Guitar Hero 5′s greatest strength is its familiarity. Guitar Hero 5′s greatest weakness is its familiarity. Contradictory statements but both equally applicable to Activision’s latest release of what is arguably it’s biggest franchise. For a series that has managed to release three sequels in the last three holiday seasons alongside a smattering of artist-specific spin-off titles during the same period, the biggest challenge remains how to define each iteration as more than just a  glamorised, and expensive song pack. It’s a challenge this year’s effort struggles to meet.

First the familiar. The basic mechanics remain unchanged from previous iterations and challenges players to strum, drum and warble along to the latest series of songs selected by Neversoft. This time the total is an impressive 85, plus the option to import certain tracks from Guitar Hero: World Tour and Guitar Hero Greatest Hits, as well as confirmed support for all of said titles’ downloadable tracks. Whereas GHWT brought in multiple sustain notes and open stringed bass strums, this time the formula has remained untouched with the focus appearing to turn to addressing the difficulty curve and note charting in the hope of providing a more balanced and ultimately better experience. For the most part this is a success, and it’s fair to say that this is the strongest and most enjoyable set of charts the developer has produced during it’s tenure. There are still mis-steps, such as some tracks making the player switch abruptly between percussion, piano and guitar when notionally playing lead that creates unwelcome confusion and awkwardness. One small new addition is the so called ‘band moment’; a series of burning notes appear for each player at the same moment which if accurately played boost the score-multiplier in an orgy of graphical excess. It certainly engenders a sense of togetherness, even though it’s ripped straight from its main competitor, EA’s Rock Band platform. For those who crave the type of finger gymnastics that the Guitar Hero franchise is more famed for, there are still a few challenges of Dragonforce in GHIII proportions. Jeff Beck’s Scatterbrain on Expert is sure to keep even the best of players busy for a long time to come.

The Career option remains fairly stagnant. Once again a user-generated rock avatar has to plough through various venues performing predetermined songs. At certain points the choice is given to the player to select the track to play but in the main it’s a depressingly familiar structure. Rather than forcing the completion of each set list before further areas are opened up the mechanism now switches to earning stars, those rewarded while playing, with each location requiring a set amount before it is unlocked. The rules are simple, the better the songs are played the more stars are collected, the more stars are collected the more is unlocked. This structure doesn’t remain engaging for any great length of time and quickly descends to a boring series of one-off performances with little overarching purpose other than to gain the opportunity to play in new arenas, none of which leave a lasting impression. Since all tracks are now unlocked from the start, the incentive for grinding through this is no longer present. There is an attempt to provide more of a sense of purpose with a series of challenges for each track ranging from sustaining a note streak to utilising the whammy bar to earn a set number of points, but these are hampered by the fact most rely on multiple players being present in order to achieve the highest levels. What could have been a novel twist is turned into a feature that’s soon ignored due to it’s inconsistent and often unachievable targets.

The track listing is a more mellow mix than before and displays more of a rock and pop slant than previous iterations with just a sprinkling of metal and funk creeping in. It’s certainly an eclectic selection which contains enough recognisable tracks to provide a solid evening’s multiplayer fun without the head-scratching and complaints that differences in taste have a tendency to bring out. As would be expected with a retail release there will always be a selection of tracks that will cause a discernable furrowing of the brow whenever they appear on the set list and the question of how much would have been avoided by providing this as individually downloadable tracks as opposed to a retail disc is one that creeps into the back of the mind very early on.

An obvious lick of paint applied to last years model, the gaunt looking characters have been softened and improved to look suitably lifelike without straying too far into the uncanny valley. Actions and instrument playing animations appear near exactly the same as before and clever depth-of-field effects provide a few impressive moments. This never manifests itself into anything that has a real sense of character however and in before long it turns into a forgettable background to the note highways. Certainly in respect to its nearest competitor, The Beatles: Rock Band, it looks and feels lazy.

Returning are the ‘special guest’ musicians who come out to play when theirs songs are reached in Career mode, and subsequently become selectable characters to be placed into the band at will. The combination of living ‘legends’ such as Shirley Manson and Matthew Bellamy, alongside those who have passed away in the form of Kurt Cobain and Johnny Cash can lead to bizarre, not entirely comfortable stage scenarios. Furthermore it serves to marginalise the players’ feeling of importance; suddenly they’re no longer the ‘Hero’ of the title and instead play second fiddle to the polygon mannequin strutting around on stage.

The most obvious GH5 updates - those plastered on the front of the box - are found in multiplayer. First is the drop in/drop out ‘party’ play, where random songs cycle in attract mode and allow any person to jump in at any point and pick up the instrument of their own choosing. Alongside the game’s willingness to allow any combination of instruments at any time (a move that will finally abolish the delegation of the roles people are less enthusiastic about), it’s a set of features which allows increased freedom and accessibility. The familiar competitive options are all present and correct, joined by a new option that changes the difficulty based on the note streak achieved, however in the main it’s still a combination of one-on-ones and band face-offs which will become the mainstay of the series for some yet entirely ignored by others.

It’s not that Guitar Hero 5 is a bad game – in many ways it’s the most complete and well thought-out iteration since the change of developers with GHIII. The feeling of pure pleasure and satisfaction upon nailing a favoured song is present and correct, fuelling the player’s inner rock god again for another few months. But outside the template of falling notes little has really changed and in reality the game is a case of the emperor’s new clothes. For most validation of purchase will come from the new tracks and artists offered. For the next inevitable  sequel there will have to be some serious questions asked about the structure of the franchise. Guitar Hero 5 feels like a game where the ideas have run out, so it plays it safe and sticks with what it knows. It’s just a shame that what it knows isn’t anything fresh.

6/10

Xbox 360 version reviewed

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