Guitar Hero: Metallica's precisely what you'd expect from a metal centric rhythm game. For fans of the band, that's great news, as they will lap up the adrenaline soaked tunes, additional drum pedal and unlockable goodies.
And non-metal heads, well, they might feel like a stag wallflower at this head bangers' ball.
Full impressions after the jump...
With GH: Metallica, Activision steps deeper into the niche market. While by no means a niche band, it's hardly presumptuous to say Metallica's audience fails to span generations or demographics quite like Aerosmith's. Metallica's audience seems, frankly, smaller.
However, the developers, with a precise target, know all the right buttons to push. Further into the game's scenario, you'll unlock a smorgasbord of material from live tour footage to film of the band's mo-cap sessions to a pop-up video-esque option. The latter allows you to sit back and enjoy the CG that rolls behind the game play while facts about the group, the music and the creation process blip on the screen.
Speaking of the CG, the models for the band have improved since Aerosmith. No longer do they resemble wax museum rejects. That's not to say they won't haunt your dreams, particularly Lars who looks like a New Yorker caricature, but the design better suits the band's avatars.
For the hardest of hardcore Guitar Hero and Metallica fans (are they not one in the same), the drums now have the "Expert +" option. You can replicate the Lars experience by plugging in an additional pedal by way of a splitter. With the extra peripheral the line between real drums and rhythm game drums nearly dissolves.
Non-fans, nonplussed by the kick pedal or the Metallica song selection, should still give this a try. NASCAR fans often say you need to experience a race first hand to appreciate the sport. The same may be true with Guitar Hero: Metallica and metal. As a casual head banger, playing Mastodon and The Sword songs reignited my love for the genre. The knuckle whitening tracks may do the same for folks that never gave the band a second glance at the record store.
Like the wallflower that succumbs to the dance and cuts a rug, newcomers may find GH: Metallica as a gateway drug for the power of rock.
