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Posted on: Mar 30, 2009
Guitar Hero: Metallica
WORDS BY: Ryan McCaffrey
Most great musical acts have ups and downs throughout their career — Metallica included (hello, St. Anger!). And one recent look at a store shelf might lead you to believe that Guitar Hero — with three Xbox 360 releases in the past nine months and another on the way in June — has reached Nickelback-ian levels of oversaturation. But after heading out on tour with our plastic axes once again, we discovered that Guitar Hero: Metallica is the series’ best entry since Neversoft inherited the franchise — an achievement made only greater by the design challenges presented by the metal-heavy setlist.
First things first: these songs are simply fun. With Metallica perennially at the top of fans’ most-wanted lists in both Guitar Hero and Rock Band, Neversoft delivers a balanced, impressive roster of tunes that spans the band’s entire career. From 1983’s “Hit the Lights” to 2008’s “All Nightmare Long,” Metallica’s catalog is impeccably suited to the Guitar Hero format. From solo-crazy, turbo-strumming songs like “Whiplash” to more melodic pieces like “Fade to Black,” the guitar parts simply make you feel awesome, while the instrumental “Orion” highlights a bass career that is anything but an afterthought. Vocals, too, are a treat, highlighted by howling the chorus to what had become the holy grail of music-game songs: “Master of Puppets.”
Drums, meanwhile, are an adrenaline-fueled kinetic rush, aided by the new “Expert +” difficulty that adds support for a second bass pedal (available for $20). Regrettably, though, only top-tier players will get any real use out of the feature, as most songs — even on standard Expert — don’t benefit from the second pedal.
Tue, 04/07/2009 - 08:57
Posted by Halo...IEP
I'll let you guys argue about metal or hard rock. I have the the game. I use my modified rock band 2 ion drum rocker. Extremely fun! I'd give it a 9 easily!
ScreamngSilence
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 16:42
Posted by blindside80
Um..lets see. Pantera, Slayer, Megadeth, Black Sabbath...want me to keep going. Also, they are not thrash metal, no such thing. It's Heavy Metal!
Wed, 04/01/2009 - 19:22
Posted by Tiamat
oh boy.... welp, to the guy below me, pardon me for forgetting your id, Slayer defined Thrash... Sure they have changed over time liek any band, but they never lost their touch, Metallica.... yuck, they were decent their first few albums, I wasn't big on them, but to every man his music.
And to Mr.Seglow? idk, i forget IDs real quick, obviously I have listened to Metallica, I listen to a lot of music, and would never judge a band without hearing the music. And that is why I know that Metallica is hard rock and not metal.
Sure, metal is a rock based genre. But it takes rock to the next level, everything about it is more complex, not necessarily heavier, but more complex, which is how you get things like doom metal. And Metallica... started out pretty complex, and then became Linkin Park wanna bes
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 13:35
Posted by MrSegraves
Tiamat, metal is a genre of rock. And Metallica is definitely metal. Have you ever actually listened to them? It would be painfully obvious if you had.
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 10:45
Posted by ill sue y4
i cant believe they didnt put in call of ktulu. its way better than any post black album material.
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 03:14
Posted by Duce97
What about no online band tour mode? No DLC , for a full priced game they could have added a bit more.
The outfits for the create a rocker are the same ones from world tour.
The online matchmaking is still crap , putting easy players against expert players.
The game could have been so much more. While the songs are fun to play i see the game getting old real fast.
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 01:31
Posted by Steakslave
@Tiamat: Are you kidding? Metallica's first 4 albums practically DEFINED modern thrash metal. I will agree that the two "Load" albums could be considered Hard Rock, but name one band that has done more for the genre.
@Daze of War: Thanks for letting us know that you won't play this GH:Metallica game because it has Metallica in it. Most of their songs in here are from before the "Black Album" (which wasn't really that good IMO) so go ahead and avoid this fun game just for spite.
@Kirkland: Nope, sorry.
Tue, 03/31/2009 - 00:47
Posted by NBA Kirkland
Can the songs be imported into GHWT?
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 19:39
Posted by Daze Of War
It's a good thing that this doesn't get a 9 or 10 just because it's Metallica. I use to be a fan of them but have grown tired of hearing them and listening to people rave about how they are still the best. Metallica has not put out a good song since the Black album. They did get some great bands on the playlist for this game but I will not play it because of Metallica. Good review though Ryan.
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 18:37
Posted by Sl8ter13
If by reading the review you think it should be a ten, then Ryan is doing his job. He is showing his love for the band and game genre in the review but he has the ethics to take a closer look and not let the fanboy inside him affect the game score.
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 16:33
Posted by Tiamat
"Not many bands have a catalog that could pull off a compelling $60 package like this, but Metallica certainly does."
*sigh*
how about any real metal band has over 5 CDs when they have been around for over 10 years?
yes Metallica has an impressive amount of CDs seeing that they are rock, and not metal
Mon, 03/30/2009 - 16:25
Posted by Sid Simelia
Thia should have gotten at least a nine and an editor's choice award. What gives? From reading the review I thought it was getting a 10..