Guitar Hero World Tour Preview
Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii Video Game Also Comes with Drums, Microphone
Though Guitar Hero Aerosmith is right around the corner, Activision is already planning a brand new Guitar Hero scheduled for release this fall -- Guitar Hero World Tour for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.
Drummers and Singers Can Be Heroes, Too
One of the biggest changes Activision is making to its ever popular Guitar Hero series is the addition of drums and microphone to the wannabe musician's repertoire, which will bring the series in line with advancements made by Electronic Arts' competing music-and-rhythm game, Rock Band. According to Activision's press release on the game, the drums will feature three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, and will be sturdier than the drum set included with Rock Band. The company is also tweaking the guitar controller for the game, and all three instruments will be wireless.
The basics of the game are still the same regardless of the instrument, however -- players must hit, strum, or sing along to songs at just the right times as notes flash across the screen.
New Modes for Veteran Musicians
Besides the traditional career mode -- in which gamers start out as a fledging band that must make its way to the top of the music scene by mastering increasingly complicated tunes -- Guitar Hero World Tour will also include an eight-player "Battle of the Bands" mode and a new Music Studio.
The Battle of the Bands mode will allow four players at home (playing guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) to face off against another band online from anywhere in the world. The Music Studio allows players to create their own music from scratch using any of the instruments, and then play their songs in the game. The GHTunes online mode will also allow players to share their new tunes with other musicians worldwide.
But while Activision hasn't confirmed whether all these modes will be available online for the traditionally pared down Wii version, the company has confirmed that Wii gamers will finally be able to take advantage of downloadable music provided by the company itself, as has been available to PlayStation and Xbox gamers in the past.
Set List
The biggest question gamers usually have when they hear of a new Guitar Hero is, what music is on the song list? While Activision has still not released the game's set list, it has confirmed that it will have the biggest song list of any Guitar Hero to date, with bands such as Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles and Sublime. Furthermore, video promos of the game have featured the songs "Dammit" by Blink 182 and "Are You Gonna Go My Way" by Lenny Kravitz, suggesting these songs may be in the game.
Outlook
While Guitar Hero World Tour certainly seems like it will deliver the same great gameplay as offered in previous installments -- with a variety of new instruments and modes as well -- the biggest thing "Guitar Hero IV" has going against it is the fatigue factor. With Guitar Hero III having just released last year, and with Guitar Hero Aerosmith (multiplatform) and Guitar Hero On Tour (DS) just around the corner, Guitar Hero World Tour could be a bit too much for some gamers.
Furthermore, retailer Gamestop currently reports that the game will retail for a whopping $190. It could certainly help if gamers were able to keep their current guitars and buy the drums and microphones separately, but there is currently no word on pricing for instruments sold separately.
If gamers are able to get over the price tag and the fatigue factor, though, Guitar Hero World tour certainly promises to be another hit from Activision. Wii gamers may also be interested in the cheaper upcoming Disney game, Ultimate Band.
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