 Guitar Hero: World Tour - Next-gen version review
Now, I only played the Xbox 360 version of World Tour, so don't give me any complaints via PM on what is the difference between the PS2, Wii, and next-gen consoles. And so far, I don't have Live yet, which is harder to do for reviewing a game. And for someone who only bought the Guitar pack, it can be a bit off, along with only playing it on a standard-def 4:3 TV. Anyways, let's get started.
Game: Guitar Hero: World Tour
System: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Publisher: Activision/RedOctane
Developer: Neversoft
Review: This is the first time a Guitar Hero game hasn't completely blown me off the roof. While I do say that Neversoft did a okay job in Guitar Hero 3 on keeping the core of the game intact, I think their gamble for expanding to the band was unsatisfying, to say the least. Thankfully, most of the problems can be avoided here, but you'll have to steer clear of the vocals and drum gameplay. As mentioned before, I dunno about online play. The biggest issue for vocals is that it is lacking something that Harmonix did since Karaoke Revolution, and it's an option called Mic Sensivity. I was using a headset included with my 360 Elite, so that might have been more frustrating. Once I get a USB Microphone (my cousin has one included with Rock Band PS2, so that should work), this may be a different story. Regarding to drums, I can't say much since I don't play it, although using Star Power anytime compared to Rock Band's easier method is a bit awkward. When you're doing Dammit on drums and need to use that Star Power, hitting both cymbals isn't a viable option for anyone. Worse, timing windows is way easier than Rock Band, and there is even reports of people exchanging the drum kits because they were broken/defective.
Apart from this, though, the Guitar and Bass gameplay was overhauled enough to make sure it didn't completely rip-off Rock Band. For both instruments, you can tap your way through the purple-stringed notes without strumming once. Of course, the sliders are usable there, too, but because they suck for soloing, I never bothered. Another neat feature comes to the Bass play. A line similar to drum's bass pedal is here and is basically open strumming, meaning you strum without hitting frets. It adds more variety to the Bass tracks. Plus, you can play Bass as your career. The only downside is that hammer-ons and pull-offs are tougher to do than last year's, but not to a horrible degree of GH1 that it pulls the experience out the window.
Speaking of Career mode, it's a step up over GH3, where players play all songs in order of a gig selected. Once you beat that and the encore track, they can be played in a custom gig. My favorite stage was simply the Tool stage, as it's a break from the lively performances. Some wacked-out elements from GH3, such as the dirty dancers and devils, are now gone. Possibly for realism.
The songlist is decent overall, although some tracks are a bit shoddy at times, and other tracks are also in Rock Band 2 (Livin' On a Prayer, Our Truth, Today).
Still, even with the modifications to the game, I have to give it a decent score, unfortunately. Why? It's because of a few design issues (Mic sensitivity problems, confusing band play), but not too much that it becomes a horrible game. Overall, it could have been better, simply because of the hype of the game. I never bothered with Music Studio, as it was too confusing to set up. Anyways, is it worth buying the full band pack? No. Instead, stick to the guitar pack if you're getting World Tour. You aren't missing much.
Graphics: A step-up over GH3. Lighting and animations are impressive enough to make it lively, while keeping at a constant 60 frames per second.
Sound: Some tracks that aren't English (oddly, for a rock song) are a bit shoddy, although the rest of the lineup is great. Bonus points for having 3 Tool songs in one game.
Gameplay: I don't find the vocal gameplay as good as Harmonix's, but it's a decent Guitar game.
Final Word: With the expansive features that are just plain decent, can GH:WT compete with Harmonix's masterpiece, Rock Band? In a word, no.
Final Score: 7.5 out of 10 | 
