Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (PS3) Review
Released: September 2010
Developer: Neversoft
Platform: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is the final mainline entry in the iconic rhythm game series before it took a long hiatus. With a renewed focus on hard rock and metal, a fantastical Quest Mode, and a massive 90+ song setlist, Warriors of Rock tries to go out with a bang. While it delivers solid gameplay and shredding solos, it also shows signs of a genre losing steam.
What Works
Core Gameplay Still Rocks
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The note highway and mechanics remain responsive and satisfying.
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Guitar play is especially solid, with some of the toughest and most technical charts in the series.
Huge, Guitar-Focused Soundtrack
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90+ songs with an emphasis on classic rock, metal, and guitar-heavy tracks.
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Artists include Rush, Megadeth, Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne, Soundgarden, Muse, The Offspring, and more.
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Includes Rushs entire 2112 suite, with narration by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson.
Quest Mode Is Ambitious
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Instead of a standard tour, you play through a mythical rock story, where characters transform into Warriors of Rock with gameplay-altering powers.
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Narrated by Gene Simmons of KISS. Its cheesy, but it fits the vibe.
Quickplay+ Adds Replay Value
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Adds challenges to every song (like hitting a certain number of notes, star power use, etc.), unlocking items and boosting scores.
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Great for competitive or completionist players.
Support for All Instruments
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Still supports guitar, bass, drums, and vocals (full band play), with drop-in/drop-out multiplayer.
What Doesnt Work
Quest Mode Can Be Repetitive
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Despite the flashy concept, it mostly boils down to replaying songs with modifiers.
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Doesnt offer the same on-the-road feel of older World Tour or Rock Band campaigns.
Song Variety Is Narrower
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If youre not into hard rock or metal, this soundtrack may feel too niche or aggressive.
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Lacks the genre diversity seen in previous entries like Guitar Hero 5.
Series Fatigue Had Set In
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Released after a wave of Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, player interest was already waning.
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Felt more like a solid farewell than a reinvention.
Plastic Instrument Era Was Ending
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By 2010, many gamers had moved on or didnt want to invest in bulky peripherals again.
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Some compatibility issues between hardware from different games/versions.
Final Verdict
🟢 Final Score: 7.5/10
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is a fitting, loud, and over-the-top finale to the original Guitar Hero era. It leans heavily into shredding and spectacle, offering serious challenge and fun for fans of rock and metal. However, the genre fatigue, narrower appeal, and limited innovation make it feel like a goodbut not groundbreakingsend-off.
Pros:
Killer setlist for rock/metal fans
Tight, polished gameplay
Cool guitar hero powers in Quest Mode
Tons of content with Quickplay+ and multiplayer
Cons:
Quest Mode gets repetitive
Limited genre diversity
Felt dated by 2010
Dependent on owning plastic instruments
Recommendation: If you still have the instruments and love hard rock/metal, Warriors of Rock is a blast to play and one of the most guitar-centric entries in the franchise. For casual fans or newcomers, it may feel like a relic of a bygone erabut a gloriously loud one.
