E for All 2007 Preview
“Dude, there’s a Wii remote in your guitar.”
“Huh?”
“Dude, look! There’s a remote! In YOUR guitar!”
Dude looks down. “Whoa.”
That was the reaction had by one fan playing the Wii version
of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. It seems that each system will get its own
unique guitar, but none is as unique as the one featured on Nintendo’s
motion-sensing console. We weren’t able to take the guitar apart to find out
exactly how it works, but it appears that players are supposed to insert their
remotes and snap the guitar together. It’s a strange concept but is actually
very cool looking.
The game itself is 100% of what the fans were craving: Guitar
Hero 2 squared. Legends of Rock’s expert mode is much more intense than the last
game. Your fingers must be limber, experienced, and ready for a workout. Notes
scroll by at about the same pace as before but their formations and the overall
number of notes are where the challenge is born. Even if your left hand can keep
up with the frets, being able to strum fast enough – not just quickly, but in
tune with the notes – is another difficulty to overcome.
Legends of Rock’s graphics are slightly flashier than the PS2
games but not as high-res as the Xbox 360 version. The characters aren’t as
realistic either. Fortunately, none of that matters. We could barely hear the
song we were playing at E for All, but the brief sounds that came through were
all that was needed to keep the fun flowing. There’s just something really
addictive about this series, with or without the proper acoustics.
Wii players may be surprised by the guitar controller’s size
and weight. Despite being wireless, the controller is very light. It also
features buttons that are slightly smaller than the previous games. In gaming,
smaller doesn’t necessarily mean better. But for a game that requires you to
imitate guitar playing, the closer the frets are to each other, the easier it’ll
be to perform your favorite – but always most difficult – music tracks.
The game’s soundtrack is going for a mix of old and new hits,
ranging from The Killers’ “When You Were Young” to Heart’s “Barracuda.”
Full track list
announced (thus far)
We can’t wait for the game’s release, and thankfully, we don’t
have to – Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock ships October 28.