'Guitar Hero World Tour' takes on 'Rock Band'

Let's address the elephant in the room: Do "World Tour" instruments work with "Rock Band" games? The answer is "yes" for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, says Activision, but "no" for the Wii (sorry guys). I reviewed the Xbox 360 version of the game, and sure enough, "World Tour" instruments work with "Rock Band 2." On the flip side, "Rock Band 2" instruments will work on all versions of "World Tour," including the Wii version, says developer Harmonix.

There are other welcome innovations and improvements in the latest "Guitar Hero.” One annoyance with "Rock Band" has been that after you restart a paused game, you're immediately kicked back into the song you left, which means that you’re likely to miss those first few notes. "World Tour" uses a convenient countdown timer on a paused resume, so you can take a potty break without being penalized for it.

Setup is also quicker on "World Tour," thanks to auto calibration with flat screen TVs. While "Rock Band" often requires significant finagling to synchronize on-screen notes with audible music, "World Tour" did this with no calibration whatsoever on two different HDTVs of mine. A calibration utility is included for sets with any problems, but I was surprised that I never had to use it.

Rounding out the improved gameplay is the online multiplayer and head-to-head instrument modes. While the competitive guitar and bass modes worked without a hitch, I was unable to test the online band mode due to reviewing an early retail copy of the game. If last year’s “Guitar Hero III” is any indication, this mode should perform just fine in the days to come as users make their way online.

In terms of replayability, the real-promise of "World Tour" might be found in the music creator, which lets players record a live, improvised song as a band or program one using a five-track mixer (no vocals, however, only instrumentation). Players can then publish their creations to the Internet for others to enjoy.

I produced a cover version of "Everybody's Changing" by Keane, a favorite of mine, and was impressed by the results (if I do say so myself). The sound of recordings is a bit flat, but I'm still anxious to see what the "Guitar Hero" community comes up with in the coming weeks.

As with any game, “World Tour" is not without some shortcomings. Unlike "Rock Band," it's difficult to tell which band member is failing at any given moment. As a result, you may find yourself wailing as a group, and then, suddenly, fail. Worse still, a performing band member is unable to save another if they have failed, an effect that gives "Rock Band" the edge when it comes to chemistry.

Perhaps the biggest offense, however, is that "World Tour" on Xbox 360 and PS3 ships without an in-game store for downloading new music. Activision promises to patch the store later this week. Keep your fingers crossed.

I played  "World Tour" with a group of four couples last weekend, and it was a hit, much like “Rock Band” before it. My casual-gaming friends were immediately drawn to the improved drums (particularly the cymbals and kick pedal) and tighter guitars. They also observed that the round notes are easier to see and hit when compared to the skinny notes of "Rock Band."

In the end, "Guitar Hero World Tour" improves upon the already solid experience that "Rock Band" pioneered. If you haven’t made the jump to virtual rocker yet, this is a great first game. And if you already enjoy "Rock Band," there are enough innovations and new songs here to make "World Tour" worth your while.

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