Can Neversoft actually make a Guitar Hero? It’s the question we’ve all been asking ourselves ever since it was announced that Harmonix would not be developing Guitar Hero III. While the rhythm-action masters trotted off to make Rock Band, Activision’s favourite buddies were given a damn hard task. Either the brains behind Tony Hawk’s would prove that lightning can strike twice, or destroy one of videogames’ strongest franchises. The tension!

While you sit there trying to hide your sweaty palms, let’s just say there’s really no need to worry. In fact, allow your hands to dry up to a superior level because Guitar Hero III is the best in the series. Admittedly, a large reason for this is how excellent the setlist is. From the opening note of Foghat to the ferocious conclusion of One (which is a contender for greatest song ever, by the way) there’s hardly a bad song in the entire bunch. Obviously the beauty of music is that one man’s heaven is another’s hell, but on the whole we doubt anyone can complain about what Activision has pieced together. From the niche bands to the monsters who’ve been sitting on their rock thrones for years, the majority of tracks have been mapped out terrifically, ensuring that the fact you’re just hitting buttons on a plastic guitar is never apparent; a great deal of appreciation needs to be placed upon the shoulders of whoever made the decision to include master tracks. Covering a song is all well and good – and in the case of Kansas on GH II even better – but being able to play the actual riff from the actual song with the actual accompaniment adds a whole new level to the experience.

This is the bare minimum we needed from GH III, though. Without said elements, the very core of what we all love would have been killed off. It’s the new inclusions where the eye of judgement needs to be unleashed – namely the boss battles. To be blunt, we’re not fans! The concept of getting to compete in a rock-off against legitimate legends like Slash and Tom Morello is brilliant. However, the mandatory, inescapable power-ups just don’t fit in with the concept. Why can’t we just go toe-to-toe with the Guns N’ Roses wizard to see who’s the better Guitar Hero guitarist? Having to concentrate on breaking opponent’s strings or increasing their amount of notes is far too hit and miss to ever feel like a skill. If we ever take over the reins at Activision (and dammit, we’re close), just having a standard face-off against a rock king would be our chosen way forward. Unfortunately, the battles don’t translate well when it comes to multiplayer either. Power-ups such as ‘lefty-flip’ are so difficult to counter that match-ups often last a matter of seconds. It certainly defeats the point of the genre, because before you can even get into your rhythm, the contest is over and your friend is laughing in your face!

Oddly enough, this is by and large irrelevant. The reason Guitar Hero has been such a success is because it’s a masterclass in making you feel like you’re actually playing the guitar and this sensation is so good in III that minor annoyances are soon forgotten. That, and the new guitar is supreme! We were fans of the original – the Explorer took its time but eventually won us round – but the Gibson is a truly beautiful contraption. The added weight to the body mixed with fullon wireless goodness is a damn fine combination and the reason our white guitar will be offered to potential co-op buddies as we hold on to our wire-free model with all of our might!

Mind you, it’s near essential that we’re so enamoured with our tool of musical destruction, because Nerversoft has ramped up the difficulty. Having four different fretboard speeds for each level may seem unimportant, but some songs take some serious doing and a huge amount of talent. If your pride relies on seeing that elusive five-star rating after each track, you’re going to need to retire from life and take up work as a Guitar Hero junkie!

And so we find ourselves in an odd situation – another person’s creation has reached a new plateau thanks to somebody else’s handiwork! Yes, Harmonix laid the groundwork and such a feat can never be taken away, but Neversoft has done such a great job it’d be wrong of us not to send much deserved props its way. There’s not a videogame enthusiast on this planet that didn’t expect GH III to be majestic, and that’s exactly what we’ve wound up getting. Oh, and it has Metallica on it, and for this reviewer, that’s justification enough!

Simon Miller