Mobile
phones and music games. The two don’t mix. When I heard Guitar Hero III was
coming to the mobile market, it didn’t sound like the world’s greatest idea.
After all, it hasn’t even been ported to PSP or Nintendo DS, whose technology is
far superior to what you can get in a phone. Why bring it to mobile consumers
but not the true gaming market?
Then I saw a
few screens from the game. With 3D character art and a cloned (but scaled-down)
version of the console editions, the GHIII looked pretty good. Of course, it was
only a screenshot, which can be misleading.
Then I heard
about the audio capabilities, which were touted as providing a truer Guitar Hero
experience. I also heard about the promise of new songs, which are scheduled for
release every month following the game’s launch on Verizon Wireless late last
year.
All this
hoopla made me wonder: could the game actually achieve what no other has? Could
it manage to capture even a fraction of Guitar Hero’s essence and set a new
standard for other mobile games to follow?
Rock On –
The Go
Two
characters (Axel Steel and Judy Nails), three venues, four guitars, multiple
picks (achievements) and 15 songs are included with this downloadable package.
The first set of tracks, titled "Opening Licks," includes Woman, Miss Murder,
Black Magic Woman, and Suck My Kiss. Once finished, School’s Out becomes
available as the encore.
"Amp
Warmers," the next batch of tracks, contains Hit Me With Your Best Shot, You
Really Got Me, Strutter, Cherub Rock, and for the encore, Trippin’ on a Hole.
"String Snappers," the final lineup, is made up of Monsters, Shout at the Devil,
Paranoid, Jessica, and Rock You Like a Hurricane (encore). Additional songs are
acquired at a rate of $4.49 for monthly access or $11.99 for unlimited use. The
first bonus set is available now and contains Mother, Barracuda, and The Seeker.
The second set, due February 1st, will contain Life Wasted, Pride and Joy, and
She Bangs the Drums.
This is one
solid lineup, but it’s the execution that makes them significant. Before
creating the Guitar Hero series, Harmonix designed the Amplitude and Frequency
music games for Sony. Those games are essentially Guitar Hero without the guitar
peripheral, and that’s the best way to describe GHIII Mobile. Rhythmically, the
gameplay content is very similar to Amplitude/Frequency.
You have
just three note buttons: green (1, 4 and 7 keys), red (2, 5, 8 keys) and yellow
(3, 6 and 9 keys). But the game is still pretty intense, though no longer
difficult since you can use two thumbs to dominate the note patterns and chords,
rather than the complex moves necessary to perform successfully with the guitar
peripheral on the console versions.
GHIII Mobile
supports PMD audio for BREW devices, allowing the game to retain much of its
aural integrity. The songs are cut – you won’t get to play through any of them
in their entirety. But the sound quality is extremely high. It’s almost as good
as what you’d expect to hear on the Nintendo DS. That’s a huge step up from all
other mobile games, which can’t even make it past (at best!) SNES quality. Most
are below Asteroids and Pac-Man.
The high-end
audio and decent note/control response times helped form the Guitar Hero style
gamers are no doubt seeking. What’s most surprising (and rewarding) is that it
actually worked. You won’t be blown away but you’ll most certainly be impressed.
The note patterns are a perfect match for each song. You’ll be jamming on your
phone like you would a handheld drum pad.
Three
difficulty settings are offered, but none of them will have a Guitar Hero master
in turmoil. Most players will beat this one in 30 minutes or less. You may not,
however, make it to the top of the leaderboard – which tabulates the 100 top
players – overnight. As of this writing, the lead player had 4,602,218 points.
The 100th player wasn’t far behind, having 4,251,614 points.
But while
the leaderboard is a cool addition, it doesn’t influence the outcome of the
game. GHIII Mobile is fun, plain and simple, and is undoubtedly one of the best
time-killers a mobile gamer could have. Verizon users can get it now – those
with other services can text ROCK to 46966 to get a free Guitar Hero wallpaper
and be notified when the game arrives on their carrier.
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Gameplay: 8.0
Quick, addictive,
near-console-quality fun. It’s not the same as the Guitar Hero you know and
love, but it’s very well done. A must-own for fans of Amplitude or Frequency.
Graphics:
7.5
Three backdrops,
3D character models, two playable character images, and forward-scrolling notes
are the only visuals held within Guitar Hero III Mobile.
Sound: 8.5
Excellent – the
best of any mobile game. Ever.
Difficulty: Easy
Nowhere near the
challenge of the Guitar Hero games that use a guitar peripheral.
Concept: 7.9
A superb,
scaled-down version of the world’s most successful music game.
Multiplayer: N/A
The 100-player
leaderboard is the only form of “multiplayer” content.
Overall: 8.0
Well worth the
price of admission. Guitar Hero III Mobile retains the essence of the series,
creating an addictive gameplay experience that’ll keep casual and hardcore
players coming back for more.
