thePULSEBy Thomas Hodgson
For those about to rock, we salute you
If you want to rock and roll all night like a hurricane to the same old song and dance, Guitar Hero 3 is here for you to cradle like a newborn, and might even be more rewarding. Guitar Hero is back with its third offering, that album in a band’s career where they’re supposed to nail the execution after their breakout debut release and a mediocre sophomoric attempt. So does it sell out the Tweeter Center or just a few tickets to an audience in the lobby of a Red Roof Inn?
Less the heroin addiction of an “Intervention” episode and the STDs of “Rock of Love with Bret Michaels,” Guitar Hero has always been the at home do-it-yourself rock star kit, helping you live your unattainable childhood dream (unless you were one of those losers who made crayon drawings of fire fighters, astronauts, or policemen). With the addition of multiplayer, boss battles, and Battle Attacks (such as Broken String, Difficulty Up, etc.), there is enough new material to keep things certified platinum fresh, unlike the stale champagne and groupie chicks you wake up next to.
But for a game called Legends of Rock, you would expect to be able to play as more than just Slash from Guns -n- Roses and Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine. Also, the higher skill levels prove that it’s actually easier, and ultimately more productive, to learn how to play a real guitar. And for a game with endless possibilities of downloadable content, the shoddy offerings made available are entire staircases behind the progress made by chief rival Rock Band.
And herein lies the argument: should I buy Guitar Hero 3 or Rock Band? Here are some things to consider: Rock Band is an entirely new level of nerdom that, like a real rock star’s blow addiction, I have sworn to myself I will never succumb to. I’ve seen pictures of people enjoying the game, and I use “enjoying” loosely, because as you’re enjoying the game, the people who have to witness your butchering of the classics in the name of a fun time are having these scarring images branded into their minds. Rock Band takes the enjoyment out of the video game realm to an entirely lame and pathetic level where people think they’re real musicians. Rock Band is basically the cover band of the music world. Guitar Hero 3 is a quick, arcadey fix, and like every axe man hero of mine, burns out prematurely rather than fading away and leaves us with the awesome memories of where we were when we rocked out to their song.
GH 3, for me, is my Pantera and Black Sabbath approved home and I’ll never move out. If you purchase Rock Band, you’re agreeing to live in a forced triple with Creed and Nickelback. You decide.
XBLA Downloadable Track Packs
Foo Fighters Pack – 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25 USD)
“The Pretender”
“All My Life”
“This Is a Call”
Velvet Revolver Pack – 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25 USD)
“She Builds Quick Machines”
“Slither”
“Messages”
Classic Rock Track Pack – 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25 USD)
“Peace of Mind” – Boston
“Jukebox Hero” – Foreigner
“Any Way You Want It” – Journey
Warner/Reprise Track Pack – 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25 USD)
“No More Sorrow” – Linken Park
“Sleeping Giant” – Mastodon
“Pretty Handsome Awkward” – The Used
Modern Metal Track Pack – 500 Microsoft Points
“Almost Easy” – Avenged Sevenfold
“The Arsonist” – Thrice
“Hole in the Earth” – Deftones
No Doubt Track Pack – 500 Microsoft Points
“Don’t Speak”
“Excuse Me Mr.”
“Sunday Morning”
Drop Kick Murphys Track Pack – 500 Microsoft Points
“Famous for Nothing”
“(F)lannigan’s Ball”
“Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”
Ah, brains
There are only 3 gaming franchises with releases that fill me with the sheer excitement of stumbling across a channel showing “Saved by the Bell” reruns and that make me giddy like Christmas morning: Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, and Resident Evil. Put out the milk and cookies – I think I hear Donner and Blitzen on the rooftop.
Released towards the end of last year, Capcom’s Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles is a step off the beaten path of the typical third person survival horror fans have grown to love. It is, instead, a nostalgic first person look back on a series that has touched many lives ~ and by “touched many lives,” I mean has given us the opportunity to shoot zombies in the face.
Like any typical light gun shooter, the genre restricts how expansive a game it can be; these limitations come naturally with the territory. There are only two ways to increase replayability and substance: multiple paths and unlockables. Umbrella Chronicles brings enough to the party for everyone to have seconds. It is, in my opinion, the greatest showcase of an effective, all encompassing light gun shooter game ever to have been created. The weapons are upgradeable, the paths constantly branch, the environments are almost entirely destroyable, and alternate paths can be unlocked as different characters, giving you a brand new perspective on a road you thought might have been closed.
The linear rail you’re on as your viewpoint travels through the game very rarely seems restricting, as you’re able to manipulate the camera and look around as you move through the stages. The experience actually adds to the suspense, guiding you through fights you can’t run away from as zombies close in. The Wiimote also adds a sense of excitement and interactivity, letting you ward off various enemies and attacks when they’re within pecking, biting, spitting, and clawing distance.
If you are a series fanatic, RE: Umbrella Chronicles is a bone to chew until Resident Evil 5 is released later this year (I hope). It’s Resident Evil 101, a great history lesson as you wander through classic haunts from the previous releases, fight the same epic bosses from a new standpoint, and learn the truth behind the gray cloud known as the Umbrella Corporation.
No matter what standpoint the game is in or what your standpoint on the series is, it is a title worthy of the Resident Evil name ~ and one Wii owners should make sure is a part of their collection.
