Parents' Guide to

Guitar Hero 5

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Fresh, fun music game sequel with edgy lyrics.

Game Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 2009
Guitar Hero 5 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Guitar Hero 5 Game: Screenshot #1
  • Guitar Hero 5 Game: Screenshot #2
  • Guitar Hero 5 Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Tom_Gamer_Tom
Tom_Gamer_Tom Adult
June 18, 2010
age 9+

Great music game with some more mature lyrics.

Guitar hero is a very expensive game, that's for sure. You have to buy game and guitar. But its worth it. Entertaining for kids but with some mature lyrics. Only a few though. You don't listen to that junk anyway. The mature lyrics are useless songs, its very child friendly really. I don't see how the lyrics are that mature. Out of 85ish songs there are about 5 mature lines! Overall its a great game with good songs.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
joulisetio
joulisetio Parent of 13-year-old
January 15, 2010
age 5+

Perfect for everyone (even us the parents)

All right I bought this game for my son thinking it was really stupid but after seeing how much fu he had I went to check (after a week) to see what was so fun and after starting the game I coldnt stop. : )) It is incredible because you start in an easy level and then you start to gain trust and without knowing you are a pro. Althout it is a littl effort to buy it it last for ever I bought it 1 year ago and my kid still havent stop using it (I have a friend at Rockstar) By the way rocstar is the place where they made it

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Music fans burned out by the never-ending stream of rhythm games might be tempted to disregard the new GUITAR HERO 5, but Activision's latest offers more depth and breadth than its many predecessors. Once again players are challenged to jam along with many songs over the past few decades -- either with previously purchased instrument peripherals (guitar, drums or microphones) or bundled with the game -- and the better they play, the more points they earn and the more songs, venues, and characters can be unlocked. Hit a few sour notes or poorly-timed taps and you're booed offstage. But this time around, players have access to a wide variety of music totaling 85 songs (with more than 150 songs available via download), the option to import some songs from past Guitar Hero games, and if gamers mail in the proof of purchase, they'll also get the upcoming Guitar Hero: Van Halen.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2):
Kids say (9):

In addition to the huge library of songs to play through, Guitar Hero 5 offers something fresh and new. For the first time in the series, players can have multiple guitarists, bass players, drummers, and singers, in any game mode, rather than everyone choosing a different peripheral. Plus, with the game's new social "Party Play" mode, players can now jump in or drop out of game-play at anytime, without interrupting the jam session. New in-game characters range from Nirvana's Kurt Cobain to the man in black, Johnny Cash, as well as Carlos Santana, Garbage's Shirley Manson, and others. Also fun is Guitar Hero 5’s enhanced "GH Music Studio," which lets gamers write, edit, and upload their own game creations -- now with many more tools available at their disposal. While some might feel the rhythm genre has already reached (and surpassed) it's peak, Guitar Hero 5 is a refreshingly fun game for the entire family.

Note: All the versions of Guitar Hero 5 are basically the same -- including the "GH Music Studio" feature -- but the PlayStation 2 version does not have an online component (for multiplayer games or downloadable songs).

Online interaction: Gamers can play with each other online or share user-generated content on all versions of this game except for the PlayStation 2 verison.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk aboout when creating games based on the same formula becomes too much. Should companies consider dropping it before the concept grows old? Activision is certainly milking this franchise, but they're also introducing a new "spin" on it with the upcoming DJ Hero.

  • Why do you think Activision hired Playboy bunnies for the advertising of this game? What demographic are they hoping to appeal to?

Game Details

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