Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Wireless Bundle

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I originally bought a PS2 just to play guitar hero 1. And it was quite ground breaking. I then followed it up and bought GH2 and Rock the 80's. GH2 was a big improvement over the first, and 80's is the exact same engine as 2, just with different songs and graphic overlays.

Now, I was expecting quite a bit for GH3 but I don't think I was expecting anything over the top of what is possible. And here start all my issues with GH3:

1. Sony added bluetooth to the PS3 which was an amazing idea. There was NO need to add a wireless dongle. There is wireless built into the PS3 for a reason, USE IT! A wireless dongle for PS2 would be understandable. But common activision, there is NO excuse for the dongle.

2. The implementation of the GH3 controller with the PS3 is below standards. You CANNOT turn on the PS3 with the controller like you can the sixaxis.

3. People have been waiting for a guitar controller for the PS3 so they can play the old GH's on the system. Here is the controller everyone has been waiting for, but sorry... this controller doesn't work with anything but GH3. GH I, II, and rock the 80's still have no way to play on a PS3 even though sony added backwards compatability for legacy games.

4. Why couldn't they model the guitar after a sixaxis? They could have made the guitar run just like a sixaxis which in turn would create a seamless integration with the PS3 like it should be. The 5 colored buttons could stay the way they are right now, the two bottom triggers on the sixaxis are pressure sensitive and could have been used for the wammy bar. The built in motion sensor could be the 'star power' trigger, and there is still many more buttons left over. There is no need for such a poorly integrated controller.

5. The overall timing of the game feels 'off'. I've calibrated and still the game doesn't feel right.

6. In practice mode, your calibration doesn't work. So if you calibrate your TV with lets say 50ms, in practice mode it's always at 0ms no matter what. In the high ms (80+) you will not be able to hit one note properly. Go try it and see for yourself.

7. There are some great songs on here, but there is way more filler than the good stuff. I've already beat the game on expert, and I got excited for maybe 4 or 5 songs the entire way through. Mostly it was "lets get this over so I can move on" type songs.

8. The guitar runs on 2 AA batteries. Again, if this was modeled after the sixaxis like it should have been, it would have been a simple usb cord to charge the guitar. Yeah I know it's just 2 batteries, but I still feel the developers were lazy putting this package together.

There are positives, the removable neck is great, the guitar feels solid, removable face plate, updated graphics (720P), downloadable content in the future. But I still feel let down with this one. Let the flaming begin ;)

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First off let me just say that this is a great game. I was a little concerned when it switched from Harmonix to Neversoft, but they have stayed true to what guitar hero is all about. Mechanics of the game is the same and the game play is very fun as usual.

This however is not for the faint hearted. The song list is great (mostly original artists and not cover bands like the last 2 games) but they are very fast paced and particulary "shredders" where you feel your arm is about to fall off. I play on hard and expert. You shouldn't have any problems and if you are new to guitar hero I recommend on starting out easy/medium due to the difficultly level being anti-upped in guitar hero 3. "One" in particular is the song title by Metallica which is a very hard song to beat and this would be for those who have played guitar hero before and want a significant challenge.

What's interesting is that they have added what's called "battle mode" which instead of star power, you get battle power. So when you activate your "battle power" (same as activating star power) you are able to distract your opponent but cutting a string, flipping his guitar to lefty, making him hit the whammy bar, upping the difficult (hard to expert) and doubling the notes. This is a very fun addition and adds to the party game experience while adding challenge too.

As far as the guitar it's self, I had no problem hooking it (bluetooth and the PS3 version using a dongle). Just hit the button on the dongle then the PS button on the controller. The strum bar does not click as much and it is slightly longer than the previous models making strumming easier. The buttons and neck seem sturdier and les paul design is classic with inter-changable face plates. The guitar is significantly heavier (but not heavy where it hurts the neck) so you don't feel like you're going to break it while rocking out to the songs. Online play is great and I haven't had any problems so far with lag time/delays. I would highly recommend this to has played guitar hero before and to people who want to start playing (just start out on medium trust me).

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I was a little worried when I ordered this game based on some of the complaints I'd been reading. Having received it and spent several hours playing, I find that the complaints are basically valid but not as big a deal as some might have one believe. Here are my thoughts:

* The song list ranges from worthless to classic. They're trying to please too many different people and should probably consider releasing separate games in specific genres going forward. I love the classic rock and '80s metal tracks, but a lot of the others don't do anything for me. I'm sure that plenty of younger gamers have the opposite reaction. Also, the fact that a few of the songs can only be played in multiplayer mode is extremely annoying.

* The gameplay is indeed much harder than in previous games. Aside from the fact that Easy still uses only 3 fret buttons and Medium uses 4, each difficulty level is roughly equivalent to the next highest level in the earlier games.

* The fact that the controller isn't compatible with the earlier games still blows my mind. This is shocking and inexcusable! What were they thinking?

* The controller does have some issues -it occasionally misses notes and the star power sensor is way too sensitive. If, like me, you're mainly interested in just jamming along to fun tunes, it's not really a big deal. If your goal is to beat every song on Expert level, it might drive you crazy. I've found that playing while sitting down helps, but of course that's not as fun as rockin' around the room. (Note to those complaining about lack of Bluetooth -bear in mind that the bluetooth guitar will probably cost an extra $50. The RF works fine just hit the dongle button and then the P button on the controller. You might need to fiddle with it if it doesn't set the guitar up as controller #1 though.)

* If you have lag problems, try putting the TV into Game Mode (most newer HD sets have this). That cuts out most of the image processing in the TV and may solve the problem. I went through the GH calibration on my Toshiba DLP set and it reported 0 ms lag. I haven't had any lag problems at all.

* A couple of song download packs are now available, but they're on the expensive side for only 3 songs per pack.

That all said, it's still Guitar Hero and basically the same idea as the earlier games. The fun songs are still fun and it's still worth playing. It's just not at the level of quality that it could have been.

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I picked up my copy of GHIII last night and played it a bit when I got home and this morning. If you're a fan of the other GH games, you'll love this one too.

First the positives: I love the boss battles. Lots of fun battling against slash and one of the devil's minions. The expert level boss battles are insane!

I liked the smaller guitar and fret buttons. Gameplay controls and response time is spot on. I tried to play the PS2 versions of GH II and 80s on the PS3 with the adapter, but I ended up taking it all back to the store because the controls were crap. Finally we get a GH game made just for the PS3!

Now the middle road: I'm sure I'll get some crap for this, but I'm not that happy with the song list. Yes, playing "Welcome to the Jungle" with Slash and playing Metallica's "One" is awsome, along with Slayer, etc. BUT, I miss the GH II tracks I played when I used to have the 360 (before I traded it after the ring of death and having to deal with Microsoft...what a mess). I REALLY hope the track list for GH, GHII and 80s will eventually be available for PS3, whether its by a campanion CD or download from PSNetwork. Afterall, the price of the PS3 version is the same as the 360 version and that console can play GH II at least and has a better online capability (for now at least).

What I didn't like: With all the advances the PS3 has made...how dare Activision and Red Octane release the game with a "wireless" guitar that required a gongle attached to a USB port. Are you serious?! You mean to tell me they couldn't come up with a way to make it just as wireless as the useless six axis remote? Come on! No Bluetooth? No USB recharge capability? Weak! Just another thing I have to keep buying batteries for.

Lastely, I know I mentioned this already, but I want to be able to play tracks from older versions on the PS3 the way they were meant to be played. They better make it happen!

A fun game, fans of the older versions will love it. Gamers who buy this version as their first will probably be a little dissapointed to not have some of the tracks they heard about in the previous games.

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When it came to great music games, nothing this past year has really proven to shine like the Guitar Hero franchise. With the past few installments delivering well on the Playstation 2, many PS3 owners have been anxious for their debut on the great video game. Nevertheless, it hasn't all been smiles. With the spinoff Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80's, it really didn't click definitively with die hard Playstation 2 fans. But, the PS3 has that opportunity to make it its own into the well-dedicated franchise with the latest installment of the Guitar Hero franchise, and it will, it will definitely rock you!

Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock for the Playstation 3, brings the latest installment of Activision's great music game as it debuts for the PS3. The game brings out a lot when it comes to great rock music. The game includes a special wireless guitar for the PS3 which works well with the game. The graphics and sound really deliver well into the game. The latest installment also includes some new features into the game like boss battles, which fair well, but don't completely shine with just 3 bosses, unlike the rest of the game. The standard features are here like the previous installment with multiplayer action improved, as you can compete with others online, as well as co-op mode. The songlist also shines better here as well with Rock classics like Barracuda from Heart, One by metal gods Metallica, the traditional Rock N' Roll party anthem Rock N' Roll All Night by Kiss, and other interesting surprises here like the Beastie Boys Rap classic Sabatoge. The control works well with Playstation 3, as you strum your way with the specialty PS3 guitar, and the fun works quite well, as you bring out your inner rock god. There are also a few added features here, as you can unlock specialty venues and faceplates that you can customize your guitar with.

All in all, Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock is a great buy for the Playstation 3 that really is worth the money, and a mostly well-delivered debut for Sony's latest console. I absolutely recommend this as one of the top music games of 2007, and the price is definitely right.

Graphics: B 1/2+

Sound: B+

Playlist: B 1/2+

Control: B

Fun & Enjoyment: B for solo players; B+ for multiplayer and online action

Overall: B 1/2+