I might actually get this one now :) I didn't realise it had stuff from GH
1 & Rock the 80s (I've never played them - I don't think they're available
on the 360??). I'm usually wary of anything 'Greatest Hits' (as it doesn't
usually include the songs I would've chosen) but if it's got decent songs I
don't have then it's worth it to me :)
That said, totally agree about plastic instrument fatigue (though our drums
broke, so that's one less instrument...)
Guitar Hero: Greatest
Hits Review Played on Xbox 360 I was recently talking to a very good friend of mine about Guitar Hero and the future of music games and he expressed that of late he had started to grow a little tired of music games. We soon came to the conclusion that he suffered from Plastic Instrument Fatigue…arguably not a real disorder by any stretch of the imagination but he raised an interesting point. Between Rock Band, Guitar Hero and the crappy efforts by Konami with Rock Revolution, there are so hundreds of songs that require the use a little plastic instrument, be it guitar or drum kit. I really have to say that to a certain extent I agree with him and think that there is a little bit of fatigue starting to creep into the music game genre, but since Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits is a compilation of Guitar Hero 1,2 and Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80’s, it can be argued that maybe it should be considered an update rather than a standalone release.
For those that are familiar with the original games, apart from Rock the 80’s the first two Guitar Hero games probably had the best track lists in the entire series. Well since you could only play drums with the release of Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour, it was great to see some old classic tracks get an overhaul to include the new instruments. Not only are drums included, but the note structure of the original games has gotten a little facelift as well. I preferred the original note structure but those that are playing these songs for the first time will find it just as accessible and fun to play. There really isn’t that much to talk about when it comes to the gameplay because everyone by now knows what playing one of these games entails. Probably the biggest criticism I could give Greatest Hits is that it should’ve been available as both a downloadable game as well as a retail one. Because you can’t access previous saves from other Guitar Hero games nor download new tracks it kind of blows to have to keep changing discs all the time when you are trying to find a song. Multiplayer is represented as well and works wonderfully over Xbox Live, playing music games online isn’t a new thing but it certainly gives the game legs, there’s nothing better than having a drum challenge with a buddy on a hard track.
I actually preferred Greatest Hits over the recent Guitar Hero: Metallica, and unless you’re a diehard Metallica fan I would probably recommend this one over it. There are enough old classics to get parents interested in playing as well, so it’s a pretty family friendly kind of game. Overall I would say
that Greatest Hits is a great title that offers the chance
to replay some old classics with new
tech.
While it might initially
smell like a little bit of rehashing may be going on, the
track list and the excellent gameplay save Greatest Hits
from too much criticism.
If you aren’t feeling the
fatigue kick in, definitely go out and grab a
copy.
It
really shows that there is some life in the genre, and in
particular, the Guitar Hero series yet.
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