In Guitar Hero: Metallica, you may “Ride the Lightning” with musical icons Metallica and over 20 other exciting performers. Similar to how Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was a glorified expansion of Guitar Hero III, Guitar Hero: Metallica is an extension of Activision’s brand-focused smash Guitar Hero: World Tour, giving gamers a taste of life in and around one of heavy metal’s most popular and influential bands.
The game includes 49 songs in all, including 28 original Metallica compositions including “Seek and Destroy,” “Fade to Black,” “Master of Puppets,” and “One,” as well as 21 band-selected songs by acts like Bob Seger, Judas Priest, Queen, and Thin Lizzy. The game’s difficulty level was supposed to be comparable to that of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith; nevertheless, the hard-hitting nature of some of Metallica’s compositions led to the invention of a very challenging “Expert+” mode that can integrate a second drum pedal. Even though Metallica members James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo took part in motion-capture sessions to assist build believable in-game avatars, the scenario places players in the shoes of a band serving as Metallica’s opening act. This narrative mechanic transports players to real-world music venues such as San Francisco’s Stone nightclub, Los Angeles’ Forum, London’s Hammersmith Odeon, and Russia’s Tushino Airfield.
In previous games, players must earn high scores and unlock new songs by rhythmically matching onscreen cues that correlate to musical notes. The music creation aspect of Guitar Hero: Metallica returns, with new musical tones based on Hetfield’s guitar and a new “Drum Over” mode that allows gamers to play improvised drum tracks over any song, while the multiplayer “Battle Mode” includes Metallica-themed power-ups such as “Fade to Black,” “Ride the Lightning,” and “Trapped Under Ice.”
