Guitar Hero III - First Screens and Gameplay Footage

The first Guitar hero III screens and gameplay videos are now available thanks to IGN who got their hands on it first. I'm going to tell you right from the beginning that things have changed with this third installment of the music series, as Neversoft has taken the wheel, without Harmonix's code.

The two videos below will give you a good idea of what has changed with this latest installment of the Guitar Hero series. Some features worth mentioning are the HUD, which has been completely revamped, according to Joystiq. Lights will now show how much you've filled the Star Power meter, while a new chain counter will tell you how many notes you've hit in a row. IGN also points out that the timing has changed:

"...the timing window for when you can hit a note is not quite the same as Guitar Hero I and II. Not to worry. Neversoft is bringing in testers regularly to get their opinion on timing (amongst other things) and are constantly adjusting the window to nail the sweet spot. Even without being used to the timing on this early build, it only took about 2 minutes before we were ripping out fast licks with precision."

Also, the site reports more songs that will be master tracks, rather than covers, along with new multiplayer modes and wireless controllers of course. The good thing is that Guitar Hero III will have both cooperative and competitive online modes.

True fans of the series should already be aware of the fact that the first confirmed rock band to be featured in the music game for the PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 is 'Queens of the Stone Age.' The same band will be featuring songs from their first album, Era Vulgaris, in another Activision published music game - Rock Band. Let's hope that it turns out to be just as good as the other installments. Keep in mind that Harmonix's code is Harmonix's code...

Overall, I'd say it looks pretty good for a title still in development, but there's room for much more that's for sure.