Guitar Hero 5

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 94 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 94
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 94
  3. Negative: 32 out of 94
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  1. NathanH.
    Sep 9, 2009
    4
    Though technically successful, Guitar Hero 5 fails to deliver on the most crucial aspect of the game: the music. While I do understand that there are vastly different tastes in music, the songs chosen for this game is by far the worst of the franchise thus far. For every decent band or song there are at least two songs that are obscure and unknown, inappropriate for a guitar and band Though technically successful, Guitar Hero 5 fails to deliver on the most crucial aspect of the game: the music. While I do understand that there are vastly different tastes in music, the songs chosen for this game is by far the worst of the franchise thus far. For every decent band or song there are at least two songs that are obscure and unknown, inappropriate for a guitar and band themed game (Coldplay in a rock game...really?), or could be replaced by a much better song out of the band's catalog (is there really nothing better than "Plug in Baby" that can be included for Muse?). Bottom Line: Though the graphical and technical updates are nice, the ability to play any instrument you desire, while convenient, betrays the band feel that I hope was originally desired, and the song list is awful. Skip this and stick to either World Tour or one of the expansion games like Aerosmith or Metallica.… Expand
  2. trevh
    Sep 22, 2009
    6
    Very dissapointed with this game, the tracklist is poor and while the unlockable star characters are a nice addition there is nothing else to keep me interested. On a lot of the songs the notes you play don't seem to fit in with the music at all. Graphics are average at best. The last GH song I ever buy.
  3. MikeC.
    Sep 6, 2009
    10
    Best music game to date. Looking at the track list when it was announced I was really dissappointed. But as I played the game I really had a great time, with or without my friends. Albeit, there is not a lot of people online once you do get on it works flawlessly, with minimal loading. The new features blew my mind, party mode was unbelievable fluid, dropping in and out worked as expected Best music game to date. Looking at the track list when it was announced I was really dissappointed. But as I played the game I really had a great time, with or without my friends. Albeit, there is not a lot of people online once you do get on it works flawlessly, with minimal loading. The new features blew my mind, party mode was unbelievable fluid, dropping in and out worked as expected and it was a lot of fun to just mess around and have a good time. Graphically the game surpassed Rock Band and I was really impressed by the visuals. Animations are fluid, even more so then Rock Band. If you love Rock Band, you'll love Guitar Hero 5, not a doubt in my mind.… Expand
  4. RobertC.
    Sep 1, 2009
    10
    Great music selection (all songs are unlocked from the start of the game) and being able to literally jump in and play from the title screen make this the best Guitar Hero yet. The graphics are also icing on the cake.
  5. tomnick
    Sep 24, 2009
    8
    Multiplayer is super easy to use. I love the fact that you can play every song in the game the second you pop the game in. Also, the career mode is extremely well done. Graphics rock, and the instrument is pretty solid.

    Best Guitar Hero made yet. Pretty excited about this release.
  6. R.B.
    Sep 4, 2009
    3
    It's time to just let Guitar Hero die. Stop milking a franchise that was once good and creative. Today, it's obviously only about selling as many copies of the game as possible. The music is horrible, there is no story for single player mode, and the instruments are cheaply made.
  7. AndyS.
    Sep 18, 2009
    7
    Great game with some great songs including Sultans of Swing and Sympathy For The Devil. My main complaint is that the game is getting too hard. Unlike Rock Band the game more for perfectionists and now the medium level is more like the expert level of earlier games, without the orange fret. If Activision continue to make it harder then they are liable to losing the fun side of the game.
  8. HanL.
    Sep 2, 2009
    0
    Broken and Frustrating. Stupid DLC system makes moving tracks hard. Crappy modes and 4 player mode doesn't work properly. Instruments also keep breaking.
  9. BobbyJ.
    Sep 2, 2009
    6
    The problem with Guitar Hero 5 is the same problem i feel that all of the Guitar Heros have had since Guitar Hero 3: It just doesn't seem like anyone making the games care about the music. Everything about the game is technically efficient but the game never seems to go the extra mile to deliver a fun game you can sit down and play by yourself for hours. While I agree that the new The problem with Guitar Hero 5 is the same problem i feel that all of the Guitar Heros have had since Guitar Hero 3: It just doesn't seem like anyone making the games care about the music. Everything about the game is technically efficient but the game never seems to go the extra mile to deliver a fun game you can sit down and play by yourself for hours. While I agree that the new multiplayer aspects in Guitar hero 5 are definitely a step up from last years and is fun, the career mode in this title is quite simply a joke. No setlits, no story, no point. On top of that they still haven't figured out a way to make the animations not seem stiff! And the actual venues all look that same. It just feels like for everything that Guitar Hero 5 does right there's still all the countless problems that are plaguing the game and hindering it to rise to rock band levels of fun. I think it may just be that Harmonix is a company that you can see just loving music so when they make a video game about music they go that extra mile while Guitar Hero seems to be trying to love music but in the end it's about selling a product. It really does make a difference at the end of the day.… Expand
  10. RobertM.
    Sep 4, 2009
    5
    A few great song choices, a lot of bad ones. I can't believe they still haven't figured out how to animate the UI properly. The flame animation that shoots up when you hit a note still never resolves properly and long streaks produce a really tacky looking flicker as a flame animation restarts from scratch rather than accumulating new instances (they'd also need to be lower A few great song choices, a lot of bad ones. I can't believe they still haven't figured out how to animate the UI properly. The flame animation that shoots up when you hit a note still never resolves properly and long streaks produce a really tacky looking flicker as a flame animation restarts from scratch rather than accumulating new instances (they'd also need to be lower and less opaque for that to work though).. it makes what is otherwise a much more graphically competent game look lazy and last-gen. Whammy effects are still badly tuned, and manage to always mangle the sound. Charting is not overdone so much as lazy. Still too many three-fret chords.… Expand
  11. JackR.
    Sep 4, 2009
    3
    The setlist is quite possibly the worst in any rhythm game ever and the gameplay is still inferior to Rock Band. Singing is still an exercise in frustration and the guitar engine is still loose and sloppy.
  12. JoseG.
    Sep 9, 2009
    5
    The problem with guitar hero is that, since 3, it feels like the music goes on without you. You never get that sense that YOU are playing the part, only playing along, which IMHO just kills the whole damn experience. I still find the first GH to be the most enjoyable in the rock out factor.
  13. MikeS.
    Sep 1, 2009
    10
    The best GH game to date, and if DLC doesn't disappoint in the coming month, we might have the best Band rythm game of all time on our hands. Truely stellar!
  14. SandeProElite
    Jan 5, 2012
    8
    The game has an updated engine making it feel much better to play the songs. The set list is pretty good and has some classic songs in it. Career mode is also newly designed with challenges for each song. The game also has improved band play allowing everyone to pick any instrument they want rather than needing to have a standard band.
  15. fateappointed
    Feb 3, 2014
    8
    Songs: 8 out of 10, Graphics: 7 out of 10, Fun: 8 out of 10, Controls: 8 out of 10, Ease to Learn: 7 out of 10, Length: 8 out of 10, Re-play: 8 out of 10, Value: 8 out of 10
  16. notmichael
    Jan 31, 2015
    9
    If you have a varied taste in music, then you'll love this. Endless replayability, the gameplay has been highly refined to approaching the perfect music game.
  17. Andjelico95
    May 30, 2015
    3
    I will begin with the setlist. It's so Awful, too much focus on american music, bad genres and to few metal songs. The setlist didn't give the "Guitar Hero feeling", and i think that is the biggest reason why this game is ruined. The calibrate system was too complicated and didn't help out the lag problem either. The graphics were poor, because it was too blurry and depressing. TheI will begin with the setlist. It's so Awful, too much focus on american music, bad genres and to few metal songs. The setlist didn't give the "Guitar Hero feeling", and i think that is the biggest reason why this game is ruined. The calibrate system was too complicated and didn't help out the lag problem either. The graphics were poor, because it was too blurry and depressing. The character-maker was not good either, it was complicated and too much loading times.

    There were a couple of songs that was fun to play, but it was not enough to enjoy the game. I will not recommend this game.    … Expand
  18. Giero
    Jan 3, 2023
    9
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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PS3 Game of 2009
46
#46 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009
92
#92 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 50 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. GameSpy
    90
    With Guitar Hero 5 Neversoft has finally found its "confidence." An assured nature to the game's new visual direction contrasts with the see-what-sticks "extreme" visual stylings of its predecessors, and with several new game modes Guitar Hero finally bests its direct competitor in ease of use and friendliness, in many respects.
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  2. GameZone
    80
    The setlist simply did not pull me into this game. There were some good tunes (Frampton rocks!), a couple of nice discoveries, but Guitar Hero is about the songs and while the gameplay, mechanics, and options are nicely handled, the track list failed to impress.
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  3. 1UP
    100
    The multiplayer is easier to jump into than Rock Band, but the game's more intense difficulty settings still provide a challenge for the plastic-instrument elitist. The franchise still has a long way to go to catch up to Rock Band's mind-bogglingly large library of downloadable songs, but, on the software side, GH5 is the current feature leader.
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