 Wii | Vicarious Visions / Activision | 1-4 Players | 1-8 Players online (up to four per console) | Nintendo WFC Pay & Play DLC | Out Now | From £39.99 RRP (Solus) Controller Compatibility: Guitar Hero Wii Licensed Guitar and Drum Controllers, USB Microphone & Wii remote, Wii remote & Nunchuck* (only for certain elements) Reviewer: Billy White  In Guitar Hero, the object of the game is to play one of five coloured notes that scroll down the screen. When a coloured icon reaches the bottom of the screen, you "play" it by holding down the same coloured button, and then strumming the bar with your other hand. It is a really simple concept that works really well, and it's the same story for the drums (you hit the correct colour when the icon reaches the bottom of the screen). When using the microphone however, you instead have to sing along to the words that appear on the screen. A graphic will show you the approximate pitch you have to be at and the game works out what pitch you are singing, scoring you on how well you compare. In addition to this, throughout a song you can activate star power, which you collect by playing selected groups of notes shaped like stars. Every time you play a group of these notes, your meter goes up, for you to unleash your star power at any point. This activates double point scoring for a limited period, which is helpful if you think you're about to fail a song. To activate it, you must tilt your guitar upwards or press the new star power button, hit yellow and orange together if you're on the drums (which is particularly difficult during songs and risks you missing notes or playing an extra one if your timing is slightly off) or tap twice on the mic (although this doesn't really work - which means that the handy addition of pressing A on the Wii remote instead is our preferred choice).  In this version of the game, there are a helluva lot of songs. These are all unlocked by playing through the career mode, where you start by playing two songs at once, followed by a bonus song, in a specific location from around the world. As you progress, the songs get harder and you'll end up playing several songs in one group instead. This differs from Guitar Hero III, where you had the option to play whichever song you wanted from a set of four, and you only had to play one song at once. In the previous game, you could also "purchase" bonus songs using an in-game currency, but this time you'll have to unlock them all through the career experience. Career mode can be completed in a group of four as well, which is where the game really shines. With one player on lead, one on bass, one on drums and one on the microphone a great social experience appears, and ensures that you can have a lot of fun when not on your own. You play through career as you normally would here, with the only difference being the order of the track listing. If you've not got enough friends or instruments though, there is the option to team up with others online, and play through songs in co-op mode that way. Another notable addition to quick play mode this time is that when you change difficulty, you keep the set list you'd already unlocked, and you only have to start from the beginning again if you're playing a different instrument, which is handy, because the next time you're stuck on a particular song that you just can't do, you can recede to easy mode to give it another shot.  There are some new features too this time around, with the custom features being one of the most notable ones. Using a new music studio, you are able to create your own songs, by either playing notes on the guitar "live", or recording them step by step. There are lots of options here, including step by step recording, the ability to add in up to five different tracks (lead, rhythm, bass, guitar and keyboard), simple copying and moving features, and the ability to change the scale and notes you're playing mid-song. Those who know what they're doing when it comes to music will get some enjoyment out of this, though many will find it tasking and awkward to navigate. There are some simple freestyle options available, but people may be put off by the difficulty of making a good tune.  If you're looking for some more custom features though, there is also the ability to create your own character. You can customize just about everything about them, such as their chin shape (yes, really) and skin colour, and there is a massive range of features available, such as animé style eyes and wild mohawks. Some of them have to be bought with the in-game currency that you earn from completing songs, but since the money isn't used for anything else, this isn't really a pain. In addition to this though, you can also edit your band logo, drum kit, guitar style and even elements of your microphone, giving you near perfection in tweaking the game to your liking. For those gamers out there who aren't looking for too much in-depth stuff though, Vicarious Visions haven't forgotten you. Taking a very Wii Music style approach, there is the inclusion of the Mii Freestyle mode. In this mode, you can either use the drum kit, guitar or Wii remote and Nunchuck controllers to play along to one of three background beats, as you have fun messing around with your own little "tunes". Once you've got bored of this though, beginners can get into the normal modes with the inclusion of a new "beginner" difficulty setting (in addition to the usual easy, medium, hard and expert modes). In this mode, a bar will come towards the bottom of the screen (as with the usual coloured notes), but this time you can just play anything. Any colours or notes are allowed, and as long as you're in time this is a great way to get started with the franchise.  One more thing to note is the online features. If you are not online, you will miss a lot of the overall game by not playing online. There are several online multiplayer modes available (face-off, pro face-off and battle), but finding a game can often be a pain, and the face-off mode feels a bit pointless. Rather than this mode, an in-game leaderboard would have sufficed much better, but when you add in GHTunes, the music store and the variety of co-op modes available the game just wouldn't be the same without these beneficial features. Overall, this game is damned excellent. It almost feels as though they haven't left a single thing out, and despite minor niggles (when playing the drums, you have to use the included foot pedal as well, which can take a lot more getting used to than you'd first expect, especially since these notes can often be out of time with the rest of the notes), this could very well be the definitive music experience on Wii. Just about everyone will enjoy it, there's plenty to keep you busy, and the tradition of including three repeated figures in the audience hasn't been forgotten. For those about to rock, we salute you! At least until the next instalment, that is. Final Score 27/30 Excellent Gameplay 9 So close to music perfection, with something for everyone to enjoy Presentation 9 The graphics could be better, but the band members animations are greatly improved over the last game, and every single song is a master track Enjoyment 4 Get stuck? You can change difficulty at any point to ensure you hardly ever get frustrated Other 5 What hasn't been included here? There's enough stuff to last you until the next apocalypse
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Review - Guitar Hero World Tour |
