| Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s |
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''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'' (titled '''''Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s''''' in Europe)4 is a Music Video Game and the third installment in the popular '' Guitar Hero '' series. It was released in July 2007 in North America and Europe, and in August 2007 in Australia. Players use a guitar-shaped controller, purchased separately, to emulate playing Rock by hitting notes as they scroll towards the player. ''Rocks the 80s'' is an incremental title in the ''Guitar Hero'' series, rather than a full Sequel . No changes in gameplay from '' Guitar Hero II '' have been introduced to this game. As implied by the game's title, the game features a 1980s theme, consisting of songs from the decade and playable characters, fashions, and artwork that reflect the time period. The game was not as well-received as the prior two ''Guitar Hero'' games, due to the lack of new gameplay features and reduced soundtrack. ''Rocks the 80s'' is the third and final title in the ''Guitar Hero'' series to be developed by '', will be developed by Activision 's Neversoft division.6 HISTORY After the successful release of ''Guitar Hero II'', RedOctane announced they were looking into genre-specific expansions to the series.78 ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'' is the first of these genre-specific titles, though no others have presently been announced. ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'' was initially announced by claimed that the game would be released in June 2007, based on an Activision announcement,10 though no other source has cited this announcement. Activision officially revealed the first details of the game May 11 2007 , in addition to changing the game's title to ''Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s''.11 Only a few weeks later, the game name was revised again as ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'', as official artwork for the game was first released. However, listings and artwork displayed on many UK-based online stores reveals that the word 'Encore' has been dropped from the title of the European releases. GAMEPLAY AND DESIGN See Also: Guitar Hero (series)#Common gameplay elements l1=Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series The mechanics of the game are nearly identical to that of its predecessor, '' Guitar Hero II '';12 an early preview of the game described it as "more like an Expansion Pack for ''Guitar Hero II'' than a new game in its own right". Major differences to ''Guitar Hero II'' are mostly aesthetic. Six characters from previous ''Guitar Hero'' games (Johnny Napalm, Judy Nails, Izzy Sparks, Pandora, Axel Steel, and Grim Ripper) return with character designs influenced by styles of the 1980s. Venues from ''Guitar Hero II'' (with the exception of RedOctane Club and Stonehenge, which do not appear) have been redesigned with an '80s influence, and the Interface mimics ''Guitar Hero II'''s, only with color changes (no "new" graphics were developed as far as the interface). SOUNDTRACK See Also: List of songs in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s All of the tracks, excluding "Because, It's Midnite", were released during the 1980s, as the game's title suggests; "Because, It's Midnite" is performed by the fictional "80s ", "I Wanna Rock" and " Electric Eye ", while the rest are covers. The final setlist was revealed by .13 Unlike previous ''Guitar Hero'' games, there are no bonus tracks in ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s''.14 Bow Wow Wow 's " I Want Candy " was originally announced for the game and appeared in many preview builds.15 However, RedOctane announced that it would no longer appear in the final version. No official comment in regards to the song's removal has been given.16 RECEPTION ''Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s'' was released to generally lukewarm reviews and has received overall less praise than the first two games in the series. Most critics agreed that the game's $49.99 price point was too high, considering the reduced soundtrack. GameSpot criticized the amount of songs with regard to the game's price. The reviewer commented that "thirty songs for $50 is a lousy value any way you slice it" and the game "feels like a quick and dirty cash-in." The reviewer also commented that the soundtrack was "eclectic," but "solid." Other reviewers, including 1UP.com , IGN , and '' Electronic Gaming Monthly '' criticized the game for its musical selection. GameSetWatch compared the game to Lou Reed 's '' Metal Machine Music '', saying that the game is "totally Harmonix's contractual obligation game" due to the bare minimum of changes made from ''Guitar Hero II''.23 REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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