Guitar Hiroshima: World Tour

How cheap does a game that I have campaigned against for years have to be for me to buy it? Four dollars sounds about right, especially when those four dollars go to Goodwill. That's my excuse.

Guitar Hero: World Tour opens up with a callback to the best part of its predecessor, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock; the story. Lou totally posesses some guys but like a new band is there to rock them out of the trance! Woah!

The "name your band" tool is shit. Instead of using the built-in Xbox 360 letter-typer, it uses its own system that is SHIT
The default band logo they gave me was sweet, though. It was an alien in his spaceship all like "hello"

The character creator is shit. Why do they make your character bald when you edit their face? An important part of face creation is making sure all your parts work together. After half an hour of tweaks, I finally made a character who is okay I guess.
The guitar creator, however, is pretty cool. I wish there were some more body options, but all your standards, as well as a few zany ones, are there.
I can buy new guitar strings?! That sounds completely useful in a videogame!


The gameplay is notably improved from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. In fact, it's almost halfway decent. Overcharting is still a problem, but not in the way it was in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
The interface is much better than Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, as well. Rock Band 2 still looks better, and Rock Band 3 is still the best. The main problems in this game are:
>You can't see your note streak very easily
>The ROCK METER is too small
>The Star Power bubbles are way too small and barely noticeable

Career starts you off wanting to join a band. You get a choice between the United States, Sweden, and Poland. Since only one of those options isn't shit, I went with Sweden.

When you activate Star Power, LIGHTNING SHOOTS OUT OF YOUR GUITAR
FUCK YEAH
I'd rather it didn't, though. That's a safety hazard.

SONG IMPRESSIONS:

311/"Beautiful Disaster": B
Unremarkable as a song, but a pretty fun chart. A good start to the game, honestly.

Interpol/"Obstacle 1": C+
Also very unremarkable as a song. The chart is decent enough, but not very memorable. It's much better than PDA from Rock Band 2, however.

R.E.M./"The One I Love": A+
Amazing song. I've wanted it in Rock Band for a long time, and was really confused when they released an R.E.M. pack without it. The chart is fun, and the fire prop going off at about when you'd expect was a nice touch. I wouldn't have thought of it.

Paul McCartney and Wings/"Band on the Run": A
This is the first song of the game that I've played in Rock Band. Harmonix did it MUCH better. Neversoft's wasn't... wrong, but they charted a different guitar part. Instead of those nice trills at the beginning, you get... something much more underwhelming. There were a few spots where I fucked up because Harmonix characted a note that Neversoft didn't. It was a strange experience.

Hushpuppies/"You're Gonna Say Yeah": D
This song is kind of... bad. It's not completely awful, but it's so bland and forgettable. The chart was awkward to play. In all honesty, this song makes me want to say "eh". They're halfway there.

Creedence Clearwater Revival/"Up Around the Bend": B
Another song I've played in Rock Band. There's no glaring difference between the two charts, so I'd say Neversoft did pretty well. Not the best choice for CCR, but a respectable one.

Beastie Boys/"No Sleep 'til Brooklyn":C-
Until the guitar solo kicks in, this song is BORING. Even without the solo, it's still a better choice than So Whatcha Want from Rock Band 2. I still have nightmares.
But, honestly, why didn't both Harmonix and Neversoft just cut the shit and go with the song they really wanted? At least that one's cheesy and ironic enough to sit through.
YOU GOTTA FIGHT
FOR YOUR RIGHT
TO PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR-TAY

Oasis/"Some Might Say": A+
You know I'm always down for some Oasis. Unless it's Around the World. Seriously, fuck Around the World.
The chart of this song was pretty fun; I'd say it's probably the funnest song so far. I wish the Gallagher brothers weren't in a constant state of turmoil so we could have gotten more Oasis in Rock Band.

Smashing Pumpkins/"Today": A
This is the first song that was in this game and Rock Band 2. Neither chart really stands out as better.
As always, this song is pretty simple and fun. Billy Corgan even appears, wearing a tinfoil dress, to sing and play guitar. Neversoft did a great job in capturing Corgan's... self. His appearance is unsettling as ever.

Linkin Park/"What I've Done": D
I hadn't heard this song in years. It's much gayer than I'd remembered, and I'd remembered it being pretty fucking gay.
The chart isn't very interesting. Rock Band 2 had a better Linkin Park choice, with One Step Closer. It's both a better song and more interesting to play.

The Steve Miller Band/"The Joker": A-
Another song that I've played in Rock Band. It's really weird how Neversoft charted the guitar's "sexy whistle". You know. Harmonix also did better at choosing an ending while eliminating the fadeout.
Rock Band 2 had the better choice for The Steve Miller Band with Rock'n Me.

Korn/"Freak on a Leash": F
What even is this song? It confuses me in a way I never thought possible.
The chart is... interesting, but it can't save this mess of a song.

Paramore/"Misery Business": B
This song was in Rock Band 3 with a better chart. BUT DID ROCK BAND 3 HAVE HAYLEY WILLIAMS ON-STAGE SINGING THE SONG?!
Actually, saying Hayley Williams sings the song is a bit of an overstatement. She's got the moves, but the character really doesn't look anything like Hayley. Her hair is vaguely the same colour? Does that count?
This is a better choice of song than Rock Band 2's That's What You Get.

Eagles/"Hotel California": A+
New best song in the game. Extremely fun, and just a great song in general. It's really a shame that Activision got EXCLUSIVITY on Eagles. I'm not sure if there was anything signed; if so, it was probably for five years like Aerosmith. SHAME THAT ROCK BAND IS DEAD AND WON'T BE REAPING THE BENEFITS

Bon Jovi/"Livin' on a Prayer": B+
Another song that was also in Rock Band 2. This version has a very different ending. It's... interesting, to say the least. To say the most, it's absolutely horrible. Great job.

Nirvana/"About a Girl UNPLUGGED": why
The reason I decided to never get another Guitar Hero game again. Then when Rock Band put Come as You Are unplugged as DLC, I ignored it. Great stance on the issues, me.
At least this is sung by Kurty himself! Oh, wait. It's just a guy wearing the shirt from the Smells Like Teen Spirit video. What is it with people and that shirt?
Needless to say, Rock Band 2 had a much better Nirvana song in Drain You. Even if they'd used the original About a Girl, I'd still give it to Harmonix.
I muted the game while playing this, out of respect. R.I.P.

Jane's Addiction/"Mountain Song": B
Another song that was in Rock Band 2. I'd say that RB2's version was more fun, because of the HO/PO chords. They add a lot to the game, I think.

Survivor/"Eye of the Tiger": B
Yet another song from Rock Band 2. This version has a worse ending (featuring POWER CHORDS), and strange notes during that "DO DO DO" thing. It kind of lessens the impact of it.

No Doubt/"Spiderwebs": D+
This song is pretty bad. The chart has some fun moments, but overall, it's a bit too chordy.

Blondie/"One Way or Another": D-
Oh, wow! Another song in Rock Band 2! This overlap is so rare and infrequent!
A shit song with a moderately fun chart. Both Neversoft and Harmonix should have gone for Heart of Glass. Hell, even Call Me would have been better.

Steely Dan/"Do it Again": A++
This song is GREAT. The solo is really fun to play, and I really enjoyed myself on this one.
Rock Band 2 had Bodhisattva from Steely Dan, which is also amazing, but I honestly have to give it to GHWT. Great choice, honestly.

Guitar Battle vs. Zakk Wylde: A+
Guitar Battles are A LOT different now. Power-ups are gone, and you basically just play what's thrown at you. It's a lot more fun, and really how they should have been to begin with.
Zakk's was fun and sounded pretty cool.

Black Label Society/"Stillborn": B+
The song is just okay, but the chart is really fun. Nice job, Zakk.
As a side note, I'm glad they didn't have the encore be an Ozzy song, since both of the songs in the game are Randy's.

Jimmy Eat World/"The Middle": B
Also in Rock Band 2. GHWT's charting of the solo is easier, but I didn't notice any other differences.

Filter/"Hey Man, Nice Shot": F
I hated this song in Rock Band 3, and I hate it now. The bit with that one huge sustained note and all the other notes was cool, though.

Dinosaur Jr./"Feel the Pain": NEVERSOFT
This song was in Rock Band 2 with a MUCH better chart. The song would be incredibly mediocre if not for the speed-up, which makes it an amazing, memorable song. RB2 makes the speed-up fast and hectic, really driving the point of it home. GHWT makes it power chords. WOAH

Blink-182/"Dammit": B
This is the best Blink-182 song I've heard, and it has a pretty fun chart to boot. Travis Barker joins you on drums, which is kind of cool. Are there drum battles in this game? Probably not.

Foo Fighters/"Everlong": B
This song was also in Rock Band 2, but I can understand why they both chose it. It's their most popular song (if I'm not mistaken), and GODDAMN THOSE DRUMS
The GHWT version is much easier for some reason.

Led Zeppelin Pat Benatar/"Heartbreaker": A-
A great song with a super-fun solo at the end.

The Guess Who/"American Woman": B+
YET ANOTHER SONG IN ROCK BAND 2
I didn't notice any major differences between the two charts.

The Allman Brothers Band/"Ramblin' Man": A+
OH HEY ANOTHER SONG IN ROCK BAND 2
This version is much easier, and has less guitar in the verses and chorus. It's strange.

Fleetwood Mac/"Go Your Own Way": D
WOW ANOTHER SONG IN ROCK BAND 2
A shit song, of course, but the guitar solo and outro are pretty fun.

Guitar Battle vs. Ted Nugent: A+
Again, a really fun duel. The main riff the duel is based around is pretty sweet, too.

Ted Nugent/"Stranglehold": D+
This is a fine song, held back by a REALLY BORING GUITAR SOLO
The outro solo is fun, but it's really not worth that main solo.

The Mars Volta/"L'Via L'Viaquez": A
Did they shorten this song? I remember it being much longer than that.

MC5/"Kick Out the Jams": A-
This is an interesting track. They took the original vocal track and rerecorded all the instruments. Aside from Rob Tyner's original vocal track, the only musician from MC5 that had a part in this recording was the guitarist, Wayne Kramer. Wayne did a great job at capturing the feel of the original.

Sublime/"Santeria": A-
This song is kind of awkward to play, but in a fun way. It's probably the best song for practicing that whole "new gameplay feature" thing. To be honest, I like that thing I can't describe. It's an interesting mechanic that makes sense for the series.

Willie Nelson/"On the Road Again": A-
COUNTRY MUSIC?!
IN MY GUITAR HERO?!
I AM SELLING ALL OF MY GAMES AND PLASTIC INSTRUMENTS
HOW DARE THEY DO THIS TO ME

The Doors/"Love Me Two Times": A-
I love this song. The chart is kind of awkward (in a completely different way than Santeria), but still strangely fun.
But I thought Light My Fire was in this game? I'm glad it isn't, but still.

30 Seconds to Mars/"The Kill": B
A mediocre song with a really fun chart.

Coldplay/"Shiver": C+
A good song with a pretty un-fun chart.

Billy Idol/"Rebel Yell": B-
Another song I've played in Rock Band. The GHWT version is easier somehow.
Rock Band 2 had White Wedding for a Billy Idol song. I'm not sure which song I like better. Probably Rebel Yell.

Sting/"Demolition Man": A+++
I've found it. The best song in the game. MAD RESPECT to Neversoft for choosing this version of the song. Those sweet solos, goddamn
Sting also joins you on-stage for the ride of your life. Sting is, of course, the best guest character. Because he's fucking Sting.

Michael Jackson/"Beat It": A
I've wanted this song in Rock Band for years. It's just a shame that Michael had to die before Harmonix could get the rights. How selfish of him.

Tokio Hotel/"Monsoon": C
A very mediocre song with a very average chart.

The Enemy/"Aggro": C+
A very mediocre song with a pretty good chart.

Lostprophets/"Rooftops": C
A decent enough song with a mediocre chart. I seem to recall the chart in LEGO Rock Band being more fun.

Anouk/"Good God": D-
A bad song with a ridiculously un-fun chart.

At the Drive-In/"One-Armed Scissor": C-
An absolutely horrific song with a pretty fun chart.

Silversun Pickups/"Lazy Eye": B
This song was also in Rock Band 2. Overlap like this is kind of suspicious. I mean, this isn't like two games having an iconic song like Livin' on a Prayer. This is something that isn't very well-known, and they both choose it. It's very odd.
The song is pretty good (if a bit too long), and the chart is pretty fun.

Airbourne/"Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast": F
The "OH SHIT ROCK BAND 2 HAS AC/DC" choice. This song is too long, too slow, too shit.

Modest Mouse/"Float On": A-
YET ANOTHER SONG IN ROCK BAND 2
GUYS THIS ISN'T FUNNY

Necramargo/"Nuvole e Lenzuola": C-
If I spelled their name wrong, it's their own fault for being foreign.
This song was pretty good, but it suffered a bit from the whole "I don't speak Swahili" thing.

Sex Pistols/"Pretty Vacant": D-
Remember when Sex Pistols refused to accept their admission into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (which they didn't deserve because they're absolute shit)? Then remember when they rerecorded a bunch of their songs for Guitar Hero? Good times.

Lenny Kravitz/"Are You Gonna Go My Way?": A+
Here's another song I've played in Rock Band. The Rock Band version is harder and more fun, but I'd be lying if I said Neversoft didn't make it fun, too.

Lynyrd Skynyrd/"Sweet Home Alabama": A++
An amazing live version of an amazing song. I've always had a soft spot for this song, even if it's overplayed.
The outro solo is pretty fucking sweet on this version. This was the first song in the game that I failed at, simply because I wasn't expecting that weird-ass section of the solo.

Muse/"Assassin": F
A pretty good song with an outright horrible chart. It's like Knights of Cydonia, if Knights of Cydonia didn't have that sweet riff at the end, and wasn't a much better song.

Radio Futura/"Escuela de Calor": B-
Another foreign song, but this one's pretty fun. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I understood the words.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience/"The Wind Cries Mary": A+
I've played this song in Rock Band, and I must say, the way GHWT does the "blum blum blum" chords makes way more sense than how Harmonix did them.
Xavier Stone rejoins the cast briefly for this song, looking more like Jimi than ever. If I were a foolish man, I'd say it was the spirit of Jimi himself. But that's just silly.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience/"Purple Haze": A+
Neversoft used a live version for this. We're better off, I think. The outro solo is especially great.

Stuck in the Sound/"Toy Boy": F
A horrible song with a boring chart. Where does Neversoft get these idiots?

Beatsteaks/"Hail to the Freaks": C+
A mediocre song with a fun chart. Without them clearly labeling bonus songs, I have no idea what choices are serious and which are just "CHECK OUT MY SON'S BAND".

Kent/"Vinternoll2": D
There's really nothing to say about this song. It is unremarkable in every way.

Bob Seger/"Hollywood Nights": G
It's a Bob Seger song.

NOFX/"Soul Doubt": D
The song isn't bad, but the chart is really awkward and unfun. That opening riff is sweet, though.

The Cult/"Love Removal Machine": A
A great song that takes a bit to get going, but really pays off when it does.

Lacuna Coil/"Our Truth": B+
Yet another song in both GHWT and Rock Band 2. I remember the RB2 version being more difficult, but I think this one's more fun. Either way, it's better than Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's choice.

Trust/"Antisocial": C+
A decent song with a pretty fun chart. I wish I understood any word besides the title.

The Living End/"Prisoner of Society": B
Carry Me Home in GH2 was an amazing choice. That intro solo was so fun and striking.
Prisoner of Society doesn't open as strongly, but the solo is still fun. Overall, a good choice. The Living End are a great band for representing punk in the later tiers.

Ozzy Osbourne/"Mr. Crowley": A+
For years, I blindly and baselessly tried to refute claims that Mr. Crowley has Randy Rhoads' two best guitar solos. I will freely admit when I'm wrong. This is not one of those times. Third and fourth? Sure. I refuse to accept anything as his best other than the live Suicide Solution. No other guitar solo hits me as hard in the emotions. R.I.P.
Oh, Ozzy comes onstage for this song or something.

Ozzy Osbourne/"Crazy Train": A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Speaking of Randy's best solos, here's another one. After all these years, Crazy Train still fills me with an indescribable feeling. Very few songs give me this feeling, Van Halen's "Dreams" being the only other I can think of. Hell, even the inferior studio Crazy Train gives me the same feeling, even if it's not as strong. Crazy Train is probably still my favourite song, and I don't think anything will ever topple it.
Don't tell Kurty, though.

Rise Against/"Re-Education Through Labour": B-
I didn't know Rise Against were a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker.
This song was better than Rock Band 2's choice, Give it All, as far as pure fun goes. Give it All is probably a better song.

Los Lobos/"La Bamba": B
I didn't know Los Lobos were a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker.
This was mostly worth it for watching Ozzy sing it.

Bullet for My Valentine/"Scream, Aim, Fire": D+
I didn't know My Bloody Valentine were a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker.
This song is way too long, and the only fun part was the short guitar solo. Ozzy's done much better in his career.

Motorhead/"Overkill": C
I always knew Motorhead were a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker.
The solos and outro are pretty fun, but the rest of the song isn't.

Metallica/"Trapped Under Ice": A-
You can't fool me, Neversoft. I know Metallica aren't a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker. Everyone knows that Robert Truckdriver is the brilliant mind behind Metallica's iconic discography.
This isn't as good as a song as Rock Band 2's Battery, but it's more fun to play.

System of a Down/"B.Y.O.B.": G
Everyone knows that System of a Down are a supergroup containing Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker.
This is the hardest song in the game, and inferior in every way to Rock Band 2's choice, Chop Suey. That's the name of it, right? The whole "WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME" song, you know.

Van Halen/"Hot for Teacher": A++
I didn't know that Ozzy Osbourne, Sting, and Travis Barker had pretty much cornered the market on being in a band entirely.
This is supposed to be the hardest song, but the intro (the hardest part) is made trivial by the slider shit.

Dream Theatre/"Pull Me Under": A
Another Ozzy/Sting/Travis special.
This is the credits song. It's not as guitar-crazy as TTFATF, but it's still a very good song for what it's used for. It's still not as good as Rock Band 2's choice, Panic Attack.
As a side note, I had never seen horizontally-scrolling credits before this game.

The Stone Roses/"Love Spreads": A+
There is only so much I can say about Ozzy/Sting/Travis.
This song is SUPER-fun, and epitomises what I love about these games.

The Answer/"Never Too Late": B
Ozzy/Sting/Travis proving that, despite not having a guitarist, they can lay down some sweet solos.
I was wrong. THIS is the hardest song in the game. That intro solo comes at you with such fury, you'll swear you fucked its mother, sister, girlfriend, and dog.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club/"Weapon of Choice": B-
Ozzy/Sting/Travis wouldn't waste their love on a nation.
This song is placed kind of oddly. It's pretty easy, and is sandwiched between TTFATF pt. 2 and Pull Me Under.

Dream Theatre/"Pull Me Under": A
Ozzy/Sting/Travis really like this song.

Joe Satriani/"Satch Boogie": why
Oh, I get it. Joe Satriani isn't a guy; it's a band meant to fool you into thinking it's not Ozzy/Sting/Travis. Like Gnarls Barkley, Pink Floyd, or Van Morrison.
THIS SONG IS BULLSHIT
THAT FUCKING SOLO SECTION IS WAY TOO LONG AND IMPOSSIBLE
SATCH GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER
THINK OF THE CHILDREN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE
YOU CAN'T BOOGIE FOR THAT LONG WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES

That's it. I'm done. Goddammit, Satch.

As a recap, here are the stats of "same band different song":

(band): (ghwt song) / (rb2 song): (game that won)


Beastie Boys: No Sleep 'til Brooklyn / So What'cha Want: GHWT
Billy Idol: Rebel Yell / White Wedding: GHWT
Interpol: Obstacle 1 / PDA: GHWT
Linkin Park: What I've Done / One Step Closer: RB2
Metallica: Trapped Under Ice / Battery: GHWT
Motorhead: Overkill / Ace of Spades: RB2
Nirvana: About a Girl / Drain You: RB2
Paramore: Misery Business / That's What You Get: GHWT
Rise Against: Re-Education Through Labour / Give it All: RB2
Steely Dan: Do it Again / Bodhisattva: GHWT
The Steve Miller Band: The Joker / Rock'n Me: RB2
System of a Down: B.Y.O.B. / Chop Suey: RB2


It's... pretty even, honestly.

I was never really outspoken about it, but i REALLY like world tour.

thanks to it, I got into Stone Roses, so that's cool.

One thing I LOVE about Do It Again on GHWT is that they chart the nearly impossible to hear soloing during the verses.

I have a soft spot for Good God, Spiderwebs, and especially Weapon of Choice.

I don't remember a thing about Hey Man Nice Shot besides that I really really like the name of the song (hehe)

Personally, I find Pull Me Under absolutely abysmal. Panic Attack, on the other hand, is absolutely amazing.

also, i forgot satch boogie existed.

I like Weapon of Choice as a song, but the chart was underwhelming.
Good God seems like a song that could grow on me, but I really wasn't into it.

Honestly, playing World Tour has made me want to play the other Neversoft GH games I refused to play, even Skipped Numbers are Edgy. All 1,000 of them.