Back in the mid-2000s, a musical phenomenon swept through living rooms worldwide, turning everyday folks into overnight rockstars. It all started for me around Christmas 2005. A friend had just snagged Guitar Hero for PlayStation 2, and I was invited over to witness the hype. Initially, I was skeptical. The plastic guitar controller felt cheap, the colorful fret buttons seemed toy-like, and the strum bar? It felt like a flimsy piece of plastic. But then, the magic happened. As Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” blasted through the speakers, something clicked. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a nerd fiddling with a game controller; I was a guitar god, commanding the stage, lost in the music. I was instantly hooked on the Guitar Hero experience.
Fast forward a decade, and my love for rock ‘n’ roll is as strong as ever. However, my enthusiasm is a bit more tempered when it comes to Guitar Hero Live, Activision’s attempt to reignite the franchise. Let me be clear, Guitar Hero Live isn’t without its merits. Developer FreeStyleGames has introduced some genuinely innovative and engaging elements to the gameplay. Yet, there’s a lingering sense of unrealized potential. It’s a good game, certainly enjoyable, but it falls short of greatness, hinting at the truly phenomenal experience it could have been, especially within the Guitar Hero Live bundle.
The Resurrection of a Rock Legend: Guitar Hero Returns
The Guitar Hero franchise was once a money-printing machine. In the six years following its 2005 debut, the series sold over 25 million units globally, raking in over $2 billion in retail revenue. However, this very success became its undoing. Publisher Activision Blizzard, in their pursuit of maximizing profits, flooded the market with over a dozen titles in those six years, leading to oversaturation. By 2011, the music rhythm game market had cooled, and Activision shelved the franchise, citing a decline in mass appeal. DJ Hero 2, released in 2010, became the series’ swan song.
In an interview shortly after the announcement of the hiatus, Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick offered insights into the franchise’s downfall. “Guitar Hero became unsuccessful because it didn’t have any nourishment and care,” he explained. “We need to regain our audience interest, and we really need to deliver inspired innovation. So we’re going to take the products out of the market, and we’re not going to tell anybody what we’re doing for awhile… and then we’re going to go back to the studios and we’re going to reinvent Guitar Hero.”
True to his word, Activision’s subsidiary FreeStyleGames embarked on a mission to reinvent Guitar Hero. The result? Guitar Hero Live, boasting a redesigned guitar controller, a more immersive first-person career mode, and a brand-new online multiplayer platform.
The Revamped Axe: Guitar Hero Live Controller
The most immediate and significant change in Guitar Hero Live is the redesigned guitar controller. This iconic peripheral was crucial to the original games’ appeal, allowing players to feel genuinely connected to the music. Instead of the five familiar, large, colored buttons on the guitar neck, Guitar Hero Live introduces a six-button layout, arranged in two rows of three. This means there’s a top fret and a bottom fret for each of the three columns.
In the game, notes descend on the screen along three lanes. The color of the note is gone, replaced by black notes pointing upwards and white notes pointing downwards. These visual cues indicate which fret button to press. Players can also execute bar chords by pressing both buttons in the same fret column, or play open notes by strumming without pressing any fret buttons.
This controller overhaul brings two key improvements. First, it more closely mimics the finger movements required to play a real guitar. Instead of simply moving fingers up and down frets, players now shift between ‘strings’, enhancing the sense of authenticity. Second, it simplifies the lower end of the fretboard by eliminating the need to stretch for the bottom button with the pinky finger. This design choice arguably makes the game more accessible to newcomers and those with less finger dexterity. However, seasoned Guitar Hero veterans shouldn’t dismiss this change as a simplification. The new finger positioning and fret combinations actually make the higher difficulty levels significantly more challenging and nuanced than the original control scheme.
The primary drawback of this new controller is the forced obsolescence of previous Guitar Hero peripherals. Those guitars you’ve been carefully storing, hoping for a revival? They are incompatible with Guitar Hero Live. You’ll need to invest in the new controllers, which is a significant consideration, especially when considering the Guitar Hero Live bundle for multiplayer. Ironically, those older guitars might still find use with Guitar Hero‘s long-time rival, Harmonix’s Rock Band 4, which, as fellow Forbes contributor Jason Evangelho noted, offers “a welcome return to fake plastic rocking.”
Live Mode: Stepping into the Spotlight
Guitar Hero Live‘s career mode, aptly named “Live,” serves as the primary introduction to the new gameplay mechanics. It adopts a first-person perspective, utilizing live-action concert footage filmed at various venues. Real musicians were cast to portray fictional bands, and actual crowds were used to simulate authentic concert atmospheres. Players begin by choosing between two music festivals and then perform sets with different bands across the festival’s stages. This setup immediately immerses players in the concert experience. Each set begins with a point-of-view video sequence depicting the player’s guitarist backstage, interacting with bandmates and crew, before stepping onto the stage to a roaring crowd.
The first-person guitarist perspective is a genuinely engaging and innovative approach for a rhythm game. As you perform, the camera dynamically pans across the stage and venue, offering glimpses of the crowd, bandmates, and stage crew. This creates a tangible sense of presence and atmosphere, making you feel like you’re actually on stage. Each band is visually distinct, with unique styles and personalities, further enhancing the feeling of interacting with real people.
The game provides realistic, dynamic feedback based on player performance. Nail the notes, and the video seamlessly transitions to showcase an energized performance – bandmates become more animated, and the crowd cheers wildly. However, falter too often, and the atmosphere shifts dramatically. Bandmates express their disappointment and disapproval, while the crowd’s reaction turns sour, shifting from cheers to boos and jeers.
This feedback system isn’t entirely novel in music rhythm games, but the use of live-action footage elevates its impact. When you miss a series of notes and make eye contact with a real person on screen who frowns and mouths insults, the sense of consequence feels much more immediate and impactful. While some of the crowd reactions can be a bit cheesy, with signs displaying slogans like “YOU PUNK,” “DANCE WITH ME” or “RAVEEE!!!”, the overall effect remains entertaining and adds to the immersive experience. This realistic career mode is a refreshing departure from the animated sequences of previous Guitar Hero games.
The mini-set format for each band, typically comprising three or four songs, is another positive aspect of Live mode. The inclusion of between-song banter, interactions with sound technicians, and other realistic details further enhances the concert simulation. It also encourages players to explore genres outside their usual preferences. For instance, I found myself enjoying a set with the all-female pop group The Out Outs, even achieving my first perfect score on Avril Lavigne’s “Here’s To Never Growing Up.”
While Live mode is a fun and innovative take on the rhythm game career mode, it suffers from a significant lack of content. Guitar Hero Live launches with a meager 42 songs spread across a dozen sets within two music festivals. A dedicated player can easily complete the entire career mode in under four hours, leaving little reason for replayability within this mode. If Live mode had been more expansive and fleshed out, Guitar Hero Live could have been a truly exceptional experience. Instead, it feels like a fleeting glimpse of potential, enjoyable for a single playthrough but lacking long-term engagement in its career offering.
Guitar Hero TV: The Always-On Music Channel
Recognizing the limitations of the career mode’s longevity, Activision clearly intends for players to invest their time and, more importantly, money in Guitar Hero TV (GHTV), the game’s new online multiplayer mode. GHTV functions as an online platform where players can compete against each other. As you play a song, your score is dynamically ranked against other players in a leaderboard displayed alongside the gameplay.
Initially, GHTV presents a compelling experience. It features curated “channels” of music, each with pre-programmed playlists complete with scrolling note highways and lyrics for sing-alongs. A standout feature is the integration of official music videos, allowing players to play along to the actual music video – Weezer’s “Buddy Holly” being one of the launch tracks.
However, GHTV’s limitations soon become apparent. At launch, it offers only two channels, each dedicated to a specific genre and broadcasting in 30-minute blocks. If the current genre doesn’t align with your taste, you’re forced to switch to another mode or wait. Furthermore, the programming schedule is only visible for a couple of hours in advance, making it impossible to plan for future genre-specific blocks later in the day or week.
While GHTV does include an on-demand library of songs, accessible at any time, this feature comes with its own caveats. Playing songs on demand removes the live competition aspect; while other players’ scores are still displayed, you are no longer actively competing against them in real-time.
More concerning is the implementation of “play coins” required to access on-demand songs. This system operates similarly to arcade machines requiring tokens. Players receive an initial supply of coins and free plays upon starting GHTV and can earn more by playing within the GHTV channels. However, for players wanting to repeatedly practice a specific song, like a White Stripes track, to achieve a perfect score, the coin supply dwindles rapidly. Considering that coins are also used to unlock hero powers, highway designs, gamer pictures, and other cosmetic items, it’s clear that Activision anticipates players purchasing coin packs with real money to maintain access to on-demand content and customization options.
Activision’s official materials emphasize that “you can choose to spend real money in GHTV to acquire items or play tokens, but you don’t have to,” and that “you never have to spend a dime to access content in GHTV.” While technically true, the design of GHTV heavily incentivizes microtransactions. As Activision expands GHTV with new music, content, and events, the micro-payment system is likely to become increasingly central to the overall experience. This design positions Guitar Hero Live as a game designed for ongoing spending beyond the initial purchase of the software and Guitar Hero Live bundle.
Another significant drawback of GHTV, at least in its initial state, is the limited music selection. While a large number of tracks are available, they are heavily skewed towards recent releases and a narrow range of genres. Filtering the catalog by era reveals a stark imbalance. The “2011-Present” and “2005-2010” categories are well-populated, but classic rock eras are severely underrepresented. The “70s” category, for example, only contains four songs, and the “60s” category is completely empty. It’s difficult to feel like a true guitar hero in a game that largely neglects classic guitar rock anthems.
While the music catalog is likely to expand over time, the expectation is that new music will primarily be acquired through play coins, further reinforcing the microtransaction model and potentially adding to the overall cost of enjoying a broader musical selection.
While microtransactions are unfortunately prevalent in the modern gaming landscape, and perhaps unavoidable, the aggressive monetization strategy in GHTV overshadows the core gameplay experience.
Multiplayer Mayhem… or Maybe Not?
The explosive popularity of the music rhythm game genre in the mid-2000s was largely fueled by Guitar Hero and Rock Band‘s ability to transform any social gathering into a rocking party. These games were uniquely accessible, appealing to gamers and non-gamers alike, young and old. The simple joy of playing a plastic guitar and creating music, often amplified by actual beverages, made these games the undisputed kings of party entertainment.
Sadly, Guitar Hero Live largely abandons this crucial aspect of the franchise’s appeal. In its push to steer players towards the online multiplayer GHTV mode, Activision has severely compromised the local, in-room multiplayer experience. Firstly, setting up multiple controllers on consoles like the PS4 is surprisingly cumbersome. The PS4’s limited USB ports necessitate the use of a USB hub to connect two guitars and a microphone, and even then, getting all peripherals to function correctly proved to be a frustrating process. Once connected, the limitations become even more apparent. Additional players are forced to play as “Guests,” unable to log in with their own console accounts. This means guest players cannot save progress, accumulate play coins, or utilize any unlocked items or customizations.
This decision fundamentally alters the nature of Guitar Hero from a spontaneous, fun-for-all party game to a more isolated, online-focused experience. The local multiplayer limitations transform it into a decent music game to play against strangers online, and even then, the “live” competition is often asynchronous and monetized.
The Bundle Verdict: Is Guitar Hero Live Worth the Price of Admission?
Despite these criticisms, it’s important to reiterate that Guitar Hero Live is, at its core, an enjoyable game. It’s well-executed, and the innovative additions, particularly the new controller and Live mode, inject fresh life into the franchise. The GHTV platform also holds potential for growth, with the possibility of live events and concerts adding further layers of engagement.
However, the fundamental issue preventing a wholehearted recommendation is the overall cost.
FreeStyleGames’ controller redesign is arguably a smart move, and the new controller is indeed enjoyable to play. But Activision’s decision to mandate new hardware for entry into Guitar Hero Live may prove to be a misstep. The most affordable Guitar Hero Live bundle retails for $100 and includes only a single guitar controller. For local multiplayer, a two-guitar bundle costs $150. Coupled with the looming prospect of ongoing expenses within GHTV to access content and features, the overall cost of fully enjoying Guitar Hero Live becomes substantial. Ultimately, Guitar Hero Live, especially considering the price of the Guitar Hero Live bundle, simply doesn’t offer enough value to justify the considerable investment.
Guitar Hero Live
Platform: PlayStation 4, PS3, Xbox One, XB360, Wii U (Reviewed on PS4)
Developer: FreeStyleGames
Publisher: Activision
Released: October 20, 2015
Price: $99.99 with one guitar; $149.99 for a two guitar bundle
Score: 7.5
Activision provided a Guitar Hero Live 2 pack bundle for this review.
