Achievements Rocked

The achievements in Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock have been looked on in blank horror by the average gamer since the game's much lauded release. The level of challenge presented is so great, so seemingly insurmountable that many have simply walked away, heads bowed in submission to the rock gods.

Grab that axe and rock out some Gamerscore.

Wait, I say! Turn back with your head held high and your wireless Les Paul guitar held firm, ready to squeeze out some much deserved Gamerscore. While many of GHIII's achievements require unearthly skill (Enlightened Guitarist and Streak Master come to mind), there are several achievements where a few focused tips can tip the balance in favor of your Gamerscore.

Whammy Mania: Use the Whammy Bar on every held note in Number of the Beast (15 points)
For mere mortals, the first half of this song seems feasible, but come part two your whammy bar skills will be mercilessly exposed. Claim this pesky achievement courtesy of some precision assistance.

Beg the use of a friend to keep their hand on the whammy bar, with their exclusive task being to push it in and out on every extended note. Don't sweat the single notes immediately before or after extended notes. The achievement doesn't ask that you five star the song, only that you hit the whammy bar on every held/extended note.

Take these suggestions to heart, and you should be able to at least respect yourself in the morning when you gaze at your Guitar Hero III Gamerscore.

Hendrix Reborn: Complete Career lefty and righty (10 points)
Two quick and easy pointers should have you sailing through this achievement in no time. First, play on Easy. There's just no reason not to. Second, the guitar's sensor may be able to tell when you've lifted it upright for a bit of Star Power, but you DON'T have to hold the guitar left handed for this achievement. Just turn on Lefty Flip and get comfortable reading the notes backwards as they fall down the screen.

Gold Streaker: Earn 500 note streak in Career or Quick Play (15 points)
This achievement will come as a matter of course for the gifted guitarist on either Medium or Hard difficulty. But if you're having trouble scoring the Gold Streaker achievement, toggle down to Easy difficulty and throw your weight behind "Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden or "One" by Metallica. Both offer more than 500 notes (a rarity on Easy) and are simple enough to get a hundred percent for anyone who feels relatively confident at Medium level.

Only 465 notes to go!

Tone Deaf: Beat any song on Expert difficulty with the games sound options turned down to zero (5 points)
While there's no quick fix to have you suddenly playing on Expert, there are a couple of tips to ease your way through this one. First, focus on an early song with which you're already familiar. Pick a song that has a natural, repeatable rhythm, preferably one that uses chords as opposed to single notes that fly up and down the scale.

Collector Achievements
Scatterbrained buyers are responsible for a great deal of missed achievements as they pick up a guitar here, a character there, and so on. The key though for the Axe Collector (buy every guitar), Track Master (buy every song) and Got 'em All (buy every character) achievements is to focus on just one at a time. Better to pick them up individually than wait forever and score them simultaneously.

Five Stars
The Axe Grinder (10 points), Rock Guru (20 points), Shredder (30 points), and Guitar Hero (75 points) achievements require you to earn five stars on all songs on Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert respectively. Instead of attempting these achievements as you go through each difficulty for the first time though, try instead to backtrack after completing a higher difficulty. For example, scoring five stars on every song on Medium is a great deal easier and less frustrating after you've completed the game on Hard.

Embrace the orange button. The orange button is your friend.

Secret Achievements
Guitar Hero III boasts three secret achievements, two of which you may want and one that you'll most certainly want to avoid.

• Blowin' It: Fail any song ten times (overall) and you'll be tagged with this five point achievement.
• Almost Got It: Fail a song after having completed ninety percent and you'll "earn" five Gamerscore.
• Tail Between Your Legs: You'll be slapped with this ZERO point achievement should you ever back away from a boss battle during Career mode.

There remain a frightening number of achievements that can only be attained through sheer, almost unfathomable skill. But take these suggestions to heart, and you should be able to at least respect yourself in the morning when you gaze at your Guitar Hero III Gamerscore. Good luck, and rock on!

Article by Ryan Treit