Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s.
Before I begin, let me first qualify myself by stating that no one wants this game to be awesome more than me. Other than the guy with the Def Leppard tattoo on his face, but they don’t even let you play games in maximum-security federal prison so who cares what that dude thinks. Guitar Hero as a series has allowed me, after a lifetime of musical ineptitude, to finally achieve the thrill of rock stardom that has so long eluded me. In the comfort of my own home, even. And so it is with great pain and much discomfort that I must regretfully inform you that this game is a rush job of the highest order.
Developer Harmonix and publisher Red Octane (since split up) would have you believe that this game is a “thank you” to the PS2 owners that made Guitar Hero a success in the first place. While it does have a Maiden song (“Wrathchild”) to help assuage the sting of “The Trooper” being exclusive to the 360, further inspection reveals that both parties appear to be saving their big guns for the next installment of their own respective franchises. The breakup must have been rough, because the inclusion of “Because it’s Midnight” by Limozeen, especially as an end of set encore almost seems like a joke. Where are the Guns & Roses? Dokken? Slayer? AC/DC? This is the 80s right? For a game that started out as a celebration/parody of THIS PARTICULAR ERA, it boggles the mind that so little care has been given to honoring the tradition of our forefathers in rock. Where the first two games were careful to avoid the played-out songs while still providing a set list that would make any rock-nerd drool, this edition induces more puzzled expressions than cries of joy with each set list reveal.
This is not to say that there are not some redeeming qualities to the game. High expectations more than anything else are the killer here. When it comes to gameplay, this edition carries with it the same near-perfect balance of difficulty, the same party-rocking atmosphere and accessibility, and a few really tremendous surprises amidst the song list. “Turning Japanese”, “Los Angeles”, “Round & Round”, “Seventeen”, for every song that elicits disdain there is another to keep you playing. The only thing is that once you’ve played them all (only 30 songs in this edition vs. 40+ in previous editions), there isn’t much incentive for the casual gamer to continue onward. There are no unlockable songs, no new characters (fewer characters even), no new outfits/tapes, and the same guitars (even the secret ones are the same). All this combined makes the $50 price tag seem a bit steep.
Ultimately, most of us that enjoy Guitar Hero will be unable to resist the urge to get our hands on some new songs. The joy of shredding a tough solo from one of your all-time favorite songs has not tarnished over time, rush job or no. Just be warned that while this is ultimately a solid Guitar Hero offering, some of the magic is clearly missing, and it shows.
Score: 6.5 (7.5 if this is your first time playing Guitar Hero)
