I totally agree about the battles and the hammer-ons/pull-offs. It is clear that Neversoft does not have the musical background that Harmonix has. Heck, the Harmonix guys are all in their own bands.

So, while GH3 is good, it's not great. The small issues with the game add up. I would consider GH2 a stronger and better game than GH3.

Fatmumuhomer

So why am I so disappointed? I feel that making the game easier overall has rendered all the hardcore players pointless. The thing about GH2 that I loved so much was that it was so challenging for some songs and provided very difficult solos. An example of that can be shown that to this day, Jordan has not been FC'ed.

On the other hand, the admittedly hardest song in GH3, Through The Fire and Flames, was completed at 90% note hit rate a few days before the game was even released (by the kid who got it from Toys R Us). So to be honest, how would this pose any challenge to the hardcore players who wants a song that's virtually impossible to FC?

Maybe it's not that easy, since I don't have the game. But from what I've experienced in the demo and reviews, that's the vibe I get.

Waterwings

rebelphoenix

vonfaustus

vonfaustus

They changed it from being a 'pretend to be a rock star' kinda fun into a hardcore video game. I think it makes a big difference that the makers are not musicians.

GH3 is way harder then 2, whoever wrote that review must be crazy. The HOPO's are illogical and the bonus songs make me want to cry. The singer and Judy just look horrible.

The tweener screens are cute, it has a bunch of cool songs, and I like co-op career. I mean, I still like the game, but it is just not as fun. The mojo seems gone.

quyrean

I'm a real guitar player and I loved GH2... but if the timing is off even slightly and the notes aren't mapped as well, I think I'm going to have to pass.

Not to mention all the problems I keep hearing about the guitars. And calibrating for lag? yuck. Reminds me of a time when we were recording and the digital metronome was lagging slightly every now and then, it made me feel sick :(

I cant believe this game has such good reviews when 90% of the user impressions say the game is sub-par... I'm really disappointed in the game media over this.

Astrofox

Cbake

The Guitars from Guitar Hero III for PS3 can be used with Guitar Hero II running on the PS3?
I wont ask if they work on rockband because its difficult to know at this time, i guess.!!

This COPY-PASTE reviews are crap, they even mention xbox360 guitar as wireless in the ps3 review and it says that the ps3 guitars are the best because they even work on the xbox360 version of guitarhero 2..WTF!!!!
and all sort of mixed up things :(

EL_RIEL

When my buddy and I were playing the other night, I was playing a bass part that was simple 1/8 notes. My screen was shaking because of him missing notes, but I thought I was off. I am very disappointed with this new iteration.

Cheers!

Deth

William Killer Shatner

But does making it harder really refresh the game experience??

Personally I bought it because I'm a completist and it's a convenient game to bring to a friend's house.

But having played all the modes of ROCK BAND right next to GHIII yesterday.

ROCK BAND is the new king. Not only is the Guitar style in ROck Band more realistic (you kinda need to strum rather try to click like in the GH Series).

The Drums are astounding.

Sorry Activision....you might have the GH name.....but HARMONIX are the real geniuses.

GoonieGooGoo

Easy: Orange Blue Yellow

Medium: Orange blue yellow red

Hard: All five.

because it's easier to shift up to green while keeping your hands on the bottom, while the game basically teaches you the opposite.

I have 5 different friends who continue to play on medium because they have a hard time with the transition to Hard.

They keep trying to stay on the top 4 frets and move down, when it's easier to stay down and move up to green.

Bluur

actually I think the biggest mistake they made was not going

Easy: Orange Blue Yellow

Medium: Orange blue yellow red

Hard: All five.

because it's easier to shift up to green while keeping your hands on the bottom, while the game basically teaches you the opposite.

I have 5 different friends who continue to play on medium because they have a hard time with the transition to Hard.

They keep trying to stay on the top 4 frets and move down, when it's easier to stay down and move up to green.

Bluur

Lezard

Atamisk726

I have the PS2 version... every time the drummer comes on I alugh, dear god is he animated poorly.

The game itself I enjoy.

Better songs.

Takes more notes to fail, but the game is more difficult.

Hammer_ons are easier to see, and the chords and riffs you play are more diverse than 2.

Co-Op got a boost.

However I agree that it didn't really change much. Guitar Hero 3 is a great game, but feel like the storm that is Rock Band is going to blow it out of the water.

Bluur

Cirno

eastx

The poi nt of advertising is to make money which should be passed along to the consumer. Look at HBO, no commercials, premium charge. Basic cable, small fee from distributor (which is also needed for HBO) but no extra charges. Games and especially Xbox LIVE have not been working this way. Having to look at advertisements should be balanced out by making things cheaper, as not only do they make revnue off the games, but now they have sponsors. In short, in-game advertising as it is is a complete rape of your wallet.

BrainofJTD

HootieMac: Section 9 Reject

LOL, and yes, that is a pretty good representation.

Franklin Comes Alive!

Dr. Steve Brule

[www.gamerevolution.com]

I think right before you entered this it said Guitar center or something...

ffmusicdj

Sorry, I don't buy all those people thinking that Activision 'sold out' to advertising. Let's face it, advertising is all around us - you see it in every bus stop, in every venue, in every sports stadium. Most of you watch TV and there's advertising everywhere! What makes you say they sold out? I guarantee you if GH used fake names like Ghibson Guitars, people would say," oh man, they should use AUTHENTIC guitars!!!" Now, mind you, Pontiac and AXE have NOTHING to do with guitars. I bet you they do promote musicians and musical venues, however. Selling out is overrated - any of you screaming sellout and you are wearing Nike shoes and GAP Jeans and eat McDonalds over the local burger joint, shame on you. You are calling the kettle black, my friends, calling the kettle black.

Really, does it deter from the experience of them game? Does it distract you from the core essence of the game? You don't think ANY of the rock bands featured in GH has sold out? Each and every one of those bands has all sold out (to any of the big record companies).

Me? Who cares!?! The game is great! I enjoy it nonetheless!

JazzyG

Don't like the boss battles at all.

Had the chance to play the Rock Band demo at the Best Buy where I bought GH3 yesterday, and.... I think it's a better game. There's nothing that really jumps out as a reason, it's just a collection of little things. The guitar is just a little better designed, the on-screen fretboard is a little clearer and easier to follow, the feedback to the player is a little more useful, etc. Just my $.02.

A Pimp Named DaveR

The Inhuman Achievement (15 points)
Complete Through the Fire and Flames on Expert.

Tone Deaf (5 points)
Beat any song on the expert difficulty with the games sound options turned down to zero.

Buy a Guitar Already (15 points)
Play through a career on the Hard or Expert difficulty using a standard controller.

and dont forget those achievements for 15 consecutive wins online.

modeps

Tepoz

The product placement was the final nail for me. It's one thing to have Gibson in the game but Axe just ruins it. It's the exact same thing that ruined the Tony Hawk series for me, unnecessary product placement and essentially turning Underground 2 into Jackass the game.

silentbobfan

Boss battles totally suck and feel very out of place in the career mode.

Battle mode is gimmicky and takes away from the feel of Guitar Hero.

All that said, the song selection is pretty good, the lack of covers for songs is great and the gameplay is solid. If you liked Guitar Hero or Guitar Hero II, my guess is you will also like Guitar Hero III.

...and yes, there is room for Guitar Hero III and Rock Band to co-exist. Not sure why is has to be an either/or type of argument. Those of us who love music games are getting spoiled this year! I know I'll be enjoying both.

RedFive

I played the hell out of it the first night I got it, got up to the Disturbed/Slipknot tier, and realized that those songs weren't any fun at all (I don't mind playing songs I dislike, if playing them is fun), and that I'd have to put up with more of the boss battles.

I don't know when, if ever, I'm going to pick the game up and play it again.

Boy Howdy

I'm a Boston native, born and bred in the area. And when you're from Boston, there's a sort of loyalty tied to Boston-related stuff that you don't necessarily get in other places. Harmonix is a Boston company, and as such, I personally have a lot more loyalty to them as a company, with their skilled team of developers, than I do to whoever happens to own the Guitar Hero license.

I also don't really think Activision buying out RedOctane and the GH name, while leaving Harmonix out in the cold, was a very cool move. Reminds me too much of Microsoft's old policy of "buy the name, instant profit" to stand up well in my mind.

So as it stands, I'm skipping GH3 on a mixture of pure principle, and the fact that its song list just doesn't appeal to me as much as Rock Band's does. That's not saying I won't play it, but I'm not plopping down $70+ for it when my roommates will have a copy when I move into my new house, and we can pay for Rock Band as a tag team.

Archaotic

Ok, so if you've got a friend local that plays, your best bet is to spend an extra $30 to get a 360 memory card so you can port your profile around with you... either that or download it onto their system, disabling your own.

I've got ONE local friend who plays GH. Everyone else think that rhythm games are "gay".

modeps

Yeah, I don't really have a problem with guitar solo battles / Battle of the Bands / and what-not. It's not exactly collaborative, but it's not competitive to the extent of the battles in the game with regards to one player being able to actively hose the other up. I guess that combatitiveness is what really irks me.

BigWeather

I'm not thrilled at the idea of the breakable guitar, but then I like wired controllers anyway as long as I don't always have to swap them out. I want the most reliable, fastest, most unambiguous communication system for my rhythm games. I don't want to worry about lightning strikes, nearby power tools, or low batteries making me miss notes, or having my controller lose the receiver like a PS3 controller.

I play Beatmania IIDX and leave the turntable on port 2 of my PS2 - and it's all I need to play IIDX! It works, I just end up on the right half of the screen. With the Guitar Heroes, if I did that, it just wouldn't respond until I put in in port 1, so I hope they fix that, but kind of doubt it.

In the end, why fight? As long as the guitars are compatible, play both, love both, right? If only one side breaks compatibility, then they'll be the one I miss out on for a year or two.

fuchikoma

I hear you. These days, it's pretty much vital for your Xbox 360 and PS3 to be hooked up to the internet. That being said, why the fuck aren't there more online co-op games?!!??!?!!?!?!?!

dead_red_eyes

I'm gonna be non-conformist and say I like the battle modes. I don't mind that it's fun and a different way to play the game.

EmTeeZ

dh4645

[upload.wikimedia.org]

T-roy

I seriously would have considered NOT buying the game if I knew that before hand.

modeps

I get the feeling that most of the money was spent getting original tracks (which are awesome to play, good call on Fall of Troy and Rise Against...) on the game, and not enough attention was paid to the interface. Honestly, it looks different, and it is harder to see what notes you're trying to hit at a quick glance on co-op. The notes colors are not quite as distinct, and that's crucial when you're trying to nail a solo...

As for the advertising, I don't mind the AXE guitar, after all, I don't have to buy it, and I'm far too busy rocking out to notice the Red Bull cans, but I'm pissed that there are dancers that come out for the encores. What is the point of having them there gameplay wise? It takes me out of the immersion, certainly.

I also miss Pandora. It is unclear to me why that guy who used to be in Poison is in there, as well as Tom Morello and Slash.

Had it been me, I would have bought the interface from Harmonix, even if they make me pay through the nose for it, tell Slash, guy from Poison whose name escapes me, and Tom Morello to take a hike, and then spent the money left over to make certain there's no slowdown or glitches in the game.

Hopefully this is the franchise's over-polished major label debut and they'll get back to basics and cut the extraneous garbage for Guitar Hero 4.

pastepunkjames

Naif

Overall it's like this one was phoned-in. At this point, yes, guitar hero is essentially a turn-key game, but that doesn't mean you need to flaunt that fact!

Evil Stick Man

BigWeather

Atrius

Speedbag

StupidDufus

Somehow the buttons don't correspond to what I'm hearing from the speakers. It's like telling Mario to jump but instead he runs. I don't feel like I'm "rocking" out but instead I need to press buttons as shown on screen in order to power the guitar.

angry_gamer

PeonCulture

The in-game advertising really pissed me off. Clearly visible Red Bull cans and all the other previously mentioned advertisements they put in this game really turn me off.

I might be slightly biased, since while I used to like the Guitar Hero series, I burnt out on GH2 and haven't really been a fan of the series since, but at least Guitar Hero 2 was an amazing game that did most everything right. This game, along with the upcoming release of Rock Band, is the nail in the coffin for the Guitar Hero series.

DXY!

Mezodon

Roller

SpaceWhale

Mezodon

Atamisk726

Fluffy22

romBox

Arthois

If you get past those, and look at the actual gameplay that is similar to before, it is improved in the two most important parts: songs and notecharts. All the master tracks are great, and not few expert charts feel uninspired.

ninjafetus

Secondly, I want to know how much Microsoft ponies up every time a game comes out to make it so I only hear about the 360 version of everything. For god's sake, the only reason the PS3 review came out on the same day is because they just copy pasted it from the 360. I don't think a Wii review was out till the day after.

usfslacker

It may lack the loving touches that harmonix had, but overall its still a great game.

Rock Band will probably be better, but nobody I know wants to spend that kind of loot on a single game.

Bones_Jackson

They also tried their hand at making people with a lot of character, and make their assets even more exaggerated. They failed horribly.

Rock Band is going to kick this game's ass all over the place.

Mit

Maybe soon we can look forward to Guitar Hero : American Proving Wasteland Project 9 Ground - The Sequel!

awwyeadatsright

kwant

KevinSetzer

Cathaoir

Kinburn

Kinda of like playing a fantasy game and seeing an ad for Axe or Toyota. Though I'll have to draw the line when we are forced to watch full blown commericals spots in between levels.

Boudabras

I had people over the night before last, and an hour in we had gone back to Guitar Hero II. 7/9 people playing it had never played the series before, and the previous version was infinitely easier for them to become accustomed to. All of them found Guitar Hero III to be frustrating by comparison.

That's the most monumental error Neversoft made, because it is a change in gameplay that doesn't make any sense. Why would you want less people to enjoy your game when you have competition like Rock Band coming out shortly? Did they get any non-gamers to playtest it? Maybe they missed that Guitar Hero is a franchise that stretches beyond just the hardcore audience.

PeonCulture

GHETTO.CHiLD

kingme

dioscaido

Roadkill

Camann

How is Jack Black not in this game?

PownerOfNewbs

This seems better for the consumer and honestly better for the game companies. I wonder how long until the model is embraced...

Isaac VanDuyn

spinal77

Another thing that will bug GH players is the way the hammer's have been changed. Note sets that would always be hammers in GH1 and GH2 are now changed to including strumming in the middle of the hammer. And this may just be me being picky, but when I can hear the guitarist strumming yet I am doing hammer's for a large portion of the song, I get the impression that the game wasn't made by musicians, but rather a development team that is just trying to copy a working formula. This game convinced me to never buy another Guitar Hero game, and instead hope that Rock Band (made by musicians and made by a company who has made their entire back library of perfecting music games).

So, in closing, Activision/Nervsoft, stop hitting the suck button so much.

Saleen

RalphyR

awwyeadatsright

MakoAoyama

Also, the fact that this game lacks Deep Purple sucks.

sxp151, the happy-headed nose

  I also noticed that some of the Bonus songs aren't very good quality - the In Flames song sticks particularly in my mind. It sounds like they recorded it straight from a radio. Anyone else notice any of this?

Oh well...still, it's a fun game with a good tracklist.

ruslander

Barob

I don't know why!

Moonshadow101

Barob

Cathaoir

kingclip

Furious_Liver

PaulMorel