"It's a mountainous chore on both the hardware side and the music side," said Alex Rigopulos, chief creative officer at Harmonix. Unlike "Guitar Hero," Harmonix said "Rock Band 4" would seek to be fully backward compatible, meaning previously purchased songs and controllers could be utilized in the new game. The "Guitar Hero" revival follows last month's tease that "Rock Band" developer Harmonix is similarly bringing back its own performance series, which added keyboards and drums to the mix. It's a completely new game from the ground up." Nothing about it is analogous to the old 'Guitar Hero.' The note tracking, guitar and visuals are all different, and 'GHTV' is an all-new concept. "With the new cycle of consoles, it felt like the right time to return. "For us, five years is an eternity," said Tyler Michaud, director of product management at Activision. Eventually, popularity waned and Activision abandoned the franchise in 2011 after the release of "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock." The genre was credited with inspiring a new appreciation for rock among millennials who didn't grow up with the Beatles, Aerosmith or Van Halen.
DO ROCK BAND DRUMS WORK WITH GUITAR HERO METALLICA SERIES
Jackson said "GHTV" was inspired by streaming services, and access to it will be included in the game's $99.99 price tag.ĭuring its prime in 2009, the "Guitar Hero" series topped $2 billion in sales. There's something here.' It proved itself."įor the game's online mode, FreeStyleGames has created a music video network dubbed "GHTV." The original mode will allow players to compete against each other - online or in-person - against the backdrop of music videos. "The first time even I saw it, I wondered if we were trying to reinvent the wheel, but I remember when we were playing with the prototype, I was thinking, 'Holy (expletive). "When you come back to something as much-loved as 'Guitar Hero' and start (expletive) with it, people get a bit nervous," noted Jackson. Jackson said the new six-button configuration would provide veteran players with a bigger challenge. They eliminated the series' color-coded, five-button system in favor of mirroring icons displayed on screen, with guitar picks pointing up and down. "The anxiety of having band members mad at you - our band doesn't really work like that - but in the game it seems terrifying."įreeStyleGames' other major switch-up is adding another row of buttons to the top of the guitar's neck. "It's cool, man," said Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz at an event promoting the game at New York's Best Buy Theatre.
![do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dzMAAOSw~bFWHUJo/s-l400.jpg)
Jackson declined to specify why the game's made-up acts would sound just like such real-world bands as the Black Keys, the Killers, and Fall Out Boy. As we were working on this, we actually code-named it 'Stage Fright.'"ĭespite featuring music from such artists as the Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Green Day, "Guitar Hero Live" will forgo digital likenesses of real musicians in favor of actors portraying phony band members.
![do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica](https://www.lifewire.com/thmb/nysojkRrD0p2bW6w-1COA51cIlk=/2250x1500/filters:fill(auto,1)/rock-band-4-packaging-6c08df7666b84848bc4b47f29f1f5c3a.jpg)
That's why we've turned the camera around and made it first person. We want you to experience what it feels like to perform on stage. "We want to put you on stage, whether it's in front of 100 people, 1,000 people or 100,000 people. "We want you to feel like a rock star again," said Jackson.
![do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica do rock band drums work with guitar hero metallica](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/videogames/detail-page/B001PKHRTQ-4-lg.jpg)
The virtual crowd will boo or cheer players on, depending if they're hitting the right notes. Instead of playing along with computer-generated characters on screen, wannabe rockers will see a first-person view of their band mates and audiences portrayed by human actors. "Guitar Hero Live" will cast players as an up-and-coming guitarist in a fictitious band. We genuinely feel like we've nailed it with innovation." "We wouldn't have come back if we didn't think we were giving you a new experience. "We said we would bring it back when we've got true innovation," said Jamie Jackson, creative director at "Guitar Hero Live" developer FreeStyleGames, who previously worked on "Sing Party" and the "DJ Hero" series. The new entry scheduled for release this fall is titled "Guitar Hero Live" and introduces a redesigned guitar, live-action actors and an online music video network to the series. announced plans Tuesday to resurrect the once-popular video game franchise, which involved players rhythmically tapping guitar-shaped controllers along to music. The publisher of "Guitar Hero" is readying a comeback tour.Īctivision Blizzard Inc.