The graphics in Guitar Hero: Metallica appear quite a bit evolved from where they originally started. There are even cut-scenes and a storyline to go with the game now. The characters have the same look that they always have. You'll recognize the old characters, even though they've got some new hair styles. You can unlock more characters like Lemmy from Motorhead when you play certain songs. You also have the ability to create your own character now though, which I really liked. Of course, you'll only be playing as the character you choose when you play anything other than an original Metallica song. When you play any Metallica song, you will be playing as Metallica. I've got to say they did a wonderful job making the characters look like the real members of Metallica! I didn't think James Hetfield could look more intimidating than he does in real life, but they managed to pull it off.
Given that this is a music game, the sound quality is going to be important. Personally, I do not have a surround sound system for my TV. But with just my normal TV speakers, it still sounds great. The original masters were used for all the tracks, so the sound quality is perfect. There is a good mixture of old and new Metallica songs. There are also songs from other bands like Slayer (which is very easy on vocals), Suicidal Tendencies, Motorhead, Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Lynard Skynard, System of a Down, and more. With this many bands and songs, there's something for everyone on here.