GAMES: GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Games

Playstation Reviews
PS3 | PS2 | PS One | PSP

Xbox Reviews
Xbox 360 | Xbox

Nintendo Reviews
Wii | DS | GBA | Cube | N64


PC | N-Gage | Dreamcast

How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Games In Our Forums

 

Upcoming & Recent Releases

sort by name sort by score

76 Age of Booty
68 Alone in the Dark: Inferno
64 Armored Core for Answer
60 Baja: Edge of Control
87 Bionic Commando Rearmed
95 BioShock
63 Blitz: The League II
xx Bolt
76 Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
xx Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 2009
84 Call of Duty: World at War
xx Damnation
88 Dead Space
xx Destroy All Humans! Path of the Furon
78 Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
xx Disney Sing It
80 Eternal Sonata
52 FaceBreaker
91 Fallout 3
85 Far Cry 2
71 Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli
87 FIFA Soccer 09
61 Fracture
46 G1 Jockey 4 2008
73 Geon
45 Golden Axe: Beast Rider
85 Guitar Hero World Tour
xx Hei$t
51 Jeopardy!
xx Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2
77 Last Guy, The
55 Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, The
47 Legendary
75 LEGO Batman
95 LittleBigPlanet
58 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
85 Madden NFL 09
78 Mega Man 9
72 Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
82 Midnight Club: Los Angeles
79 Mirror's Edge
xx Monopoly
54 Monster Madness: Grave Danger
77 Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
64 Moto GP 08
81 MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
78 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm
63 NBA 09: The Inside
83 NBA 2K9
75 NBA Live 09
69 NCAA Basketball 09
60 Need for Speed Undercover
64 NFL Head Coach 09
89 NHL 09
70 NHL 2K9
73 PAIN: Amusement Park
xx Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness - Episode 1
xx Prince of Persia
xx Prince of Persia Classic
79 Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
83 Pure
xx Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords - Revenge of the Plague Lord
64 Quantum of Solace
31 Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009
76 Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
87 Resistance 2
91 Rock Band 2
38 Rock Revolution
81 Saints Row 2
xx SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
xx SCORE International Baja 1000
64 Shaun White Snowboarding
72 Silent Hill: Homecoming
61 SOCOM: Confrontation
xx Sonic Unleashed
85 Soulcalibur IV
69 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
70 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
xx Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
66 Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars
xx Talisman
82 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
64 TNA iMPACT!
76 Tom Clancy's EndWar
77 Tomb Raider Underworld
86 Valkyria Chronicles
30 Vampire Rain: Altered Species
83 Warhawk - Operation: Fallen Star
87 WipEout HD
82 WWE SmackDown vs. RAW 2009

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games.



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums
Guitar Hero World Tour ps3 Game Reviews
Guitar Hero World Tour
Critic Score
Metascore: 85 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.0 out of 10
based on 31 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 41 votes
Read user comments
Rate this game

Guitar Hero World Tour marries Guitar Hero's guitar gameplay, with a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar, a genuine electronic drum kit and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock and roll anthems, along with online Band Career and 8-player "Battle of the Bands." Guitar Hero World Tour is comprised entirely of master recordings from some of the greatest classic and modern rock bands of all-time including Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles, Sublime and many more. Additionally, the game offers significantly more localized downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-generation consoles. Budding rock stars are also given creative license to fully customize everything from their characters’ appearance and instruments to their band’s logo and album covers. Featuring three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, the drum controller combines larger and quieter, velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back and is easy to set up, move, break down and store. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument, or any combination of instruments, in addition to the full band experience. Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or off, as they progress through the game, and in single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice. The game's Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full compliment of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the instruments, and then play their compositions in the game. Music creators can share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes where other gamers can download their unique compositions and play them. [Activision]

PUBLISHER: Activision
DEVELOPER: Neversoft Entertainment
GENRE(S): Music
PLAYERS: 8
ESRB RATING: T (Teen)
RELEASE DATE: October 26, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

97
PGNx Media
Ultimately, all of Guitar Hero World Tour’s components come together extremely well.
Read Full Review
95
Play UK
Anything Rock Band can do, World Tour can do better. That said, the gap is only small and, unless you’re particularly fussed by Music Studio mode, your preference should ultimately be determined by your music tastes.
Read Full Review
94
GameZone
From the Roland-modeled drum heads to the Line 6 effects, GHWT shines and elevates the musical genre of video gaming.
Read Full Review
93
Game Informer
If World Tour has a trump card, it’s the groundbreaking new GHMix studio mode. It’s basically a full-on set of music creation software, that allows you to write, arrange, and record your own songs, then upload them to be freely shared with fellow players. Even better, the game instantly translates them into fully playable jewels charts on the fly. As much fun as I had tackling “Hot For Teacher,” this mode feels like the future of the franchise.
Read Full Review
92
PSX Extreme
Do you like Guitar Hero's tracklist more, or Rock Band 2's? My personal choice is Guitar Hero: World Tour, as its louder and heavier soundtrack puts a bigger smile on my face than Rock Band 2's unusual mix. With fantastic multiplayer offerings, backwards compatibility with Rock Band peripherals, and flawless audio, World Tour is worth the money.
Read Full Review
91
Gaming Age
The music creator itself could end up being worth the $60 price tag alone, but the core experience is just as fun here as it's been in previous Guitar Hero titles, and the small gameplay additions and changes are all welcomed.
Read Full Review
90
ZTGameDomain
Guitar Hero World Tour manages to do a lot of things very well, but the problem arises when you realize that with so many options it is hard for one of them to stand out. The song list is excellent, but suffers now because of not being backward compatible with previous games. The music studio is an excellent first effort, but hurts from sound quality and complexity.
Read Full Review
90
Gameplanet
A huge leap forward in co-operative play, Guitar Hero World Tour is a worthy addition to the franchise and will offer hours of fun for anyone willing to pick up an instrument and invest some time. An awesome effort, although not without its flaws.
Read Full Review
90
Jolt Online Gaming UK
For music game veterans, World Tour is still well worth getting, but not exclusively so and not if you’re looking for drastically new gameplay. 2008 has definitely been the year of music games, and while this one is definitely among the cream, it’s no longer alone.
Read Full Review
90
Games Radar
So, is Guitar Hero World Tour better than Rock Band 2? Not quite. Yes, the instruments are superior, and we love four-on-four online matches, varied tweaks to each instrument’s parts, character customization, and build-your-own-guitar options. But, we just don’t get as much out of the music editor as one would hope, and Rock Band 2’s better note maps, smarter interface and more musical “feel” resonate more with us.
Read Full Review
90
GameSpy
Guitar Hero World Tour is often both exhilarating and frustrating.
Read Full Review
90
VideoGamer
Okay, so the main bulk of it is yet another rendition of a game we all know by now, but it's easily the best rendition of that game that we've seen so far. When you factor in the Music Studio and all the creative doors that it opens, it's clear that this is by far and away the best rhythm game available on the market today.
Read Full Review
88
Cheat Code Central
People who love music video games won't get tired of this one. Not only does it include standard modes of play, but there's also co-op, face-off, battles, several online modes, and a very compelling music studio that allows you to create and share songs with the world.
Read Full Review
88
Game Chronicles
There is something that is totally addicting about participating in a multiplayer band, whether you are all in the same room or joining up with fellow rockers online. And if you are an aspiring musician or music producer, or like to play around with mixing boards and experiment with creating your own music, the Music Studio is a totally original addition to World Tour and sets this game apart from any of the competition.
Read Full Review
88
PSM3 Magazine UK
Overall A strange mixture of tracks but the instruments work brilliantly.
Read Full Review
87
Gamers' Temple
Overall though, World Tour is a nice evolutionary step for the Guitar Hero franchise, and it's safe to say that if you're a fan of the series you'll enjoy World Tour.
Read Full Review
85
Gaming Target
Guitar Hero has the more innovative drum and guitar hardware and a promising custom music feature.
Read Full Review
85
IGN AU
There's something undeniably more approachable and mainstream about the Guitar Hero franchise that Rock Band simply can't quite match.
Read Full Review
85
Game Over Online
The hardware, while noticeably more realistic than comparable sets, has been affected by technical problems in its initial run, and the software, while solid in its way, could benefit from some of the ambition seen in the hardware, particularly with respect to the Career Mode.
Read Full Review
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
World Tour's primary failure is presentation. The menus lack elegance, and the career mode is a simple progression through the song list. Onscreen displays such as score multipliers are hard to read. Even good efforts, like the unique arena for playing Tool's songs, feel quickly done and clunky.
Read Full Review
80
Giant Bomb
There are some notable feature differences between Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Band, and the attitudes are wildly different, but a lot of that feels a little academic in the grand scheme. Guitar Hero has some catching up to do when it comes to the full-band experience, but all the debatable points shouldn't keep you from rocking out.
Read Full Review
80
GameSpot
That's one giant leap for a franchise; one small step for a genre.
Read Full Review
80
DarkZero
Shortcomings aside, for a game that everyone thinks of as a shameless copy of Rock Band, Guitar Hero: World Tour has come off extremely well, and throws in more than enough good ideas of its own (and some slightly rubbish ones, admittedly) to make itself a worthy contender to the rhythm-action throne.
Read Full Review
80
GameDaily
Not everything is great, however. The drum set takes a while to get used to, setting up an online match is complicated and there are several repeat tracks from Rock Band 2. However, the gameplay is satisfying, the Music Studio is a wondrous addition, the song list is sweet and the presentation isn't bad.
Read Full Review
80
Worth Playing
As of right now, World Tour puts on a solid show, but when the next game comes around, we're going to be expecting one hell of an encore.
Read Full Review
79
3DJuegos
World Tour will be well received by fans because of its fabulous selection of songs, and because of the new instruments. By the way the other gameplay additions are much more forgettable and it causes the title to be like a mere addition of songs. Activision needs to bring more new features to justify its policy of releasing a new episode every year.
Read Full Review
79
IGN
A fun title, to be sure, but it's also a disappointment in a lot of respects. A number of things it tries to accomplish were already done better in Rock Band, which you might figure would have provided a simple blueprint to be followed and expanded up, but that's not the case.
Read Full Review
79
Gamer 2.0
While Guitar Hero World Tour might be a little rough around the edges, it is still a solid Guitar Hero game.
Read Full Review
75
Game Revolution
In its effort to contend with the Rock Band franchise, Guitar Hero World Tour takes several leaps forward, though it falls in some holes already made by the first installment of Rock Band.
Read Full Review
67
GameShark
Guitar Hero: World Tour is Activision’s answer to Rock Band, and while adding drums, bass, and vocals was necessary to keep up with the Joneses, a whole host of new problems are introduced with their inclusion.
Read Full Review
60
Video Game Talk
Guitar Hero used to be a pitch perfect game. Neversoft has not been able to replicate the level of critical success as Harmonix has, however, and World Tour is another disappointment.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 41 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Mike Y. gave it a10:
I just bought GH WT and in my opinion its the best music game out there now. The new drums are really fun to play and the game feels crisp. Once they fix the few units that some people had problems with this game will be a huge hit.

Anthony O. gave it a9:
This game kicks a lot of butt for several reasons, none of which excludes Rock Band 2 from the celebration. Both are great games, and in my opinion, this is not exactly a PC versus Mac kind of battle. In reality, most people will own both games. The instruments are essentially built to your taste. If you prefer gameplay-based drumming, go with the competitor. If you prefer a more realistic drumming experience, go with Guitar Hero: World Tour. The new difficulty level of beginner on GHWT features only strumming, no button pressing. This is great for my 6-year old, who is not a hardcore gamer and small enough that the guitar controller is a little hard to manipulate. With this feature (which is exclusive to GHWT), she can learn the strumming part first and then progress to the notes buttons. This is a big difference in my opinion since the only other possibility is to go into practice mode, which just doesn't feel like the real game. All in all, I'd give this a 10 if not for the missing cross-compatibility with Rock Band. I really wish these two companies would get their crap together and just live in our world instead of trying to make us all live in their marketing budgets.

Jayck gave it a4:
There is no reason to buy this game if creating your own music isn't "that" big of a deal for you. Here is my point: i bought Guitar hero III for PS3 when it originally came out, i also bought another Guitar-hero branded guitar. Well, this new iteration, World Tour, takes 16 of the already used games from Rock Band 2 and steals em' over to this. It is a smarter purchase to just buy Rock Band 2 (which supports guitar hero 3 guitars), because of the greater collection of available (and far superior) music DLC...and MOST importantly you have the ability to import ALL but 2 songs from Rock Band 1 into your Rock Band 2 game...(OVER 500 songs). So if you know a friend who has the game, great, you can have tons of new FREE songs...or if you don't, well just get it used cheap somewhere. It'd be dumb not to purchase Rockband 2 instead, unless World Tour's new music creator appeals so greatly to you. NOTE: i don't know how good or crappy their music creator is, i'm not rating that.

Michael S gave it a10:
I was lucky enough to play WORLD TOUR on the PS3 and 360 at multiple game shows and all I can say it wow. The instument peripherals are the best and most durable ever asemble, and the setlist of songs is easily the greatest compilation of tunes ever to hit a game console. The custom song creator is a revolution for the genre. This is what sequels are all about folks. Turning an already stellar formula up to 100, while at the same time redefining a genre. I was absoluted enthralled by GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR (note: I wasn't able to play it in The Playstation 2 or Nintendo WII).

Discuss this game in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: MLB | Spore | iPhone 3G | Paris Hilton | Antivirus Software | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use