Rock Solid- Guitar Hero 5 Review
Arguably, one of the best things to happen to the Guitar Hero series has been the creation of the Rock Band franchise. Without a robust competitor, Activision’s seminal series might still be mired in awkward boss battles and single instrument gameplay instead of opening up the game toward mass market appeal. Luckily for gamers, the developers at Neversoft have introduced a number of features into Guitar Hero 5 that will surely become requite music-game mechanics.
At its core, the title retains all of the signature Guitar Hero elements. Colored tabs cascade down the screen, requiring players to hit the corresponding fret or pad on their virtual instruments. Virtuosos can still activate ‘Star Power’; a power-up that allows players to temporarily double their score multiplier. Veterans may notice minute, yet helpful, tweaks to the formula. Note highways now benefit from an increased width and Star Power is now a scarce commodity on the topmost difficulty levels, adding a strategic nuance to the game.
Luckily, the game’s main additions aren’t as subtle. As soon as players load up Guitar Hero 5, they may jump right into a performance, bypassing the typical network of menu screens. Additional virtual musicians may hop in, and even opt to change their difficultly levels without disturbing the initial player. Previous music games limited each player to a separate instrument, and while playing bass was agreeable, it didn’t have the power of lead guitar. Now, Guitar Hero 5 allows for any combination of instrumentalists; meaning having a band with a quartet of guitarists is now possible.
Players seeking friendly competition may enjoy GH5’s RockFest mode, with offers six variations for music duels. Eight player online and four player local matches may be decided on the accuracy percentage, notes streaks, or through elimination-based contests. I found ‘Do-or-Die’ the most compelling. In that mode, players that miss more than three notes in a song section are momentarily prohibited from gaining points, requiring gamers to quickly regain their composure.
GHStudio, the game’s music creation competent has returned with a number of significant improvements. Version 2.0 offers a much friendlier interface, allowing for easier navigation; virtual composers can now create a song using a single instrument. With improved sound samples, and longer song sizes and tracks no longer resemble curt MIDI pieces, a proficient producers can now develop more mature-sounding pieces. Those without the patience for competition may appreciate GH5’s Jam mode, where players can rock out using the title’s fourteen sound presets. Noodling around with dance, jazz, or rock riffs can be surprisingly addictive.
Following in the footsteps of Rock Band 2, GH 5 allows owners of the last two Guitar Hero games to import songs into the game. While the fees for transferring the songs are nominal ($3.50 for World Tour, $2.00 for Smash Hits), allowing less than half on each disk’s context into GH5 makes you wonder why Neversoft even bothered with this feature. With bands as diverse as Vampire Weekend, Kings of Leon, the White Stripes, and the Rolling Stones, the 85 songs on the Guitar Hero 5 disk is impressive, and represents an formidable cross-section of rock music.
With a healthy dose of innovation and a generous setlist, Guitar Hero 5 will certainly delight fans of the music game genre. While the ability to import songs has been regretfully gimped, offering gamers of free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen is a charitable substitute. Hopefully, the competition between the two most popular music titles will continue to elevate the popular Guitar Hero franchise. 
Guitar Hero 5 was reviewed on retail Xbox 360 code.
Good review, but kinda late on it, huh?
I’ve played through most of the career mode already.
I bought this at launch and never knew about Jam mode. HAHA. I’ll check it out now. cool!
Can i get a songlist? I noticed they always seem to get posted.
The reviewing machine continues.
Yeah, RB gave us almost all the song for $5.00. Why cant Guitar Hero?
Good review.
I’m curious , what songs would people like to see in the future?
How many more of these you think Activision can pump out, before people lose interest?
I think Desert’s been on a role lately.
I’m really excited for DJ Hero. I hope that has some kind of Jam function.
Sorry, but the songlist is a mess. Too generic stuff, and playing guitar to piano. Arctic Monkeys? Get the hell out of here!
Star power is harder to see on this one.
I never played these games until a year ago, now I have to get every single one! GH5 Rules!!!!
Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd.
Sorry, but the Wii version doesn’t stand up to the others. Its got more lag, and the graphics are pretty bad.
I got a bad case of Next-gen envy. Need to buy an Elite, I guess.
Here you go:
Guitar Hero 5 Songlist-
3 Doors Down – Kryptonite
A Perfect Circle – Judith
AFI – Medicate
Arctic Monkeys – Brianstorm
Attack! Attack! UK – You And Me
Band Of Horses – Cigarettes, Wedding Bands
Beastie Boys – Gratitude
Beck – Gamma Ray
Billy Idol – Dancing With Myself
Billy Squier – Lonely Is The Night
Blink-182 – The Rock Show
Blur – Song 2
Bob Dylan – All Along The Watchtower
Bon Jovi – You Give Love A Bad Name
Brand New – Sowing Season (Yeah)
The Bronx – Six Days A Week
Bush – Comedown
Children Of Bodom – Done With Everything, Die For Nothing
Coldplay – In My Place
Darker My Love – Blue Day
Darkest Hour – Demon(s)
David Bowie – Fame
Deep Purple – Woman From Tokyo (’99 Remix)
The Derek Trucks Band – Younk Funk
Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing
The Duke Spirit – Send A Little Love Token
Duran Duran – Hungry Like The Wolf
Eagles Of Death Metal – Wannabe In L.A.
Elliott Smith – L.A.
Elton John – Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)
Face To Face – Disconnected
Garbage – Only Happy When It Rains
Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.
Gov’t Mule – Streamline Woman
Grand Funk Railroad – We’re An American Band
Iggy Pop – Lust For Life (Live)
Iron Maiden – 2 Minutes To Midnight
Jeff Beck – Scatterbrain (Live)
Jimmy Eat World – Bleed American
John Mellencamp – Hurts So Good
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Kaiser Chiefs – Never Miss A Beat
The Killers – All The Pretty Faces
King Crimson – 21st Century Schizoid Man
Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire
Kiss – Shout It Out Loud
Love and Rockets – Mirror People
Megadeth – Sweating Bullets
Mötley Crüe – Looks That Kill
Muse – Plug In Baby
My Morning Jacket – One Big Holiday
Nirvana – Lithium (Live)
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
No Doubt – Ex-Girlfriend
Peter Frampton – Do You Feel Like We Do? (Live)
The Police – So Lonely
Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde – Bring the Noise 20XX
Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
Queens Of The Stone Age – Make It Wit Chu
The Raconteurs – Steady As She Goes
Rammstein – Du Hast
The Rolling Stones – Sympathy For The Devil
Rose Hill Drive – Sneak Out
Rush – The Spirit Of Radio (Live)
Santana – No One To Depend On (Live)
Scars On Broadway – They Say
Screaming Trees – Nearly Lost You
Smashing Pumpkins – Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Sonic Youth – Incinerate
Spacehog – In The Meantime
Stevie Wonder – Superstition
Sublime – What I Got
Sunny Day Real Estate – Seven
The Sword – Maiden, Mother & Crone
T. Rex – 20th Century Boy
Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak
Thrice – Deadbolt
Tom Petty – Runnin’ Down A Dream
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – American Girl
TV On The Radio – Wolf Like Me
Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
Weezer – Why Bother?
The White Stripes – Blue Orchid
Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music
Wolfmother – Back Round
Led Zep would be very nice.
I got this day one, and have put at least 20 hours in with friends. I love the way getting into a game is soooo much easier for noobs.
I need to get this. How does the VH offer work?
Good review
Guitar Hero games are always great party starters. I loved the series.
So Van Halen is free with GH5 wow? When does it come out?
There’s not too many songs on the list that I really want to play. I’ll have to see what’s on tap for DLC.
Seeing Kurt Cobain is game is just weird.
I see a lot of song hat really aren’t guitar songs, but keyboard song. Hungry Like the Wolf?
I don’t think the changes are that big a deal. But I agree, if it wasn’t for Rock band, we’d all just be playing guitar still.
I still haven’t picked this one up. I always get these on the cheap. Found GH:Aerosmith for $10.
You’ll get used to it. I thought the same at first.
Bought it, but haven’t been playing this as much as I thought I would.
No stranger than Lennon and Harrison.
I’ll grab it eventually. Honestly, I’m more interested in GH:VH than this.
Seems like the sound mixing is a bit off on this one.
Until RB includes a toolset, GH will be king.
Need more Scorpions, Judas Priest, and early Def Lep. Too much alternative style stuff for me.
RB is allowing musicians to import their songs into the RB store, but not reallya toolset.
I think she’d talking about when he’s performing other songs. I would be weird to see Snoop Dogg jumping around, let alone Cobain.
I think they should have made the lyrics just a bit bigger on-screen. Sometimes theyre hard to read.
Good review. I was thinking about getting it.
The games are great and all but they come out too damn often. Activisions killing it.