Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Guitar Hero III ups the ante with increased difficulty and new modes, and though not everything it adds is fantastic, the excellent tracklist and stellar gameplay are sure to keep you hooked.

"Multiplayer is a huge focus for the third iteration of the Guitar Hero franchise, so you'll definitely want to invest in a second Wii guitar to take advantage of the co-op and competitive modes in Guitar Hero III. That's right: competition. There are a few modes in Guitar Hero III where you'll be able to screw with the other person. Earn a power-up after a successful string of notes and you'll be able to do stuff like temporarily increase the opponent's difficulty level, double up his notes, shake his screen for a few seconds, or "break" one of his strings that'll require him to whack the whammy bar or one of the guitar buttons to fix the problem. The Nintendo Wii version of the game will support the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, and though both Vicarious Visions and Red Octane are remaining tightlipped about the features within, every indication led us to believe that it's safe to assume that at least a few of the modes, both co-op and competitive, will be playable over the Internet. Which features, and whether or not the Wii version will have downloadable content, remains up in the air."

So how does the web community tie into the game? Once you sign online with Guitar Hero III, you'll be able to get a unique code that will link your game with the webpage. From there, all of your stats will be available on the webpage to browse and compare with everyone. And since the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3 versions will all make use of the online community, these will be the ultimate leaderboards. Of course there's more on the web than just leaderboards. You'll also be able to personalize your profile, create an online band similar to a clan, collect groupies for meeting specific goals, challenge other bands, and compete in online tournaments. You may not be able to directly play against the other platforms online, but Guitar Hero III will ultimately link the three console iterations together into one massive meta-game through the online web portal. How cool is that?