For Christmas I got a copy of Guitar Hero 3 for the PS3, but before I got a chance to play it me and Nomi went around to her friend Lucy's house where she had a copy of Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii.
I played it and absolutely loved it (Even tho I sucked at it). So when I got back to Kent we cracked out my version.
Now in essence the two games are identical... mash the coloured buttons in time to the music. But that's where the similarity ends... the Wii version used the Wiimote inside the guitar and transmits back to the Wii. The PS3 version uses a (Quite frankly shit looking) USB dongle to receive the signal from the guitar. Now both guitars are the same in appearance except the Wii's is white and the PS3's is Black (Standard livery colours for the consoles), but because the Wii's used the Wiimote it has rumble and speaker capabilities, which actually is really good, as bum notes sound through the Wiimote (Brilliant on 2 player modes) and when "Star Power" is achieved the guitar gives a little shake. It's a lovely touch that is sadly missing from the PS3 version. However from an engineering perspective why Activision didn't develop a guitar that worked with both consoles (Even if it does use a USB dongle, because the Wii does have 2 USB ports that are often overlooked) I don't know... perhaps there's a deep rooted difference in the control inputs that is impossible to overcome. But it's a shame as if you two guitars from different systems they sadly wont work. But enough of the rant about the guitars.
The game itself is radically different in visual quality. Now I know the quality of the PS3s graphics engine dwarfs the Wii, but is it really so profound that the characters in the Wii version need to look like Terrance and Philip? I know it's not, as other games (Such as Resident Evil 4) have superb graphics... I don't pretend to know the reason, but I imagine it may have something to do with the quantity of songs vs the capacity of the disk. This would also explain why all the tracks are presented in mono as opposed to DTS on the PS3. The PS3s superior graphics engine sadly shows up the Wii version, but during the game you rarely have time to take in the graphics as you're too busy focused on the button mashing.
The worst thing that lets the Wii version down however is the on-line capabilities, now I've always disliked the whole "friend code" system as being unnecessarily clunky, but I won't mention the on-line play with the Wii as I've not tried it. But it's the ability to buy extra songs on-line for the PS3 that really catches my interest. Sadly the construction of the Wii (Lack of a HDD) means that downloading tracks is unlikely to ever become a reality (A SD card would be far too slow a transfer rate) which is a real shame... although it irks me that it's a sort of "stealth tax" on owning a game these days, downloadable content extends the longevity of a game, and continues to do so as long as content keeps rolling out.
All in all it depends on the system(s) you own as to which you buy, but if you have the luxury of choice the PS3 version wins hands down, I'd like to recommend the Wii version, as personally I love the Wii as a console, but without it's innovative control system it sadly falls at the processing power of the PS3.
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Ok, hand on heart if I ever say this again then please shoot me: Guitar Hero III is better on the PS3 than the Wii... there I said it... I feel unclean.
There are several merits holding the Wii about the PS3 though, the sound through the Wiimote in the guitar, the sensitivity being slighty higher in the controller (possibly faster Wifi communication I don't know) and... that's about it. It looks gorgeous on the PS3 and disturbingly crap on the Wii. I still maintain that the level of difference in graphics is totally unnecessary, there is bound to be a difference of course, but that much? This is forgivable, as the only people looking at the graphics are observers but the one thing I cannot get over is the lack of ability to purchase extra tracks in the Wii Shop like the PS3. I understand why it is impossible but it does annoy me a little. I think it bugs me more because Sony have done something better than Nintendo and that sits about as well with me as a stinky hobo on a bus.
xxx
Wow.. this is a first. I'm shocked. You actually like the PS3 and it's got absolutely no reference to Final Fantasy? The world is in danger of imploding in on itself as the very fabric of reality is altered.
If you listen carefully you can hear the stifled weeping of Nintendo programers.
Ahhhh... Exactly the review I was looking for! Just now thining of giving in to the whole Guitar hero thing and have both the Wii and Ps3. Thnks for the info.
i know nothing about the internal meat of either console, but i do know a little about guitar hero.
i played for about 6 months on ps2, then upgraded to ps3. not a huge difference in gameplay. a few new ideas thrown in, but the buttons and timing is the same.
then i was house-sitting for a couple weeks and the owner had gh3 for wii. it was extremely poor quality in every way. poor graphics and such and such. but what kills it for me is the fact that the syncopation between the controls, the visual, and the actual music is about a half-second off. in order to successfully play you have to strike the notes about a halfsecond before it actually happens in the music or on the screen. my buddy and I have played ALOT of guitar hero on playstation. we're quite good at it. we couldn't play the wii version. the syncopation is just too far off and not worth acclimating to, since it does not match the music. playstation took no acclilmating the first time i played. i just picked it up and was pretty decent off the bat and, as an actual musician, i can tell you that the timing is right on.
if anybody knows the reason for this i would love to hear your thoughts.
don't play guitar hero on wii. get a playstation. totally worth it. nothing new here. sorry nintendo...
Hello A very nice niche blog, and a good design there sparks Simplicity yet complex algorithm of the internet. Thank You.
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