It's incredibly cliche too start a review with this term but here I go. Red Octane has done it again with Guitar Hero 5. Not only does Guitar Hero 5 take the music game genre to new levels but it also redefines what makes music games so good in the first place. From good graphics to better music and the much needed ability to carry over some older songs, Guitar Hero 5 is near perfect.

It's easy to see why there is so much hype for Guitar Hero. In the past the game is huge with music fans and aspiring guitar players. Now with the introduction of the full band experience, the karaoke feel has moved to a whole new level. However Guitar Hero has to now compete with not just the previous Guitar Hero but also with Rock Band. So how does the king of music games take music games to a new level? This time around Guitar Hero 5 gives you the ability to play up to more then one of the same instrument. It's a small addition that does sound all that amazing, but if you have the equipment and enough people to have a Drum-off you'll definitely have a good time. Also added into the game is a new retooled interface. This isn't a full overhaul of the previous setups but it does add to the look next to the previous Guitar Hero titles. These tweaks compacts items worth watching while playing and removes the distracting items that would jump out at you in the older games. You don't have to worry about be disoriented by notifications for long streaks or charge star power.

The most important aspect of Guitar Hero or any music game is the music. Without good music, the game is worthless. This is where Guitar Hero 5 excels. This new iteration of Guitar Hero is just down right awesome. Every song seems like it was hand picked to work with more than just the guitar. There are songs that play better on the drums, bass and vocals than the guitar. This isn't to say that the game has forgotten the guitar but this time around you won't feel stuck with bass if you're in a party setting. Also to make things a little tougher in the career mode, the game has added new bonuses for all the instruments, making it worth while to plug in the mic when your alone, which isn't an easy task for a game where in the past the guitar was the main focus.

In the past it's been said that the current version of Guitar Hero is always best. This is still true. The changes applied to the game makes the game the best music title around. The ability to play any combination of instraments at any level online or off just addes to the games appeal. These new changes to a game that's already near perfect just makes it very easy to give Guitar Hero 5 a 10 out of 10.