After pumping out plenty of guitar-only titles, Activision and RedOctane have stepped into the ring for the full band experience. We know they can get the guitar segments down, but what about drums and vocals? While the track list is very solid, the gameplay falls flat.
Graphically, this is step up from previous Guitar Hero titles. Each band member is fully detailed and more realistic in their motions on stage. In previous games, you’d see rockers thrashing around on stage in ways that would make most normal people vomit uncontrollably. In World Tour, you’ll see head bobbing and swaying to the beat as the drummer hits the proper segments to the song. Both characters and environments are more polished, so you’d got a lot to look at when you’re not concentrating on the note chart. This time around, you can fully customize your character instead of playing as Johnny Napalm all the time.
It’s hard to imagine gamers these days not touching a Guitar Hero game in the past. You can’t walk into a Best Buy without seeing setup after setup of rhythm games for your testing pleasure. What you’ve played before on the guitar will instantly make you familiar with World Tour. RedOctane did a great job with the guitar and bass segments of the game; they’ve got that locked down. But the drums and vocals just don’t live up to the standards set by Rock Band. On the drum front, things started out with sensitivity issues that have plagued most gamers. RedOctane is supplying USB to MIDI cables and drum tuning software which helps the situation greatly, but it doesn’t change the fact that the timing during play just doesn’t feel right. Even after calibration, the timing on standard and bass pedal notes feels a bit off. The same applies to the vocal mechanics. I have no trouble with playing SingStar and Rock Band on Hard and Expert for vocals, but playing through on Medium vocals in Guitar Hero World Tour caused plenty of failures. Both the timing and the sensitivity make for some frustrating gameplay.
You are able to play both online and offline, which is nice with the full band. Most multiplayer modes from previous Guitar Hero titles are there, such as Pro Face Off and Battle Mode, but the full Band vs. Band is the most fun. However, you’ll find most people get frustrated in online play as well because of the poor drum and vocal mechanics.
For the first time in a rhythm game, Guitar Hero World Tour features a Music Studio where you can create your own tracks and upload them to the internet and share with the world. Most of the tracks you can create and play really aren’t that fun. Everything is done as MIDI tracks, so the sound quality isn’t that great (whereas playing the in-game tracks sound fantastic). After playing and creating a few tracks, I don’t see much reason to go back.
If you’re a fan of the genre, it’s worth a play, especially for the guitar segments. If you’re a big fan of singing and drumming, be aware that the mechanics don’t feel right in many places. The track list is great and, in my opinion, better than that of Rock Band 2. Well worth a purchase, although I’d say get the game only and stick with the instruments you already have.
Overall: 8 out of 10
