Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for PlayStation 2 Reviews & Ratings by IGN

While playing Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, one of Steven Tyler's lyrics struck me as particularly relevant. The song "Dream On" begins, "Every time that I look in the mirror, all these lines on my face gettin' clearer." It's a line that speaks of growing old, perhaps too quickly, with dreams still unrealized. Much of the same could be said about this latest entry into the Guitar Hero franchise. It's been just a few years since Guitar Hero burst onto the scene and already we've seen it spread to nearly every platform known to man. We've looked in the mirror enough times and without anything substantially new brought to the table in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, those wrinkles are becoming crystal clear.



Even if the formula is a bit stale by now, that doesn't make Guitar Hero: Aerosmith a bad game. In fact, if you're a huge fan of the band, of the Guitar Hero franchise, or haven't yet seen what all of the fuss is over the music rhythm phenomenon, this release will please and then some. However, if you've been following the franchise since the beginning, you'll probably wonder if this game is really necessary.



If you've played Guitar Hero III, you'll know exactly what to expect here. That's because the game is nearly identical, save for a few Aerosmith extras. The gameplay is the same, the career, multiplayer and lack of online modes are the same…you'll even find that the guitars and characters from Guitar Hero III have been copied into this game. The new content comes in the form of Aerosmith character models (plus DMC as a bonus), guitars modeled after Joe Perry's collection, and a handful of video interviews with the band. And of course, there's a new Aerosmith-centric song list.



The career spans 31 songs, with each set of five comprised of three songs by the title group and two by other bands. You can also unlock a handful of bonus songs which are all either Aerosmith or Joe Perry Project tunes, for a grand total of about 40 tracks on the disc. That's not a whole lot considering it's a full priced game and there won't be any downloadable tracks for any versions of the game.



There are only about 10 non-Aerosmith songs on the disc, but even so you'll find that some are covers of the original music. If Activision had managed to get Aerosmith to perform these covers, then we'd have something to cheer about. But as it stands, the same can be said about them as what has been said in the past: The covers are done well, but they don't compare to the originals.



But if you're buying this game, it's because you're a fan of the Boston rockers. In that regard, the game is a success. There's a good mix of classic and new songs to play with a distinct lack of power ballads. What's more, each venue is inspired by a key point in the band's career. From the first gig the band played at Nipmuc High to the Super Bowl half time show and on to the Hall of Fame, the game traces the history of the band. In between each set list, you'll be treated to brief video interviews (longer versions can be unlocked) that set up the importance of the next venue. Oddly, not all of the interviews were recorded in widescreen, so you'll occasionally see black bars on the edges.



The Aerosmith additions are nice -- much nicer than what was done with Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s -- but when you get right down to it, this is the same game we've been playing for years. Though motion capturing was done to nail Perry and Tyler's signature moves, things have been pared down so much for the PS2 release that it's hard to tell. The animations felt stiff and lifeless on the PS3 and 360. Here they look downright bad. It just doesn't feel like a band is rocking out on stage. The career mode follows Aerosmith, but it's still just a list. In other words, if you're tired of Guitar Hero, then this game will feel tired.



Since GH: Aerosmith is focused on Joe Perry, a very riff-friendly guitarist, the difficulty level isn't even close to what it was in Guitar Hero III. I only consider myself a moderately skilled player and I was able to go straight through the game on expert without failing a single song. The band's formula also results in some pretty repetitive songs, which makes a few songs rather boring to play. The first setlist in particular failed at getting me excited to play the game. Still, there are a few songs that are fun to play and offer up some good solos to tackle -- "Train Kept a Rolling," "Mama Kin," and "Love in an Elevator" are all a blast -- but this release is much friendlier to new players than past Guitar Hero games.







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