WP7 Roundup: Guitar Hero 5, Spell It

August 1, 2011

This week, we look at a mobile version of the venerable rhythm series and a social word game.

Guitar Hero 5: Guitar Hero might be taking a hiatus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t take the Windows Phone 7 version of Guitar Hero 5 for a spin. Gone are the five-button guitars, and in its place are three touch buttons: green, red, and yellow. Gameplay consists of you hitting the correct button when the notes hit the bottom of the screen, very reminiscent of the console games. The game features over 30 songs, most of which have been in past Guitar Hero games.

When playing the game, the menu music played fine, but after getting into a song no music was playing. We tried some workarounds that got it to function temporarily, but it kept happening. And it seems we’re not alone in this. With a $7 price tag, it’s one to try first. 2/5

Spell It: This game features gameplay similar to that of Scrabble and Words with Friends. Your goal is to spell the best word you can, utilizing the double-letter and triple-word bonuses that are on the board. You also have the ability to play against the A.I., against a person in real life with pass and play, and against up to four players online. You can play four random players, or four friends (if you know their e-mail). Playing against actual people is more ideal, but it’s fun to play either way, and you don’t have to worry about getting out the Scrabble board to play a good word game. You can’t really beat free, and even with Spell It‘s basic features, the game is still fun and one of the best word games on the platform. 4/5