I was a big fan of Suicidal Tendencies when I was in grade school.
There was just something about about the mix of heavy metal guitars and
rap that caught my ear. Naturally, when I found out about lead singer
Mike Muir's side project, The Infectious Grooves, I was eager to take a
listen. I brought the CD home, popped it in my Discman, and heard a
familiar, but slightly warped version of the band that I loved. The
Infectious Grooves were a lot less serious in tone, and definitely
sprinkled in more funk than Suicidal Tendencies. Ultimately, there were
two or three songs on the disc that I liked. I was pretty disappointed
overall, because I spent $15 on a CD that was really just filler
material until the next Suicidal Tendencies CD came out. Guitar Hero
Encore: Rocks The 80s (GH80s) is the modern-day side project. It's a
welcome addition for fans of the main game, but it's unlikely to bring
in new players to the franchise, and will be easily forgotten as more Guitar Hero titles are released.
Based on Guitar Hero II, GH80s offers absolutely nothing new beyond the 30 new songsand minor cosmetic changes to the guitarists, venues, and menus. That's not really a bad thing; GH2 is one of the most addictive, fun,
and challenging games to come along in a very, very long time. But,
don't expect any radical changes to be thrown into the mix. In fact, much of
Guitar Hero's ancillary content has been removed. Most of the
guitarists are not present, only Judy Nails, Pandora, Johnny Napalm,
Alex Steele, Izzy Sparks, and the Grip Ripper return, without any
alternate costumes. Most, if not all, of the guitar models return, but
in limited colors. There are no unlockable tracks, and the RedOctane
Club and Stonehenge venues are nowhere to be found. The elements of GH2
that do return might have a new coat of neon paint thrown on, but plenty of other things weren't touched. For instance, the venues and guitarists have gotten an 80s makeover, like
Izzy Spark's spandex and feathered hair, the dot matrix banner in the
Battle of the Bands gymnasium, and the Grim Ripper's 3D glasses and
Flava Flav clock necklace. However, the supporting band is the
same group of low-resolution polygons from GH2. That little oversight
reveals how lazy Harmonix was with this "expansion."
As glaring as haphazard changes stand out, they ultimately mean nothing
to the person playing the game. All that matters is the songs. While the songs are still somewhat difficult, expert-level players
will not have much trouble clearing the setlist in one sitting. The main riffs of most of the tracks tend to be repetitive and easy, but
there are still unbelievably difficult solos sprinkled throughout. The high
difficulty on Winger's "Seventeen" and Extreme's "Play With Me" will
not be much of a surprise, as they're the last songs in the game, but the solo on
Limozeen's "Because, It's Midnite" is going to surprise many cocky GH
players the first time they try it. Like the earlier Guitar Hero games,
most of the tracks are covers, but the vast majority are well done.
When you look at the setlist as a whole, it just doesn't jive.
Harmonix tried to please everyone by including songs from every major
80's genre. There's hair metal, including Poison's "Nothin' But A Good
Time" , new wave, including Flock of Seagull's "I Ran (So Far Away)," speed metal,
including Anthrax's "Caught In a Mosh", and pop/rock, including The
Romantics' "What I Like About You." Harmonix hit each
sub-genre, but they stay true to form and pick a few oddball tracks.
Oingo Boingo is a great example of 80s new wave, but their song "Only A
Lad" is a bit of a stretch to put in Guitar Hero. The Go-Go's "We Got The Beat" is a
classic from the 80s, but it's also the easiest song ever put in Guitar
Hero, and has around 30 seconds of dead space in the middle. The 80s
were defined by bands like Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard, but
those bands are nowhere to be found. With so many prominent groups
missing, it makes the borderline bad song choices seem even more
out-of-place.
The biggest mistake made is on the marketing side, however. This game
costs $50 new. That's the same price as Guitar Hero 2, which has over
twice the music, more guitarists, more venues, and more guitars. GH80s
is, in spirit, an expansion. As such, it should not cost the same
amount as a full fledged Guitar Hero title. The high price tag on the
mediocre tracklist makes this game all but impossible to recommend to
anyone other than fans of Guitar Hero that are looking for some new songs.
