I gave Guitar Hero III an 8 out of 10; I think that's the right rating, because the game does a lot of things right. All the design decisions I disagree with are amply covered in the review -- the steep diffculty, the hyper-competitive vibe -- so I won't rehash them here. And I'm proud that I didn't let a lot of my personal annoyances get in the way of giving the game a fair shake. But after buying the game this weekend and playing through it on my retail console, those personal annoyances are still bugging me. Some may be your annoyances too, but indulge me a minute while I vent as a fan and a guitar geek, instead of a game critic.

- What's with no co-op career online? I like seeing my friends in person, but I was really hoping to chip away at career mode a set at a time over the course of multiple weeks in multiple bands with multiple friends. If you can do QuickPlay online, what's the problem with career? I guess there's got to be a good reason, but I don't know what it is.

- Since we couldn't play online, Paul came over to my house after work to do co-op. We used his hard drive on my console so he could unlock the Bloc Party song; I figured I'd just log in with my gamertag on a memory card and get the co-op Achievements. Turns out I was the sucker: All achievements went to Paul, probably because he signed in first. So I played all the way through career co-op on Medium and got no rewards other than Paul's company. Which, no offense, doesn't help my Gamerscore. Why the hell wouldn't I get any co-op Achievements if I'm logged in and playing a co-op game? Are we really expected to play through co-op mode twice, once on each person's console? That's just stupid. And yet it appears that's the only way to do it. Glitches ahoy!

- Some people need to unlock all the songs; I need to own all the guitars. I'm a guitar fetishist in real life and my rock and roll fantasy is to own all those classic Gibsons. But the selection drives me insane. I'm thrilled to see things like the Steinberger Synapse and the Gibson Super 400 in there. But...well, if you give me a Gibson Les Paul at the beginning of the game, why do I want an Epiphone Les Paul? Does it come in different colors or something? Uh, no -- same shape, less prestige (Epiphones are good guitars, but they're not exactly dream machines -- they're intentionally built as affordable instruments for newbies) and everything only comes in factory colors. If the Epis came in funky or unique finishes, I would understand why I'd want to buy them again, but they don't. How many Les Pauls do I need in black, white, and red?  What happened to the playful paint jobs that appeared in the last game? Oh, there they are -- cowering in fear behind a licensing agreement. I guess if Gibson wants to show only factory finishes, then that's what Gibson gets. Product placement trumps creativity.

That's an SG Goddess in Sky Burst...now available from your authorized Gibson dealer.

- Speaking of finishes, why is it $200 for the Kramer Fatboy in black, but $500 for that guitar's candy apple red finish? And $10K for a Super 400 -- seriously, why is that two and a half times more expensive than other guitars? The prices at the in-game store seem chosen with a dartboard. I actually asked if they were final before submitting my review; I kind of hoped the numbers were just placeholder. Nope -- they're real. And they're completely illogical.

- Do you really expect me to pay $1000 for an advertisement for body spray? Neversoft and Activision have a history of "hey, why the hell not" product endorsements in their games, but making the latex-clad dancing girls part of an ad campaign and throwing two instruments in the store for a brand that has absolutely nothing to do with music really bugged me. Even more so than the car endorsement during the video shoot, which didn't even make sense with the game's (thankfully) slight plot. And how happy is Wrigley's to finally and nonsensically have a piece of this action? I guess I'm supposed to think Juicy Fruit rocks, but I actually think non-contextual product placement sucks.

- What was the point of making Achievements that reward you for not playing the game as it's designed to be enjoyed? One of the game's strengths is its excellent playlist. I like, you know, hearing those songs. But playing "Sunshine of Your Love" on Expert in total silence, save for the clack-clack-clacking of my guitar, was not fun, even if it was worth five Gamerscore. I have never felt self-conscious about strapping on a little plastic guitar and playing these games...until then. But at least that Achievement let me use the guitar controller. Making multiple Achievements for playing with the standard controller just seems stupid. It's fun to try, like, once, to see if you can do it -- but for win streaks online and completing the career mode? That's stupid.

- Two online achievements are awarded for 15 consecutive wins in Ranked matches. Winning 15 in a row in Ranked matches isn't exactly easy...unless, of course, you are good at anything other than the lowest skill level.  So we've got Expert players matchmaking on Easy just to crush 15 people without fear of failure. What does that do to players who are, you know, learning the game on Easy? Welcome to Xbox Live -- meet the bullies. Seems like an easy exploit that could have been countered with a more considered Achievement -- 15 total Ranked wins, for instance.

- Palette-swapped outfits...meh. I would rather have seen completely one or two complete new outfits in less colors instead of one alternate outfit in four colors. As it is, none of these characters represent me anyway. Frankly, I usually choose Casey Lynch or the suddenly racktacular Judy Nails. Hey, if it's already not you, you might as well enjoy the view.

- None of the loading screens made me so much as giggle this time. Last time I laughed out loud. These "jokes" were just unfunny music cliches.

- That male lead singer looks downright grotesque.

It may seem like a lot of stuff, but again, nothing listed is a dealbreaker -- we're talking about optional stuff like guitar finishes and Achievements, which have little to nothing to do with the core gameplay itself. None of these are reasons not to pick up the game and enjoy it. But for anyone wondering where the line is between "reviewer" and "gamer," this is it. These are the elements that make the difference between a game I can deconstruct as a reviewer and a game I'll really enjoy getting into as a gamer. And as a result of all those things -- this hurts to say -- I just don't see myself getting into Guitar Hero III the way I did GHII. And as a fan of the franchise, that bums me out.