Guitar Hero III Mobile

Mobile phones and music games. The two don't mix. When I heard Guitar Hero III was coming to the mobile market, it didn't sound like the world's greatest idea. After all, it hasn't even been ported to PSP or Nintendo DS, whose technology is far superior to what you can get in a phone. Why bring it to mobile consumers but not the true gaming market?

Then I saw a few screens from the game. With 3D character art and a cloned (but scaled-down) version of the console editions, the GHIII looked pretty good. Of course, it was only a screenshot, which can be misleading.

Then I heard about the audio capabilities, which were touted as providing a truer Guitar Hero experience. I also heard about the promise of new songs, which are scheduled for release every month following the game's launch on Verizon Wireless late last year.

All this hoopla made me wonder: could the game actually achieve what no other has? Could it manage to capture even a fraction of Guitar Hero's essence and set a new standard for other mobile games to follow?

Rock On – The Go

Two characters (Axel Steel and Judy Nails), three venues, four guitars, multiple picks (achievements) and 15 songs are included with this downloadable package. The first set of tracks, titled "Opening Licks," includes Woman, Miss Murder, Black Magic Woman, and Suck My Kiss. Once finished, School's Out becomes available as the encore.

"Amp Warmers," the next batch of tracks, contains Hit Me With Your Best Shot, You Really Got Me, Strutter, Cherub Rock, and for the encore, Trippin' on a Hole. "String Snappers," the final lineup, is made up of Monsters, Shout at the Devil, Paranoid, Jessica, and Rock You Like a Hurricane (encore). Additional songs are acquired at a rate of $4.49 for monthly access or $11.99 for unlimited use. The first bonus set is available now and contains Mother, Barracuda, and The Seeker. The second set, due February 1st, will contain Life Wasted, Pride and Joy, and She Bangs the Drums.

This is one solid lineup, but it's the execution that makes them significant. Before creating the Guitar Hero series, Harmonix designed the Amplitude and Frequency music games for Sony. Those games are essentially Guitar Hero without the guitar peripheral, and that's the best way to describe GHIII Mobile. Rhythmically, the gameplay content is very similar to Amplitude/Frequency.

You have just three note buttons: green (1, 4 and 7 keys), red (2, 5, 8 keys) and yellow (3, 6 and 9 keys). But the game is still pretty intense, though no longer difficult since you can use two thumbs to dominate the note patterns and chords, rather than the complex moves necessary to perform successfully with the guitar peripheral on the console versions.

GHIII Mobile supports PMD audio for BREW devices, allowing the game to retain much of its aural integrity. The songs are cut – you won't get to play through any of them in their entirety. But the sound quality is extremely high. It's almost as good as what you'd expect to hear on the Nintendo DS. That's a huge step up from all other mobile games, which can't even make it past (at best!) SNES quality. Most are below Asteroids and Pac-Man.

The high-end audio and decent note/control response times helped form the Guitar Hero style gamers are no doubt seeking. What's most surprising (and rewarding) is that it actually worked. You won't be blown away but you'll most certainly be impressed. The note patterns are a perfect match for each song. You'll be jamming on your phone like you would a handheld drum pad.

Three difficulty settings are offered, but none of them will have a Guitar Hero master in turmoil. Most players will beat this one in 30 minutes or less. You may not, however, make it to the top of the leaderboard – which tabulates the 100 top players – overnight. As of this writing, the lead player had 4,602,218 points. The 100th player wasn't far behind, having 4,251,614 points.

But while the leaderboard is a cool addition, it doesn't influence the outcome of the game. GHIII Mobile is fun, plain and simple, and is undoubtedly one of the best time-killers a mobile gamer could have. Verizon users can get it now – those with other services can text ROCK to 46966 to get a free Guitar Hero wallpaper and be notified when the game arrives on their carrier.

Gameplay: 8.0
Quick, addictive, near-console-quality fun. It’s not the same as the Guitar Hero you know and love, but it’s very well done. A must-own for fans of Amplitude or Frequency.

Graphics: 7.5
Three backdrops, 3D character models, two playable character images, and forward-scrolling notes are the only visuals held within Guitar Hero III Mobile.

Sound: 8.5
Excellent – the best of any mobile game. Ever.

Difficulty: Easy
Nowhere near the challenge of the Guitar Hero games that use a guitar peripheral.

Concept: 7.9
A superb, scaled-down version of the world’s most successful music game.

Multiplayer: N/A
The 100-player leaderboard is the only form of “multiplayer” content.

Overall: 8.0
Well worth the price of admission. Guitar Hero III Mobile retains the essence of the series, creating an addictive gameplay experience that’ll keep casual and hardcore players coming back for more.