This edition also features online play as well. The ability to play in a Battle of the Bands competition, which pits two virtual bands against each other, will allow a total of eight players to play against each other. Being able to do so, party on party, is a pretty cool feature of which too few players actually take advantage. But again, this is nothing new for the franchise.

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is a very well executed expansion to Guitar Hero: World Tour that brings many of your favorite tunes from the original games up to snuff with the latest peripherals. Unfortunately, the game really seems like an expansion, yet it is retailing for full price across all platforms. This is the game's biggest weakness. It seems like players should be able to download these titles as add-ons to World Tour for a bargain price rather than having to shell out cash as if it were a hot new release. Paying a $1.00 to $1.50 per song (depending upon which platform you purchase the game for) is certainly not ideal. In fact, I would have liked to have seen another twenty to thirty songs included in this disc; then I would pay the full price for Smash Hits without any qualms. However, this is not the case.

Consequently, I can only recommend this title to Guitar Hero enthusiasts that feel the band side of their collection is sorely missing the tracks included with this release. Everyone else out there could just as easily hold out for Guitar Hero 5, or wait for Smash Hits to hit the bargain bin or used section of their favorite game store.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director