Many questions surround the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with Harmonix, the original developer of the Guitar Hero series, leaving to work on Rock Band, and Tony Hawk developer, Neversoft, picking up the slack. Thankfully, fans of the series won?t be disappointed. In Guitar Hero, players use a game controller in the shape of a miniature guitar that has five colored buttons representing a guitar?s frets, and a lever that represents strings and whammy bar. The idea is to press the right fret button combination and then strike the string lever at just the right moment in a song to produce the correct notes.

As soon as we got to the character selection screen in GH 3, we knew the game was a little more mature than past titles in the series. Characters Casey Lynch and Judy Nails show off some cleavage, with Casey dressed in only tight pants and a bikini top. Several of the male characters also perform while lacking shirts. Some of the playable guitar designs are also sexual in nature including a woman?s leg in fish net stocking. As has become the norm in the music industry, lyrics present subject matter that includes sex, drugs, alcohol and, in some cases, language. There are quotes relating to the music industry on each loading screen as well, some of which include censored swear words, including the f-word.

While original developer, Harmonix, may have left the Guitar Hero scene, Neversoft did a good job of making GH 3 yet another great game in the series. With graphical improvements, more master tracks from artists rather than soundalike recreations, and the fact that GH 3 is available for all major systems, the game holds its own. Suggestive clothing styles worn by characters and mature lyrics keep GH 3 from being suitable for younger audiences and a more difficult track selection makes GH 3 a better choice for veterans of the series, though the game?s tutorial mode will bring beginners up to speed on the ins and outs of the game. We would suggest picking up GH 2 prior to starting with GH 3, but since Wii, PC, and PS3 versions of GH 2 are unavailable, GH 3 may be the only option. With the new addition of online multiplayer modes, GH 3 will keep budding guitarists jamming long beyond the completion of career mode.

» By Stephan Mack, Plain Games. Published 12/3/2007 7:52:06 PM.