The idea of a standalone version of Guitar Hero dedicated to just one band sounds like a bizarre concept. Specially when you consider that rival rhythm game Rock Band would just release a mega-DLC pack. That’s why Guitar Hero Aerosmith is a hard concept to grasp and really it comes down to how much you like Aerosmith.
Technically speaking Guitar Hero Aerosmith is Legends of Rock but with an Aerosmith skin. That’s not to say that, that’s a bad thing but it’s not the most innovative premise for a game. Luckily they’ve spruced up the presentation with documentary style videos playing between every tier. The tiers then progress through a comprehensive history of Aerosmith’s career from their first gig at Nipmuc High School to the half time show at the Superbowl.
Guitar Hero Aerosmith also comes complete with a Guitar Hero-esque vision of Aerosmith themselves as the entire band have been modelled to instant recognition. The motion capture sessions definitely show through and add a nice level of polish to the game.
The most important thing about any music rhythm game is the soundtrack and as you might have gathered in this case it’s mainly Aerosmith. Songs like ‘Sweet Emotion’,'Dream On’ and ‘Walk This Way’ are all featured as over 25 Aerosmith tracks are included along with some of lead guitarists Joe Perry’s solo work and some new Aerosmith material as well. Luckily there are a few ‘warm-up’ acts to each tier before the Aerosmith come on. Artists like Lenny Kravitz, The Clash, The Cult and Run DMC are all featured to stop you getting over-Aerosmithed.
Another wise choice is the optional guitar battle with Joe Perry himself. Obviously anyone who played Guitar Hero 3 will know the inclusion of guitar battle’s isn’t the best part of Guitar Hero’s appeal but the fact that it’s now optional makes this frustratingly difficult part of the game skipable.
Unfortunately the ratio of Aerosmith to non-Aerosmith seems to be a bit lopsided, leaving you with a game that will be a tough sell to anyone who doesn’t like Aerosmith. Also for the amount of content you get, you really don’t leave the game with decent a sense of value. When you take into consideration that Guitar Hero 3 had nearly 80 tracks and Aerosmith has just about half of that, it might be wiser to wait for a price drop on this one.
Guitar Hero Aerosmith is for all intents and purposes a great game. It’s a shame that it is let down by it’s lack of value and narrow focus on Aerosmith. Although with that said, anyone who remotely enjoys Aerosmith should pick this game up.
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