There’s a question circulating out there in the ether today asking if Guitar Hero 3 for the Wii will be the most popular version of that software over the PS2, Xbox 360 and the PS3 versions. Apparently, Amazon.com’s rankings (notoriously inaccurate, I know) have the Wii at #6, 360 at #44, PS2 at #86, and the PS3 version bringing up the rear beyond the scope of the Top 100. Boo hoo.
It’s a cool question, and I think there might be a chance the answer is yes, but the 360 version will be tough to beat. Even after the success of Guitar Hero 2 I’d say the franchise is still peaking right now, with version 3.0 being apex of this wildly awesome where all the “friend of a friend’s” who saw the game but didn’t buy it during 2006/2007 finally give in for the holiday 2007 season.
Thing is, I think there’s another question to ask, too: Will Guitar Hero 3 be the game that proves gamers of all types are buying into the Wii? Sure, Wii Fit will sell like hotcakes, but this Guitar Hero thing could be the one that does whatever uncertainties still exist about the Wii’s fanbase in for good. Case in point, I never in a million years thought I’d be shredding it to STP’s Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart with my youngest sister in my lifetime, and yet there I was over the summer doing just that on the PS2 I donated to her so she could play GH2 (and believe me, she’s more Hollister than Hot Topic, so this was really monumental to me).