Since the release of the first Guitar Hero, both hardcore players and metal fans have pleaded for the release of classic Iron Maiden songs. We got a few scattered covers like “The Trooper” in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II, or “Run to the Hills” in Rock Band, but what we really wanted was a serious album-like release: give us all of “Peace of Mind” or “Powerslave,” etc.
What we got today was way better: a 12-song greatest-hits compilation based on the just-released “Flight 666” documentary / DVD / live CD release, in stores today. (I guess 06/09/09 was as close as they could get to the Number of the Beast). As mentioned in my previous blog post, it’s got 8 studio tracks from various albums and a few live cuts, and it was party time in ScoreHero IRC last night as people stayed up late waiting for the Marketplace to go live with the release, with players posting their DL%’s in chat, eager to start playing through the DLC.
As expected, the DLC is HARD. Like, Megadeth “Peace Sells…” hard. On Expert guitar, the rhythm sections have the expected chugging, but the solos zigzag all over the place and there are a few parts that will undoubtedly have players scrambling to survive the song. The charting seems a little haphazard in places, but nothing worth a serious complaint.
My only disappointment, if I have one, is that two of my favorite songs, “Aces High” and “Hallowed By Thy Name,” are live tracks instead of studio versions. While I’m amazed at how good Bruce Dickinson still sounds, he (and pretty much everyone else on the planet) can’t help but strain to hit the high notes on “Aces High,” and while the live “Hallowed” is a solid version, it also has that loose, live feel that lacks some of the orignal’s magic. But even with that small caveat, it’s an absolutely fantastic DLC release that I know I’m still going to be playing years from now.
At the moment, I’m getting a feel for the guitar and vocal parts (I’ve gold starred 7/12 guitar tracks), in preparation for recording some all-star full-bad videos tonight and tomorrow. It’s going to be EPIC.
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