Guitar Hero 3: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii In Depth
We check out all three main versions of Guitar Hero III to nail down what works (and what doesn't) in each.
Getting the Band Back Together
Most notably different in both versions is the online component, in which the Wii and PS3 versions of the game are inversely non-functional. The Wii version will launch without the downloadable content of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, giving Wii players no option to expand their songlist--unless Nintendo gets that structure in place. Publisher RedOctane is currently in talks with the hardware manufacturer to determine how best to implement the feature. "If Nintendo had that, we would support it," company president Kai Huang told us. "When they figure that out, we can offer it." It is not yet known whether that eventual planned functionality will be available retroactively for early adopters--again, Huang indicated that RedOctane will offer that functionality if it is technically possible.
Though it forces gamers to go through Nintendo's cumbersome friend code system, the online overlay Vicarious has built from the ground up is like a microcosm of Xbox Live on the Wii. Once you boot up Guitar Hero III and set up a profile, a menu option on the startup screen allows you to connect to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. You'll only have to do this when you start up the game, and from then on, you'll be able to receive game invites from anyone you've added to your friends list.
Just like with Xbox Live, you'll receive on-screen notification of these invites anytime you've got the game running--whether you're in mid-song or checking out the leaderboards--via a small guitar symbol that flashes on-screen. If you've gotten multiple invites, the quick match option in the online menu will start a match with your most recent challenger, or you can browse your friends list from the online menu to select a match with any challenger that's still online.
Though all this matchmaking functionality has become fairly standard on Xbox Live, it certainly hasn't been present in a Wii title up to this point, to this extent. In fact, this commendable effort by Vicarious Visions brings the Wii's online component above and beyond the PS3 version's matchmaking system--because it just doesn't have one. Other than playing random matches through a lobby, there's absolutely no option on the PS3 rendition of Guitar Hero III to challenge specific players to matches. While Sony is largely to blame for this with its shoddy online service--as the PlayStation Network provides no in-game implementation whatsoever of online community functionality--it surely could have been implemented, as seen by the work Vicarious did on the Wii version. As it stands, you'll have to find your friends in a server browser.
Tools of the Trade
The next big difference comes in the bundled guitar, which is wireless for all versions and modeled after Gibson's classic Les Paul. The Wii edition of the game includes a unique axe that actually incorporates the Wii remote into its body, while the PS3 version is exactly the same as the 360 guitar--although it requires a USB dongle for some reason, and apparently does not use the PS3's built-in Bluetooth functionality.
Besides saving you money by using the Wii remote's built-in functionality, Vicarious Visions worked some additional Wiimote-specific features into this version as well. The Wii remote's rumble feature comes into play in the Wii rendition of Guitar Hero III, sending a jolt through the guitar's plastic body to let you know when you've shredded hard enough to activate star power. It's actually a neat effect, as the pulses continue with the rhythm of the song while star power is activated, giving the feeling of a fully juiced guitar vibrating with fuzzed out power. For the battery conscious, this feature can of course be disabled by turning off rumble in the Wii's Home menu.
The other Wii-mote enhancement provided less fun and practicality than the vibrating star power notification. Whenever you miss a note, the twang of discord will comes through the tiny speaker on the remote rather than the TV's sound system. Unless you've got the Wii remote speaker turned up all the way--draining the remote's juice at a faster rate--you're probably not going to even hear the sound over a raucous Guitar Hero III song. After all, if any game should be played at an unreasonably high level, it's Guitar Hero. Luckily, if you turn the Wii remote volume all the way down, the twang of discord will come through the TV instead of on the remote, giving your batteries a break.
Glamour Rock
Bottom line is, if you own a 360, you'll want to get that version of Guitar Hero III. And since Harmonix's Rock Band only includes one wired guitar in its 360 bundle, you'll already have a wireless one ready for your band's bass player if you buy that game's bundle as well. Choosing between the PS3 and Wii version comes down to whether you want the friends-based online functionality of the Wii version or can live with the PS3 version's bare bones online features, as long as you can grab new songs as downloadable content. But even this PS3 feature has a caveat: Neversoft studio director Scott Pease told me he wasn't sure the company would be able to deliver songs on the PlayStation Network in as timely a manner as on Xbox Live Marketplace.
Rock on.
