First Impressions: Guitar Hero World Tour

My Wii has become a tool for two things, rhythm music games and the Wii Fit. I know it can do so much more but truth is that’s all I really want or have time for when it comes to my video game experience. When it was revealed that the latest installment of the mother of all music games was going to feature multiple instruments, ala Rock Band, you best believe I stood up and took notice.

Yes, Guitar Hero World Tour has arrived in all its glory. To prepare for its arrival I traded in GH3, GH Aerosmith, and my American Idol Karaoke. I cashed in my change jar and if I had a child, I’m pretty sure I would have raided their college fund. Why such a mad dash of cash collection? The hefty price tag of the complete band set is $189.99. So now the question is, was it worth it? I’ve spent about a day with my new BFF and so far so good god that’s amazing!

Obviously, the biggest selling point on this version of GH is the addition of other instruments. As I wobbled in at midnight Saturday with the 30lb. box of equipment, I questioned whether this was truly worth the money or the trouble. After all, I already live in a two guitar household and who really wants to drum and sing anyway. That question faded as I assembled the set in my living room. First of all, the revised guitar offers some great new features and is not simply a retread. The designers have added a Star Power button so that folks who like to play seated don’t have to jerk violently to get the bonus points. In addition, they’ve added a slide neck that allows you to play different notes without strumming. I took the tutorial and these and understood it perfectly but was completely lost when it came to actual game play. I believe I’ve got more studying to do. The microphone and vocals are similar to any Karaoke Revolution game you’ve ever played. Pitch and rhythm are the keys and not so much the words. On our third song as a band, we got an old Oasis song that we couldn’t remember so there was a lot of “la la la”. Then of course, there are the biggums, the drums. Three drum pads, two cymbals and a kick pedal make up the set and it does so in a very contained space. The six options are all color coded like the guitar and come with a pair of wooden drumsticks. Being that we are new to the world of fake drums, my partner and I took turns at the drum tutorial on the game and the drums are certainly no throw away addition. The combos and rhythms that the drums demand make it a challenging addition to any GH vet or newcomer. The drums themselves are relatively quiet, so don’t worry about the neighbor folks. Location and impact are the keys to hitting the right note. You can’t just bang anywhere on the pad to get the desired reaction, as even on easy you must hit the center of the pad with a decent amount of pressure. While the drums felt incredibly difficult at first, by the end of the night I was playing along with numerous tracks including the awesome drum line of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way”.

Speaking of music, Guitar Hero World Tour has taken the rhythm game genre to a new height once again. All the 86 tracks are master recordings so no more covers. The music spans many genres and decades as we played some Willie, Michael Jackson, 311, and Linkin Park yesterday. There are also some personal favorites like Motorhead and NoFX. Best of all for Wii owners, we finally have downloadable content. Already available are some Metallica tracks and a few oldies like “Jessie’s Girl”.

Game modes also seem to be a huge improvement on this installment. So far we’ve only tackled a couple but the list seems almost daunting. I’ve mentioned them already but the tutorials are very helpful especially for the drums. We also started a career as a band and this mode seems to have expanded greatly, most likely due to the sheer volume of music. I also took a quick ride through the Quickplay mode, which now allows you to create set lists so you don’t have to play one song and then go back to the menu. The Wii version also features a Mii Freestyle mode, which I’m looking forward to sampling. Finally, there’s the Music Studio mode, which allows you to create your own music. This seems like the natural progression for the franchise and once we tackle it I expect I’ll be back with a further review.

That being said, there is already so much that I love about GH World Tour after only 1 day. This is clearly the start of a new relationship that will last a lifetime or at least until Wii Sports 2.