Guitar Hero 5 Review
Plug in and rock out with another guitar strumming, drum hitting music fest from Activision.
Five years running and, somehow, Activision pulled off the unthinkable. Guitar Hero 5 feels just fresh as it did when the series debuted on the PlayStation 2. Credit the developers at Neversoft for including just the right amount of features to attract newcomers and dedicated shredders, thanks to a massive set list and user-friendly options that allow anyone to step onto the stage and rock the night away.
This time around, you don't have to wait for your turn for the drum set or guitar. Four players can jam using the same instruments; go ahead and create a drum line. The game also features drop-in/drop-out play, so you don't need to wait for the current song to end.
![[IMG]](http://o.aolcdn.com/gd-media/games/guitar-hero-5/xbox-360/tn_565_1.jpg)
Party on, you crazy rock stars. Click to see more images from the game...
In addition to those features, Activision and Neversoft improved music creation with GHStudio 2.0. Here, you have access to a new interface in the GH Studio and GH Mix 2.0 rooms. If you prefer something more hands-on, there's also a Jam mode, where you instantly jump into a performance using a variety of styles. There's even a "chip tunes" (retro) option for old-school Nintendo fans, complete with dancing sprite characters.
On top of that, you can also create your own custom rocker from scratch. Most of the options from previous Guitar Hero games return, letting you modify your style, appearance, musical instruments, win/loss animations and more. If it's too much for you, other Guitar Hero characters are available, such as Judy Nails and Pandora.
For good measure, Activision threw in several superstars. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, Garbage's Shirley Mansion and the Man In Black himself, Johnny Cash, all become unlocked over the course of the game. If that isn't enough, Xbox 360 owners can play as their custom Avatars. They're smaller than other characters on stage, but they perform so well, you probably won't care.
Guitar Hero 5 also has an excellent soundtrack comprised of classic rock favorites and contemporary hits. One minute, you're ripping through Stevie Wonder's "Superstitious" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower", and the next, you're rocking through Jimmy Eat World's "Bleed American" and Kings of Leon's "Sex On Fire". There are a couple of questionable songs (we didn't need "Kryptonite"), but overall, it's outstanding.
As a bonus, you have the option of porting songs from Guitar Hero World Tour and Smash Hits for a small fee, along with most of the previously downloaded content from Tour. (A Rolling Stones pack will be available this week as well.)
Of course, having the ultimate set list means nothing if you can't enjoy it with friends. Fortunately, Guitar Hero 5 has you covered with a new Rockfest mode. This includes multiple mini-games, playable both online and off. There are a number of contests, including Perfectionist (where you keep playing as long as possible without missing notes), Momentum (where your difficulty changes depending on your performance) and more. Four-player local match-ups are cool, but we suggest logging into Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network to jam with up to eight players.
Despite all of this cool stuff, Activision didn't mess with the traditional Guitar Hero formula. The gameplay is the same as last year's effort, with vocals, hammer-ons, pull-offs, star power, free-flow sections and more. It's fun, though, and with adjustable difficulty settings and a practice mode, you can move to the next level whenever you're ready.
There are mild improvements to the graphics, but nothing that'll blow you away. The playfields are easier to see, with notes spread out a little wider; they shrink once you enter four-player mode, and things can get really chaotic. The background performers look great, especially the ladies and the bigger characters. The venues aren't terribly impressive, though. There's a chapel with some big dude carrying speakers around his neck, a few overly lit venues and that's about it. More variety would've been appreciated.
Although Guitar Hero 5 plays exactly like its predecessors, Activision more than made up for that with improved options, a stellar cast of characters, a top-notch set list and wonderful creation tools. It's hard to imagine how much longer this show will last, but as long as it's this entertaining, we'll keep waving our lighters.
![[IMG]](http://img162.imageshack.us/img162/8331/guitarhero5onxbox360rev.png)
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