Guitar Hero 5 (360)
Strap on that plastic guitar, don that mullet wig, squeeze into that spandex and strap on those leather boots...
Guitar Hero is back and it's better than ever, with new features, unlockables, and a ton of the finest rock songs ever crammed into one game!
Do what I did and ease yourself back in with Quick Play. I started with Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire before upping the anti with Nirvana's Lithium.
I have to be honest, I was excruciatingly bad at first until the juices started flowing and my inner rock god unleashed itself once more.
You soon find yourself hitting the notes more consistently and trying to up the difficulty level. Guitar Hero is one game I have never mastered and I am sure I will die trying.
It's not all about achievements though. The game is hugely enjoyable as a multiplayer experience, and the introduction of bass, vocals and drums has given it huge new appeal.
A great deal of the game has been geared around the multiplayer element, particularly with the Party Mode. This is a new idea which basically lets different band members drop out of tracks and join in at will.
Kudos to Activision in the sense that the old controllers still work. Good to see no cynical money-making schemes at play.
You don't have to have different instruments either - you could, for example, have four lead guitars if you wish.
The game in recent weeks has become embroiled in controversy over the You Tube videos of the Kurt Cobain incarnation happily singing Bon Jovi songs.
Grunge pioneer Kurt must be spinning in his grave...
Forget all the talk though, this is a fantastic game and the freshest Guitar Hero in years.
They have added loads of game modes, a very diverse and vast music catalogue and plenty of downloadable and unlockable content.
Everything that was good has been improved and everything that was bad has gone.
Top marks for a top game.
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Authors
Steve Wollaston - Sunday Mercury games reviewer Steve has been writing about video games for donkey's years. In fact he is probably far too old for it now which is why you will see a lot of reviews been done by kids... He has been nominated three times for Regional Games Journalist Of The Year at the Games Media Awards, but never wins. His major love is sports games and rates Sensible World of Soccer circa 90's as the greatest game ever made - closely followed by Championship Manager 2. Skyrim has currently taken over his life.
