So Guitar Hero 3 is… okay.

It just feels a little bit, I don’t know, unnecessary. They could (should) have easily added these songs via downloadable content on the marketplace.

The wireless guitar is a nice feature, but really it should have already been here with Guitar Hero 2. Also I can’t say I’m a fan of the two-part, assembly-required guitar. Put together, it is the same size as previous guitars, and the set comes in a huge oblong box that is also the same size as it previously was, so… why? It locks in, but it’s not that snug.

Admittedly I haven’t played online yet, but again, a feature that really should have been in Guitar Hero 2. So maybe that offers enough “new” to justify the whole new game. I just feel like they really underutilized the DLC that was available to Guitar Hero 2, and I hope they do more with it before Guitar Hero 4 comes out. It would be nice to not get stuck with a bunch of crap songs just to play the ones you enjoy. I mean how do you call the game “Legends of Rock” and then add “Tenacious D” as anything other than a bonus track? They’re a Legend of Rock, now? Where’s the Springsteen? Where’s the Hendrix?

So we’ll have to see what happens when Rock Band comes out next month. They’ve got a tough battle against an established brand and competitor, and they seem to be offering up quite a few features, not even counting the two additional instruments. Guitar Hero 3 really should have brought their A-game in anticipation of that.

At the very least, I really hope RedOctane puts out a patch that makes the Rock Band Stratocaster compatible with Guitar Hero… because frankly it looks waaaay better than any of the Guitar Hero controllers.

So I’ve reached the point this season where I’ve given up trying to keep up, and have just started stockpiling games for the inevitable early-year drought, after all of the game companies have blown their loads all over the holiday season. Folklore, Ratchet and Clank, etc, all great games I’m dying to play, but shelved until a window of time opens up wherein there are no other games to be played. I’ll focus on the important ones (Assassin’s Creed, Mass Effect, Kane and Lynch) and just worry about the rest later.

Though one of these days it would be nice for the developers to realize that, you know, people do buy games at times other than Christmas.