Joystiq hands-on: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

It's Guitar Hero III ... now with lots more Aerosmith! Seriously though, at Activision's hands-on debut event for the stepping stone to Guitar Hero World Tour, we couldn't help but feel a strong overwhelming sense of déjà vu.

That's probably because, for all intents and purposes, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is GH3 with polygonal likenesses of the legendary rockers, a story mode that follows their rise to fame, lots of their songs, and a few tracks from other bands to sweeten the deal.

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith has changed a bit since its unveiling. One noticeable improvement is in the detail and animation of the titular rockers themselves. They now look much more like the real deal, and no longer play their instruments like rockin' robots. The menus and overall interface have also received makeovers, freshening things up a bit. Other than this, new venues, some new tracks, and new playable characters (Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. was unlocked) the game is, essentially, GH3.

More Guitar Hero is usually a good thing, but why this isn't being released as downloadable content is a question we're still asking. (Other than the fact that Wii owners would miss out, of course.)

By all means, use this updated -- yet still partial -- track listing to aid in your buying decision:

Venue: Nipmuc High School

• Mott the Hoople – "All the Young Dudes" (Cover)
• Cheap Trick – "Dream Police"
• Aerosmith – "Make It"
• Aerosmith – "Uncle Salty"
• Aerosmith – "Draw the Line"

Venue: Max's Kansas City

• Joan Jett – "I Hate Myself for Loving You"
• The Kinks – "All Day and All of the Night" (Cover)
• Aerosmith – "Movin' Out"
• Aerosmith – "No Surprize"
• Aerosmith – "Sweet Emotion"

Venue: The Orpheum Theater

• The Clash – "Complete Control"
• New York Dolls – "Personality Crisis" (Cover)
• Aerosmith – "Livin' on the Edge"
• Aersomith – "Ragdoll"
• Aerosmith – "Love in an Elevator"

Venue: Half Time Show

• Lenny Kravitz – "Always on the Run"
• Black Crowes – "Hard to Handle" (Cover)
• Aerosmith – "Back in the Saddle"
• Aerosmith – "Beyond Beautiful"
• Aerosmith – "Dream On"

Venue: Moscow

• The Cult – She Sells Sanctuary"
• Run-D.M.C. – "King of Rock"
• Aerosmith – "Bright Light Fright"
• Aerosmith – "Nobody's Fault"
• Run-D.M.C. featuring Aerosmith – "Walk This Way"

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be available as a stand-alone game ($59.99 for Xbox 360, PS3; $49.99 for Wii) and bundled with a wireless guitar controller and Aerosmith faceplate ($99.99 for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii) on June 29. Although we didn't get to play it, there is a stand-alone PS2 version ($49.99) and bundle ($89.99) planned for release the same day.