With the release of Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Activision has brought the yearly total of their popular rhythm franchise to three titles, two which happen to be on consoles (the third, Modern Hits, got released for the DS a few weeks ago).  That still doesn’t bring the tally to an end however, as Guitar Hero: Van Halen and Guitar Hero 5 are both scheduled to release later this year mere months apart from each other.  With so much content being released at such a rapid rate it is amazing to see the fans gobble these games up like they are each their own original ideas.  Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is Smash Hits is a barren, dull and downright shameful display of Activision trying to cash in on easy money. Nothing about Smash Hits is remotely fun, and even though the game features new band options and updated features, the title still feels like the worst entry yet in the slowly dwindling series.

Smash Hits features around forty songs, all of which were previously released in the past Guitar Hero games, including Aerosmith and Rock the 80’s (the last true Guitar Hero game developed by Harmonix, coincidentally).  There are plenty of favorites among the list including Freebird, No One Knows, Killing in the Name, Godzilla and Psychobilly Freakout, but chances are hardcore Guitar Hero fans could care less about playing recycled songs again.   All of the songs do feature updated band options, so the ability to now play these songs with drums and vocal support is a welcome addition, but there are still many things wrong with the transition.

For starters, Smash Hits was developed by Beenox, a new group brought in to help make endless supplies of Guitar Hero games.  This unfortunate addition leaves much of the game to feel broken on some points. For instance, many of the songs have gotten new note charts, meaning the way you remember playing the songs back on the old games is long gone, and not for the better.  Many of the new note charts are highly erratic, often making you perform weird and unusual note riffs that feel in no way in sync or aligned with the song.  Freebird for example seems to have you strumming randomly during the solo just to make you look like you are actually working hard to nail those tricky parts, but in fact all you are doing is making sounds that sound more like an echo to the main riff rather than actually contributing to the actual song.

Other annoying features, such as the excessive use of sustained note chords and “tap-on” notes just seem like lazy development work to try and make things difficult for players.  Adding extra notes or making weird chord combinations does not make the game more fun and challenging, it makes it mind-numbingly annoying and egregious to play.  This seems to be the only “addition” Beenox seems to have added to the game as many of the other features are just recycled as well, adding nothing new that could of perhaps given Smash Hits its own sense of individuality apart from its unusual charting.

Multiplayer does run fairly well, but even so there were numerous problems with matchmaking that caused random cutouts, various other members not being able to hear the accompanying sounds, and the most negating factor yet: lack of players.  For such a popular franchise, it seems the constant barrage of titles is leaving gamers deciding which one to pick up at the time of release.  By the time one specific game goes down in price or perhaps leaves retail, no one will be online in that game to truly enjoy the many options multiplayer has to offer.  For what it’s worth, Smash Hits does offer master recordings for all of the songs, something that the previous games did not fully take advantage of.  New live track versions of some of the songs also add some layer of diversity among the many tracks.

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is a perfect example of what happens when a company decides to completely milk a popular franchise.  Smash Hits is a shallow, unnecessary attempt at cashing in on the success of the Guitar Hero franchise and charging full price for a game that could have easily been offered as DLC is an outrage, especially a title as haphazard as this one.   Two titles in one year is more than enough to please any fan’s appetite, but when you encounter five titles from the same franchise in the same fiscal year, you have to seriously think about your role as a developer.  From this point of view, Smash Hits was just a cheap attempt at gaining quick cash rather than truly giving fans something new and fresh for the series.  Hopefully Guitar Hero 5 and Van Halen can return the series to its former glory, but even than there is just too much Guitar Hero to remain entirely interested.

Final Score: 6.5 | Recommendation: Rent It

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About This Author: Josh Schwartzman

Been into gaming for as long as I can remember and have enjoyed every minute of it. I enjoy playing with everyone and anyone online and I am an avid PS3 and Xbox 360 player.

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