Guitar Hero Live (PS4, One, PS3, 360, Wii U / Autumn 2015)

[Junko]

Activision has announced Guitar Hero Live, the latest installment in the popular franchise, will be released in autumn 2015.
 
Developed by FreeStyleGames, whose previous credits include DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2, Guitar Hero Live costs $99.99 and is currently planned for PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Additionally, select mobile devices will support the game.
 
A new controller has been revealed with two rows of three buttons, while artists confirmed to join the tracklist include The Black Keys, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Gary Clark, Jr., Green Day, Ed Sheeran, The War on Drugs, The Killers, Skrillex, The Rolling Stones, The Lumineers, Pierce the Veil and Blitz Kids.
 
The biggest change for gameplay is the switch to a first-person perspective, which places you on stage looking out at the crowd who'll react in real time to how well you play. Alongside this, the new GHTV mutliplayer mode enables you to challenge friends or random players.

 

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/04/14/activision-announces-guitar-hero-live-with-2015-release-date
 
Tim Gettys and Alfredo Diaz of Kinda Funny Games got a small preview with the game.

[Gabz Girl]

I'm getting Sega CD vibes from this, the whole FMV thing. XD

 

Anyway the live audience and band reacting to how you play is an interesting gimmick, but isn't going to feel samey seeing the same reactions and stuff over and over? I dunno if it's going to work.

 

Also, Skrillex in a rock game? WHAT.

[Lisbon]

I'll be honest, I really hate live action visuals in videogames. Aside from how I think they look just plain stupid, I like graphics; they add flare and style, and can often times make things look even cooler than they would in real life. Just the fact that they're taking the live action route leaves me questioning their decision making process, but considering that Guitar Hero games usually ship with a lot of replay value only adds to my concerns. It's going to be very easy for them to just make the visuals repetitive and boring.

 

As for the new design of the controller, I didn't see change to be necessary but it doesn't really seem like it's much to worry about. It can either be just fine and a fresh change of pace, or it can suck. I don't have any strong opinions on that based on my first impression.

 

It looks more like a videogame you buy at Wal-Mart and then just plug directly into your TV than a major title, though, and that alone leaves me skeptical about the new direction they're taking.

[Sami]

Eewwww, cross gen. Even more reason to just stick to Rock Band 4.

Pass.

[Solkia]

lol @ people who still think guitar hero is relevent

[WhoWhatMan]

Why couldn't they just do the same thing without the live action? It look really cheap and bland.

[Junko]

Eewwww, cross gen. Even more reason to just stick to Rock Band 4.

Pass.

Unless you're referring to split development; lmao why the fuck is this a reason, like are you playing Guitar Hero for graphics?

[Speederino]

*shrug*

 

Nice to see it's on Wii U, so I'd be more likely to pick this up than the new Rock Band at the moment. I'm also surprised and kinda relieved to see Activision actually doing something different with this for a change freakin' finally.

 

But when it comes down to it, what makes or breaks one of these games is the setlist. It doesn't matter what the graphics are like or what new modes or features there are if the setlist is uninteresting (this was my problem with World Tour and GH5 back in the day). So...yeah I really can't judge it until I know more. It doesn't look bad so far judging from the revealed bands but that is undoubtedly only a tiny preview of the whole thing.

 

Oh and as for the whole live-action thing, I'm neutral. I mean who the heck is ever looking away from the fretboard when they're playing, anyways?

[Milo]

A first-person display based Guitar Hero? Next you'd be telling me that the next Tony Hawk game will use a motion control-based skateboohrightthatdidhappen.

Maybe a music-based game that uses a FP approach might have some merit once we see it in action, but from the sounds of things they're better off making this an entirely new IP, rather than slapping the GH brand name onto what sounds like a very experimental --if not outright gimmicky-- game.

[Sami]

Unless you're referring to split development; lmao why the fuck is this a reason, like are you playing Guitar Hero for graphics?

 

I mean it's already basically Rock Band but not as good - shitty graphics are just icing on the cake.

[Kuzu]

I mean it's already basically Rock Band but not as good - shitty graphics are just icing on the cake.

Didn't Guitar Hero come first?

[azoo]

Remember when we mentioned that anything Activision touches goes to garbage after existing for too long?

 

Yeah. This looks miserable.

[Milo]

I mean it's already basically Rock Band but not as good - shitty graphics are just icing on the cake.

 

The use of live-action footage / FMV for this type of game --in this day and age-- seems more of a deliberate design choice to me, rather than an indicator of the game's graphical capabilities.

[azoo]

Didn't Guitar Hero come first?

 

Guitar Hero 1 & 2 were made by Harmonix. Then Activision had a fight with them and hogged it for themselves, and then Harmonix made Rock Band. So technically Rock Band 4 is made by the same guys that made GH any good (disregarding 3 which was actually better than 1 & 2, but most of the RB games are better than GH3 so).

[Junko]

Didn't Guitar Hero come first?

Rock Band eventually became better.

[Sami]

Didn't Guitar Hero come first?

 

Harmonix made Guitar Hero, Activision fucked them, Harmonix went on to make Rock Band which was a better Guitar Hero and Activision ran their franchise into the ground.

 

 

The use of live-action footage / FMV for this type of game --in this day and age-- seems more of a deliberate design choice to me, rather than an indicator of the game's graphical capabilities.

 

Oh right that's what this is doing

 

I posted before watching the video because I was on my phone. FMV is a bizarre choice in this day and age, that stopped being cool fifteen years ago, so...

[Kuzu]

Guitar Hero 1 & 2 were made by Harmonix. Then Activision had a fight with them and hogged it for themselves, and then Harmonix made Rock Band. So technically Rock Band 4 is made by the same guys that made GH any good (disregarding 3 which was actually better than 1 & 2, but most of the RB games are better than GH3 so).

 

 

Rock Band eventually became better.

 

 

I kind of stopped following the series after the first two games, but Activision started developing for the series after 2 and then Haromonix created Rock Band as a result. Huh...go figure.

[JezMM]

The one thing that isn't being discussed here is the idea of having round the clock music to play on the various livestreaming channels they offer, with automatic (but presumably optional) multiplayer against other players who are also playing live.

 

This is actually a pretty neat idea, and kind of more fair and interesting than spending a while looking for a game and then having a takey-turn system for choosing songs, especially if there's a chance that both players end up playing a song for the first time against each other, an excellent way to have a "quick play" option that can provide both a single and multiplayer experience without a reliance on the latter having to happen.

 

 

Of course, it depends on how much they can program new songs together - someone who plays often might find the same songs coming on every few hours.

 

 

But the lack of creative traditional graphics still bugs me.  This game is gonna have the uncanny valley issue - because it's that much closer to "real life" than cartooney 3D animated characters are, it's just gonna be all the more noticable when that one blue haired girl in the audience waves her arms in that particular way at that same part of the song every single time because that's what was recorded.  This kind of stuff is just naturally more forgiveable with cartoon characters and unforgiveable with live actors due to the way our heads are wired to respond to real humans.

[Junko]

Speaking of which, that is CGI, right?

[Junko]

You had KFG's gameplay, now for the reactions.

[Blue Wisp]

Speaking of which, that is CGI, right?

[Snatcher2047]

I like the new guitar but the whole new look and feel is a real turn off for me.  It doesn't help that I got kind of burnt out on music games during the last generation of consoles.  If I ever did get either, I'd probably get the new Rock Band, especially since I always preferred that to Guitar Hero.

[LATER BUDDY]

It looks too...clean? It's like really sterile visually and reaaaally can't get behind the simplified 3 note thing. I'm assuming they're making no effort to making any old controllers compatible, thus diving right back into the problem GH and RB had before, which was paying through the nose for some plastic toys you'll use for 3 weeks. I know a lot of people that still have them laying around, and even more at used game stores that have them by the dozens.

 

I understand this is to appeal to a wider audience, but as someone that's pretty fond of the old ones, I think I'd get burnt out even faster. It hardly looks like there's a difficulty curve and anyone that was on expert level before hand is going to fall asleep. IDK, I'll be looking forward to Rock Band 4 I think, since it's an expansion of all the good things about the series, including keeping your old plastic whatevers. Not this dull cash grab :v

[Autosaver]

Seriously guys?

 

You're surprised a game based on Live performances is using... footage of Live performances?

[Agie]

We'd expect an interpretation of live performances rather than just using videos.

 

That said, would I buy this? Maybe. It's coming on a few consoles I already own, so I have a shot at getting this even if I don't get a PS4 by the end of the year.

 

Funny thing is, it'll be released on the 10th anniversary of the GH franchise, so it's nice to see that it's getting something this year.