Posted on: October 9, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There are few game franchises that are able to continually reinvent themselves as are Guitar Hero. This is not done at the expense of previous game play, but each addition to the Guitar Hero line feels as if there just is something new and fresh bubbling just under the surface. When Activision sent over a copy of review, we immediately set the guitar up and began to see what had changed. The most major of these changes has to be the Quest mode, which has individuals take their own skill to the limit in the search of heavy metal and those players that are uniquely skilled to play it. In a more visible sense, the guitar itself has changed.

The new design allows for players to swap out the entirety of the body, instead of merely having to put stickers on the peripheral. Where we had the stock guitar, we can only imagine that the different designs will allow for all sorts of styles and feels to be present. Perhaps most interesting of an addition to the Guitar Hero line with Warriors of Rock would have to be the Quickplay+ mode. This mode allows players to get into the meat of any track and try out the hardest section, solo, or riff – there are 13 different achievements to bust one’s way through. As is the case with many of the accomplishments here, getting further through these achievements will ensure that different outfits, guitars, or venues will be unlocked.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has one of the most stacked track lists of any Guitar Hero title that we’ve experienced. Tipping the scales at 93 tracks, there seems to be a more steady focus on classic metal than there ever has been before. This means that Jethro Tull’s “Aqualung” is here, along with Deep Purple’s “Burn”, Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave”, and Red Rider’s “Lunatic Fringe”. For those players that want an additional bit of music to rock out to, select shipments of the title come with a copy of Soundgarden’s new album, Telephantasm. I may just be a sucker for Guitar Hero, but this game feels much more like a full experience this time around – if you have liked Guitar Hero in the past, make an effort to pick up Warriors of Rock today.

Rating: 9.0/10

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Xbox 360) / 2010 Activision / http://www.guitarhero.com

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