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Guitar Hero 5By Lamar Bland - 10-03-09 Print  EmailEvery year Wii gamers get the chance to play a game that could be found on the Xbox 360/PS3. Generally speaking, that means, every year a Wii version of a game is ALWAYS incredibly gimped. That especially is directed at the Guitar Hero franchise, a franchise that was a dying effort on the Wii. Will the same song continue to play this year? Excited to say it, but no, Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii is the best Guitar Hero you can possibly get. With so many new features added to the game you are bound to enjoy it. A few new features is the new always online connection (with no friend codes), the use of High Capacity SD Cards, and the new Mii Freestyle mode. When you are equipped with an SD card, you have the option to save directly to the SD card. What is new is that the save data does not go onto the Wii internal memory unit (IU) whatsoever, but straight to the SD card. Once you have things saved onto the SD card, you have the option to go into the Rock Archive (save data) and move things around to your liking. Vicarious Visions has taken the same route High Voltage took with The Conduit and its online. By getting rid of friends codes, it has never been easier getting connected with friends. Instead of using friend codes, the game uses your already registered friends on the console itself. Also, with the always connected online, connecting with your friends could not have been so darn simple. The most interesting feature in Guitar Hero 5 for the Wii is definitely Mii Freestyle. This mode is exclusive to the Wii obviously, but you can not even find a mode similar on the other consoles. The way this mode works is if you have a buddy or even a few, or if you choose to do this solo (trust me, it is not as fun) you can play drums, bass, guitar randomly. There are no set notes for you to play, you play strictly what you want to play. Or as the musical greats say, you are playing from the heart. Once you are done making music, you can save what you just played and make a music video editing lights, camera angles, etc. with the Nintendo DS and share it over the net with the world. You will not be able to get such online connectivity on the other consoles. Vicarious Visions worked hard to make this version of Guitar Hero 5 on par with the other consoles. They started first with updating the graphics engine. They worked really hard and it is noticeable. The lighting has gotten a complete overhaul, along with the character models. The lighting is fairly beautiful and gives off the vibe that you are actually in a music hall. There is not really much to describe about the visuals, but I can say that they are a huge leap forward from previous Guitar Hero Wii titles. This is a music game, if the sounds are not great, then the game is not great. That of course is never the case with a Guitar Hero game. The sounds are obviously great, and with a great musical line-up, you are sure to be pleased. With rock geniuses like David Bowie, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Queen, Nirvana, and Bob Dylan, you can never get enough. Replay value is the main point to a music game, if the songs suck, then you will never come back, but with the artist that I have listed above, there is just no way you can stop playing Guitar Hero 5. With so many competitive online modes, new features, GHTunes to keep you interested on a daily basis, how can you ever stop playing this game. Overall, Guitar Hero 5 is just what Wii owners have been waiting for. With having all the same features as the other consoles and having additional exclusive modes, Guitar Hero 5 on the Wii is almost perfection. So far, I have been having some difficulty with connecting to people online. The servers never seem to find anybody on my difficulty. Another downside for some people is, this game might seem like the same old, same old due to having like three Guitar Hero titles within the same year. Other than that, this game is a must-have especially for Wii owners who are looking for a game that is identical to the 360 and PS3 titles. Guitar Hero 5 is already on retail, so be sure to pick this game up when you have the chance. Ratings |
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