Someone taps me on the shoulder. Its Glenda Adams, director of development for Aspyr Media. We saw this as a great opportunity to bring a unique kind of gameplay to the Mac, something that has really never been on the platform, she says. Guitar Hero III feels like such a good match for the Mac: its easy enough for casual players to pick up, its very intuitive to play, and it leverages music and sharp graphics to give you a fun experience.
Then the singer looks at me and nods. Looks like Ive been recruited for a chance to join the pantheon of rock guitar gods. Or, at the very least, the best of those who wield a plastic instrument with multi-colored buttons. I climb onto the stage and signal that Im ready.
From the character models and crowds to the special effects, the game really looks amazing.
- Glenda Adams, director of development, Aspyr Media
The Partys Just Begun
The drummer launches into the familiar initial beats of KISS Rock and Roll All Nite before musical notes, represented by different-colored circles, begin flowing toward me. I hold down the appropriate fret button on the guitar and flick the strum bar with my thumb when a note reaches the bottom of my field of view. When I see a note with a line trailing behind it, I hold the fret and wiggle the whammy bar to add some oomph.
Unfortunately, when I miss a note, the crowd hears a metallic clunk instead. A mistake also sends the all-important Rock Meter lower if it begins flashing red and stays there, the song will end abruptly and the crowd will boo us off the stage. Luckily, I can quickly recover from a series of mistakes by using my Star Power, which fills every time I hit a series of notes shaped like stars, rather than circles. No bonus points for doing a Pete Townshend windmill, though.
I complete the tune to the roar of the crowd, basking in my score of nearly 40,000 points, with over 90% of the notes hit and a 50-note streak to my credit. Sure, were doing this on the easiest difficulty setting, but Ill take it.
Suddenly, the enormous dragon behind me spews fire, an animatronic knight slices off its head, and a series of tightly-grouped notes cascades toward me. The opening riff of Iron Maidens Number of the Beast sets the stage for a much tougher challenge. Now I have to create chords by holding down two frets at the same time, and I must be fleet-fingered to keep up with the galloping song. My rock n roll dreams die in a flurry of thunks and boos.
Game Hardware
Check out our systems for your best gaming experience.
- Site: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
- Publisher: Aspyr Media
- Developer: Neversoft Entertainment
- Genre: Simulation
Game Media
Beating a song is great, but beating your friend at a song is even better.
- Glenda Adams, director of development, Aspyr Media
I Use the Best
I let someone else give this a shot and rejoin Adams. We survey our environment, marveling at an atmosphere that makes us feel like we really are watching a band in the middle of a world tour. Ye Olde Royal Odeon is one of eight rock venues in the game. The graphics have had a huge overhaul from previous games in the series, she notes. From the character models and crowds to the special effects and stage lighting, the game really looks amazing.
Now the bands been joined by mohawked Johnny Napalm, a rail-thin punker who accompanies them for Anarchy in the U.K. Hes one of 13 characters you can choose from, including former Guns n Roses lead guitarist Slash and Rage Against the Machines Tom Morello. The game also features 71 songs: 46 in the main set list including Creams Sunshine of Your Love, The Whos The Seeker, The Rolling Stones Paint It Black, and Pearl Jams Even Flow and 25 bonus tracks. Adams characterizes the breadth of the assortment as a coup.
In addition to embarking on a career, you can take on an opponent, at the same computer or over the Internet, in Guitar Battle mode. Battle Power replaces Star Power in these shredfests, allowing you to break your opponents guitar strings, overload her amplifier, or throw out other dirty tricks that will keep her from hitting the right notes. Of course, she has access to the same arsenal.
Beating a song is great, but beating your friend at a song is even better, laughs Adams. The game also tracks your single- and multi-player games and adds your scores to the overall leader boards, so you can see how you stack up against other Mac and PC players.
The Public Acclaim
Adams and her team also made sure you can rock out even if youre traveling with your laptop and didnt pack your guitar. We thought it would be great to let you play if youre on a break at the office or in the airport, she explains. So we spent a considerable amount of time coming up with a way to use the keyboard, with or without the trackpad, to play the game. I think it worked out really well; sometimes I can play a song better on the keyboard than the guitar.
The band plays its final song, but the crowd demands an encore and they oblige, launching into a rousing version of Guns n Roses Welcome to the Jungle, complete with a cameo by Slash. As I soak it all in, I remember the final words of that Byrds song: Dont forget who you are/ Youre a rock n roll star.