The latest offering from Red Octane/Harmonix is less a sequel and more an expansion pack. Encore plays like Guitar Hero 1 and even has the same venues and animations. There are no new features or new characters. There are some slightly different outfits for the characters but nothing significant. Still, there are 30 new (if old) songs. Some are by the original artists, some are really good covers, and some are weakened, pastel versions of 80’s classics - but even those are fun to play. I finished the game on the “Hard” setting and I can tell that “Expert” will be a bitch if not impossible for me. “Play with Me” by Extreme is the final song. Nuno Bettencourt’s shredding is not going to be easy to emulate. This is still a fun diversion while Guitar Hero III looms for a Fall release.
