08-07-2008, 11:41 AM
Let me jump in on this one...
I personally don't mind seeing a song like Through the Fire and Flames in a game like this. It was put there and designed to be "unbeatable"... a sort of uber challenge for veteran players. The game has 73 songs. If one of them (the last of them, really) turns out to be way too hard, I won't mind. Remember that this is the third game in a running franchise, and there are some people who have been playing this for a long time. They need a challenge, and it's only fair to provide one to them. I've seen the videos, the song is possible, you just need to devote yourself to it in a way only kids have time to do.
That being said, I do think there is a balance problem with Guitar Hero 3's difficulty. The first time I played it, I went through the whole game on Medium. I was mostly new to the game then. When you step up to hard, it gives you something new to think about and a new challenge to get through. That is, until you hit the last two tiers. I can't beat any of those songs on Hard.... and Expert, forget about it. But that's me. Some GH veterans thought GH3 was too easy compared to GH2.
There's a kink though. Most people don't realize the change in ownership with Guitar Hero. The first two Guitar Hero games were developed by Harmonix (who before that developed Frequency and Amplitude, also music rhythm games.) After Guitar Hero 2, the franchise was sold to Activision, who continued on the series with their own flavor. Harmonix went on to start Rock Band and have been focusing on that ever since.
As far as I'm concerned, Activision kinda flopped on Guitar Hero 3. It is still entertaining, but the playability was not the same as the previous games. I've also played Rock band, and that game is very different to play. It's not nearly as punishing on Hard, but still keeps you on your toes and still keeps the game fun. Guitar Hero 3 just tends to get frustrating.
Basically, Prog, I'm disagreeing with you over the decision to put Through the Fire and Flames in a game like this. I think it's necessary to keep the hardcore interested while not really interfering with the rest of the game (again, it's a bonus song, not a required one). For the casual audience, there's still 72 other songs to play at your leisure. What I do think, though, is that the difficulty curve is a bit steep when you get into the harder difficulties. It's not designed for us anymore, it's the 9 year olds who rock it. And they're obviously loving it.
Come fall, I'm buying the new Rock Band. I'm done with Guitar Hero for now. (And for the record, they are just as fun to play solo as any older guitar hero... you just get more instrument options and the ability to play with friends.)
I personally don't mind seeing a song like Through the Fire and Flames in a game like this. It was put there and designed to be "unbeatable"... a sort of uber challenge for veteran players. The game has 73 songs. If one of them (the last of them, really) turns out to be way too hard, I won't mind. Remember that this is the third game in a running franchise, and there are some people who have been playing this for a long time. They need a challenge, and it's only fair to provide one to them. I've seen the videos, the song is possible, you just need to devote yourself to it in a way only kids have time to do.
That being said, I do think there is a balance problem with Guitar Hero 3's difficulty. The first time I played it, I went through the whole game on Medium. I was mostly new to the game then. When you step up to hard, it gives you something new to think about and a new challenge to get through. That is, until you hit the last two tiers. I can't beat any of those songs on Hard.... and Expert, forget about it. But that's me. Some GH veterans thought GH3 was too easy compared to GH2.
There's a kink though. Most people don't realize the change in ownership with Guitar Hero. The first two Guitar Hero games were developed by Harmonix (who before that developed Frequency and Amplitude, also music rhythm games.) After Guitar Hero 2, the franchise was sold to Activision, who continued on the series with their own flavor. Harmonix went on to start Rock Band and have been focusing on that ever since.
As far as I'm concerned, Activision kinda flopped on Guitar Hero 3. It is still entertaining, but the playability was not the same as the previous games. I've also played Rock band, and that game is very different to play. It's not nearly as punishing on Hard, but still keeps you on your toes and still keeps the game fun. Guitar Hero 3 just tends to get frustrating.
Basically, Prog, I'm disagreeing with you over the decision to put Through the Fire and Flames in a game like this. I think it's necessary to keep the hardcore interested while not really interfering with the rest of the game (again, it's a bonus song, not a required one). For the casual audience, there's still 72 other songs to play at your leisure. What I do think, though, is that the difficulty curve is a bit steep when you get into the harder difficulties. It's not designed for us anymore, it's the 9 year olds who rock it. And they're obviously loving it.
Come fall, I'm buying the new Rock Band. I'm done with Guitar Hero for now. (And for the record, they are just as fun to play solo as any older guitar hero... you just get more instrument options and the ability to play with friends.)
