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Guitar Hero World Tour ps3 Game Reviews
Guitar Hero World Tour
Critic Score
Metascore: 84 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.8 out of 10
based on 43 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 53 votes
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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.
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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.
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94
GameZone
From the Roland-modeled drum heads to the Line 6 effects, GHWT shines and elevates the musical genre of video gaming.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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90
Playstation Official Magazine Australia
An absolutely awesome all-round package. [Christmas 2008, p.78]
90
Playstation Official Magazine UK
Like LittleBigPlanet the scope is there to make just about anything, and you can fully expect to see some amazing versions of familiar songs, but you'll need to put the hours in. [Christmas 2008, p.108]
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.
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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.
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90
Games Radar (in-house)
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.
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90
GameSpy
Guitar Hero World Tour is often both exhilarating and frustrating.
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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.
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90
Gamer.nl
Guitar Hero World Tour offers a more than welcome evolution to the series. With superior instruments, a powerful tracklist and extremely addicting gameplay it has already earned a place in Guitar Hero history. Playing the guitar is still going strong, but with the change to play the drums or even sing a line or two, the game offers enough variation. Not every new feature is a direct hit, but if you liked any of the previous Guitar Hero games than you will have no trouble in liking this one. And if you're looking for the best music-party game the choice is even easier. What are you waiting for? Rock on!
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90
Eurogamer Portugal
Guitar Hero: World Tour is not just one of the most important games of the series but probably the most important for it could establish a before and after as it also assumes the same responsibility as the genre itself. The days of solitude are over (unless you don’t want them to be over) because now Guitar hero becomes the most enjoyable way to socialize bringing the worlds of videogames and music together.
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89
MEGamers
Guitar Hero: World Tour is not without its flaws, but they’re hardly noticeable in the grand scheme of things. A strong playlist coupled with addictive yet simple gameplay make this a truly enjoyable game.
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88
InsideGamer.nl
World Tour offers a ton of great additions to the Guitar Hero series. The GHstudio and Create-a-Rockstar mode are a real treat, together with all the minor improvements made to the key concept of the game. It’s even better than its main competitor Rock Band 2, because of the great track list, and the fact that players are given the chance to actually create music to a certain level.
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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.
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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.
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88
PSM3 Magazine UK
A strange mixture of tracks but the instruments work brilliantly.
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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.
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85
Gaming Target
Guitar Hero has the more innovative drum and guitar hardware and a promising custom music feature.
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85
IGN AU
There's something undeniably more approachable and mainstream about the Guitar Hero franchise that Rock Band simply can't quite match.
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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.
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84
GameFocus
For NeverSoft and Activision’s first attempt at giving gamers the full band experience, they’ve done a good job. Unfortunately, when compared to the other band game on the market, it still doesn’t manage to better it. This is a still a very good game when viewed only on its own, but when you place it side by side with its competition you can see that there is still much that can be improved. Those loyal to the Guitar Hero series will not be disappointed but fans the other series won’t feel like they are missing anything.
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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.
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82
DailyGame
All in all, Guitar Hero World Tour is a fun experience.
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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.
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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.
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80
GameSpot
That's one giant leap for a franchise; one small step for a genre.
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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.
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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.
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80
PALGN
Guitar Hero World Tour indeed rocks the house. It isn't as revolutionary as we may have hoped for, but it still packs in a whole heap of fun.
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80
PS3bloggen.se
Heaps of new songs, a solid online experience and well-constructed drums make Guitar Hero: World Tour an enjoyable music game that works well at parties. Some more streamlined menu controls would be nice, but overall the game delivers an excellent multiplayer experience.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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70
Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
If you want a challenge, World Tour will still rock your world. But a joyous homage to the music you love? Not so much. [Jan 2009, p.80]
70
LEVEL (Czech Republic)
Popular concept extended to a whole band experience – it’s World Tour. But the need for an overall improvement is obvious, otherwise next time it won’t be fun anymore. [Issue#174, Jan 2009]
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.
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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.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 53 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Zach D. gave it a4:
I constantly find myself not wanting to play 90% of the songs, and not being able to create two careers as one instrument blows. The gameplay is much easier than GH3, which is nice, because GH3 blew. I'm hoping the next installment does something new, which doesn't seem likely. This is likely the last Guitar Hero for me.

Robert van T. gave it a10:
Great game. Fun to play alone, even better with a group. The song list is better than III in my opinion, and the game works the same as before, that is to say mostly flawlessly and without difficulties. I do not have the mic or the drumset, so I can only speak for the guitars, and they work great.

Shaun F. gave it a9:
I personally think that this is definitely the best game out so far in the musical gaming franchise. Lets face the facts, the people who mark down GHWT are people who are in possession of Rock Band 2, and who either cant afford it, or cannot accept that they made the mistake in buying rock band instead of waiting. There is a BRILLIANT song list, and the new drum set it amazing. What is there not to like? Even if there has been some rare cases of the equipment having technical faults, it is the first model, and they are already working on an improved model of the drumset. I definitely think that it deserved a better score, and should be taken more seriously.

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.

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