Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock sort of feels like Neversoft is trolling the music / rhythm genre with it's final Guitar Hero game. Warriors of Rock throws mainstream / casual coddling out the window in favor of a crazy story, face melting heavy metal soundtrack, and over the top difficulty that will make casual players cry for mama. It is everything that Rock Band has tried to separate itself from. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. It is still very fun, and a welcome return to the Guitar Hero series roots where metal and challenge are king.
Game Details
- Publisher: Activision
- Developer: Neversoft
- ESRB Rating: “T" for Teen
- Genre: Music / Rhythm
- Pros: Great song list; 2112; plenty of modes; challenges / rewards; fun gameplay
- Cons: Ridiculous quest mode; crazy difficulty spike; having to play non-guitar parts on guitar
Warriors of Rock takes all of the plastic instrument game conventions and turns them upside down. Instead of trying to earn 5 stars on a song, now you can earn 40+. Characters have special powers that can greatly boost your star power or even forgive mistakes. And the career mode isn't about building your indie band into a mainstream juggernaut, it is about releasing a character's spirit animal so they can free the Demigod of Rock.
The quest mode is interesting in that each of the now familiar Guitar Hero characters (Lars Umlaut, Casey Lynch, Pandora, Axel Steel, etc.) has to prove themselves of being worthy to wield new powers. Each character has a themed setlist (metal, 80's rock, pop rock, etc.) that you have to play through in order to advance through the game. Midway through you have to tackle Rush's seven-part "2112" in one long session, which is the coolest thing in any Guitar Hero game ever. At the end of the game, you have a series of "boss fights" where you get to struggle through three crazy difficult Megadeth songs. When you "beat" the quest, you get to do it all over again with new powers and new challenges.
All of the other modes we've come to expect are included. Quick play (now with special powers), online modes, music studio, etc. There is plenty to do here.
Gameplay
ActivisionThe gameplay is exactly what we have come to expect from Guitar Hero. It features guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. The dramatic change in music style to a heavy metal focus alters the gameplay a bit, however, compared to the last few GH games. This is by far the most difficult Guitar Hero game yet. And it isn't because the note charts are bad. It is because the songs themselves are just damn complex and hard to play. I can play most GH / RB songs on expert and 5-star them with no problems. I had to play Warriors of Rock on hard. And I had to drop the difficulty to Medium for the Megadeth finale. I wasn't failing the songs, but I couldn't earn enough stars to advance the story. This game is just absolutely brutal. But it is fun and rewarding and challenging in a way that we haven't seen in quite a while. I certainly didn't mind the difficulty, but the casual audience that enjoyed Band Hero or Guitar Hero 5 or the Rock Band series is going to be completely overwhelmed in this game.
The on-disc song list won't endear the mainstream either. This is pure hard rock and heavy metal. Personally, I love it. This is my favorite on-disk track list ever. If the 90 songs on-disc aren't enough, though, you can import the tracks from GH: Metallica, World Tour, Smash Hits, Band Hero, and GH5 into the game as well. Plus there is plenty of DLC. It can't match the 2000+ tracks Rock Band supports, but it is no slouch.
The one gameplay complaint I have is that a lot of songs have you playing other instrument parts on guitar. It kills the "guitar hero" illusion and I can't stand it.
Graphics and Sound
Visually, Warriors of Rock is the best looking Guitar Hero yet. The character designs are better than ever, and the detail on the stages and sets you play on is very nice. The note highway is clean and clear and easy to read, and I have to admit I have always preferred GH's round notes over Rock Band's square ones. The only complaint I have is that you can't really enjoy some of the scripted story sequences and battles and stuff going on in the background while you play the songs because you are too focused on the note highway. It is a heck of a game to watch, though, if you get the chance.
The sound is also good. Gene Simmons of KISS narrates the Quest mode, and does a decent enough job. More importantly, the music is nice and clear and sounds good.
Bottom Line
ActivisionAll in all, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a solid music game that genre veterans will have a lot of fun with. The story in quest mode is stupid and the huge leap in difficulty is kind of shocking, but the game is still as fun as ever to play and the song list is excellent. If you like metal, and like a challenge, there is a lot to like here. It is a definite change in direction from where Guitar Hero 5 or Band Hero were heading, which is towards accessibility and keeping a mainstream audience happy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Just keep in mind that if you can't hack it in other games on at least hard difficulty, you probably shouldn't bother with Warriors of Rock because it is far, far more challenging. If you are a longtime Guitar Hero fan, Warriors of Rock is worth a purchase.
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