On its way to the World Tour Activision and Neversoft took a shortcut through Boston with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. In addition to enjoying 25 of the band's songs, the game also includes tracks by Lenny Kravitz, Ted Nugent and the Clash. It's quality Guitar Hero, though the lack of downloadable content, as well as glaring omissions in its soundtrack, keep it from greatness.
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith's Career Mode chronicles the band's rise to superstardom, with its members fondly recalling their gigs via video footage. From its first performance at Nipmuc High School to its appearance at the Super Bowl, vocalist Steven Tyler, guitarist Joe Perry and the rest of the crew share their tales; they're short, but extensive versions are available in the game's Vault. You then proceed to the stage with your amateur band, warming up the crowd before Aerosmith takes over each gig.
Like Guitar Hero III, you choose from a handful of favorite guitarists, including the mullet-wearing Axel Steel and the sexy Judy Nails. Perry becomes available in later parts of the game, bringing a couple of original guitar compositions that are fun to play. To further move things along, DMC (from Run DMC) shows up in his trademark Adidas.
There are 41 songs, most of them supplied by Aerosmith. It's a good mix of tunes, including some entries from Cheap Trick, Stone Temple Pilots and New York Dolls. However, a couple of disappointments weigh down the experience. First, there will be no downloadable content. Second, some of the songs are re-recordings, rather than original tracks; "Dream On" is still good, but we sorely miss the original '70s edition. Lastly, although there's a mix of old and new Aerosmith songs such as "The Grind", "Amazing", "Eat the Rich" and "Chip Away At the Stone" are missing.
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith operates the same way as Legends of Rock as you can see notes on a scrolling playfield and press the guitar's corresponding fret buttons. The game works well with both the wired and wireless guitars, and you can still activate Star Power by raising the neck of the guitar once the meter fills. However, it's somewhat easier than Legends. The first time we played through the Xbox 360 version, we unlocked six Achievements after the opening song. Crank it up to hard or expert difficulty, however, and you'll find a worthwhile challenge that even Perry would struggle with.
Outside of Career Mode, both competitive and cooperative modes are available through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, courtesy of Face-Off and Co-Op. The online interaction is smooth throughout, with only a slight hint of lag in the PS3 version. In case you want to see who's dominating the charts with "Mama Kin" on expert, there are also leaderboards. There's even a training mode for new players or in case you want to practive your fret and hammer-on skills.
Staying true to the Guitar Hero style, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith makes you feel like you're in a concert hall in front of a packed crowd. However, it's not significantly different from last year's Legends of Rock. Animations are solid, each of the venues is entertaining in their own little way (especially the Kansas City nightclub) and the scrolling interface is very user-friendly. However, the Aerosmith band members look like they were ripped straight out of an episode of Scooby Doo. It's awkward seeing them on stage standing next to a realistic DMC, waving his arm about to get the crowd pumped up. At least the sound is strong, with the songs blaring and effective guitar noises when you miss a note. Nothing sounds as painful as hearing the twang on your axe as you screw up a whole string of notes.
Aerosmith junkies will love Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, thanks to its impressive song list and extra content. Everyone else, however, should rent it. It's a pleasant diversion, providing single-player and multiplayer enjoyment for would-be strummers, but with missing songs and the same old gameplay, it doesn't have enough sweet emotion to justify its $89 price (just the game).
Our Final Score: 7/10
