I just picked up Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s today, and played through it in one sitting.

It's an odd duck, being simultaneously easier and harder than GH2. Easier in the sense that I played straight through without failing a song, and 5-starring all but three songs on my first try. Harder because a lot of the songs have some wicked solos, meaning they're going to be a lot harder to 100%.

The song "Because, It's Midnite" by Limozeen has probably the most ridiculous solo I've ever seen outside of "Jordan." It's a good thing that it's pretty short, so a star power activation can get you through it easily. "Ballroom Blitz" and "Play With Me" I could also see lasting a while without anyone getting 100%.

There are also some songs that do some pretty original things with the note chart. Oingo Boingo's "Only a Lad" stands out for me there, but "Heat of the Moment" and "What I Like About You" are also pretty unique. (If you like triple chords, you'll bust in your shorts when you see the latter.)

The Store is pretty lame. No new guitars, no new finishes, and no bonus songs. The lack of new guitars bugged me, since even the reward guitars for five-starring and beating various difficulty levels were the same. (The Log is probably the most anti-80s guitar ever created.) Also, there are only six characters, the one unlockable being the Grim Ripper as usual, and they're all limited to one costume, their new "80s Outfit." Granted, some of the 80s suits are pretty cool; Pandora's Flock of Seagulls hairdo and Axel's Members-Only Jacket stand out. The Grim Ripper's new outfit is kind of funny, but by far the worst suit. (They just threw a Flava Flav clock and some 3D glasses on him.) Still, anyone who's been following the game knows that Rocks the 80s was just going to be GH2 with some minor art changes and new songs, so I at least wasn't expecting much from the Store.

Overall, it was great fun, and for me it was definitely worth the $25. (I got it from Best Buy for $40, and got a $15 gift card for my preorder.) If you're really into the series, pick it up, even if you're not a big fan of 80s music. Unlike the previous games, it doesn't quite go up to 11, but it's a pretty loud 10.

P.S. No news yet if the "HO/PO Restart Bug" made it into this game from GH2, but there IS Hyperspeed, which is a plus.