Nintendo Wii - Guitar Hero III Review

I recently became the proud owner of a Nintendo Wii. I am typically not a gamer, but the true physically interactive capabilities of the Wii intrigued me. With just the flick of the wrist, it is easy to roll the bowling ball, or return a tennis serve, or swing a golf club. Those are all fun activities, but they pale in comparison to playing your very own plastic replica of a Les Paul guitar!

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the latest edition of this ever so popular series. The purpose of the game is simple - play rock songs. Even though I know the difference between a whole note and half note, and remember FACE and EGBDF from piano lessons, I couldn't play a real guitar to save my life. It doesn't matter in this game. It is all about pressing the right color-coded button on the fretboard and strumming accordingly. Play the note correctly, and the reward is musical harmony. Miss the note, and the guitar makes the electronic "bzzz" equivalent of "you are so not a rock star" sound.

Songs include hits such as Guns N' Roses' Welcome to the Jungle, Santana's Black Magic Woman, and The Charlie Daniels Band's The Devil Went Down to Georgia. If there is a downside to the game, it is the selection of songs. I haven't even heard of some of the songs and bands. And many of the songs just aren't that interesting to me personally. It will be great when new songs can be downloaded off the internet. Speaking of the internet, it is also possible to play against other people (either a buddy or a complete stranger) in a remote location. This just adds to the insane, almost addictive, fun!