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PS2 | Simulation | Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

Boxart for Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s 11 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.00
  • SOUND: 5.00
  • CONTROL: 5.00
  • FUN FACTOR 4.00
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.6
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.8

Review: Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

Review by T3hPanda | 07/25/2007 | 15:43:16 PM PST

Guitar Hero 2 may have included over sixty songs, but you can't stop the rock, which is why Harmonix and Activision quickly brings us the next installment in the explosive franchise. But this isn't Guitar Hero 3 by any stretch of imagination. In fact, it's not even Guitar Hero 2.5; it's more like Guitar Hero 2.1.

Encore is simply the Guitar Hero 2 skeleton decked out in leg warmers and neon-colored costumes complete with prints last seen on a couch that needed to be taken out and shot. Ah, the 80's.

You Can't Stop The Beat

All of the modes and methods play out just like they did in Guitar Hero 2. Career still has you chasing stardom across the country, multiplayer includes the same cooperative and competitive play modes, and so on. The only noticeable difference in the interface lies in the garish 80's color palette used to retool most of the screens, as well as tweaks to character costumes and stages. The six core guitar hero characters are back, each with their own 80's-era makeover, while the stages sport only a few retro touches to remind you that, yes, you are actually playing another game.

The main difference--and the main attraction, naturally--is the all-new set list which is packed with 30 songs from 80's artists like Eddie Money, The Go Go's, Twisted Sister, The Police, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.

Love the Whammy

Yes, you heard me right: there are only 30 new songs which equates to six sections of five songs each. The biggest omission: no bonus songs to purchase. In fact, there's not much to purchase in the store at all. It's mostly an inventory of the same guitars and skins from GH2, which is rather uninspiring. Let's just say that I won't be fighting for five-star ratings on all of the songs in order to complete my inventory.

And yes, you are being asked to pay $50--the same price as the Guitar Hero 2 game alone. It's pretty steep price to pay for what is essentially an expansion pack that contains just half the content. Instead of making a full game, Activision would have been better off releasing this game as downloadable content on one of the new-gen consoles. The 80's-themed costumes and touches are fun the first time around, but it's not enough to fully justify the price tag.

There's technically nothing wrong with the game: it's the same Guitar Hero 2 gameplay, just with an 80's bent. If you find yourself salivating at the thought of rocking out to some classic tunes after teasing your hair five inches above your head, run and pick up the game. However, if you're just looking for new songs to play, you should probably just wait for more downloadable tracks to hit the 360 version.

Pros: It's more Guitar Hero! Who wouldn't want that?
Cons: Paying full retail price for an expansion pack sucks.


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