In my opinion, this latest installment was pretty good, though it had it's let downs. The Good: *Huge amo
*Definetly not a disapointment to fans GH and GHII fans that wanted a fresh, more intense challenge.
*Multi-player is definetly improved on this installment.
*At $90.00 the guitar and game bundle is a good price if you are a first time buyer of a GH game and need the controller, guitar controllers are expensive.
The Bad: *Personally despite having high-speed internet, I don't much care to play online, but if you enjoy online play unfortunatly the PS2 version doesn't support any online multi-player, downloads, or features of any kind.
*Any guitar controller ever made for any GH game before GHIII can be used to play GHIII *BUT* if you're a first time player/buyer of a GH game or plan to sell gamestop or w/e store your old GH games and controllers to make the GHIII bundle more affordable/cheaper, keep in mind that if you want to purchase another guitar controller so others around your house can play with you, those guitar controllers are RIDICULOUSLY priced. 60 bucks for a toy guitar? *pssh*
*If re-recorded cover tracks really bother you, this game will bother you quite often.
*The bosses, improved multi-player, large library of tracks, and slightly higher difficulty are good additions, *BUT*, if the replacements of HARMONIX plan to continue keeping this franchise successful, the next GH game, if there is one, will definetly need alot of fresh new features (perhaps more instruments to keep up with the competion of ROCKBAND) to keep gamers interested in the series.
Overall, I enjoy jammin' down to GHIII quite often, though overall it feels like the same ol' thing since GH I. But it is improved and the absence of HARMONIX didn't seem to affect the result, and the game is definetly heading the right way as far as providing a big, enjoyable track list goes, but with the innovative new ROCKBAND game on the market, which is considered by many to be the ultimate party/music game, the next GH, if there is one, as I commented earlier, is definetly, in my opinion, is going to have to really step up, farther than any GH game has stepped forward before, to even dream of competing against a game such as ROCKBAND, especially when it comes to online multi-player, because c'mon, wouldn't you agree that playing with three others in a band is WAY more fun than having a guitar battle? With that aside, if you haven't owned or played GH, i'd recommend buying this game, but if you're a fan and longtime player of the series, try to play GHIII or rent it if possible before buying. To some it's a satisfying game, but also I know a few longtime GH players that were dissapointed with it. This review is just my opinion and a little bit of fact, so you don't have to take my word for it. 3.5 stars in my book.