"Activision has decided to milk the Guitar Hero series for everything it can, and why not? It seems there are plenty of folks willing to buy the same game multiple times even though the cover is different and there are a few different songs inside. Hmmm, I thought that’s what downloadable content was for?"
Overall: Do you love Aerosmith? Do you love Guitar Hero? (And when I say love, I mean LOVE) If you said yes to either of those, I would highly recommend this game. Anyone else should save their money. There is no reason to spend 60 dollars on this game unless you're an avid fan of either GH or Aerosmith. The core gameplay is essentially the same. There are only 41 songs available in the game (with no chance of DLC.) The non-Aero songs are less than impressive. As a huge Guitar Hero fan, I must say that I was thoroughly disappointed and wish I would have waited to buy it used or after a price drop. Gameplay: Typical Guitar Hero gameplay. The mechanics of the game are more like GHII than GHIII. Casual GH players wouldn't really notice, but there's a slight difference between the gameplay in GH:A/GHII and GHIII. Performing hammer-ons and pull-offs was much easier in GHIII due to the large window and the ability to hold down the note for an extended amount of time. It made the game a bit easier but was evened out with the addition of more difficult note charts. Which brings me to my first gripe with the game: the difficulty. This game is painfully easy. The best thing about the Guitar Hero series is the feeling of accomplishment you get when beating a particularly difficult song. No such feeling is felt throughout this entire game. Graphics: The visuals are the same as in GHIII. It has some nice renderings of the band. It's great to see Aerosmith in their virtual glory. The addition of some interview videos kept things a little interesting. But basically it's the same graphics with the addition of some rock icons. Sound: With a game called Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, you can expect what kind of audio you're going to get. The tracks were rightfully chosen with the majority of them being from the 70s-80s. Some of their newer tracks weren't as interesting. The non-Aerosmith songs felt unneeded in this game. They should have been replaced by more Aerosmith songs. While on the subject of songs, another gripe I have (and possibly the biggest) is the amount of songs found on this game. 41 songs is pathetic. This game has 6 tiers in career mode (as opposed to the usual 8) and about 1/3 of the usual amount of bonus tracks (one being a 2nd version of a song already in the main setlist) For the price of a regular guitar hero game, this is inexcusable. Suggestions: Make the game harder. Drop the price. Add more songs. If this isn't done for future GH games, consider Guitar Hero Aerosmith the first sign of Activision killing the guitar hero series. At least they aren't adding drums to a game called Guitar Her...oh wait.