Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Guitar Hero: Smash Hits Review
Is it too early for Guitar Hero nostalgia? Seems premature, but we live in an accelerated culture, and video games move fast. Here we are, only four years after the release of Harmonix's original PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero title, facing Smash Hits. As the name suggests, it's a greatest hits compilation of tracks from earlier GH titles, now featuring the full band play introduced in World Tour.
The title is designed with one thing in mind: creating for revenue for Activision. This is especially odd in light of the fact that it feels like something that could be addressed through downloadable content, as Harmonix has done so well with Rock Band. While my instinct is to be a curmudgeon, once I dug in, I got caught up again in playing the songs that taught me what music gaming was all about, like ''Killer Queen'' or ''Bark at the Moon.'' It's especially edifying to find out how much fun it is to play old favorites like ''Freya'' by The Sword on drums. In addition, some of the GH I and II songs that were covers are now straight from the original masters. While some of the note charts have been altered (and not always for the better), for the most part it's great fun.
Smash Hits does absolutely nothing to advance the GH brand in any way, but if you've long since packed up your PS2 it's a great way to get your hands on some old-school favorites. You're basically paying $1.25 per song, which is lower than DLC pricing. Not a bad deal if you can handle jamming yet another Guitar Hero box into your racks.
Products In This Article
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
