Guitar Hero World Tour's Drum Kit Problems

Controllers for Activision's Guitar Hero Series Tend to Break

Nov 16, 2009

Guitar Hero World Tour added singing and drumming to Guitar Hero gameplay. But the drum kit has had problems, and demand has risen for third-party drum controllers.

Guitar Hero World Tour is the fourth installment of the Guitar Hero series. Released by Activision and Red Octane in late 2008, it added a microphone and drum kit controller to help Guitar Hero compete with rival Rock Band games.

Though the game itself was received positively, there were many problems with World Tour's controllers, especially the drum kits. Players should be aware of these issues if they plan on buying Guitar Hero World Tour, or its sequel, Guitar Hero 5, which can also use the microphone and drum kit peripherals.

When Guitar Hero World Tour was released, one of the game's selling points was that the drums registered both hard and soft hits. But there were soon numerous complaints from angry players about the drum kit's unreliable sensitivity. Shoddily-connected wires were blamed, and Activision and Red Octane made a drum kit tuning tool available to help tweak the software.

Not all the drum kits released had major problems, and it seems that Guitar Hero World Tour sets released later have had fewer issues. However, the build quality on the drum kits – supposedly designed for repeatedly being hit – remains an issue.

Sensitivity problems can still recur on drum kits after long use, while cymbals (and even the included drumsticks) have been known to break after regular playing.

Red Octane does have a 90-day warranty on Guitar Hero World Tour peripherals, and many major retailers, aware of the game's issues, have allowed returns directly on defective World Tour sets. Yet buyers should keep in mind that these returns can be sold again as "refurbished" Guitar Hero World Tour sets, which, even if covered by their own limited warranty, are at even greater risk of breaking down.

In response to the need for more durable drum kits for the Guitar Hero series, a number of third-party peripherals have been made available. Logitech makes a Wireless Drum Controller specifically for Guitar Hero World Tour on Microsoft's XBox 360 or Nintendo's Wii, which is more adjustable and has more durable parts.

Ion Audio also makes a drum kit for gaming, called the Drum Rocker. The Drum Rocker is available for the XBox 360, Wii, and Sony Playstation 2 and 3 and is designed for Rock Band 2.

However, Activision has made Guitar Hero World Tour compatible with Rock Band instruments (provided they are for the same system), and Ion confirms that this is the case with the Drum Rocker set. In addition, the Drum Rocker can also be used with professional drum modules (like the Alesis DM5) to become a "real" electronic drum kit.

The Guitar Hero series is rightly praised among rhythm gamers. But peripherals like the drum kit, which were introduced for World Tour to compete with Rock Band, can have problems that cause extra hassles for players. It's no wonder that some may even prefer to find better-made replacements.

The copyright of the article Guitar Hero World Tour's Drum Kit Problems in Music Video Games is owned by Luke Arnott. Permission to republish Guitar Hero World Tour's Drum Kit Problems in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.