GENRE
	Music
	DEVELOPER
	Budcat Creations
	PUBLISHER
	Activision
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	Yes
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Guitar Hero’s first attempt with a band-specific title felt a little lost; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith seemed more karaoke than being in the band. With that in mind, it was easy to wonder if this latest band installment would engender the same empty feeling. Well, after hours upon hours of time with Guitar Hero: Metallica, we're happy to report it delivers the Metallica experience and then some.

visuals

The on-stage appearance of the band is a bit grainier and simpler than the other consoles; other than that, there's no other visual difference between this and the other console versions of the game. The band members' animations look so similar to the real thing that GHM looks more like watching Metallica on TV.

This is thanks to hours of motion capture provided by the band members. Everything we expected from a Metallica show was present. James’ signature fist pump? Check. Lars’ jump from the drum throne at the end of "For Whom the Bell Tolls"? Check. Robert’s infamous crab walk? Check. Kirk's hands in the air after a face-melting solo? Check. It’s all there.

Another great element in the experience is when the screen shakes after a huge bass drop-- a great instance is the main riff of "Sad but True." Small details like these help bring home the authentic Metallica experience out even more.

audio

Anyone who has heard Metallica could say the band has one of the largest sounds in music, and that sound has been replicated perfectly in this game. From the booming intro of "Disposable Heroes" to the somber elegance of "Nothing Else Matters," the sound quality doesn't lose a beat in translation. Coupled with the game's visual effects, Metallica’s sound is bigger than ever.

gameplay

Guitar Hero: Metallica isn’t out to reinvent what the Guitar Hero series is all about, so there aren’t any differences from other Guitar Hero titles gameplay-wise. What is different is the new Expert+ mode for drums. This setting requires a second bass pedal, which allows for some machine gun bass drumming. A great example of some double bass use is the last third of “One.”

Adding to the difficulty of the game is the skill of the musicians who wrote the music. There are songs in the game that are more difficult on medium difficulty than any song from the previous Guitar Hero titles on a higher difficulty. This is not a bad thing at all, as it adds more replay value.

Other game features include bootleg videos, some great mo-cap footage and lyrics and publishing information for each song. These great features help put some substance behind the songs and bring forth some history on the group that may not have been realized.

Finally, one unique, standout feature is the "Metalli-facts" mode. In it, the in-game version of Metallica is shown on stage playing while facts about the song pop up on the screen. The only downside to this is that Metallica songs rarely clock in under six minutes, so some of the facts are repeated toward the end of the song.

If there were any complaint to be levied against the game for a hardcore Metallica fan, it would have to be the song list. There are 31 songs by the band featured in the game. Granted, three extra songs from Death Magnetic are included in the Wii version that 360 and PS3 owners don't get, since the previously released Death Magnetic downloadable album is not supported on Wii. Further, yes, there are 21 songs from other artists selected by Metallica (which are played on-screen by Guitar Hero series regulars instead of Lars and the gang), bringing the grand total to 52 songs. Regardless, some great Metallica tracks are inevitably missing-- "Harvester of Sorrow" being one conspicuous absence.

multiplayer

Guitar Hero: Metallica features the same head-to-head competition and cooperative play found in Guitar Hero: World Tour, which allows players to rock out together no matter where they are. Online leaderboards are also included so players can see where they stack up against players from around the world.

overall

If there were to be an official wish list for a Metallica music game, Guitar Hero: Metallica would have crossed most of those wishes off of the list. One wish that didn’t quite come to fruition is song selection -- the twenty-five songs included on the disc are great, but with so many covers and other songs thrown in, it kind of feels like it should have been called Guitar Hero: Metallica and Friends. Even so, this is still a great overall effort and earns a high recommendation.

9.0/10