Pads & Panels

Title: Guitar Hero 5

Platforms: 360 (Also PS3, Wii, PS2)

ESRB Rating: T

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Neversoft

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Since Guitar Hero went full band with Guitar Hero: World Tour, the series has been coasting on spinoff titles. Guitar Hero: Metallica actually kicked things into high gear, marking a high point in the entire series, while Guitar Hero: Smash Hits felt more like a rehash of World Tour, recycling old songs with a format that still carried with it many of the problems of the series.

Guitar Hero 5 is the next numbered title, which usually signifies a bigger leap for the series. And while GH5 does bring with it the most changes the series has seen since World Tour, most don’t majorly change the way gamers play the instrument-peripheral rhythm game, and the series finds itself falling back on old bad habits again. (more…)

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It’s funny how things change. When I first met Bill six years ago, I really wasn’t into video games that much. I grew up playing some of the classics and have had a lifelong adoration of Mega Man, Mario, Samus and Link, but I really wasn’t too into it. I went for from having nothing but a broken NES and a Super Nintendo a very long time, to buying a PS2, which I sold because my temporary obsession with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Kingdom Hearts wore off. So when I met Bill, I was an obsessive music journalist who pretty much only spent his free time listening to music, either on disc or in the live setting, or looking for new music.

I was the entertainment editor of our college newspaper, and I was pretty hard-headed most of the time. I didn’t really like new ideas; I didn’t like the fact that we had to sometimes cover material that I found boring; and I really scoffed when Bill offered to do some video game reviews. I ended up sticking him to movie and music reviews partially because he was up for it, partially because he was so damn good at it. If memory serves correctly, I cracked and let him write one game review, for Shadow of the Colossus. And it was a great story, but I still wasn’t sold on video games. (more…)

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Ponderings is a new idea we’re testing out for the site, so please feel free to give us your feedback. Consider it a behind-the-scenes look, or a more direct line to the personalities of our writers. The purpose of ponderings is to provide an avenue for our writers to casually address some of the games and comics they’re playing, deliver opinions on recent industry news, and maybe even get a little off-topic here and there. We’ll be taking turns writing them, and it’s a chance for the readers to get to know the staff a little better, and maybe even strike up some conversation. We hope you’ll enjoy it and join in the discussion.

The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least. John, our former deputy editor, is no longer with the site. Don’t ask me why. I’m not sure. At the same time, we’ve got a new guy named Jason King, who I think really knows his stuff when it comes to comics and games, so I’m excited about that. I think he’ll also be great for helping to bring back our board game presence, which is the thing I still want to see our site do more and more of, because we’re all into gaming, be it video or otherwise, and I want to see that other side get bigger. (more…)

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Title: Guitar Hero: Metallica

Platform: 360 (Also on PS3, Wii, PS2)

ESRB Rating: T

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Neversoft

Rating:

Review by: Bill Jones

Guitar Hero: Metallica may appear at first glance to be just another auxiliary addition to an ailing series, but it actually packs enough punch to surpass the main World Tour installment of last year. (more…)

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Product: Nyko Metal Pedal

Website: www.nyko.com

Tested with: Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360

MSRP: $19.99

While raising the neck of the guitar in Guitar Hero and rolling the sticks around the pads for a drum fill in Rock Band might make gamers feel like they’re really rocking out, it is hard not to notice that the instruments we’re pounding and plucking away at are made of plastic. And sometimes, especially when one kicks the hell out of the bass pedal, plastic breaks, and then the rockin’ stops.

I feel the need to personalize this review to let readers know that I am of the mind that drums should be played loud…all the time. And I admittedly probably smash the pads a bit too hard and thump the pedal quite a bit with my right foot, and yet with the Rock Band 2 kit I have never had any problems with the equipment. I have, however, read several accounts of Rock Band 2’s pedal not making it through extended play. And all of my Guitar Hero: World Tour drum kit feels like it’s ready to fall apart. (more…)

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