Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s By Rathborne By Rathborne on Oct 02, 2007 - Updated Oct 15, 2011

I've enjoyed the Guitar Hero franchise quite a bit, but the latest incarnation is obviously a quick cash-in attempt. This entry includes 30 songs from the 80s (one of which is technically an homage, not really an 80s classic), a good number of which are original studio tracks, not covers. Unfortunately, "80s" lacks any bonus songs compared to its predecessors. This makes for an underwhelming package compared to the 60+ songs of each previous title.

Also, I noticed numerous recycled graphics: only the player's guitarist avatar and menus have seen a graphic change, everything else is lifted straight from Guitar Hero 2. This comes off as a half-done job, and is a bit insulting from a game commanding the price tag it does.

Overall, "Rocks the 80s" is a solid effort, but poor value. Only fans of 80's music or hardcore Guitar Hero fanatics need apply. Everyone else would find their gaming dollars better spent elsewhere.