The third complete game in the Guitar Hero series and the fourth overall is Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The gameplay is similar to earlier games in that you must coordinate pressing the five-fret buttons and strumming to the scrolling notes on the screen while utilizing a guitar-shaped controller. Missing letters will cause your performance meter to plummet; if the meter dips too low, the performance is considered a failure, and you must attempt again. This edition includes 71 new songs played by musicians such as Cream, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Santana, Sonic Youth, Weezer, and many more. In addition to the songs offered, the game includes “boss battles” against well-known guitarists like Slash, Tom Morello, and Lou the Devil. There are several game modes to choose from, including career mode, co-op mode, and multiplayer mode. In addition to the basic game modes, there are training and practice modes to help you learn the game or figure out a challenging portion of a song.
In career mode, you take on the role of a wannabe rock star. Begin with more straightforward songs in modest venues and work up to become a superstar by completing tracks. Each location demands you perform several songs before moving to the next larger platform. Completing pieces gives you money, which you can use to unlock characters, clothes, additional guitars, and other benefits.
The co-op career mode is similar to the single-player mode; only two players collaborate to complete songs (one on lead guitar, the other on bass or rhythm guitar).
Two players can compete against each other in the multiplayer game modes. Two players take turns playing a song in the Face-Off variant. The Pro Face-Off variation allows two players to compete against each other while using the same note chart. Finally, each player in the battle mode can earn power-ups by performing well, which can be used to disrupt the other player.
