Guitar Hero Metallica Review
Reviewed By Gaetano Prestia
NOTE FROM GAETANO: The idiot that reviewed this missed "No Leaf Clover" (somehow, we don't know!) It is indeed in the game although the below review and video review say it isn't
With the release of Guitar Hero Aerosmith, music buffs around the world couldn’t help but ask where the hell were the REAL band spin-offs. Let’s be honest – no one gives a damn about Aerosmith. Truth be told, that spin-off actually wasn’t all that bad, as it provided gamers with plenty of decent tracks, some memorable rock tunes and the gameplay we’ve come to love from the Guitar Hero franchise. There have been plenty of murmurs of other spin-offs, from The Beatles in Rock Band and Blink 182 with Guitar Hero. But it was always a given that eventually, one day, every single heavy metal fan’s dreams would come true with Guitar Hero Metallica.
That day has come. Guitar Hero Metallica is upon us, and unlike previous spin-offs before it where the guitarist did a solo tour, the whole band has jumped aboard the tour bus for a rock tour to remember.
First thing’s first, Guitar Hero Metallica has a great track list. The great thing about Guitar Hero games in the past is that they’ve been able to get even the most anti-rock music fan to put the guitar over their shoulder. The gameplay is addictive enough and there’s nothing better than rocking out to some of the greatest tunes ever. Even someone who absolutely hates rock and pop music in general should be able to find some enjoyment in previous titles of the franchise. The truth is, without hard rock songs, the games just wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun. Who wants to strum the same notes over and over again at a slow pace? You need fast, challenging and hard notes to offer challenge and enjoyment and that’s exactly where Guitar Hero Metallica excels. The tracks are perfectly suited to the gameplay, which dictates hard rock and heavy metal.
Check out our video review!
It’s not perfect though, although it should please fans of the genre and band. There are some notable absentees, namely No Leaf Clover and Ride The Lightening. We assume it’s because of licensing agreements, but that would be silly considering the game had heavy involvement from Metallica and their record label, as well as other bands. “And Justice For All” doesn’t appear, but that’s probably because it’s in Rock Band as DLC. Death Magnetic is supported, but any Metallica content you downloaded for World Tour isn’t supported, which is kind of stupid.
The developer has done a surprisingly good job of incorporating a decent story into the game. Of course, the story is always going to take a back seat in a music title, but it’s good to have that sense of story at the back of your mind, giving you that little extra bit of incentive to strive for excellence. Unlike Guitar Hero Aerosmith where you guide the band from their beginnings in a high school gym, Guitar Hero Metallica has you vying for the position of Metallica’s opening act cover band called “‘tallica Jr.”
World Tour took a different approach with the set list, going with a gig progression system instead of a tier-based star system like in the three original Guitar Hero games. You can play all of the instruments just like in World Tour, but in order to actually finish the game and progress, you’ll have to meet the star requirement in each section. If you’re familiar with the earlier Guitar Hero games, you’ll know that that means you can complete the game without having played all of the songs. Some gigs dictate you finish only two or three songs, leaving it up to you if you want to finish the rest of the songs in the area. There’s plenty of incentive to finish 100% of the tracks though, as there’s hardly a bad song in the entire list.
Each song also has a special “Metallifact” connected to it. Once you complete a song, you can go back to the menu and listen to it replayed while paragraphs tell you why it’s important to Metallica’s history. If you’re not a massive fan of the band you probably won’t find them all that interesting, but there are some really intriguing and interesting tidbits in there, especially the facts associated with songs that aren’t actual Metallica songs. There are also plenty of great videos to unlock, which were a great addition to the Aerosmith title.
Something that Metallica fanatics (and Guitar Hero fans alike) will be pleased to hear is that, while the game isn’t overly difficult, it does offer plenty of challenge. Metallica are known for their absolutely insane guitar riffs and long song performances and there’s plenty of that in this title. Some songs aren’t all that difficult, but they feel like they go on forever. This is great, especially on the expert difficulty, as you can really jam out to the tracks instead of just playing through the radio edit which only goes for a few minutes. There’s no doubting that this game was made to please Metallica fans and besides the fact that Guitar Hero experts will love the challenge, diehards of the band will absolutely love the long track plays.
There are two new modes for drums, which should please experienced Guitar Hero gamers. There’s compatibility with a second kick pedal, which works in a new difficulty called “Expert+”. It’s not for the faint of heart and is a hell of a lot of work. Experienced drum players will probably be able to fall into line with the quick gameplay, but unless you’re a superstar on the drum controller, you’re in for a hell of a lot of practice – it’s devilishly hard!
There’s also “Drum Over”, which takes the notes off the song and has you playing a small sample of a track. Unfortunately, the score from this mode cannot be transferred over to the online leaderboards.
Online works pretty much exactly the same as with World Tour, allowing you to hook up with friends around the globe to play a full band experience. The only downside is that the game doesn’t allow individual players to choose their own difficulty. So if you have four players who choose Expert and some first-timer who chooses Easy, they are suddenly forced to play the game on the hardest difficulty, which would inevitably cause the entire group to fail the song.
There are plenty of extras to unlock throughout the game, from lyrics to videos and “makings of…”. It’s good to see the band members have a lot of influence in the making of the game, especially with their likeness and movements being incorporated.
The title as a whole definitely has a “Metallica” feel about it, from the menus to the concert halls and stadiums. The presentation is pretty top notch and everything we’ve come to expect from a Guitar Hero title.
The character design is nice and you can also create your own rocker if you choose not to pick one of the already designed and named Guitar Hero rockers from World Tour. The creation tool seems to be almost identical to the one used in World Tour which is a bit disappointing, but there’s enough there to create a wacky and rocked out superstar if you wish.
The Final Verdict
Guitar Hero Metallica is the best of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band spin-offs. It exceeds Aerosmith on almost every front, with a better track list and the inclusion of the full band experience. There are a few memorable tracks missing which is disappointing, but there are still plenty of hard metal anthems there to please most heavy metal and Metallica fans. Some might not be able to look past the fact that No Leaf Clover and Ride The Lightening aren’t included, but at a price of around $70 for the standalone game, there’s plenty of value for money there.
Gameplay
8.7/10
The gameplay we’ve come to love. The full band experience is there as well as the inclusion of the super hard Expert+ on the drums
Graphics
8.0/10
Everything we’ve come to expect from a Guitar Hero title, with some great character design and recognizable character moves.
Sound
8.6/10
A great tracklist that is brought down slightly with the lack of a few Metallica classics.
Value
8.5/10
Plenty on offer, from every band instrument to online and lots of tracks.
Overall
8.8/10