Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Annual updates rarely spring surprises and Guitar Hero hasn't exactly rocked the boat recently, so what's new in the latest version?

At first glance, not a lot – in fact, with the loss of those memorable (and controversial, if you count Kurt Cobain) names from GH5, you might be less than impressed with the inclusion of only eight faux axemen like Lars Umlaut, drawn from previous releases. Crowds and guitarists have been given a subtle makeover, but in terms of gameplay not much has changed other than being able to accumulate more stars per song if you perform flawlessly. Narration from Gene Simmons is a nice touch – what a pity he's not a playable character, because genuine star flamboyance is sorely needed.

The most significant difference is a new story-based Quest mode that allows your chosen axeman to face special challenges and activate their new special powers and transform into a "warrior of rock" – together with the kind of OTT visual makeover that fans of heavy metal (or "very camp" depending on your outlook) should enjoy. It's a nice idea, but I'm not sure the Street Fighter route of ever more complex combos is really the way to go.

For me, a music game should stand or fall on its musicality and this is where Guitar Hero has been losing ground to its nearest rival for a while now. Yes, there are 90 tracks, and Bohemian Rhapsody is a welcome addition to any roster. However, the rest are verging on guitar geekdom – including a massive seven-track finale from Canadian cult-rockers Rush – albeit set in an impressive new stadium. There's a great live version of Paranoid featuring both Ozzy and Metallica, but the basic track has been used before – suggesting that without innovation in other departments, the series is simply running out of guitar styles to ape.

Of course, none of this would matter if Guitar Hero still had the floor all to itself – after all, it created the genre almost single handed. But basking on three-year-old glories is not a great idea with EA's Rock Band taking things in a new, more promising direction. With more instruments, playing styles and variety, plus a tracklist at least as strong (including Bohemian Rhapsody) fans might decide to wait for the imminent Rock Band 3 before choosing which musical direction to take next. However, WoR's new axe-controller does work a treat, if you fancy forking out the extra £35.