your mind. The game is far from a drastic leap forward from what fans have already experienced but there are enough quality refinements and enjoyable tunes that it delivers what you should expect when judged on its own terms.

HollywoodChicago.com Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0
Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

The “Guitar Hero” franchise is one of the more oddly inconsistent ones of the last decade. After the series truly took off with “Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock,” Activision began a near-onslaught of releases and not all of them worked. “Guitar Hero: World Tour” and “Guitar Hero 5” had their problems while “Guitar Hero: Van Halen” is simply a disaster (“Guitar Hero: Metallica” remains easily the best band-specific “GH” game and one of the best music titles overall).

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Photo credit: Activision/Neversoft

With the ups and downs in the history of this series, what does one expect when they pop in “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock”? It’s those expectations that will drive your opinion of the game. If you’re weary of the cartoonish graphics, rock cliches, and structure of the “GH” franchise as a whole, very few of those elements have been changed drastically enough to change your mind. However, if you’re just looking for some incredible songs to play with your friends, then “Warriors of Rock” delivers. With one of the best set lists in music gaming history and very well-designed songs on a gameplay level, “Warriors of Rock” gets the important things right. It’s like a mid-level album from one of your favorite bands. It’s not as great as the disc that made you love them in the first place, but you’ll still listen to it and jam out more than you would to another band.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock
Photo credit: Activision/Neversoft

Unlike previous “GH” games, you don’t pick a character to play through the story portion of “Warriors of Rock.” Instead, Gene Simmons of KISS fame narrates a saga in which you have to “recruit” the warriors of rock, made up primarily of the characters from the previous games. Each character has a selection of songs which you play to earn enough stars to “recruit” that character. And, in a clever move, each characters songs are semi-related. For example, you’ll start with Johnny Napalm’s speed-heavy set that includes The Runaways, The Offspring, The Ramones, and Sum 41. Judy Nails plays rock-alternative, Austin Tejas goes more classic rock, and Lars Umlaut will cause you pain with metal tracks by Dethlok, Rammstein, and Slipknot.

Not only does each warrior have a different focus but they have a different gameplay skill that can earn extra stars or make gameplay easier like more star power or even a character who can miss a note without losing his streak or multiplier. After recruiting four warriors, the game moves to a centerpiece of seven Rush tracks from “2112” before going back to more warrior setlists. With narration by the band itself, the mini-game of “Guitar Hero: Rush” should make fans of the legendary band ecstatic and might be annoying to younger players who picked up the game more for its modern bands.

What’s new? The power-ups for each warrior add an interesting element and the game is filled with bonus challenges to play within song. It feels like the developers really strived to create a game with immense replayability, making your choice of character and what you unlock throughout the game more than just an aesthetic option. Some of the additions feel a bit random, especially as you’re racking up 15 or 16 stars on some of the Rush tracks without really being sure how it’s happening, but the effort at variety is laudable.

Of course, it all comes down to song selection and execution, right? It might be a product of my age or the fact that I feel like classic rock just works better with this franchise, but stand-outs for this player include “Burnin’ For You” by Blue Oyster Cult, “Fascination Street” by The Cure, “Rockin’ in the Free World” by Neil Young, and “Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits. Although it’s notable that the songs are well-designed enough in “Warriors or Rock” that one can get joy even from songs by bands they don’t like. I can’t stand Linkin Park or Nickelback but enjoyed playing both of their tracks. That’s a sign of a well-designed music game.

And that’s what “Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock” is: A well-designed music game. Is the franchise treading water? Undeniably, but it’s keeping it’s head above it instead of drowning amidst the variety of titles in this crowded season. They can’t all be rock classics.

‘Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’ was released by Activision and developed by Neversoft. It is rated T (Teen). The version reviewed was for the PS3, but the title is also available for the XBox 360 and Wii. It was released on September 28th, 2010.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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