The Five: Guitar Hero World Tour

8/27/2008 8:40 PM | 0 Comments | Page 1 of 1

The 10-Cent Tour: This me-too version of Rock Band -- yes, it has a drum kit, dual guitars, and a mic for vocals, all à la Rock Band; our 10th grade English teacher no doubt would have failed Activision for plagiarism -- includes plenty of bells and whistles. But does it outpace the original? CG got an early look at the game at an Activision press event in New York -- and then got a second look at the Leipzig Games Convention.

1. The drum kit feels surprisingly solid. We wailed away as if we were channeling the ghost of Keith Moon, and the drum kit gave as good as it got.

2. The newly designed guitar has a starburst design which looks, quite frankly, a bit cheesy. On the plus side, it features a lengthier whammy bar and a touch-sensitive slide bar on the neck of the guitar, which you can tap or slide your fingers along to alter the sound of sustained notes.

3. The music creator is more sophisticated than we thought it would be, allowing would-be musicians to lay down their own tracks, then upload them to the GH Tunes Web site for the rest of the world to enjoy (or be annoyed by, if your song stinks). One small issue: You can't record vocal tracks, so only instrumentals are possible via the music creator.

4. Unlockable characters will either thrill or depress you. Some of the unlockables that Activision has revealed thus far include Ozzy Osbourne, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Corgan and -- woot -- Travis Barker.

5. Our first impression of the soundtrack: It's trying too hard to please all of the people all of the time. Whereas Rock Band seems to stay truer to a core rock aesthetic, World Tour's soundtrack is all over the map, with songs like The Eagles' "Hotel California," No Doubt's "Spiderwebs," and Michael Jackson's "Beat It" all somehow co-existing side by side. Translation: The World Tour soundtrack plays like the mix-tape from hell.

The Crispy Forecast: Partly cloudy. Make no mistake, World Tour does out-hustle Rock Band in a few key areas. And in an odd display of charity, Activision has stated that Rock Band's peripherals will be compatible with their game. But World Tour's spotty soundtrack coupled with Activision's spotty DLC track record, at this early stage, still gives the edge to Rock Band. Of course, for our final verdict, check back in October for CG's it-goes-to-eleven review.