Reviewed: July 1, 2008
Reviewed by: Brice Boembeke
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Vicarious Visions
Released: June 29, 2008
Genre: Music
Players: 1-2
8
7
8
7
7.5
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
By now, most everybody has played one of the many different versions of the Guitar Hero franchise, so you mostly know what to expect when another one comes out: improved graphics, new songs, and maybe a few extra features here and there. Well, with the new installment of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, you get exactly that. The graphics are maybe a little bit better than they were in Guitar Hero III, and the songs are new (mostly Aerosmith songs, obviously, or some that are their favorites).
It’s kind of hard to talk about the gameplay of a Guitar Hero game in such a way as has not already been done. You’ve got your guitar. You strum it. You push the “fret” buttons on the guitar to make the right notes. Whammy on the long-notes. Rock out with your star power.
Wow, that was almost like a gameplay description in haiku.
Anyway, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is just another Guitar Hero game. If you like the other ones, you’ll like the Aerosmith one, too. Especially if you’re an Aerosmith fan. One of the most unique things is that as you play, you get a little bit of a history lesson on Aerosmith, which is pretty neat. I’d be interested to see if they come out with more band-oriented Guitar Hero games in the future. It is definitely a unique perspective to play the game from. It makes you feel like you’re part of the band Aerosmith, rather than just some garage band trying to make it big.
The graphics are maybe a little bit more refined than they were in Guitar Hero III, but not by much. Anyway, when you’re playing, you don’t spend a whole lot of time looking at the graphics, anyway. So, as far as that goes, graphics aren’t really the most important feature of a game like this.
Still, they’re not bad. The guys actually look a lot like the guys from Aerosmith, so…props to the character designers. You still get to choose from the same basic set of guitar players that you get in the other games: Judy Nails, Lars Umlaut, etc, so nothing really new there.
The sound is pretty good. I recall hearing a complaint that the Guitar Hero III on the Wii was in mono, but I never really noticed it as a problem when I was playing it. I don’t know if they changed that for the Aerosmith version, but as far as I’m concerned, the music still sounded really good.
Here is the complete list of all 41 tracks including unlockables from the vault.
Tier 1: "Getting the Band Together" (Nipmuc High School)
"All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople (cover)
"Draw the Line" by Aerosmith
"Dream Police" by Cheap Trick
"Make It" by Aerosmith (rerecorded)
"Uncle Salty" by Aerosmith
Tier 2: "First Taste of Success" (Max's Kansas City)
"All Day and All of the Night" by The Kinks (cover)
"I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett
"Movin' Out" by Aerosmith (rerecorded)
"No Surprize" by Aerosmith
"Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith
Tier 3: "The Triumphant Return" (The Orpheum)
"Complete Control" by The Clash
"Livin' on the Edge" by Aerosmith
"Love in an Elevator" by Aerosmith
"Personality Crisis" by New York Dolls (cover)
"Rag Doll" by Aerosmith
Tier 4: "International Superstars" (Moscow)
"Bright Light Fright" by Aerosmith
"King of Rock" by Run-D.M.C.
"Nobody's Fault" by Aerosmith
"She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult
"Walk This Way" by Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith
Tier 5: "The Great American Band" (Half Time Show)
"Always on the Run" by Lenny Kravitz
"Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith
"Beyond Beautiful" by Aerosmith
"Dream On" by Aerosmith (rerecorded)
"Hard to Handle" by The Black Crowes (cover)
Tier 6: "Rock N Roll Legends" (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame)
"Cat Scratch Fever" by Ted Nugent
"Mama Kin" by Aerosmith (rerecorded)
"Sex Type Thing" by Stone Temple Pilots
"Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith
"Train Kept a Rollin" by Aerosmith
"Guitar Battle vs. Joe Perry" by Joe Perry
Bonus Songs (The Vault)
"Combination" by Aerosmith
"Kings and Queens" by Aerosmith
"Let the Music Do the Talking" by Aerosmith
"Mercy" by Joe Perry
"Pandora's Box" by Aerosmith
"Pink" by Aerosmith
"Rats in the Cellar" by Aerosmith
"Shakin' My Cage" by Joe Perry
"Talk Talkin'" by Joe Perry
"Walk This Way" by Aerosmith
The only main complaint that I and many other people seem to have is that the game is considerably shorter than its predecessors. So, if you really love the Guitar Hero games and want another set of songs to jam out on for a little while, this is definitely the game for you. Just keep in mind that the set-list isn’t as long as the others and you’ll probably rip through it pretty quickly.
If you love Aerosmith and the Guitar Hero games, you can’t pass this one up. If you love either one, you still should probably get this. If you’ve played Guitar Hero and aren’t really too psyched about another one but are curious how this one is different, you might just want to rent a copy or go to your friends house and play it over a few drinks.
If you’re one of the rare people that has never played Guitar Hero before…don’t start with this one…unless you’re a die-hard Aerosmith fan. You’ll find much more variety in the song choices if you go with one of the other versions of the game.
In the end, this is just another Guitar Hero game with a little more specific focus. That’s all there is to it.