Get ready to ROCK! (Guitar Hero: World Tour Band Bundle (Wii))

Member Name: leetemplar

Product:	Guitar Hero: World Tour Band Bundle (Wii)
Date:	23/12/08 (285 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the most addictive games out there!

Disadvantages: Wii version is limited in some ways when compared with XBox and PS3 versions

INTRODUCTION

The Guitar Hero franchise has been around for a few years now, but in the last year it has moved into the mainstream and become something of a gaming phenomenon.

This, the fourth incarnation of the game, sees the additions of drums and vocals to mix, taking a leaf out of rival series Rock Band.

This pack comes with one guitar, drums and a microphone. The second guitar can be bought seperately, although it should be noted the guitar from Guitar Hero 3 is compatible.

BASIC GAMEPLAY

The basic premise of Guitar Hero is to play in time to the music using instrument peripherals. Traditionally this includes guitar, that can also be played as bass in two-player mode. The player must play the notes in time to corresponding coloured circles as they move up the "fretboard" on screen, with several levels of difficulty.

In Guitar Hero World Tour, the player has the addition of drums, which are played in the same way, and vocals, in which the singer must match the basic pitch of the song in a similar way to the popular Singstar series of games.

The game can be played with 1-4 players, the 4-player mode perhaps being the most fun, with each player on a different instrument, and creating a full band of guitar, bass, drums and vocals.

The multi-player game is usually cooperative, but battles can be played between guitarists. Online play is also very playable, again with different modes that can either be cooperative or combatative.

Both single players and bands can play through a career mode, which sees their band move through a series of gigs, earning "money" (which can be used in the create-a-rockstar mode, see below), and unlocking new content.

SOUNDTRACK

There are over 80 tracks on the game, and all of them are by original artists with no covers. There is something to suit all tastes, with songs by Michael Jackson, Bon Jovi, Nirvana, Wings, The Eagles, Tool, Korn, Blondie, Sex Pistols, Oasis, Willie Nelson, No Doubt, NOFX, Sting, Stone Roses, System of a Down and Motorhead to name but a few. Many songs are available at the start of the game, with new ones unlocked as the player progresses through career mode.

OTHER FEATURES

The "create-a-rockstar" mode allows you to make your own avatar who will represent you in the game, which is a nice touch. New items for your rockstar are unlocked as you progress through career mode, and can be bought with the "money" you earn at gigs.

There is also a music-making package that allows you to make your own compositions to play in-game, but this is very fiddly and won't be used by anyone but the most musical and/or patient players.

An online shop is also available to purchase new songs, although these are quite sparse at the time of writing, but there is material to download from the likes of Oasis, The Killers, Metallica, Alicia Keys & Jack White and Smashing Pumpkins, with more scheduled for release. The songs cost 200 Wii Points, which is fairly steep (equating to £1.40), and also take up a fair chunk of the Wii's internal memory.

OTHER NOTES

The Wii version, due to hardware issues, is graphically not as good as other consoles' versions, and as has already been mentioned, has the limitation of a small internal memory to house downloaded songs.

There is also the annoyance of needing four Wii remotes in order to play the game as a full band. Three are needed to be inserted into the guitars and drums, and an extra one is needed to operate menus while using the microphone, despite it being a generic USB mic (which, incidentally, can also be used for recording purposes on your PC, and is actually of a quite good quality).

CONCLUSIONS

Minor quibbles aside, this is a brilliant game that will bring the inner rockstar out in anyone, and the full band mode is excellent. It is highly recommended to anyone who likes to ROCK!

Summary: A brilliant game that will bring the inner rockstar out in anyone