Guitar Hero 3: The Boss Matches Suck, the Rest Rocks

[squirrel]

Don't think of them as 'guitar' games, think of them as 'rhythm' or 'music' games. They're really good - well worth your $50 - as long as you realize it's not a guitar simulation.

No, I get it. I just don't like it. If I was only out $50, I wouldn't bitch nearly this much, but this and the orange box blew my entire gaming budget for the year, and I don't really like either. I'm tired of gaming for the year.

You don't like GH or Orange Box? Why do you hate fun? Bummer to have 2 games you don't much care for eat your budget though - what with Mass Effect, Assassins Creed and all the other good shit out. Sell em on craigs list and get 1 game you do like I guess.

[caladein]

Hell, what version of GH3 did you get Sky? PS2 or 360 and I'd be willing to take it off your hands for full retail minus the shipping. (Can't run the PC version.)

[Sky]

PC version, I don't do consoles (so getting Mass Effect is out for the time being, too). I don't hate fun, they are good games, just not my style. I can differentiate :P

Craig's List in my area is just for gay hookups, I already checked into selling it there. And got creeped out.

I try to turn everything into a positive, and this has really kicked my ass to practice guitar more and lay off the gaming for a bit. So I guess it's ok, since I probably won't be buying much until next year anyway (or 2012 when Spore comes out).

[squirrel]

I don't do consoles ... I don't hate fun

No offense man - but as an early HDTV adopter, which I know you are - I seem to recall we have nearly identical TV's, these two statements are irreconcilable. Whatever floats your boat, but if it's not an economic issue you're missing out on a tonne of fun. Of all flavours.

[Sky]

Actually, more like a handful of games. It's partly economic, because I just don't see buying a system for half a grand to play a couple games on it. I have my pc for that and a shitload other things. No use having this conversation, really. I've looked into consoles and have followed quite a number of threads here. I'm not anti-console because I think they suck, I think all the current generation are great. Just too expensive, I've blown a couple hundred on the xbox back in the day, but it bore out the scenario that would happen today. I'd play maybe a half-dozen games on it and then it would sit in the closet for the next ten years until I threw it out. The xbox games were GREAT, but in the end it's a waste of money imo.

And the last thing I need are MORE games, honestly.

[rattran]

I know I'm behind the curve here, but I just picked up GH3. It's nothing like a guitar, it makes my left wrist hurt, and it's fun. Much more like playing keyboard or drums.

Oh, and I'm terrible at it, but that may or may not improve. I did have some problems getting the guitar to be detected, the wireless apparently doesn't like my tv, I have to get the controller sync'd then turn on the lcd. Which is odd, as the normal ps3 controllers have no issues with it.

[Ratman_tf]

I am tempted to get this for PC. What systems are you all running it on?
I've got an Athlon 3200 2.0 Ghz with 2 gigs of RAM and an ATI x1550

[Sky]

If you feel like paying shipping from NY I could sell you mine, pm if interested.

[Grand Design]

I know I'm behind the curve here, but I just picked up GH3. It's nothing like a guitar, it makes my left wrist hurt, and it's fun. Much more like playing keyboard or drums.

You will probably experience The Claw at first.  It hurts, but passes with time.  Also, I didn't play properly for the first couple of weeks until I understood exactly how to play by only holding the buttons that were necessary and strumming on time.  Once I minimized the number of maneuvers, the stress of 'playing' was diminished.  It also helps to free you up mentally to anticipate what is incoming on the fret.

Oh, and I'm terrible at it, but that may or may not improve.

I'd bet money that you will.

I did have some problems getting the guitar to be detected, the wireless apparently doesn't like my tv, I have to get the controller sync'd then turn on the lcd. Which is odd, as the normal ps3 controllers have no issues with it.

That sounds more complicated than the complete dumbass experience I had figuring out that you have to sync the dongle before the guitar. 

[Samwise]

The last boss match on Hard sucks so very much.

It's not just that I'm finding it fucking impossible.  It's that the first two minutes or so are FILLER.  Some of the bits in there are actually kinda fun to play, but how well you play them is completely irrelevant to whether you win the battle or not because all of the "battle power" notes are buried in the bullshit parts that come later on.  So I'm just letting them scroll by and using the repetitive strumming parts afterward to fill the Rock Meter back up.  What a waste.

Oh, and the boss always gets his battle powerups first, ensuring that you get a Broken String right as your own notes come up and you miss them.  I think in the ten attempts I've made at this thing I've maybe gotten ONE attack to land.

FGGLAKJLKJLSASAAAHHH

[Driakos]

I'm stuck on the Lou battle - Hard.  He gets his powerups first.  Keeps me from mine.  Which.. another player should in a battle match.  It's really frustrating though, because I want to play Guitar Hero, not this boss match shit.  I can't skip it.  So I'm stuck.   When I do hit him with some shit, he's the fucking computer, so he fights through it.  It just comes down to hoping the CPU decides to miss notes...  Right?   I gotta hope for the Whammy hit.

[Sky]

True Love Waits
Sweet Home Alabama
She's Nineteen Years Old
The Thrill Is Gone
Sleepwalk

Songs I've learned since buying GH3. Recorded two of them. Forgot to put my copy of GH3 in the classifieds this week. Should raffle it for the library or something.

[Azazel]

Not that I've been playing this a lot. Or even much. Barely, even.

But whatever the fuck happened to all the promised DLC for this game? There's the Foo pack, which I got, a few freebies of varying quality, two other shitty packs, and three shitty individual songs.

[schild]

Exact same can be said for Rock Band's "full album" bullshit.

[Azazel]

Agreed. But when did Rock Band come out compared to GH3?

(RB isn't released at all over here yet, GH3 came out about the same time as in the US, maybe 2-3 weeks later.)

[schild]

Rock Band was supposed to have 3-4 full albums downloadable by now.

[NiX]

Rock Band was supposed to have 3-4 full albums downloadable by now.

I know they said the metallica album would be, but 3-4 is pushing it...

[schild]

Nirvana's Never Mind was supposed to be week one. Then there was like some grateful dead shit or something a rather.

[Bokonon]

Having followed RB closely, the only album that was ever mentioned as a week one was Who's Next (which didn't happen). The Nirvana and Metallica albums were rumored to be out some time after launch but never given a hint of a date. It was all Intarweb speculation. The only official word about the Grateful Dead stuff was that Harmonix had secured the rights to 15-20 unspecified songs from them for eventual use in RB. That all said, if they aren't out in the next couple months, I will be disappointed (especially Who's Next).

Right now Rockband has more DLC than GH3, having been out one month less. I knew RB was going to have more/better DLC, and I was right. It just wasn't as good as I expected.

[Sky]

Baby Please Don't Go
Chitlins Con Carne
Secret Agent Man

[Phildo]

I've just about lost all faith in DLC for either project.  Of course, the stuff for Rock Band has been slim but consistent while I'm STILL waiting for GH1 tracks to be downloadable on the 360.  Where's Ziggy Stardust, dammit?

[Morfiend]

So the fact that I sucked at GH3 really made me want to be good. I have done a lot of practicing and am now decent at playing on hard. My one problem is the Hammer Ons and the Pull Offs. I suck at these and that makes some songs really tough. Right now I have hit a major wall.
Slipknot. I cant beat the song on hard. I did the practice on all different speeds for like 2 hours, and I still cant do the song. My best is 15%, but the average is is around 8%. Its really putting me off. This song blows.

[WayAbvPar]

Nirvana's Never Mind was supposed to be week one. Then there was like some grateful dead shit or something a rather.

Who's Next and Nevermind should have both been out by now. I would have bought the game anyway, but those albums were a major reason I wanted it on Day One.

[Morfiend]

So after playing Slipknot for 3 hours straight, I managed to get the 96%.... and broke my strummer. FUCK THAT SONG!!!

[Samwise]

 

If it's any consolation, the game only gets more ridiculously hard from there.

I've pretty much stopped playing since hitting the Lou boss battle and finding out via the internet that it's basically undoable by mortal men (i.e. orders of magnitude harder than anything else on the Hard difficulty level).  I like "challenge" in my games up to a point, but once it starts to feel like a job I move on. 

I still play every now and then, but whenever I do I can never shake the feeling that I should be working on that goddamned boss battle so I can finally 'finish' Hard mode.  And that sense of obligation kinda puts a damper on the fun.

[Dtrain]

If it's any consolation, the game only gets more ridiculously hard from there.

I've pretty much stopped playing since hitting the Lou boss battle and finding out via the internet that it's basically undoable by mortal men (i.e. orders of magnitude harder than anything else on the Hard difficulty level).  I like "challenge" in my games up to a point, but once it starts to feel like a job I move on. 

I still play every now and then, but whenever I do I can never shake the feeling that I should be working on that goddamned boss battle so I can finally 'finish' Hard mode.  And that sense of obligation kinda puts a damper on the fun.

Takes a fair amount of patience/luck but it's doable. It's really all about being cheaper than he is with the "star power" tricks - learn where they are and deliberately miss parts of passages to hit them, unload the moderately annoying ones nearly as soon as you get them (wait at least for him to start playing again,) and save the really screwed up ones for his fast passages. In short, you do the complete opposite of what makes Guitar Hero fun. The anti-fun, if you will. And hence, I suppose, the thread title.

My own personal Lou is my girlfriend. I beat hard, and can hang on expert, but she is really worlds better than I am. To the point where it is completely and utterly discouraging.

At least Lou doesn't tell you to "Suck it, bitch!" after watching you repeatedly fail "Through The Fire and Flames" on hard, and then finishes it on her second attempt.

[Morfiend]

Ok, I have been using my Les Paul guitar a lot, and I think the strum bar is starting to stick a little bit. I have noticed on very fast songs its not popping back in to place quickly some times. Has any one else had any problems with their Les Paul? Also, what should I do if its out of warranty, its not like I can go and buy just the Guitar again, and I dont want to go buy the stupid wired one.

Any advice?

[Murgos]

I've always had to up strum on very fast songs.  Is it that it just doesn't return to 0 fast enough for you to get the next beat or is it actually borkened?

[NiX]

Try upstrumming like Murgos said. Otherwise you'll need to crack it open and play with the sensor that registers the strumming.

[Morfiend]

Its not that its not registering, its that some times when I get strumming very fast, it feels like it sticks down for just a split second. I can still play, but I am worried about it getting worse.

Anyway, on to the good news. I beat the Slipknot song on hard last night. I have been trying for two weeks, and I also have the CD in my car so I can listen to the song over and over. I managed to finish it twice. Once with 78% and once with 77%. I also beat Knights of Cydonia and then got One to 77% on my first try.

[DeathInABottle]

Its not that its not registering, its that some times when I get strumming very fast, it feels like it sticks down for just a split second. I can still play, but I am worried about it getting worse.

Anyway, on to the good news. I beat the Slipknot song on hard last night. I have been trying for two weeks, and I also have the CD in my car so I can listen to the song over and over. I managed to finish it twice. Once with 78% and once with 77%. I also beat Knights of Cydonia and then got One to 77% on my first try.

"One" is a bitch for a while, but only at the solo.  Save your star power for that first barrage of notes, and maybe go into practice mode to get you ready for the rest of it.  It's totally manageable once you've got the solo down.  "Knights of Cydonia" is possibly my favorite song.  The video is excellent.

Still can't beat "Raining Blood" on single player expert, but we're getting closer: my roommate and I beat it on co-op twice.  Having the bass there to help makes a world of difference.  So it's just that, the Lou battle, and Dragon Force standing between me and complete domination.  Grrrrrreat...

[Ratman_tf]

Ugh. I've been picking at hard mode, but I think I'm too old and slow for it. 

[Mr_PeaCH]

Late to the party... again.

Just picked up GH3 for our new (Xmas 07) Wii.  OMFG!  Totally owns me and the kids; even the wife (who was an 80s headbanger) is enjoying a game on the console finally.  I think we put 20+ hours on it the first weekend; me and my daughter (12) have gravitated to Medium and are most of the way through that.  The coolest part is getting to expose the kids to some of this music they would otherwise have no access to or desire to seek out.  My son (8) loves Metallica's "One" and my daughter, the girl scout, loves White Zombie's "Black Sunshine".  The only thing that is going to fuck this up is if GH goes soft and puts out a Hanna Montana / Naked Brothers version.

[Azazel]

New upcoming DLC (probably)

Journey, Boston, Foreigner

http://kotaku.com/346459/journey-to-boston-with-foreigner-+-new-ghiii-dlc
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/01/18/guitar-hero-3-gets-journey-foreigner-boston-dlc/

Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero,"
Journey's "Any Way You Want It"
Boston's "Peace of Mind."


WTF is going on? Did Activision remember they have a guitar game or something?

Not that any of these three song titles means anything to me. I probably know all 3 songs, just not by name, I guess.

[Sky]

Fuckin' kids. Neal Schon is a great guitarist (Do you like classic Santana? That's mostly Neal, and Black Magic Woman was a Peter Green song). Those are all big guitar rock songs. How do you not know them by name?

Ah, well. Is any of that coming to the PC? Not that I care, I donated mine to the library. Fuck that game, I gots real guitar to be playin!