Review: Guitar Hero World Tour (360)

Those familiar with Rock Band will know the deal by know - choose an instrument and rock through loads of songs, the more people the better. On initial play, there's very little to separate the two; it's once you dig a little deeper into GHWT you realise what a comprehensive package it is. Even though it comes with its own instruments, it allows the use of the RB kit. Those of us who splashed out £180 for the complete RB bundle are saved the money and floor space of having another set of instruments kicking around. GHWT’s new drums may have cymbals, and the guitar a slide fret board, but the older equipment works just fine, and none of the enjoyment is lost for the thriftier, space-concious gamers among us.

The slide does play a part in GHWT; sections of notes linked with purple bars utilise it, but with a standard guitar controller the section can be played as hammer-ons, much like RB’s solos. It's not vastly different, but shows Neversoft are keeping up with the Joneses. The drums are a different story: while the standard patterns are much the same as RB's, the implementation of star power is much better. Instead of a fill section capped off with a green note, hitting both cymbals (or the yellow and blue pads on the RB drums) in unison will activate it, offering a nice little risk/reward factor as you stray from the beat for a second at the potential expense of your multiplier. This is the point we realised Neversoft has spent some time trying to refine Harmonix's already excellent features, and allows for a slightly different style of play. Even the bass gets a shot in the arm with the addition of open notes (signified by a purple bar), which add an extra note into the mix, making what is often the most boring instrument to play a little more interesting - on expert mode, at least.

After the criticism (or praise from the hardcore) of Guitar Hero III's difficulty spike (or 'Slayergate', as we like to call it), it seems Neversoft have mellowed; the difficulty is better judged, yet not too easy. The challenge still remains on the 'hard' and 'expert' modes, yet the more casual gamer can get in on the action with a new 'beginner' difficulty, which consists of wearing a guitar while waving at the screen (well, almost). Although it sounds like we're being derogatory, Gamestyle will be quick to point out (with its arthritic finger) that this option is a welcome one, allowing for GH virgins to join in, and is sure to make GHWT a suitable replacement for the annual game of Monopoly this Christmas.

And with more people able to play, it would be a wise move to have a rich, varied track selection, and GHWT doesn't disappoint. Some appear in RB, but this is all forgiven when 'Beat It', 'On the Road Again', 'Everlong' and a bunch of other classics make an appearance (we're very fond of the Tool tracks), making it possibly the best selection of music available on disc (for now, anyway). It'll be a long time before you tire of these tracks, but those who bore easily would be advised to check out the much publicised GHTunes. Creating your own tracks for use in the game can be an arduous process, but the results can often be impressive, as can be seen when downloading tracks created by other users. Gamestyle is currently playing 'Big Blue' from F-Zero and 'Vampire Killer' from Castlevania thanks to some hard-working gamers overseas. It adds longevity to an already weighty package.

The few criticisms we have with GHWT  involve the progression through the game. Instead of choosing a song at a time from each tier, you choose a gig which can consist of 5 to 7 songs. While you don't have to play through a whole set in one sitting, the option to choose the order in which you play them would have been desirable. We also noticed the timing for hitting notes is a little loose (something which remains from the last GH), which allows the player a chance to wing it through some sections, and takes a little sheen off the challenge. That's the biggest problem we can find, and only makes a small dent on an excellent package.

Simply put, GHWT is the best rhythm action title on the market right now. It improves on Rock Band's foundation and brings in some neat ideas of its own. At time of writing, Rock Band 2 is only two weeks away from its UK release on the 360 and may steal GHWT's thunder, and will no doubt leave people staring at both games on the shelf in a quandary over which to buy. All we'll say is this: GHWT comes highly recommended. Now go kick out the jams.

Rating: 9 / 10

Words by Dan Gill