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Sneak Peek: ‘Guitar Hero: Metallica’

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As if releasing a kick-ass new album and receiving top honors from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame weren’t enough, Metallica are gearing up to drop their very own entry in the Guitar Hero video game franchise!

Guitar Hero: Metallica will rock XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 owners March 29. But SPIN.com has already been given a sneak peek — shhh, don’t tell anyone.Below, five things you should know before buying your own copy of the game!

1. The Game Stays True to Metallica’s History
While the majority of Guitar Hero games are centered around wacky plots and nameless characters, Guitar Hero: Metallica gamers(in the “career” mode) play an aspiring band that follows James Hetfield and Co. in hopes of snagging an opening spot on Metallica’s tour. This mirrors the true story of European fans who tailed Metallica from show to show until they were invited to open a gig. And that’s not all: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly theme “Ecstasy of Gold” is Metallica’s entrance music in the game, and the venues where the band’s most historic performances took place are accurately replicated, including Moscow’s Tushino Airfield, where Metallica played to 1.6 million fans in 1991.

2. The Graphics Are So Great, You’ll Think You’re Lars Ulrich
Okay, maybe not. But thanks to motion capture technology and full body scans of Lars, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo (no, you can’t play as deceased bassist Cliff Burton), the band members’ CGI counterparts are convincing, right down to Metallica’s signature equipment and stage moves.

3. Playing The Guitar Hero Drum Set Isn’t Going to Get Easier
Good news (or, possibly, bad news) for people who found the last couple of Guitar Hero installments relatively easy: Guitar Hero: Metallica will feature a special ‘Expert +’ difficulty level, complete with a second bass drum pedal to shake up (or throw off) play for those seeking challenge — or torture. The second drum pedal, which is already compatible with the existing Guitar Hero: World Tour drum set, will be sold separately when Guitar Hero: Metallica is released.

4. Waiting for a Metallica Rarities Collection? You Got It!
From top to bottom, Guitar Hero: Metallica is jam-packed with loads of bonus songs, live performance video, and behind-the-scenes footage from the band’s motion-capture sessions. But what should be a real hit with Metallica fans is the ‘Metallifacts’ feature, which allows you to play while relevant pop-up trivia tidbits appear throughout the song. It’s like VH1’s pop-up video for metal heads!

5. If, Oddly, Players Tire of Metallica, There are Lots of Other Options
Guitar Hero Metallica features more than 45 songs from across Metallica’s career. But for those fans who prefer a little variety in life, the game has more than 20 additional songs by artists selected by the band, including the Foo Fighters’ “Stacked Actors,” Alice in Chains’ “No Excuses,” Mastodon’s “Blood and Thunder,” and select tunes from Queen. Imagine that, James Hetfield singing “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Excited for Guitar Hero Metallica? Sound off in the comments section.

Guitar Hero Metallica tracklist:
Metallica tracks:
“All Nightmare Long”
“Battery”?
“Creeping Death”
“Disposable Heroes”
“Dyers Eve”
“Enter Sandman”
“Fade to Black”
“Fight Fire With Fire”
“For Whom the Bell Tolls”
“Frantic”
“Fuel”
“Hit the Lights”
“King Nothing”
“Master of Puppets”
“Mercyful Fate (Medley)”?
“No Leaf Clover”
“Nothing Else Matters”
“One”
“Orion”
“Sad but True”
“Seek and Destroy”
“The Memory Remains”
“The Shortest Straw”
“The Thing That Should Not Be”
“The Unforgiven”
“Welcome Home (Sanitarium)”
?”Wherever I May Roam”
“Whiplash”

Other artists:
Alice in Chains – “No Excuses”
Bob Seger – “Turn the Page”
Corrosion of Conformity – “Albatross”
Diamond Head – “Am I Evil?”
Foo Fighters – “Stacked Actors”
Judas Priest – “Hell Bent for Leather”
Kyuss – “Demon Cleaner”
Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Tuesday’s Gone”
Machine Head – “Beautiful Mourning”
Mastodon – “Blood and Thunder”
Mercyful Fate – “Evil”
Michael Schenker Group – “Armed and Ready”
Motörhead – “Ace of Spades”
Queen – “Stone Cold Crazy”
Samhain – “Mother of Mercy”
Slayer – “War Ensemble”
Social Distortion – “Mommy’s Little Monster”
Suicidal Tendencies – “War Inside My Head”
System of a Down – “Toxicity”
The Sword – “The Black River”
Thin Lizzy – “The Boys Are Back in Town”