Guitar Hero Metallica

What simply cannot be understated, however, is the fact that this is a pure and wholesome, if down and dirty, Metallica experience – the archives have been raided, fan clubs have turned out their pockets and provided set lists, old posters and tickets and Neversoft have sat in backstage trailers with Metallica themselves as they rung around all their rock mates to try and work out where the original song masters from the old days ended up. What’s more, with the Metallifacts mode you can educate yourself with random Metallitrivia such as that For Whom the Bell Tolls is based on a Hemingway novel about the Spanish Civil War. Which is certain to help at the next Metallipubquiz. Or if you just want to sound like you know the band inside out. It works both ways.

In securing the biggest metal band on earth Guitar Hero nabbed an ace in the hole that’s sure to demolish their competition or at least leave them badly bruised with a bloody nose. How will other music action games cope? Their main rivals in the Harmonix Rock Band camp must be crying themselves to sleep over this – and they’re capitalising on it by patching up the leakier parts of World Tour with the terrifying power of metal. Guitar Hero Metallica is going to be a marvel for fans and non-fans alike. We’re off to Never Never land, and pretty much staying there.

Monster tracks: The Metallica mega hit-list revealed! Partially!

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“We originally tried to start with 25 Metallica songs, but it went back and forth,” explains Guitar Hero Metallica’s senior producer Jody Coglianese. “James Hetfield had a list, Lars Ulrich had a list, the guys doing the music note tracks had a list – there were a lot lists going around.” So what made it and what jumped into the fire? Here we rate the officially announced Metallica tunes, and some of those recorded by other bands also present in-game...

Enter Sandman
(1991, Metallica)

For Whom the Bell Tolls
(1985, Ride the Lightning)

Fuel
(1998, ReLoad)

Hit the Lights
(1983, Kill ‘em All)

King Nothing
(1997, Load)

Master of Puppets
(1986, Master of Puppets)

No Leaf Clover
(1999, S&M)

Nothing Else Matters
(1991, Metallica)

Sad but True
(1991, Metallica)

The Unforgiven
(1991, Metallica)

Wherever I May Roam
(1991, Metallica)

Non-Metallica Tracks

No Excuses
(Alice in Chains)

Turn the Page
(Bob Seger)

Hell Bent for Leather
(Judas Priest)

Demon Cleaner
(Kyuss)

Tuesday’s Gone
(Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Blood and Thunder
(Mastodon)

Armed and Ready
(Michael Schenker Group)

Mother of Mercy
(Samhain)

Black River
(The Sword)

Jan 27, 2009