Guitar Hero Aerosmith - Xbox 360 review

Full Review

It is little shock to discover a Guitar Hero title based entirely on one particular band. Ever since the first game strode proudly into view, gaming forums have been jam packed with claims of everyone’s favourite bands being the perfect recipient of a Guitar Hero makeover.

For the first, they’ve gone for a big one. In music terms, the chances of someone not knowing, off the top of their head, a handful of Aerosmith tunes is almost incomprehensible.

Unsurprisingly enough, this is the same old Guitar Hero gameplay that we all love and adore to the nth degree. Coloured circles flow down screen, prompting you to press the corresponding fret button, and strumming the guitar in time with the music. There are no additions to the basic gameplay here. It’s the same multiplier and streak system that we all know incredibly well, so anyone with even a vague understanding of the game can get stuck in straight away.

The problems begin with the simple fact that there simply aren’t quite enough tracks here. Of the 41 on offer in total (Guitar Hero III has over 70 remember) there are admittedly some incredible tunes. The ultimate highlight being a brand new recording of the absolutely amazing "Dream On" purely for this Guitar Hero special.

Taking into consideration that 12 tracks are from various bands that "support" Aerosmith during the game’s career mode, that leaves a mere 29 Aerosmith and Joe Perry tracks to tinker with. And in all honesty, for a band with such a long and varied history, that simply isn’t enough. As much as people may hate Armageddon’s "Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing" it’s a strange omission indeed.

Obviously it’s the band themselves that take to the stage during the game, rather than the random collection that populate the other games. They’re all a fantastic cartoony representation of the real band members, and seeing Steven Tyler prance around is as joyous as always.

But when you boil it down, there’s no escaping the fact that Guitar Hero Aerosmith is basically an add-on disc.

Verdict

Released at a budget price, then there’s little reason to dissuade anyone from strumming along to a few classic tracks from some fantastic rockers. But at full price, the meagre number of tunes means this can only be recommended to real hardcore Aerosmith fans.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe