Rating:

“Guitar Hero 5” is out now, and most people are wondering why do they keep making games? I mean, at this point, couldn’t you just take all the songs and release them for download? Instead of doing that, you figure that Activision has packaged a new set of songs with a few new tweaks to the game play, and hopes no one notice, right?

That may be a little harsh. Activsion has added some great elements to the new “Guitar Hero.” To start with, the party mode is amazing. The biggest problem I had in the past when playing with other people was deciding who got to play what instrument. That is no longer an issue, as you now can have any combination of instruments. If everyone wants to play guitar, so be it. Two drummers, three singers ... it is all possible.

This addition is great for two reasons: one, no one has to be forced into playing an instrument they don’t like, and two, more importantly, if you don’t know any singers, no one is forced to hear a horrible rendition of “Hurts So Good.”

The other nice thing is the ability to change the difficulty setting on the fly. If you’re killing your band mates because you thought you could play “The Rock Show” by Blink182 on expert, you can now bring it down a few notches without having to exit the song. While your friends will still make fun of you, at least you didn’t sink the song.

We also see the introduction of mini-goals with this game. Each song has a mini-goal attached to it. The goals are set for all instruments. You might have to hit so many notes perfectly, or hold a sustained note for 30 seconds to unlock custom clothes for your rockers.

These goals are addicting, and I found myself playing songs over and over trying to get the extra stars. That’s right, career mode is back, and mainly unchanged. You start with one venue, and, as you successfully complete songs, you are awarded stars.

You need stars to unlock new venues. Successfully complete the mini-goals, and you are awarded even more stars. This really helps you unlock new venues without having to play songs you might be having trouble with on the list. You name your own band, create your logo, and then, either pick a pre-made rocker, or, for the first time, you can use your Mii from the Wii or your Avatar from your Xbox 360. You can also unlock real rock stars to play in your band.

Most notably, you can play as the late Kurt Cobain. You cannot only use Kurt while playing Nirvana songs, but any song in the game.

This has actually upset a number of people. Most notably Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain’s wife. While she gave Activision the rights to use Kurt’s image, she says she didn’t know players would be able to use him to play other songs. This brings up an interesting debate. I refuse to use Kurt Cobain to play any other songs. While his estate has the right to use his image in any way it wants, I found it disturbing, and I refuse to use his image in a way I don’t think he would have wanted. There are a lot of Nirvana fans who would like to see Kurt Cobain’s image removed from the game completely, or at least locked so he can only be used to play the songs he wrote.

All of the game play elements aside, it’s the music that makes a rhythm game. I always prefer a compilation soundtrack instead of a single-band game. It introduces me to songs I might not have heard otherwise. I know that my son has fallen in love with songs he would never have heard without these games. With 85 songs from 83 artists, you will find songs that you love and, hopefully, find some new artists to check out.

I picked up “Guitar Hero 5” expecting to be disappointed. It was another rhythm game that Activision was pushing out to make some easy money. Activision has proved me wrong, and I apologize for my lack of faith. With the addition of party mode, mini-goals and avatars, “Guitar Hero” changed up enough things to be worth the money. Add to that a great list of songs, and this is a great game. While some poor choices with the use of dead rock stars detract from the game, it is still very solid. I would like to see more songs take advantage of the touch pad that was introduced with the last “Guitar Hero” game.

James Treacy is a lifelong gamer, across all platforms of the gaming community. His opinion is in no way the opinion of this paper, and is instead offered to give its readers more information on games and trends available in today’s market. To contact him with any questions about the gaming world, e-mail jtreacy@phillynews.com.

“Guitar Hero 5” Developer: Neversoft (Xbox 360/PS3); Vicarious Visions (Wii), Budcat Creations (PS2) Publisher: Activision, RedOctane Platform: Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii Rated: T for Teen, for mild lyrics and mild suggestive themes My Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)