Christmas 2005 is etched in my memory for one reason: Guitar Hero. A friend had just snagged a copy of this novel music rhythm game for the PlayStation 2, and naturally, I had to check it out. Picking up that plastic, toy-like controller, I was skeptical. The multi-colored fret buttons felt cheap, and the strum bar seemed flimsy. But then, the campaign mode kicked in, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” blasted through the speakers, and in an instant, something shifted. I was no longer just a casual observer; I was transformed into a stage-commanding, guitar-wielding rockstar. Just like that, I was hooked on the Guitar Hero phenomenon.
Fast forward a decade, and my love for rock ‘n’ roll is as strong as ever. However, my enthusiasm is somewhat tempered when it comes to Guitar Hero Live, Activision’s attempt to reignite the magic of this iconic franchise. Make no mistake, Guitar Hero Live is still a blast to play. FreeStyleGames, the developers, have undeniably introduced some genuinely innovative improvements to the Guitar Hero formula. Yet, a nagging feeling persists – this feels like a missed opportunity. It’s a good game, certainly, but not the groundbreaking experience it could have been, leaving you with a sense of unrealized potential.
The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of a Guitar Hero Franchise
The Guitar Hero franchise was once a cash cow. In the six years following its debut in 2005, it sold over 25 million units globally, raking in over $2 billion in retail sales. However, this very success became its undoing. Activision Blizzard, the publisher, flooded the market with over a dozen titles in that short span, leading to oversaturation. By 2011, the franchise was shelved, deemed to have lost its mass appeal. The last release before its hiatus was DJ Hero 2 in 2010.
Not long after the series was put on ice, I had the chance to interview Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. He offered some insight into the franchise’s decline. “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, FreeStyleGames, an Activision subsidiary, has indeed reinvented Guitar Hero. This reinvention comes in the form of a redesigned controller, a more immersive first-person career mode, and a brand-new online multiplayer platform.
The New Controller: A Step Closer to Real Guitar?
The most significant change in Guitar Hero Live is undoubtedly the new guitar controller. This iconic peripheral was key to making players feel like they were genuinely making music, not just playing a video game. Gone are the five in-line, colored buttons of the past. Guitar Hero Live introduces a six-button layout with two rows of three buttons each: a top fret and a bottom fret.
In the game, notes now appear on the “highway” in three lanes. Black notes pointing upwards and white notes pointing downwards dictate which fret row to use. Players can also utilize both buttons on the same fret for bar chords, or strum without pressing any buttons for open notes.
This controller redesign brings two notable improvements. Firstly, it more closely mimics the actual finger movements of playing a real guitar. Instead of simply moving fingers up and down a fretboard, players are now shifting between rows, simulating string changes. Secondly, the removal of the bottom button, which was often a stretch for the pinky finger, makes the game more accessible to beginners and those with less dexterity. While hardcore Guitar Hero veterans might initially balk at the idea of making the game easier, the new control scheme actually introduces a different kind of challenge at higher difficulty levels. The need to consciously switch between fret rows adds a layer of complexity that can be surprisingly demanding.
However, the new controllers come with a caveat: you have to buy them. Those old Guitar Hero guitars you’ve been holding onto? They’re incompatible. You’ll have to relegate them to storage or perhaps dust them off to play Rock Band 4, the latest iteration of Guitar Hero‘s long-standing rival from Harmonix. As fellow Forbes contributor Jason Evangelho put it, Rock Band 4 is “[a welcome return to fake plastic rocking].”
Guitar Hero Live: Immersed in the First-Person Experience
Your journey into Guitar Hero Live begins with the career mode, aptly named “Live.” This mode adopts a first-person perspective, utilizing live concert footage filmed at various venues. Real musicians play the roles of fictional bands, and real crowds act as enthusiastic fans. Players start by choosing between two music festivals and then playing sets with different bands across the festival venues. This setup immediately immerses you in the concert atmosphere. Each set begins with a point-of-view video of your guitarist backstage, interacting with bandmates and technicians before stepping onto the stage to a roaring welcome.
The first-person guitarist perspective is genuinely engaging for a rhythm game. As you perform, the camera dynamically pans across the stage and venue, giving you glimpses of the crowd, your bandmates, and the crew behind the scenes. This creates a real sense of presence and atmosphere. Each band is distinct in look and feel, making the experience feel more personal and interactive.
The game provides dynamic feedback based on your performance. Play flawlessly, hitting all the notes, and the video seamlessly transitions to a positive on-stage scenario – your bandmates rock out harder, cheering you on, and the crowd goes wild. However, falter and miss too many notes, and the reaction shifts. Your bandmates become visibly annoyed, even scolding you. The crowd’s reaction mirrors your performance; cheers and enthusiastic singing can quickly turn to boos and jeers if you lose control.
While crowd feedback isn’t a novel mechanic in music rhythm games, the live-action footage in Guitar Hero Live elevates the experience. Making eye contact with a real person frowning and booing after a missed note makes the game feel surprisingly more real and impactful. While the crowd reactions can sometimes be a bit cheesy (signs with slogans like “YOU PUNK” or “DANCE WITH ME” pop up), they still add to the overall fun. This realistic approach to career mode is a refreshing change from the animated presentations of previous Guitar Hero games.
The mini-set format, with each band playing three or four songs, is another positive aspect. Between songs, there’s banter, interaction with sound technicians, and other details that contribute to the immersive concert feel. Exploring different genres and bands outside of your usual taste is also enjoyable. I found myself having a great time playing with The Out Outs, an all-girl pop group, and even achieved my first perfect score on Avril Lavigne’s “Here’s To Never Growing Up.”
“Live” mode is a genuinely fun and innovative take on the rhythm game career. The main drawback is its brevity. Guitar Hero Live features a surprisingly limited setlist of only 42 songs spread across a dozen sets and two festivals. You can easily complete the entire career mode in under four hours, leaving little incentive for replay. If this mode were more expansive and fleshed out, Guitar Hero Live could have been truly exceptional. Instead, it offers a fun initial playthrough but lacks long-term depth.
Guitar Hero TV: The Always-On Music Channel with a Catch
Activision’s primary focus for Guitar Hero Live seems to be Guitar Hero TV (GHTV), the new online multiplayer mode. GHTV is designed as an online platform where players compete against each other in real-time. As you play a song, your score is dynamically ranked against other players on a leaderboard displayed alongside the gameplay.
Initially, GHTV appears promising. It offers curated “channels” of music with pre-programmed playlists, complete with in-game guitar highways and sing-along tracks. Playing along to actual, classic music videos (like Weezer’s “Buddy Holly”) adds a cool dimension to the experience.
However, limitations quickly become apparent. GHTV launches with only two channels, and each 30-minute show is genre-specific. If you don’t like the current genre, you’re forced to switch modes or wait. Furthermore, you can only preview the programming schedule a couple of hours ahead, making it impossible to plan your play sessions around specific genres later in the day or week.
GHTV does include an on-demand library of songs that you can play at any time. However, playing songs on-demand removes the real-time competition aspect. While other players’ scores are still displayed, you’re not actively competing against anyone live.
More problematically, accessing on-demand songs requires “play coins” – essentially, arcade tokens. You start with a supply of coins and free plays and can earn more by playing GHTV channels. However, if you want to repeatedly play a particular track, like a White Stripes song, to perfect your score, you’ll quickly deplete your coin supply. Since these coins are also used to unlock hero powers, highway designs, gamer pictures, and other cosmetic items, it becomes clear that Activision intends for players to purchase coins with real money to fully enjoy the on-demand content and customization options.
Activision emphasizes in their promotional materials 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 micro-payment system is clearly designed to be a central part of the GHTV experience as new music, content, and events are added. This is a game model built to encourage ongoing spending beyond the initial purchase price of the game and controller.
Another significant issue with GHTV, at least at launch, is the limited music selection. While there’s a decent number of tracks, they are heavily skewed towards recent releases and specific 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 neglected. The “70s” category has a mere four songs, and the “60s” is entirely empty. How can you truly become a guitar hero in a game that largely ignores classic guitar rock anthems?
The music catalog will likely expand over time, but it’s reasonable to expect that new music will primarily be accessible through play coins, reinforcing the micro-payment model.
While micro-transactions are increasingly common in the gaming industry, and perhaps unavoidable, corporate monetization isn’t the biggest flaw of Guitar Hero Live.
Party Mode Fail: Sidelining Local Multiplayer
The music rhythm game genre exploded in popularity in the mid-2000s because Guitar Hero and Rock Band offered something special: a readily accessible and incredibly fun party game experience. At social gatherings, these games became instant hits, appealing to gamers and non-gamers alike, young and old. The feeling of playing a guitar and making music, often enhanced by a bit of actual intoxication, made these games legendary party starters.
Guitar Hero Live unfortunately stumbles in this crucial area. In its apparent push towards the online GHTV experience, Activision has significantly diminished the local, in-room multiplayer aspect. Setting up multiple controllers, at least on the PS4, is surprisingly cumbersome. The PS4’s limited USB ports necessitate a hub to connect two guitars and a microphone simultaneously. Even then, getting all devices to function correctly proved to be a frustrating experience. Once connected, players are further hampered by the inability for friends to log in with their own console accounts. They are relegated to playing as “Guests,” unable to save progress, earn play coins, or utilize any previously unlocked items.
This decision drastically alters the essence of the Guitar Hero franchise. It transforms it from an awesome party game to be enjoyed with friends on a Friday night into a decent, but somewhat isolating, music game primarily played against anonymous online strangers, and even then, not always in truly live competitions.
The Verdict: A Step Forward, But Not Quite Heroic
Despite these criticisms, it’s important to reiterate that Guitar Hero Live is a fun and well-made game. It introduces genuinely innovative elements that inject fresh life into the franchise. The potential for GHTV to evolve with new features, content, and live events is also intriguing and could significantly enhance the overall experience.
However, ultimately, Guitar Hero Live falls short of being a wholehearted recommendation, primarily due to its cost.
FreeStyleGames’ controller redesign is a smart move, and the new controller is arguably an improvement over the original. However, Activision’s decision to require new hardware for players is questionable. The most affordable Guitar Hero Live package retails for $100 and includes only one controller. Playing with a friend requires a $150 two-guitar bundle. Factor in the likely need to spend additional money on GHTV play coins to fully access the desired content, and the overall cost of enjoying Guitar Hero Live becomes quite steep. Ultimately, Guitar Hero Live, while enjoyable, simply doesn’t offer enough value to justify the significant financial 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.
