An Xbox 360 demo at GC and an interview with a PR representative at Red Octane have revealed some new information on Guitar Hero 3 for Wii.
Bryan Lamb from publisher Red Octane was kind enough to sit down and talk about Guitar Hero 3 at GC. Before showing the Xbox 360 version, he confirmed that the Wii version would be very comparable to it – both in terms of graphics and gameplay. A lower resolution and a different guitar controller, which has an indentation for the Wii Remote, represent two differences, neither of which will alter the gameplay significantly.
When asked about online multiplayer a more glaring difference came up, though. As opposed to the other versions, the Wii installment may come without online features. Wii gamers could be missing out on both downloadable content as well as online multiplayer. The reason given was that Nintendo doesn’t have their online structure ready, and no one really knows when to expect it. Red Octane has not ruled out the possibility of launching the game without online features and then add them post-release, when the service gets up and running.
While the core gameplay remains largely untouched compared to its prequel, Guitar Hero 3 does promise some new features. Apart from new items, characters, and venues, you can partake in boss battles as explained in the earlier preview. Visually, you can now see all the band members play the instruments as they would it in real-life: they hit the right chords at the right time.
The song list has obviously changed as well. At the show, new songs were announced, bringing the total amount to 44:
- "3's and 7's" – Queens of the Stone Age
- "Avalancha" - Héroes del Silencio
- "Barracuda" – Heart
- "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
- "Cherub Rock" – Smashing Pumpkins
- "Closer" - Lacuna Coil
- "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll" – Blue Öyster Cult
- "Cult of Personality" – Living Colour
- "Even Flow" – Pearl Jam
- "Generation Rock" – Revolverheld
- "Go That Far" – Bret Michaels Band
- "Hier Kommt Alex" - Die Toten Hosen
- "I'm in the Band" - The Hellacopters
- "In the Belly of a Shark" - Gallows
- "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
- "La Grange" – ZZ Top
- "Lay Down" – Priestess
- "Mauvais Garçon" - NAAST
- "The Metal" – Tenacious D
- "Minus Celsius" - Backyard Babies
- "Miss Murder" – AFI
- "Mississippi Queen" – Mountain[31]
- "My Name Is Jonas" – Weezer
- "The Number of the Beast" – Iron Maiden
- "One" – Metallica
- "Paint It, Black" – The Rolling Stones
- "Paranoid" – Black Sabbath
- "Radio Song" - Superbus
- "Raining Blood" – Slayer
- "Reptilia" – The Strokes
- "Rock and Roll All Nite" – Kiss
- "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions
- "Ruby" - Kaiser Chiefs
- "Sabotage" – Beastie Boys
- "School's Out" – Alice Cooper
- "She Bangs the Drums" – The Stone Roses
- "She Builds Quick Machines" – Velvet Revolver
- "Slow Ride" – Foghat
- "Suck My Kiss" – Red Hot Chili Peppers
- "Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
- "Take This Life" - In Flames
- "Through the Fire and Flames" – DragonForce
- "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses
- "When You Were Young" – The Killers
More than 70 songs are planned for the final game.
Regarding difficulty levels, Red Octane and developer Neversoft acknowledge the existence of the series’ hardcore fan base, which demands insane levels of challenge. Their wish will apparently be granted, while entirely new players will be able to instantly pick up and play the game, too.
On a side note, Bryan mentioned that Red Octane doesn’t regard Rock Band as a threat to the sales of Guitar Hero 3. He believes the products are sufficiently different from each other. By focusing on the implementation of just one instrument, Neversoft and Red Octane believe that they’re in a very positive position because they can perfect the controls to an extent that would have been impossible had they wrestled with more instruments.