‘GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK’

November 11, 2007 at 2:00a.m.

(Activision) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PC

Genre: Simulation; Rating: T

Grade: B

Sweet heavens, there is a new “Guitar Hero” game for you to rock out with, and rock out you will.

Titled “Legends of Rock,” its track listing here is fantastic, and it feels more cohesive than in “GHII.” There’s little fluff here, so all the songs should get you hammering away at the guitar and loving every minute of it.

The game play is much more difficult than before, and it shows from the start. The speed seems faster and the tracks feature more ridiculous fretwork and solos that might have you banging your head into a wall instead of head-banging your way through an awesome track. If you don’t have previous “GH” experience, prepare for early failure.

But sticking with it has its rewards. The career mode is back, but most of the fun is in multiplayer. You can co-op the career mode, which is also cool because the track listing there varies from the single-player list. My friend Kelly and I always get a kick out of dual guitars, while our friends Dan and Douglass mock us incessantly. There are some other co-op modes, but they are not as strong and sap some of the fun.

If you can get past the amped-up difficulty, the rock-solid set list and wireless guitar controller are enough to make “GHIII” a must-own.

‘TONY HAWK’S PROVING GROUND’

(Activision) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, DS

Genre: Sports: Rating: T, for Teen

Grade: D

Funny how a little competition makes your weaknesses more apparent. When the “Tony Hawk” franchise was alone on top of the mountain, its problems were usually put aside because, for skate fans, it was the only option.

Now with EA’s stellar “Skate,” the flaws in “Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground” are so noticeable that I wonder how it can compete without a total overhaul of its game-play mechanics.

If the control scheme doesn’t frustrate you to death, then the three lifestyles (career, rigger and hard core) will often make you throw up your hands in disgust over how limited your options are.

The biggest problem is how completely unrealistic the game is — from the unnatural physics to challenges that are just too preposterous to enjoy. Unless you signed a blood contract with the “Tony Hawk” series, you should move over to EA’s “Skate.”

‘ACE COMBAT 6: FIRE OF LIBERATION’

(Bandai Namco) for Xbox 360

Genre: Flight Simulation; Rating: T

Grade: B

In its first installment for the next-gen consoles, “Ace Combat” wastes no time rewarding you for the wait. Rarely has a franchise so consistently churned out solid efforts, and if you have not played any of these titles previously, you’d be foolish to miss “Fires of Liberation.”

The controls are not hard to grasp, so newbies should not fret about feeling out of touch. The game play toes the line very closely between simulation and arcade, but it’s honestly more arcade with a simulation look and feel. The story is not as engrossing as previous iterations, but it’s still top-tier compared to just about everything else on the market. Plus, the thrilling, movielike, orchestral soundtrack makes a huge difference.

The action is intense from the get-go, so you’ll be engaged in massive dogfights and evading attacks from land, sea and air at a constant clip. The hectic nature helps the enjoyment, because by the time you finish each mission, you feel like you really have accomplished something.

This is an impressive debut for “Ace Combat” on the next-gen console. There’s no reason to avoid this game.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard