Guitar Hero 5

Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Neversoft Entertainment

Platform: PS3

Genre(s): Music

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: September 1, 2009

Intro:
Players are introduced to the latest iteration in the Guitar Hero franchise with electricity and an exploding brick wall which reveals a star-shaped cut-out in the wall, back-lit with a spinning color scheme.  Familiar residents of the game rock out in the foreground and, the game begins.

Getting Going:
Unless players choose to go into the menu, the game launches automatically into a song which players can simply join and play.  Once in the menu, players can choose to create a rock star, an option that is a bit more personal than was given in previous games in the franchise.  The tutorials section tells you what's new and there are plenty of new options in Guitar Hero 5.  Players are given new options for band play and gameplay as well:  bands can now be formed with any combination of instruments, while game modes include the additions of Party Play and RockFest.  Party Play allows players to change things on the fly including difficulty, instrument, additional band members and song.  RockFest strings together a series of challenging mini-games for co-op play.  Players can also import songs and downloaded songs from Guitar Hero World Tour and other Guitar Hero games. 

Visuals:
The HUD has changed.  Everything is on the right side of the guitar now and is reduced in size.  While player characters have certainly become edgier, they are no longer seen in close-up during play, taking away the player's ability to watch while playing.   A win features the familiar "You Rock" in a shock of lightening and includes a pleasing boast animation from the player character.  A "fail" barely elicits a response from the player character.  Power-up mode, which is more difficult to notice on the new HUD, includes a new visual of stars and electric blue sliding toward the middle from the outside of the player track.

Sound:
Guitar Hero 5 is a game based on sound and rhythm, so it was surprising to find the dynamic range almost completely removed in this version of the franchise.  The notes are muddied.  Instead of hearing all of the notes while only playing some, a problem in the original game, in Guitar Hero 5, the instruments blend so seamlessly that you barely hear the notes of your instrument at all. 

Rewards and Punishments:
There is no money, no store.  I unlocked Mark Bellamy, but had difficulty finding him!  As in Guitar Hero: Metallica, venues are unlocked when the given number of stars are obtained.  The better you play, the faster you move through the venues and unlock new setlists.  The game includes a challenge on almost every song, allowing players to unlock items in the game by completing the challenge.  Challenges are for various instruments, so, single players will have to play through with every instrument to complete them all.  Some are only included for co-op play, as well. 
Instead of "Song Failed", players now receive simply a message that says "Fail" when struggling through a song.  Players can no longer work toward the store item they wish to buy, but are instead slave to a completing a challenge to get desired upgrades.  And, something I found very frustrating, when a new venue opens up, the player is automatically cast into the new venue and setlist, requiring completionists to actively choose to return to left-over songs from previous sets.

Controls:
The tutorial takes players through a host of new control options using differently styled notes and making full use of the slider bar.  Players can now tap on notes and are not punished at all for holding notes during Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs.  Tap on notes allow players to play without even hitting the strum bar, while some notes require strumming only once. 

Ideas:
Guitar Hero 5 made the DP Challenge list at #91 while Guitar Hero: Metallica only made the list at #94.  In comparison, Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II made the list at #42 and #44 respectively.  This is a fairly large slip in player satisfaction.  It struck me, when deconstructing Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II that rewards and punishments were a huge, but mostly invisible aspect of the player experience.  It's just as striking in its absence in the Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero: Metallica.  For a franchise to move forward and stay fresh, it must add new elements while maintaining the aspects that make it great.  The Guitar Hero franchise fails to do that.  It adds exciting new mechanics such as improved graphics, HUD's, and gameplay challenges while failing to maintain core elements of gameplay such as it's uncanny ability to empower the player and a dynamic sound range which improved play while enriching the player experience at the same time.