Unlike Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which followed the titular band's rise from nobodies to rock stars, Guitar Hero: Metallica will feature a different approach to the career mode. Your character (either created or chosen) is a member of a band that is following the metal gods from town to town in an effort to get noticed. As you successfully play more and more gigs, the band will start asking you to open for them or hang out backstage. One element of the career mode we liked (aside from more great animated sequences by the folks at Titmouse) was the ability to progress from one venue to the next by getting a certain number of stars, rather than having to beat all of the songs. That way, if you're stuck on a song, you can focus on earning more stars on the ones you can finish.
Of course, Guitar Hero games are only as good as the songs they come with, and it looks like Guitar Hero: Metallica has something for everyone (provided you like Metallica, that is). The entire list of songs in the game was released on the band's website on Friday, and it's apparent that they wanted to make longtime fans happy. There are 28 tracks that span the band's entire career, from Kill 'Em All's "Seek and Destroy" to "Whiplash" from Death Magnetic. Speaking of their most recent album, those fans that purchased the entire album for Guitar Hero: World Tour will be happy to hear that the downloaded songs will automatically be imported into the game right off the bat. Wii and PS2 owners will get a few extra Death Magnetic tracks in the main game to make up for the lack of DLC.
In addition to the track by the band itself, there will also be a number of tunes by other artists. While Aerosmith stuck to songs by artists that the band covered or toured with, the guys from Metallica decided to make a list of songs that either influenced them or that they just liked. There are some great tracks by bands like Slayer, Mastodon, Samhain, and Mercyful Fate, and we were amazed to see that Lynyrd Skynyrd's melancholic "Tuesday's Gone" made the cut. There are some low points, as songs by the Foo Fighters and Social Distortion can attest to, and we have to go on record as asking makers of music games to find another Motorhead song. Yes, we love "Ace of Spades," but we've all played it enough.
For the most part, the style of play that first made an appearance in Guitar Hero: World Tour has returned here, although not without a few tweaks. You can play any of the instruments solo or with some friends, and we were happy to see that every song is unlocked right off the bat for Quick Play. The most drastic change was the addition of a new difficulty called Expert+, which allows drummers to use two bass pedals, just like Lars. We didn't get a chance to try out the Expert+ plus mode, but you can believe us when we say that watching a Neversoft employee play made our jaws drop.
There is a lot of great music in Guitar Hero: Metallica, so you should be able to spend hours and hours imitating your rock heroes. However, if you feel like taking a break from the action for a bit, you'll be able to spend a good chunk of time checking out the impressive extras. From a pop-up video style playback that offers trivia about each Metallica song in the game (and allows you to just sit back and listen) to a nice variety of behind-the-scenes videos, there are enough bells and whistles here to make this feel more like a love letter to fans than the aforementioned Aerosmith game.
Offering something for nearly every fan of the band (and even plenty for those who just know their radio hits), Guitar Hero: Metallica looks to be just what we were hoping for. The track list is full of classic Metallica tunes, and although there are a few low points in the non-Metallica offerings, the supporting songs still provide a nice look at the history of metal in all its forms. When it comes to rocking the world, nothing else matters.
