Guitar Hero World Tour

© 2008 RedOctane/Activision
$190, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2
Teaches: music, timing, coordination
CTR Rating: 88%
Editor's Choice

CTR Review

Note: See Band Hero (CTR, Dec 2009). Good news for rock rock star pretenders. Now there are two music kit options available -- this one (GHWT) and Rock Band 2 (RB2)-- for just under $200. It includes one guitar, a drum set and a microphone; so if you want to add a second guitar or bass, you'll need to spend more. How does GHWT compare with Rock Band 2? The similarities outweigh the differences. The process of matching a stream of moving notes with colored keys is the same. Our testers liked both, although they found Rock Band 2 to be easier to play. They also managed to break both kits in less than two weeks. Rock Band 2 suffered from a sticky drum pad, and one of the keys on the new GHWT wireless guitar controllers stayed in the down position. To be fair, both kits were used daily by a variety of players. Still, this is not the best news for schools or libraries planning to test the rock band waters. The GHWT kit is backward-compatible with existing guitars, and the new guitar controllers come with extra features, including an accelerometer, two sets of buttons and a touch-sensitive slider bar. Testers noted that the drum kit has five pads, but they found the additional color hard to get used to. This drum set seems well constructed, with velocity sensitive heads and two raised cymbals. Because the instruments are wireless, they are easy to set up, move, break down and store. Other features include the ability to compose and share tunes through the GHTunes network. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions can be used with the more professional Line 6 POD instruments. Content includes 85 tracks of diverse music that ranges greatly in difficulty, including Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles and Sublime. Additional tracks can be downloaded at a cost. Additional online content includes a “Battle of the Bands” mode, where eight players can join online and challenge each other band-to-band. Virtual musicians in need of band mates can take their careers online to form virtual bands. GHWT also features more customization options for your rock star and his or her stage props. All in all, this is a well-designed kit that raises the bar for play-along sims. See also Rock Band 2 and Band Hero.