There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the upcoming release of Guitar Hero : World Tour. Unfortunately for Activision, Harmonix will be releasing Rockband 2 first. Frankly, it is a whole big plate of awesome, and is full of WIN.
Harmonix made the [ announcement ], but didn’t give a ton of details.. So IGN went the next step and interviewed the lead developer [ Dan Teasdale ].
The highlights?
• DLC (Downloaded Content) will be transferrable from RB1 to RB2 and any new RB2 DLC will be backwards compatible to RB1. ROCK!
• New instruments will be quieter and more realistic, but old instruments will be usable.
• Band Tour will be improved. This is cool too me since the random set list often had unrealistic expectations based on how long and what level people where playing at. Enter Sandman in the 3rd set is just mean.. LOL
• Full Master recordings on the disk.
There is a ton more, so go read the article.
I am impressed at Harmonix. I was very vry excited for the GH4 release, and quite frankly, Activision really missed the boat focusing thier energy releasing Aerosmith and the stupid DS version of GH. They should have been pushing GH4 out for an early summer release because by the time Christmas rolls around RockBand 2 will already be p0wning GH4 before it is even released.
The lucky bastards over at [ IGN ] recently got to play with the newest version of Guitar Hero. Did I mention that they are lucky bastards, oh yeah… ok, and while we are all still dreading the day that our living rooms are completely filled with plastic instruments, the new GH4 guitar has got some additions that will make even the most die-hard Rockband fan consider getting both.
According to their review :
“The biggest addition to the new guitar is the touch pad located on the neck. While playing a song, this touch sensitive strip allows you to alter notes during sustains by sliding up and down the strip (giving more freedom and options than what you had before with just a whammy bar). It can also be used for tapping to play notes, particularly awesome if you want to mimic a slap bass. The real power of the touch pad comes in the music creator.”
I feel like jumping up and down like a gleeful 14 year old … ok, I am actually doing that, but can you really blame me.
The back/select button has been more tightly integrated into the bridge of the guitar and makes it easier to use to go into overdrive, and makes the overall look and feel of the guitar more realistic. The guitar is also bigger which will also help that feeling of realism.
Like I have said in earlier posts, the guiatar is also wireless, and has changeable face plates.
Activision, I know you are reading, so listen carefully. Dump the Aerosmith crap, and get this game released.. I want it… I WANT NOW!!
I have covered as much as I can about the upcoming GH4 game, since I really think it is going to be the best of all the GH and Rockband games, and even though a large portion of gamers will not likely want to buy a whole other set of plastic instruments, the added features of GH4 will just as likely convince many to make the leap.
However, in this month’s Game Informer, they reported that the game’s Jam Mode is now a thing of the past.
“The now officially titled Guitar Hero: World Tour has lost one major feature that was discussed in our June cover store on the game (issue # 182). The games Jam Mode, which would have allowed players to freely improvise over chord changes and scales from the games soundtracks has been removed. Thankfully, the games more complex music creation studio mode will still be included in the game, allowing players to create their own original GH tracks.”
I really think that would have been a cool feature of the game play, and so I am little disappointed to see it go. I am happy that they are not taking out the song creation process, but I am going to reserve judgment on that until I can try it out.
The additional features of GH4 are what is going to make or break this game, so I hope that Activision keeps the rest of the game off the chopping block.
“Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” is just a few weeks away from release and the announcement of the much-rumored Metallica version of the game appears imminent, which is what Activision should have done in the first place.
Rumors began after a reference to the upcoming, but still-unannounced game, was found in a recent SEC filing by Activision.
There’s been no official announcement from Activision, but Metallica’s Web site offered some tantalizing tidbits.
“Let’s just say that perhaps, just maybe, if you’ve already mastered “One” on (Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock), there might be a pile of ‘Tallica songs in your future. More details later this summer…”
Industry speculation suggests that it will come out after “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” otherwise known as “Guitar Hero 4″ — which like rival “Rock Band” will feature a full complement of instruments beyond the guitar. The title is expected this holiday season.
“Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” is slated for release June 29. Unlike other “Guitar Hero” games, which feature scores of tracks from multiple artists, the Aerosmith expansion will include primarily that band’s catalog, along with a smattering of songs from bands that Aerosmith wanted included.
The game “storyline” features Aerosmith’s rise from small venues in its Boston hometown to stadiums, with motion-capture animated versions of all band members.
Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick debuted Guitar HEro World Tour to the masses at “All Things D” convention, and instead of just showing off his wares he brought out a talent judge (Paula Abdul) and had Tony Hawk and Brody Jenner as front men for the band and they put on a little mini concert for the crowd … check out the video and comments follow.
I absolutely despise Lenny Kravitz, so I wish they would have played a different song, but the interface looks a lot cleaner then the previous guitar hero setups, and the drums look pretty cool, I even think that the fake bass drum in the front gives it a better look then the RockBand drums.
Getting even more excited everytime I see something new.