Thoughts of a Random Gamer

Guitar Hero has been a staple of house parties for several years now. Many can attest that this is a game that has been widely enjoyed by both sober and inebriated. The next evolution of this franchise features Aerosmith, as they try to take over the world, one playschool instrument at a time.

The loosely connected story starts with the young Aerosmith at their first gig at Mendon Nipmuc Regional High School, and follows them through the important shows of their career's. This comes to a climax when the band performs at the Super Bowl and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Anyone who is a fan of the Guitar Hero games knows that between each new venue there is normally a goofy cartoon of some sort. This title breaks that trend by show amusing commentary from interviews with the band. I personally found this to be a very welcome change of pace.

Character selection also plays a different role in this version of the game. At the beginning of each venue you will select your rocker. These are the same characters that are available in Guitar Hero 3, along with a few other exclusives that can be purchased in the store. You will play the first three songs at every venue with this player. All of these songs will be non-Aerosmith songs. After successful completion of these tracks, you invite Aerosmith on stage. The player will then proceed to play through three to four songs as the rock legends.

Now onto the most important thing, the music. With the exception of "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," (Thank Goodness!) all of Aerosmith's the classics are featured prominently. The total track list for the campaign clocks in at thirty-one songs. There are also ten more tracks that can be purchased in the store. The store tracks include other Aerosmith songs as well as some from Joe Perry's side project.

There has been a general outcry that a game that only features forty-one songs should not be packaged as a stand alone, sixty dollar package. After playing the game, I somewhat agree. While yes the added content was nice, there was no evolution to gameplay that would warrant a full disc release. It might have been better served as DLC for Guitar Hero 3.

The bottom line is that this is a game for the fans of Aerosmith. If you are not in this camp, then you may be better served in giving it a weekend rent. That said, I bought it... but I am stupid like that! The game is definitely worth a play through, so give it a try, you'll be glad you did.

Below is the trailer for Guitar Hero Aerosmith: