Well, I finally beat Guitar Hero 3 (no 5-stars on everything yet, just on the first 4 tiers) and I am ready to give a run down of impressions: Is this a worthy successor?

In short, yes. The game, just as the 2nd part in the series, does not pull off the vibe of completeness the first one had. Nonetheless, it is great! Woo!
After trudgin' around for the first few groups I was not very impressed. It was fun but I kept thinkin' the game would not be good if it kept like this. Also, who the heck is Tom Morello? Swanky sounds do not intimidate me, young man.

Anyhoo, when I finally got to play 'Paint it black' I had way more fun than the any of the previous songs. That was it: this game would not disappoint. Playing 'Holiday in Cambodia' and 'The Number of the Beast' further proves my point. YEAH!
I'm a bit miffed that I'll have to play Co-op to get some other songs, but I have 2 guitars and a willing victim. I also take beef (99cent sized, not 16oz steak-sized) with the graphics on two things: The singer hath been borne on the pits of the tortured mind of Salvador Dali and lathered on the hot sauce that nightmares are made of. Egads, that's one creepy guy, straight out of the Honeycomb commercials. Also, I appreciate the beat keepin' of the drummer Neversoft, I do, real nifty and all that, but he looks not right...A more stylized version would have helped...
BUT! If you are playin' this game right (on expert) you probably won't have time or desire to look at the graphics, thus it is relatively minor.

But, we must realize somethin' about the Guitar Hero series: they are a type of Pac-man. That is, a gameplay type that is *really* fundamental. Short of, say substituting all song choices with indiscernible minimalistic compositions dredged from obscurity, the Guitar Hero series can't be spoiled.

As for Rock Band, I expect it to be something that elevates the gameplay of Guitar Hero to another level, yes, but nonetheless, Guitar Hero is a great game that is fun for the whole family and stay crunchy in milk.

The final word: Get it! (Unless you are *really* cash-strapped savin' for Rock Band)