Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock

BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock Bundle-includes guitar. Video Game. Wii Activision Publishing, Inc. 2007. T for Teen. ASIN: B000TGB4UU

SUMMARY

The bundle includes the game as well as a wireless Gibson Les Paul guitar controller. The game features classic rock songs. As the music plays there is a rolling neck of a guitar where there are colored dots that correspond with the fret buttons on the guitar that the player is using. You must hit the button at the same time are the strum bar in order to play the note. If you hit the wrong note or miss a note the guitar screeches. There are over 70 songs available to play, including Hit Me With Your Best Shot, School’s Out For Summer and Barracuda. Players can choose from three level easy, medium, hard and expert. You can either play alone, with another player, or battle a real life guitar hero like Slash. When players have completed their performance, they are provided with stats like the percentage of correct notes and note streaks.

CRITICAL EVALUATION

Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock is loved by people of all ages. It is rated T for Teen. First I would like to say that neither myself nor my husband was successful at this game beyond the easy level. We tried but we got booed off stage pretty quickly. This game is much harder than it looks, or at least we thought so. However, even though we weren’t very good, we had a blast. One really great thing about this game is the music. They picked songs I loved growing up and through college. These are also rock songs that many older teens are familiar with. With all of the dance, pop, and rap that kids are listening to, I’m so glad there is a game that has some good old fashioned rock. It really is a game for the whole family, mom and dad can rock out with the kids. Or at least the kids can laugh at mom and dad while they try to rock out. It is also a great game for teen game tournaments at the library. My local library has some great photos of teens playing this on game night.

GAMER’S ANNOTATION

If you ever wanted to be a rock star, this game is for you!

INFORMATION ABOUT THE WII

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others. As of May 2011, the Wii leads the generation over the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in worldwide sales,]and in December 2009 broke the record for best-selling console in a single month in the United States.

A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode.
The Wii is Nintendo's fifth home console and the direct successor of the Nintendo GameCube, being fully backwardly compatible with all GameCube games and most accessories. Nintendo first spoke of the console at the 2004 E3 press conference and later unveiled the system at the 2005 E3. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata revealed a prototype of the controller at the September 2005 Tokyo Game Show. At E3 2006, the console won the first of several awards. By December 8, 2006, it had completed its launch in four key markets. (Unknown, Wii)

GENRE

Video Game, Wii

CURRICULUM TIES

None

BOOKTALKING IDEAS

Not Applicable

INTEREST AGE

Ages 13 and up

CHALLENGE ISSUES

Some parents may have an issue with some of the song lyrics.

In order to prepare yourself should this game be challenged you may wish to take the following steps:

•Play the game or familiarize yourself with it.
•Refer to the library’s collection development and circulation policy.
•Read game reviews from sources such as amazon.com or toysrus.com.
•Seek the opinion of teens that are familiar with or have played the game.

Should this game be challenged you should follow the additional steps below:

•Advise the senior staff of the challenge.
•Let the patron know that their challenge will be filed and that senior library management will review their request and notify them once a decision has been made.
•Offer any further assistance should the patron have additional questions.

WHY DID I INCLUDE THIS GAME IN THE TITLES I SELECTED?

It’s a hugely popular game with teens.