It's a heady time for plastic guitar lovers. "Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s" came out on PS2 last week and gave us 30 reasons to roll up the sleeves on those bright shirts, throw on a white sport coats and show 'em what we got. \nHighlights are "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister, "I Ran (So Far Away)" by Flock of Seagulls, "Heat of the Moment" by Asia and "Radar Love" by White Lion.\nIt's fun, but much like the decade itself, the '80s game is a bit of a letdown. Thankfully, half the songs for "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" have been revealed, and they rock quite heavily.\nThe new songs include "Even Flow" by Pearl Jam, "My Name is Jonas" by Weezer, "Paint it, Black" by The Rolling Stones, "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss, "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys, "Slow Ride" by Foghat, "La Grange" by ZZ Top, "Suck My Kiss" by Red Hot Chili Peppers and "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses. The YouTube video for My Name is Jonas got me giddy.\nIt's a pretty solid "who's who" of guitar rock, but I can't help feeling like a number of the all-time heavyweights got snubbed. Led Zeppelin, The Who, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Phish and Frank Zappa have yet to appear in "Guitar Hero" (probably due to financial concerns), but in my fantasy list, they all get their shot. \nThe '80s game is just an encore, so it's understandable that there aren't any new features. This version is just a quick fix of songs to master until "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" lays down the gauntlet this fall. According to Wikipedia's game summary, there's a multi-layered battle mode which sounds incredible, new guitars and venues and a boss mode where you get to play Slash. Here are 20 songs I'd turn my amp up to 11 for:
The Openers \nVan Halen -- "Eruption" At 1:41, it's far shorter than anything on the first three games, but holy geez, the constant hammer on and off will make it feel like a ballad.\nChuck Barry -- "Johnny Be Goode" As Marty McFly said, "Blues riff in B. Watch me for the changes and try to keep up."\nThe White Stripes -- "Icky Thump" This riff might not be as infectious as "Seven Nation Army," but it's so now. \nFlaming Lips -- "Free Radicals" Wayne Coyne's intro is so heavy, it sounds like he's playing with explosives.
Epics: \nLed Zeppelin -- "Whole Lotta Love" Jimmy Page's guitar squeals so much he's practically singing a duet with Robert Plant. Sorry, no "Stairway." \nPink Floyd -- "Comfortably Numb" Should come with warning: You may break whammy bar from overuse.\nZappa -- "Inca Roads" For anyone who thinks Zappa was just a comedian, check this one out. He's one of the five best guitarist ever. \nJimi Hendrix -- "Machine Gun" & "Axis Bold as Love" You can never have enough Jimi in a guitar game. He is THE guitar hero. \nGuns N Roses -- "November Rain" As Regina Spektor sings, in her song "On the Radio," 'That solo's awful long, but it's a good refrain.'
Best of the Rest:\nMichael Jackson -- "Beat it" MJ's great, but Eddie V. carries this song.\nThe Who -- "Won't get Fooled Again" Bonus points if you try a Pete Townshend windmill and smash the axe. If only there was a Keith Moon drum hero ...\nMetallica -- "One" In the rock opus, the hero starts off playing a tender battle ballad but by 4:30, you get the trademark bang-and-thrash of a Metallica stage show.\nACDC -- "Thunderstruck" Put on your best schoolboy suit and shred your way through this area-rock anthem.\nRadiohead -- "My Iron Lung" One of a number of rockers on The Bends.\nWeen -- "Roses are Free" Dean Ween shreds his distorted guitar like so many heads of lettuce. Pure mustard.
The final stage\nPhish -- "You Enjoy Myself" Pull out the trampolines and get ready to bounce around on this long jam. \nNeil Young -- "Keep on Rockin in the Free World: I love you, Neil. \nEric Clapton -- "Layla" I know it's a little cliche, but Clapton is God, and he proves it here.\nThe Beatles -- "The End" What could possibly end the game better than The Beatles trading solos.
