Low Fidelity Taints An Otherwise Rocking Guitar Hero III

Despite some inexcusable shortcomings, Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock makes a solid series debut on Wii. It's addictive as ever, boasts a head-banging set list, and is well worth the purchase price -- provided you're not an audiophile and/or have the means to buy the Xbox 360 version.

To be clear, Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii rocks. While the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are easier on the eyes as well as the ears (I'll get to that later), the Wii version is home to the best guitar controller of the lot, features an engaging online mode, and plays just as nice.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Guitar Hero lets players assume the role of a lead guitarist in a self-made cover band. As players advance "on tour," they unlock additional songs and venues in addition to tracking their performance using a point and star system. While Activision has added several welcome options and game modes to the third game, the gameplay formula wisely remains untouched. Pick up a fake guitar and pretend that you're a rock star while playing one of the game's 74 face-melting tracks.

Rocks or Not?

PROS:
  • Highly addictive gameplay.
  • Excellent track listing and guitar hardware.
  • Impressive online mode.

CONS:
  • Mono-only sound is an annoyance.
  • Graphics are grainy, not very polished.
  • No downloadable content.

Exclusive to Wii is a white wireless Les Paul controller (PS3 and 360 models are black) that houses the Wii Remote internally. The benefits are three fold: the Wii Remote adds additional weight to the controller making it the most convincing faux guitar yet; built-in rumble alerts players when their Star Power is ready--an effect that works well; and the Wii Remote speaker reverberates missed notes instead of through your sound system. The last addition is gimmicky, but fortunately, it can be turned off.

The biggest surprise for the Wii, however, is the competent online mode that adds an additional level of replayability and competitiveness to an already enjoyable career mode. Friend codes are still painstakingly present, but connecting with random rock stars online works as seamlessly and quickly as Xbox Live in most cases. Furthermore, Activision was kind enough to include a smorgasbord of online options including difficulty levels, game modes, and total songs played for the low, low price of $0 in service fees.

Sadly, Guitar Hero 3 for Wii comes with some baggage. Amazingly, developer Vicarious Visions seemingly forgot to include stereo sound, not to mention the as-advertised Dolby Pro Logic II, when playing songs. Many dog-eared gamers have voiced concern over the issue on the Guitar Hero forums to which Activision has replied that it is "looking into the problem," citing no specifics or explanation. Whatever the case, Wii's mono fidelity sounds flat in comparison with Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. How this snuck under the quality assurance radar is beyond us, especially for a music game.

That said, it's hard to deny the countless hours I've already spent (and plan to spend) on the imperfect game given its ceaseless ability to entertain. Had the sound been working properly, the Wii version of the game would have scored a 4, but despite its flaws, Guitar Hero 3 is worth the cover price.

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josef613

weird that they put this on the wii
Well the Wii does need a game like this.. it gives the system an edge. the only real flaw with the game is the mono sound.

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