Guitar Hero: Metallica Review

By Simon Parkin Published 14 April, 2009

Disposable Heroes?

Version tested: Xbox 360

There was a time when almost no one cared about appearing in Guitar Hero. Record industry types would seek clarification: "So, the kids play along with our artist's music on a Fisher Price plastic guitar?" Then they'd politely decline the offer, toddling off to snort the last of their terminally ill industry's profits.

But by the time Rock Band rolled around, every band, manager, song publisher and industry-head was smashing down Harmonix's gates for the opportunity to be in the game. Everyone wanted a stake in this brave new interactive musical world where profits went up, not down, and where piracy was virtually impossible.

And yet despite the meteoric rise of rhythm-action, Metallica - those Luddite, Napster-killing metal-heads - remained not only disinterested, but positively hostile to the idea of their music being cheapened by a videogame. They blocked offers from all of the music-game makers, denying teenagers across the globe the chance to spandex up and role-play Lars Ulrich.

We don't know what it took to change the band's tinnitus-addled minds. A generous royalty offer perhaps, or maybe just the sight of their bank manager stabbing his finger furiously into some imbalanced books. Whatever the reason, the worm has turned and the Thing That Should Not Be has become a reality: a special edition release of Guitar Hero featuring 28 of Metallica's songs alongside another 20-odd guest acts "hand-picked" as influences by the band.

The set-list collects material from across the band's history, from their first recorded song, "Hit the Lights", right up to "All Nightmare Long" from 2008's critically divisive Death Magnetic. Songs are drawn evenly from across the group's career, catering as much to fans who prefer their thrash beginnings as those who first fell for their most commercially successful record, 1991's Black album (all of whose singles are present and correct).

'Guitar Hero: Metallica' Screenshot 1

When you've completed a song in Career you can watch an in-game performance of it while various "Metallifacts" about its creation flash up on screen.

Career Mode, as ever the heart of the Guitar Hero experience, starts with a recreation of a contemporary Metallica live show, showing the band's dramatic entrance with "The God, The Bad and The Ugly", going straight into the sucker-punch that is "For Whom the Bell Tolls", and then segueing into "The Unforgiven", the band's film-tribute inverse ballad.

It's a stylish opening, benefitting greatly from aping the Metallica live show visuals, which, despite the music's bombast, are generally far more tasteful and impactful in terms of lighting and stage design than Guitar Hero's traditional cod-rock aesthetic. From here, rather than just continuing on through a live show, the game introduces a story, casting you as a member of the crowd who's so inspired by the performance that they decide to start a Metallica tribute band.

Career progression is handled in the traditional list format, although now you only need to collect a certain number of stars to unlock the next venue (and its attached new songs) rather than completing all of the songs in a grouping. For competent players who routinely earn a five-star rating during a single song, this makes the job of unlocking the full set-list swift and easy, and is a good decision on the part of Neversoft (a full list of the songs included on the disc can be found on Wikipedia).

The venues, which include London's Hammersmith Odeon and Los Angeles' Forum, have all been chosen as sites of legendary Metallica concerts and, as they're based on real-life locations, dodge the Spinal Tap-esque ambiance to which Guitar Hero's stages are usually submitted. But despite the fact the band themselves provided mo-cap for the game, the characters still have that ungainly, cartoonish feel, which sits slightly at odds with the slick, serious presentation elsewhere.

We're not here to review Metallica's music for you, but there are characteristics and traits that are significant from a gameplay perspective. By definition, the more notes in a rhythm-action game song, and the faster those notes come, the more interesting and challenging that song will be to play along with, which is in contrast to music for music's sake, where space and silence are just as important. System of a Down are always going to be more suitable for gameplay than an ambient act like, say, Stars of the Lid. In that sense, not all music is suitable for music games, at least music games in the Guitar Freaks mould.

For Metallica, however, this quirk is a resounding positive. The band's heavy, thick-layered rhythms and machinegun-fire downstrokes provide interesting, appealing level designs. Indeed, Neversoft has done its best work yet extrapolating these across various difficulty levels. At the easiest levels, beginners will be able to happily join in with "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters", while seasoned experts will find most songs in the game a consistent challenge at Expert level. For drummers, there's even an "Expert +" mode for those who like their difficulty to go to eleven by trying their feet at double bass pedalling (although as a splitter is required for this we were unable to test it).

'Guitar Hero: Metallica' Screenshot 2

If you're playing multiplayer make sure you're not mean to your bassist lest he resign due to all the bullying.

The standard Guitar Hero: World Tour features are all included too, so players get full access to the Music Studio, where they can compose their own pieces, as well as the full band multiplayer capability. However, the only compatible downloadable content is Metallica's own Death Magnetic tracks, so if you want to play content you've previously purchased from the Guitar Hero store then you'll have you put your World Tour disc back in for access - a shortcoming offset somewhat by the fan service, which bundles multiple pieces of band and song trivia, exclusive videos and behind-the-scenes making-of documentaries in amongst the gameplay.

Much has been written (and filmed) about the Metallica of today, a band of men approaching their fifties who still play the music of their teens and twenties. Their output is precision-designed to appeal to adolescents because, in a great many cases, it was created by them. Its themes revolve around identity, anger and violence, while its heavy, palm-muted chugging rhythms and screaming pinched harmonics are the soundtrack of young men's alienation.

But beneath the scream and riot there's a mathematical reality that simply makes for really good videogame levels. For players able to appreciate the music for the gameplay it facilitates, this is a worthwhile buy. And for fans of the band, who it's primarily aimed at, Guitar Hero: Metallica is nothing less than a stunning 'Best Of' compilation, and one that sets the benchmark for artist-specific Guitar Hero and Rock Band releases of the future.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Simon.

About Simon Parkin

Simon Parkin is an author and journalist on video games. A regular contributor to Eurogamer since 2005, his work has also appeared in Edge, The Telegraph, Gamasutra and Boing Boing.

Read more articles from Simon by visiting the Simon Parkin archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (54) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • RobotRocker #1 3 years ago

    So...better than Rock Band AC/DC then?

  • emhaslam92 #2 3 years ago

    awesome. i'm finally compelled to get the drum kit and microphones. Got GH1, GH2 and GH3 - suppose i will now need to fork out for GH4 for the kit now :(

    how do you get the double bass pedal?

  • Kazzahdrane #3 3 years ago

    @emhaslam92: I believe in the USA Gamestop were doing it as a pre-order bonus, not sure if any retailers over here are doing something similar.

  • Weebleboy #4 3 years ago

    Stars of the Lid?! 'Bands you dont expect to see mentioned in a Guitar Hero review' part 1

  • Gnort #5 3 years ago

    You really get a sense that the reviewer acknowledges that the songs are awesome, but is desperate to let everyone know that he is too cool to listen to Metallica.

  • DFawkes #6 3 years ago

    I don't really like Metallica stuff, so I think I'll pass, but if you're into them I'd imagine this would be ideal.

  • JahB #7 3 years ago

    can't wait, import copy's arriving this week.

  • beep #8 3 years ago

    Can't think of any other Guitar Hero game I'd actually want after this one. A great way to end the series (for me).

  • Notez #9 3 years ago

    Too bad they didn't include rhythm guitar tracks, because THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME. Idiots. Also the multiplayer UI (and star power usage) is just as horrible as in World Tour and scores are not saved in career mode, only stars. Neversoft strikes back.
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 14:36

  • irregularjohn #10 3 years ago

    "starts with a recreation of a contemporary Metallica live show, showing the band's dramatic entrance with "The God, The Bad and The Ugly","

    I think you will find they open with" The Ecstasy of Gold"

    "We don't know what it took to change the band's tinnitus-addled minds. A generous royalty offer perhaps, or maybe just the sight of their bank manager stabbing his finger furiously into some imbalanced books."

    This is one of those roflcopter moments......the reviewer is clearly an ass!

    Metallica fans add 3 to the score.

  • Syrette #11 3 years ago

    11/10?

  • MrChuckles #12 3 years ago

    Bugger, looks like i might have to get it then....

    I'm gonna try and hold out to the inevitable price drop though....

    (Aerosmith 12.99 for example)...Then again Aerosmith are rubbish...

  • Evolution #13 3 years ago

    "If you're playing multiplayer make sure you're not mean to your bassist lest he resign due to all the bullying."

    As someone who doesn't appear to like Metallica you know quite a bit about them :)

  • PlugMonkey #14 3 years ago

    "The only people who play these music based games are drunk people and emos."

    Absolutely!

    Oh, and people who like videogames. You forgot them. Drunk people, emos and people who like videogames.

    Oh, and people who like singing. Obviously. Drunk people,emos, people who like videogames and people who like singing.

    So you were half right. Drunk emos who like videogames and singing have the most fun, I'll warrant.
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 14:59

  • Pastici #15 3 years ago

    @Evolution Wikipedia can do wonders sometimes.

    My thoughts, Meh-tallica. lolz.

  • FWB #16 3 years ago

    Man I want to punch Lars in the face.

  • irregularjohn #17 3 years ago

    "11/10? "

    c'mon Spinal Tap much?

  • FairgroundTown #18 3 years ago

    So... how borked is the Wii version?

  • Thiral #19 3 years ago

    Yes, easy buy! :D

  • werewolf2000ad #20 3 years ago

    "The only people who play these music based games are drunk people and emos."

    Absolutely!

    Oh, and people who like videogames. You forgot them. Drunk people, emos and people who like videogames.

    Oh, and people who like singing. Obviously. Drunk people,emos, people who like videogames and people who like singing.


    And who have an almost fanatical devotion to the pope.

    I'll go back out and come in again.

  • steviepunk #21 3 years ago

    "And yet despite the meteoric rise of rhythm-action, Metallica - those Luddite, Napster-killing metal-heads - remained not only disinterested, but positively hostile to the idea of their music being cheapened by a videogame. They blocked offers from all of the music-game makers, denying teenagers across the globe the chance to spandex up and role-play Lars Ulrich."

    Didn't Metallica have tracks in GH3 ("One", I think) and Rock Band? Not to mention 3 DLC songs in Rock Band.

    I'm still in two minds about this game. On one hand, I love Metallica and many of the bands included in the game, on the other, I played the demo and something just didn't feel right about it :( Tho maybe I just need more practice!

  • samaran #22 3 years ago

    System of a Down are always going to be more suitable for gameplay than an ambient act like, say, Stars of the Lid.

    excuse me mate, i think you dropped a name there

  • PlugMonkey #23 3 years ago

    "Didn't Metallica have tracks in GH3 ("One", I think) and Rock Band? Not to mention 3 DLC songs in Rock Band. "

    Yes they did. They also had no tracks whatsoever in GH1 or GH2, and were incredibly sniffy and dismissive of the whole rhythm action genre and how including their music in one would cheapen and debase it beyond redemption. Or words to that effect.

    Their subsequent climb down on GH3, and now absolute U-turn with this, once other bands started pointing out quite how much money there was in it is worthy of at least a bit of gentle ribbing, n'est-ce pas?

  • MrChuckles #24 3 years ago

    @Coin-op

    Wait a minute... i just realised that 'Aerosmith are to good for you youngsters whos first console was a N64.'

    I'm in my mid 30's don't you know, my first console was an Atari 2600.

    Aerosmith have about 3 good songs and the rest are rubbish, whereas Metallica have about 2 good albums worth and the rest are rubbish. Much more material for a standalone version of GH imo.

  • LowEnergyCycle #25 3 years ago

    I can't stand Metallica or Guitar Hero, so I don't even know why I'm here.

    /leaves

  • David_W #26 3 years ago

    @MrChuckles

    Aerosmith have about 3 good songs and the rest are rubbish, whereas Metallica have about 2 good albums worth and the rest are rubbish. Much more material for a standalone version of GH imo.

    I like Metallica's early work as much as the next guy, but you really shouldn't judge Aerosmith's work from watching Armageddon too many times.

    Aerosmiths 70's stuff is up there with the best of them. Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic and Rocks, all classics, should be in the collection of every fan of the music of that era. Then things went terribly wrong in the 90's, but that's a different story...

  • MrMarbles #27 3 years ago

    Just don't expect the PS3 Ion Drum Rocker to work for this game.

    It doesn't.

  • MrChuckles #28 3 years ago

    @ David W

    'I like Metallica's early work as much as the next guy, but you really shouldn't judge Aerosmith's work from watching Armageddon too many times.

    Aerosmiths 70's stuff is up there with the best of them. Get Your Wings, Toys in the Attic and Rocks, all classics, should be in the collection of every fan of the music of that era. Then things went terribly wrong in the 90's, but that's a different story... '

    Well, tbh, i was judging them on their most famous late 80's stuff as the 90's stuff was pretty poor. Dude (Looks like a lady), Love in an Elevator and Walk this way (I prefer the Run DMC version) are classics, but the rest leave me a bit meh....

    I am also a cheesy Metallica fan, i love the Black Album way above everything else and then a pretty even individual songs before and after it.

  • toythatkills #29 3 years ago

    Christ, are we really still referring to Guitar Hero controllers as "Fisher Price?"

    How about some Wii (LOL URINE) jokes too?

  • Feanor #30 3 years ago

    Waiting for Guitar Hero: Smashing Pumpkins.

  • Ryze #31 3 years ago

    The thing that's not quite right aout the flood of Guitar and music games generally for different artists, is that regarless of how much you spend on the downloadble songs, there's no option to take them onto your iPod, phone, car stereo or even your home stereo to just listen to them.

    Damn shame that these games don't double up as digital music stores. The consoles have hard drives and USB ports - nothing stopping this from being fleshed out...

  • aphexstwin #32 3 years ago

    "denying teenagers across the globe the chance to spandex up and role-play Lars Ulrich."

    you mean out-play lars ulrich...?

    as others have said, their first albums are much better than those released post black, they had something to say, whereas a former thrash band releasing a love song just says it all really.

    really, really want to here a guitar hero or rock band iron maiden announced, with 10 extra drum pads and a special 10 fingered mechanical hand to play bass with...

  • wayn3h #33 3 years ago

    /waits for a Slipknot edition.

    On a side note, Metallica are complete and utter thundercunts.
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 19:10

  • tomwhitaker #34 3 years ago

    Got this on import and, from a guitar-only perspective, it's the best of these games since GH2, including all the Rock Band stuff. Only criticism is that the timing is still a bit loose, but given how hard it's getting towards the end, I'm not sure I mind too much.

    For Whom The Bell Tolls is a BRILLIANT start and there are plenty of other highlights throughout.

  • Obiwanshinobi #35 3 years ago

    Time for Coroner and Voivod themed games. Roll on eighties!
    P.S. Oh, a videogame based on the Operation: Mindcrime could be quite... melodramatic. "Alienated young men" from back then are not that young anymore.
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 20:57

  • Eraysor #36 3 years ago

    Personally I think the only good Metallica song is One, and that's already on GH3.

    Rock Band 2 is infinitely superior to the entire GH franchise anyway when it comes to the actual game you play (bearing in mind I only use GH guitars to play Rock Band).

  • owl #37 3 years ago

    I would play Guitar Hero: Stars of the Lid. It would be transcendent.

  • Lukus #38 3 years ago

    Sweeeeet. It's my birthday next month, I may ask for this.

    edit- seems I don't know when my birthday is..
    Edited by 1 at 14/04/09 @ 21:26

  • dsmx #39 3 years ago

    Stop feeding us all this crap and actually give us the game that we all want to play, Guitar hero: Jimi hendrix.

  • Ryze #40 3 years ago

    ^ THIS.

  • HiredMan #41 3 years ago

    They should've released this in 2 volumes:

    GHM: Good - Kill 'em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Justice for All (would include old Slayer, Anthrax, Motohead etc)

    GHM: Shit - Black album and everything after (includes System of a Down and other dross)

  • Zamn10210 #42 3 years ago

    Stop feeding us all this crap and actually give us the game that we all want to play, Guitar Hero: Jimi Hendrix.

    So very, very true.

  • jetsetdemo #43 3 years ago

    Operation: Mindcrime , oh yes please...

  • Moggo #44 3 years ago

    Metallica have violent tones in their songs?

    What? Maybe St Anger, if you were being tenuous.

    Which, clearly, this reviewer is.

  • dsmx #45 3 years ago

    let me get this straight metallica get their own game before hendrix, or even the beatles? worlds fail me how absolutely retarded the music industry is.

  • Skurmedel #46 3 years ago

    @irregularjohn: It is the title track to that movie, so he's not really incorrect.

  • Fuser #47 3 years ago

    I like the way the reviewer insinuates that the Metallica guys still playing their brand of music at being nearly 50 yrs old as somehow wrong. Why is it wrong? Are 50 yr olds not supposed to like or play heavy rock? Should Kirk and Lars start learning the violin?

  • DAN.E.B #48 3 years ago

    Stop feeding us all this crap and actually give us the game that we all want to play, Guitar Hero: Jimi Hendrix.

    hmmm not sure we will ever see it as they seem to be releasing more hendrix tracks for WT maybe its been axed!

  • GAmbrose #49 3 years ago

    I imported this from Canada and it arrived yesterday. Only really got in to Metallica in the last 6 months (Never really paid any attention to their stuff prior to this) but would be fair to say I am now a fan.....Well 1983 (Kill Em all) - 1991 (The Black Album) and Death Magnetic. The songs are awesome to play along to on the drums.

    However, Rock Band 2 is a far FAR superior game and it's just a shame that all Metallica albums weren't avaliable as DLC on that.

    Unlocking everything early is ok, but theres no real sense of progression...you are just playing through a list of songs like the Guitar Hero's of old.

    8/10 is a fair score, even if you are a massive fan of Metallica

  • Fr3gU #50 3 years ago

    So, has anyone ever played Band Quickplay with just one friend in GHM or GHWT? No? Well, you can't. Ever tried to play Band Career in GHM? Yes, tried and realized that Neversoft is removing features from the previous game (which was not multiplayer friendly to start with). That's F%&NG insane! And as someone stated earlier, no rhythm guitar track, even for the Death Magnetic songs even though they are present in GH3... come on; it cannot be that hard to convert this for the polished engine!? No, I'm so glad people are stupid enough to buy this shitty game so I can sell it. RB2 is not perfect, I give you that, but at least it let's me perform as a band without having to spend minutes of waiting/cancelling before noone is joning my Band Quickplay session. The only reason why I play this game still is the music. In my opinion the perfect mix. But it does not cover the fact that the game itself is missing key features in a world where intuitive multiplayer options is the key to success... epic fail, Neversoft. Go back to the skate park.

    [edit] spelling :o)
    Edited by 1 at 15/04/09 @ 15:28

  • GAmbrose #51 3 years ago

    Not much of a problem if you have a flatmate and/or friends who will happily play the game in the same room though.

  • irregularjohn #52 3 years ago

    @ Skurmedel "Good, the Bad and the Ugly" is the main theme for the movie, "Ecstasy of Gold" is not. Metallica intros would be a rather different experience if they had used the former.

  • zebedee #53 3 years ago

    'Disinterested' or 'uninterested'. They're not the same, y'know

  • rashy #54 3 years ago

    I have to ask after the darkfall inaccurate review, that was largly written on bias, and with disputes about the reviewer actually playing the game for any length of time can I trust this review as truth? or is this review actually written by someone with an interest in the product or an opposing one?