Live crowds, real reactions, and a TV channel are just some of the selling points for the new Guitar Hero Live game being released this fall by Activision and Harmonix. Guitar Hero Live will be the first installment in the franchise since the series went on Hiatus in 2010.
The biggest changes to the popular franchise are that gamers are now given a first person perspective, putting them in the role of the band’s guitarist like never before. Beyond that, the game allows you to play in front of a live and interactive crowd. Complete with cheering fans, big banners telling you that you suck, and even some awesome interaction with your band-mates before, during, and after the show.
The best part is the live crowd, and even your band mates will have awesome and hilarious actions based on how well you play the game. If you’re struggling to reach the right notes during a song, the crowd will quickly start displaying mean-spirited banners and even throw trash at you. Playing like the true guitar hero you are, will get a cheering crowd and even sometimes a stage dive at the end of the song. Awesome, right?
As for the new controller, it’s a nice sleek-looking black, with a wooden neck and two rows of three buttons, replacing the original five button format used in the original. While the new guitar may look sort of intimidating at first, many who have tested the new peripheral tout that it is the closest the gaming industry has come to the real thing.
The new guitar is also described as easy to learn, but difficult to master, meaning that even the most experienced veterans of the series will need to attend a few practice sessions before rocking out on stage. As for new fans of the franchise, this should even the score a little when you play with that one friend who can play the game with the guitar behind his back.
If a new sleek guitar and an all new first person experience on stage isn’t enough to sell you on the new version of Guitar Hero Live, The game will also feature a TV mode, where you can download, play and discover new music on what is being referred to as the first playable music video network. The network will be constantly updated to give gamers a multitude of options across tons of genres.
The new game mode is described further by the official release announcement as “While GH Live focuses on the thrill of the performance, GHTV is all about discovering new music. With a network of playable music video stations, you can fire up GHTV and play along with official music videos from a broad range of genres.”
It will be interesting to see if Activision is able to deliver on its promise to constantly update GHTV, giving gamers a chance to jam along to the newest and most popular songs. While this looks like an impressive feature, some part of me worries that the game developers won’t be able to get licensing rights to newer songs being released, making the network essentially useless and full of bands that no one has ever heard before.
Another thing that could take away Guitar Hero live, is the fact that the live crowds could become repetitive to gamers if the game doesn’t have a big enough variety of footage to satisfy people who play for long amounts of time. The game also needs to change-up what cut scenes you see before, during, or after a show, to make sure that the gaming experience is kept new and fresh at all times.
Do you think Guitar Hero can make a comeback in the gaming industry? What do you think of the new first person perspective in the game? What mode are you most eager to try out first? Let us know in the comments below and rock on!
