Gamermall.com rating: N/A

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is a complete standalone game, separate from Guitar Hero III. It may share assets and code, but the game has been updated enough to be its own beast. And that beast is the two-headed monster of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. Right from the opening menu that asks you to "Just push any button to play" while "Back in the Saddle" blasts out of the speakers, you can see that the game is deeply infused with the Boston rockers. Pictures of Aerosmith's Vindaloo studio were used to recreate the insider feel. Joe Perry even selected specific guitars to be recreated for use with certain songs in the game.

Of course, a game with only Aerosmith in it would get a bit stale even for the hardiest of fans. Don't worry. There are songs by other artists as well.

Each venue is structured to have two non-Aerosmith opening acts followed by three tunes by the title band. We got a look at the first two of six. The game follows Aeromith's career, starting with their first gig at Nipmuc High and then continuing to Max's Kansas City, the bar where the band signed their first contract. Before each set begins you'll be treated to a video interview with members of the band giving you a bit of history about that time period in the band's career. Here is the track list for the first two venues:

The Toxic Twins rendered at last

Nipmuc High
Dream Police - Cheap Trick
All the Young Dudes (cover) - Mott the Hoople
Make It - Aerosmith
Uncle Salty - Aerosmith
Draw the Line - Aerosmith

Max's Kansas City
I Hate Myself for Loving You - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
All Day and All of the Night (Cover) - The Kinks
No Surprize - Aerosmith
Sweet Emotion - Aerosmith
Movin' Out - Aerosmith

There are two covers in the opening sets, but of the more than 40 songs included in the game we're told that only a few are covers. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Aerosmith came into the studio to re-record several tracks for the game when masters couldn't be found. No word yet on which songs they did that for.

Those who played Guitar Hero III will notice a few other changes made to the structure of the game. There is only one boss battle this time around, for starters. Neversoft wouldn't say who it is, but we're pretty sure you can guess. There's also no co-op career mode this go around, but we've been told that you can play and unlock songs cooperatively in the normal career.

Animations have been slightly improved (including all new motion capture sessions with the title band) and things look a bit smoother now. All of the outfits from Guitar Hero III are back, including a few new additions, so if you hated the look of the third game, this one won't win you over. Still, it's a step in the right direction.

Neversoft has heard the cries for an easier game after the insane challenge Guitar Hero III presented towards the end of the game. The difficulty level has been adjusted and now the ceiling is a bit lower. We didn't get a chance to see for ourselves, but Neversoft hopes that the progression is a little smoother from start to finish and the overall experience is more accessible.

Though Aerosmith supports all of the online modes found in Guitar Hero III (PS2 still has no online play), it won't be taking advantage of downloadable tunes. Any tracks you have downloaded for Guitar Hero III won't work with it, nor will it have any downloadable content of its own. That "Dream On" track you downloaded for Guitar Hero III won't work here, though something tells us that won't matter. Regardless, if you're looking for more downloadable content, Neversoft intends to continue releasing downloadable songs for Guitar Hero III straight through and beyond the release of Aerosmith.

While downloadable content is out, Neversoft confirmed that Aerosmith will work in conjunction with guitarhero.com and have its own separate leaderboards.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is set to launch this June on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii with pricing yet to be determined.

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