Guitar Hero: Metallica previewed

RollingStone.com got a sneak preview of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica, which is due out on March 29th and is only the second in the popular gaming franchise to be based around a specific artist. According to RollingStone.com's report, the game's storyline was conceived by frontman James Hetfield and lets players begin as Metallica's opening act, eventually getting to play as the members of Metallica themselves if they can make it that far.

The menu art is done by longtime Metallica artist Pushead, while the venues and stage sets are taken from all eras of the band's quarter-century career. The virtual band members each do signature moves, from drummer Lars Ulrich popping up from behind his kit to bassist Robert Trujillo's trademark crabwalk across the stage. The members all start out looking like they do today, but can also revert back to younger versions of themselves. Previous bassists Jason Newsted and the late Cliff Burton do not appear in the game.

The full track list for the game will be revealed next week, and it reportedly features deep album cuts and covers that the band has rarely performed, as well as songs from some of their favorite acts.

Trujillo told us why he thinks the Guitar Hero franchise is great for music: "I'm not a gamer, but I actually think it's a great thing in the sense that it's helping to educate our youth and older people about rock 'n' roll and heavy metal in particular, you know, bands like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath, and I think that's important."

March 29th will see the release of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, with editions coming later in the spring for Wii and PlayStation 2.

Gameplay is available on vocals, guitar, bass, and drums, with an added skill level for double-bass drumming. There is not, however, an option for two players to play lead and rhythm guitar at the same time, like Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett do in real life.

The game also comes with bonus features such as live videos, footage of the band being filmed for the game, and archival material from the group's history.