Chris Steffen of RollingStone.com had an opportunity to demo the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica game and has filed an in-depth report which includes a lot of new details about the game. An excerpt from the article follows below.

"Everything about the game, from the menu animations based on art by Pushead, METALLICA's long-running collaborating artist, to venues and stage sets from all phases of the band's career to signature lighting effects and crowd chants will be familiar to fans. The motion-capture used to animate the band is strikingly lifelike, as all of the signature moves are there: the contemplative [James] Hetfield during the opening of 'The Unforgiven', the preening [Lars] Ulrich hopping up from behind his kit to be seen after every song, and bassist Rob Trujillo's crabwalk and spins.

"The members all initially appear as their modern-day selves, but there will be unlockable character skins that hearken back to earlier eras. Although no past members are in the game (there go fantasies for a Cliff Burton cameo — the band feared his inclusion may have felt like a slight to Trujillo), a few of METALLICA's heroes make appearances."

Read more from RollingStone.com.

According to the official METALLICA web site, a March 29 release in the U.S. has been set for Guitar Hero: Metallica on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The game's arrival for PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii will most likely come in early May, around the same time the game is issued in Europe. As previously reported, METALLICA is only the second act to get its own version of Guitar Hero, following last year's AEROSMITH game.

The band had to go through an extensive motion-capture process in order to make them come to life in the game, and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett told The Pulse of Radio the final result was a little unsettling. "Once they've actually made a virtual you and you start seeing that virtual you playing METALLICA songs, it's a trip, man," he said. "It's like watching a hologram of yourself or, you know, a cartoon of yourself or whatever. It's strange because it's weird and different but oddly familiar at the same time."

Guitar Hero: Metallica will include 28 METALLICA songs, along with tracks from SLAYER, FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, and others.

The game will allow players to perform in either single instrument or band mode, in a variety of settings and stages.

Guitar Hero: Metallica official trailer: