Guitar Hero Franchise Returns with Guitar Hero Live
Activision has announced the return of the Guitar Hero franchise. After a hiatus, the franchise is slated to return this fall with Guitar Hero Live. The franchise goes next-gen and will boast some new features, including live action, first-person gameplay and reactive crowds. In addition, Activision has released a new reveal trailer for the game, which is available in the player below.
Guitar Hero Live is developed by FreeStyleGames, the studio behind DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2. It will feature two ways to play; the first of which is GH Live, a first-person point-of-view where players will take the stage as the star of the show. Activision says GH Live will be a “live-action experience” to simulate performing on stage with a band in front of crowds. The crowds for GH Live are said to dynamically react in real-time to how well or how poorly players perform in the game. GH Live will feature a variety of virtual venues, including small clubs in front of a hundred people, to a massive main stage of an outdoor festival in front of a 100,000 people.
The next featured mode is GHTV, a playable music video network. GHTV will be a 24-hour mode where players get to play along to a continually-updated collection of official music videos from new releases to classic hits. GHTV will feature multiple channels and themed shows, and players will be able to pick songs to play on-demand. GHTV will allow gamers to play with their friends in the same room and even against players from across the globe to achieve a high score on a given song.
Guitar Hero Live will also have a mobile component. GH Live and GHTV will be playable on consoles, tablets and smart phones. More details on these features will be revealed at a later date.
Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg commented on the news: “Guitar Hero is a franchise that so many people love. Figuring out how to bring it back with true breakthrough innovation has been years in the making, and a labor of love. Guitar Hero Live lets people rock real crowds with real reactions. Our goal was literally to give people stage fright. And with GHTV, we have created the world’s first playable music video network. All of it is playable on consoles, or mobile devices. Guitar Hero is back and better than ever.”
Of course, what is Guitar Hero without the Guitar Hero controller? The latest installment of the franchise will include a new, redesigned guitar controller. The next-gen guitar controller will have two rows of three buttons to better reflect the way people naturally play the instrument.
Guitar Hero Live is set for a fall release. The game will be available for PlayStation, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U. The release will include a copy of the game and one new guitar controller for $99.99.
https://youtu.be/6SnIZgESm4c