Summary

If you're ecstatic at the prospect of playing a plastic guitar in front of a crowd of screaming CGI effects, you know who you are, and you won't be disappointed. If you find the idea completely stupid, you probably are just that. I acknowledge that I'm pretty indifferent to the idea, but I'm certainly not going to deny that it's an awful lot of fun to play. A lot of people scoff at the idea and point out that you can get a real guitar, but let's expand that argument. For the cost of a real guitar and an amp, you can also get an automatic rifle and become a real-life bounty hunter, or enlist (free!) and become a real-life soldier. However, your AK-47 doesn't actually make you into Master Chief or Joanna Dark any more than buying a Gibson Flying V lets you play for a stadium packed with cheering fans. For those of us with more plausible ambitions, Guitar Hero is a perfectly good halfway measure.

Sound

It's all about music, so it better sound good, right? A lot of music fans will be disappointed to learn that nearly all of the songs that come with it are covers, but you have to listen closely to tell. The stand-ins for Ozzy Osbourne, Dee Dee Ramone, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and everyone else are hard to tell from the real thing, assuming the guitarist is up to the task...

Gameplay

The game is centered around the controller (included with the DVD), a plastic facsimile of an electric guitar with 5 multicolored "fret buttons" on the neck, a paddle-like "strum bar" in pickup territory, and a whammy bar in the usual place. The notes come at you like the opening text in a Star Wars film, and it's simple from there; when the note hits the bottom of the screen, you hold down the indicated fret buttons and flick the strum bar. On long notes, you can bend the pitch with the whammy bar.

The crowd responds to the quality of your "performance." They cheer ever louder when you nail a string of chords, and they boo you off stage if you screw up too much. In addition to playing well the old-fashioned way, you can accumulate "star power" by hitting certain passages indicated by stars or by working the whammy bar on the right holds. When you activate your pooled Star Power, your character goes nuts and so does the crowd, plus every note you hit is worth twice as much. It's a great way to improve your score or salvage a rocky performance.

Summary

Are you kidding me? If you love rock/metal music and can't help but turn the kitchen broom into an air guitar everytime you sweep this is the addiction you've been looking for. I got this for my son last Christmas and we were blasting the house to Thunder Kiss 65 by 9 am. The controller (modeled after a Gibson SG - a la Angus Young) and is very simple to use. You begin in a basement bar setting with classic tracks like 'I love Rock n Roll' and 'Iron Man'. As you get better you unlock even more songs, venues, and extra goodies (guitar skins, song tracks, etc). So you think you're the next Joe Satriani? Kick up the level, increase the power chords, key combos, and take your best shot at rockin' the house. The more notes you hit in sequence boosts your rock meter. When it pegs out you can do a rock move with the controller and it blows your scores through the roof with a multiplier value. Get yourself 2 guitar controllers and you can duel. How wicked is that!? This game is a MUST HAVE for any closet head banger-wanna be-rock star. What're you still doing here? GO BUY IT!!

Strength

Great song selection, hours of fun perfecting your style and working your way up the charts and venues. Guitar Hero II (due out 7 Nov 06) allows you to choose from lead, rhythm, or bass guitarist modes and has even more awesome songs to play. Look out!

Weakness

You can't play online (either I or II) which stinks. If Red Octane builds that in for Guitar Hero III you can kiss your life goodbye.

Summary

this is one of the greatest and most addicting games ever made

Strength

wonderful song selection including hits like Iron Man, More than a Feeling, Killer Queen, Ace of Spades, Bark at the Moon, and Smoke on the Water.

really addicting gameplay

simple controls.

Weakness

nothing except the fact that you have to like Rock to like this game... which i love rock music

KISS and AC/DC ROCK!!!