As a huge fan of rhythm games, even I was exhausted from the constant Guitar Hero releases in the mid to late 2000’s. Between GH and rival series, Rock Band, the over saturation of a suddenly hot genre led to both series’ fading away as quickly as they rose to prominence. While the good folks at Harmonix seem to be playing it safe with their next effort, complete with backwards compatible instruments on Xbox and nearly their entire back catalog available as DLC, the team at FreeStyleGames, (primarily known for their DJ Hero games and Sing Party for Wii U,) is going back to basics. With a brand new, six button guitar, an original interface that uses real, first person stage footage for certain shows, and a total revamp of the traditional playlist, Live surprised me with the drastic shift its taken compared to its previously successful formula.
Starting with the guitar, if you’re expecting five colored buttons, you’re going to be in for a shock. The only frets this time around are six buttons at the top of the neck, three that go sideways and three more right under them. To say it’s an adjustment to play is an understatement, since even a Guitar Hero veteran like myself was having trouble with even the most basic songs. Thankfully, Star Power, (now called Hero Powers,) was still there to bail me out after hitting a series of particular notes in succession. In terms of the core game play though, it’s about what you would expect. Adding a fret-less strum, as well as single and double frets for a total of 10 possible inputs, difficult songs can get very complicated. My only complaint with the new set up is would be that hitting double frets, (holding the top and bottom buttons on the same column,) took special effort, not feeling intuitive at all. Then again, it will probably take more than 10 minutes to get used to the guitar, so maybe I just suck. We’ll reserve final judgement for now.
Consisting of two main modes of play, the equivalent to a career section would be the Live Mode. Taking place in first person, you’re tasked with touring with a band, performing whatever songs are on your crew’s set list. The crowd responds to your performance in real time, so what might start as cheering can quickly turn into a sea of insulting signs, trash thrown on stage, and a verbal lashing from your band mates. As you’d expect, progressing leads to new songs and venues, but this time, with the intention of creating an authentic on-stage experience.
TV Mode on the other hand, can’t really be compared to any other modes of play. Consisting of three sub modes, (or channels in this case,) which consist of a themed channel that cycles different genres, a new music channel that rotates the game’s newest releases, and premium channels, sections where you’ll play special sets. The first two modes constantly change, going through a one hour rotation before the set lists change, keeping new music flowing at a constant basis. Premium on the other hand, isn’t just a title, since some will use never before on stage footage from the actual band that the challenge is based around. As in, footage which was recorded during their performances in first person just for this game!
In these modes, the game is always running, even when you’re not around. Songs continue to play on each channel, and selecting them through TV will throw you into the song at whatever point it’s at when you start. As you perform, you’ll be automatically thrown into matchmaking and compared to other players who play at a similar level. Scoring high, reaching certain combo goals, (which is much easier to see thanks to the glowing notes that signify each multiple of 50,) and completing other challenges unlocks more EXP and bonuses, with even more content being offered at the Premium section.
Speaking of, knowing how much potential Premium holds, the game is also going to make you work for the right to play it. Premium challenges can only be played by spending in game currency that’s earned through other modes. All of the game’s newest content will be debuted on this channel, so any new DLC will likely be centered around a specific band or theme, forcing players to go head to head at songs no one has played before. Serving as the mode that yields the most unlockable content, highest EXP bonuses and exclusive, timed items, the devs want you to constantly check in to see what new challenges await. After all, once some of these in game items are gone, they’re gone for good, and WILL NOT be sold as future DLC, so you might want to make sure your guitar skills are up to snuff when the time comes around.
As EXP is earned, it can be used to customize your equipment, unlock new note highway designs, and even obtain other Hero Powers. With it’s current system, you’ll be able to adjust the game to cater to your play style, so if you want your guitar to earn more points per note, carry more Hero Power, raise its maximum multiplier or reach higher multipliers with fewer notes, it’s all yours to upgrade! How this will affect online matches is unknown, but we trust that there will be a level of balancing included when the final game releases. Outside of game play, special channels will open up that features music and genres that you tend to play most often, so you’ll rarely be stuck playing songs you don’t like! It’s clear that this could be the most customizable rhythm game to date, which we’re very excited about!
Now, to the most controversial part of what makes Guitar Hero Live stand out. The good news is that you will never have to pay a dime for DLC. After it debuts in the Premium Channel, the newest songs will eventually be cycled through the normal channels, depending on genre and band like the normal songs. But what if you don’t want to play randomized channels and want to play whatever songs you want on demand? This is where the pay wall comes in. During normal progression, you’ll unlock a separate currency called Plays. Each Play can be exchanged for the right to play any song, DLC or otherwise, at your choosing, including customizing a playlist in exchange for multiple Plays. If you run out however, you’ll have to pay out of pocket for more. And what about those times where you have a group over who wants to try everything? In these cases, unlimited passes can be purchased, which give you access to the full library to play as much as you want for a limited time. New challenges cycle through on a regular basis, so there will never be a time where Plays can’t be unlocked for free, but this might not bode well for those who want to play what they want when they want.
What I took away from my time with Guitar Hero Live is that it’s looking to be more ambitious than I ever expected it to be. With a new guitar, new note chart, fully customizable game play, some impressive on stage technology and a completely different approach on the standard DLC model, we’re excited to see what the future holds for the former franchise’s comeback tour!
Retailing at $99.99, look for Guitar Hero Live this October.