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[shiftplusone]

have they said anything about multiplayer?(can't watch the trailer or look at most links at work)

So we see a revival of the FMV genre ... looks like every trend comes back again at some point.

FMV games AND rhythm games both back and together at last!

 

[FyreWulff]

So did they record multiple crowds and their reaction for every song or are we looking at a few generic ones that loop? Imagine the cost of each new DLC when you have to buy a song + the videos associated with it...yikes.

It appears songs via GHTV will just be the actual song's music video.

 

[diffusionx]

Those crowds look hilarious. They should have just stuck to the music videos thing.

 

[Ridley327]

Apart from the new design of the board, I'm not sure why they would focus on the background, because you won't have the time to look at it when playing at max difficulty. Maybe it's just me.

Presentation has always mattered in the genre, on both sides of the Pacific. Guitar Hero wouldn't have taken off like it did if it was just the highway and a black background, no matter what some hardcore players might tell you.

 

[parasight]

One of the best parts about Rock Band was the crowd sing-a-longs when you were doing well. If they can find implement that here with the live-action crowds that could be a really amazing feeling. It's nice to see they're taking a different approach to the game, instead of just reviving what people were familiar and nostalgic about.

I hope both RB & GH do well. Need these games back in my life.

 

[prag16]

No existing hardware compatibility? I'm out.

what the fuck does a first person Guitar Hero even mean?

And this.

 

[chrominance]

I'm fine with them catering to those stereotypes and tropes, even if they are insanely old. They are catering to a wide audience here and most of that audience wants to feel like the rockstar they imagine in their head due to whatever pop culture references they've seen or heard before.

This game is pure fantasy and Activision is trying to bring that to players. I know it's not going to shake anything up about rock culture or artists. It's meant as a fantasy for the player(s) to feel like they are in a band rocking out massive shows and living it up Spinal Tap.

I mean, maybe this is just a personal blind spot for me because I fell down the indie hole way back in high school and haven't really followed mainstream/alt rock since. But is this really still a fantasy people have? Coachella just happened this past weekend and it was chock full of EDM and non-rock music in general. Not that there were no rock bands on the bill (Jack Black and AC/DC were some of the headliners) but rock culture, as lampooned by Spinal Tap, feels like such a dated fantasy to me. I could totally be wrong about this, though.

 

[mocoworm]

GAMEPLAY VIDEO

https://youtu.be/f-rFR7fnx-s

 

[Meier]

Dear Freestyle Games,

Who brings a cardboard sign that says "YOU SUCK" on it to a concert they bought a ticket for to see a band they like?

Your friend,

Common Sense

Well, in this case it'd clearly be at a music festival given the size of the crowd. But you're right, no one would bother to get that close if they weren't a major fan.

It's interesting concept, but it seems like it'd be really difficult to do dynamically (good then bad then good then bad, etc). The Giant Bomb video of them playing the FOB song shows the crowd shift pretty effectively but it was very staged.. how will they do it on the fly? I liked them urging you on to play, but it seems like it might get pretty repetitive.

 

[VeryGooster]

"Why would they come just to boo us?"

 

[Randam]

It's not compatible with previous GH peripherals or DLC? And Rock Band is?

The contest is over before it even starts.

100 bucks, GH will sell better than RB.



and btw.:

The Verge Preview

https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fk...mage/46114374/7239_0229_GHLive_Stage1.0.0.jpg

https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sn...orus_asset/file/3601772/GHL_modified_1.0.jpeg

how does this work?
where do I see the two 3 button lines of the controller on the screen?

 

[Navy Bean]

The lineup so far

The Black Keys
The Blitz Kids
Ed Sheeran
Fall Out Boy
Gary Clark, Jr.
Green Day
The Killers
The Lumineers
My Chemical Romance
Pierce the Veil
The Rolling Stones
Skrillex
The War on Drugs

Yikes, that is a really weak list. Needs 100% more Iron Maiden.

 

[ultron87]

I demand Kinect support so I can shove the other guitarist who's like "Bruh! You're missing your notes!" off the stage. I hate him so much.

 

[narton]

Hey, at least it's coming to the Wii U. Come on Harmonix, Make RB4 for Wii U, please.

 

[Yaari]

I don't know. It just shouts gimmick to me. I'll probably give it a try but I think the original formula is what worked for them. And I'm not sure what they are trying here. The entire Live thing.. I'll probably get Rock Band instead.

 

[Ridley327]

The lineup so far

The Black Keys
The Blitz Kids
Ed Sheeran
Fall Out Boy
Gary Clark, Jr.
Green Day
The Killers
The Lumineers
My Chemical Romance
Pierce the Veil
The Rolling Stones
Skrillex
The War on Drugs

Yikes, that is a really weak list. Needs 100% more Iron Maiden.

Considering the setup they're going for the controller, I doubt we're going to see much in the way of solo-driven songs. It wouldn't even surprise me if the Rolling Stones track turns out to be one of their earlier pop-driven tracks like Satisfaction.

Rock Band may have just become the go-to choice for hardcore players with this move, and they didn't even have to do anything.

 

[Xater]

100 bucks, GH will sell better than RB.



and btw.:



how does this work?
where do I see the two 3 button lines of the controller on the screen?

The white notes are the top row of buttons, the black ones corresponds to the bottom row.

 

[GuitarAtomik]

Yeah, I wonder how big the setlist is going to be and if there's going to be DLC. This sounds like way too much work to do for every song they're ever going to release.

Yeah. I mean, animating the 3D models wasn't super easy, but Harmonix had tools set up where a lot of it was automated with preset options and one person could do it themselves in a surprisingly reasonable amount of time (I made some stuff while RBN was a thing). I really don't know if it's cheaper to film the actors for EVERY song considering the special camera rig. I mean maybe it is since it could conceivably be faster but I have no clue. This shit's strange.

 

[Zalman]

Hopefully Rock Band gets Metallica this time.

 

[AlphaTwo00]

how does this work?
where do I see the two 3 button lines of the controller on the screen?

Watch the video. It's got 2 tab shapes (one with an inner ring - in addition to the color being different). Like how the hammer-on buttons were smaller shaped, so it can be on the same lane but show a different icon to indicate the other button.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Actually more interested the more I read. I just need to figure out GH live. Euro gamer said it would constantly change but what if I'm playing offline? I'm I just stuck with the current list we know of or is that a launch list?

 

[-Horizon-]

First person wut?

 

[mocoworm]

This is crying out for Oculus support !

 

[Gazkapop]

Even if I don't like it all that much, credit to Freestyle for trying something different at least with the FMV stuff.

That said, no backwards compatibility with peripherals means I'm out. RB4 will do fine.

 

[Raide]

This is crying out for Oculus support !

When you look down at your VR RL counterpart, would you see a real Guitar or one with Black and White buttons on it?

 

[Flipyap]

What is this? A GUITAR FOR ANTS?!

 

[Kid Ska]

I like how corny this is, but only for novelty's sake. I think it would get old fast. And no backwards compatibility? Looks like it's RB4 for me.

 

[AsianOni]

Presentation has always mattered in the genre, on both sides of the Pacific. Guitar Hero wouldn't have taken off like it did if it was just the highway and a black background, no matter what some hardcore players might tell you.

True. Rocksmith for example looks kinda empty but I didn't find that element that important.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

They can't possibly have random recordings for a song, since every time the viewpoint looks at the other band members they'd be completely off sync.

Also, how does it handle two players? Does it even handle two players? The entire first-person thing is useless then.

 

[Xeroblade]

Kotaku's take on it.

 

[StarBlazers1]

The real question is, can I buy the game digitally with the guitar? I have gone 100% digital and don't want to buy a physical disc.

 

[Archaix]

Well, I burst into laughter and closed the video once I realized the FMV shit was real. Good effort guys, try again in five years. It's probably good when your trailer reminds people of that hilariously awful 360 Intel advertisement Kinect game, right?

edit: Aaaaand Skrillex. In Guitar Hero. Alright, I'll leave you guys alone. I'm gonna try to forget this ever happened.

 

[Navy Bean]

Considering the setup they're going for the controller, I doubt we're going to see much in the way of solo-driven songs. It wouldn't even surprise me if the Rolling Stones track turns out to be one of their earlier pop-driven tracks like Satisfaction.

You may be right but I personally would hate that. Power chord heavy songs (like Green Day) were never that fun to play in the past games. Maybe the new setup will help - although nothing can help the fact that Fall Out Boy is awful.

 

[Ridley327]

True. Rocksmith for example looks kinda empty but I didn't find that element that important.

Rocksmith gets away with it because it's, well, not really a game.

 

[Booker Dewitt]

I'm interested to see how smooth those transitions are from the crowd liking it, to the crowd hating it. This seems really ambitious...still kind of cheesy and lame though.

 

[Zuhzuhzombie!!]

It's an FMV game.

IT'S AN FMV GAME.

 

[Xater]

I'm interested to see how smooth those transitions are from the crowd liking it, to the crowd hating it.

You can see it in the video. They do this weird screen warp effect and the video track changes from good to bad or the other way around.

 

[SuperPac]

The camera on the first-person view moves so fast I think I would seriously get motion sick while playing this. :\

 

[Dombrowski]

GAMEPLAY VIDEO

https://youtu.be/f-rFR7fnx-s

This looks kinda neat to me.

 

[Raide]

It's an FMV game.

IT'S AN FMV GAME.

A Live Action Cinematic Rock Experience.

 

[Yaari]

The controller does sound like something I'd prefer over the previous ones. Seems easier to handle.

 

[Moldiver]

I like the idea, only thing I tought was off was the atmosphere. When the band walked out the crowd seemed flat, I know it's about the music but that beginning crowd shot and noise should be exciting.

 

[georly]

Blu Ray discs, yo.

360 version will probably just have super compressed video.

Even then, how many hours of footage can a blu ray hold, on top of the audio tracks, and other game assets. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like FMV video could limit the amount of songs available on the disc compared to what they used to have. Obviously, you'll get DLC. We'll see I guess.

 

[Meier]

Well, I burst into laughter and closed the video once I realized the FMV shit was real. Good effort guys, try again in five years.

It looks pretty well done in the gameplay footage. Not sure if there is or will be any artifacting when it's on a bigger screen. It seems like they essentially switch videos from negative reaction to positive when there's that little glow around the edges of the screen.

The guitar itself seems quite small which may be a good thing frankly.

 

[Lady Siara]

Thinking on it some more, this idea could be really cool if it focused on a specific band or genre. It'd be interesting seeing iconic sets or concerts recreated, almost like living out history. That said, the costs to get the likenesses of band members and venues would probably be insane.

I found this bit from the Verge article interesting..

There are a lot of unanswered questions about Guitar Hero Live, including final venue count and set list. "We've gone really broad with our musical genres," Jackson said. "If you look at Coachella, you look at Glastonbury... it's diverse. We've brought that to Guitar Hero." (The press release specifically calls out rock, folk, EDM, hip-hop, country, and pop.) And it won’t necessarily be guitar-specific tracks you’re playing. "If it's got a beat, and it's got a rhythm, you can make good gameplay out of it... we're not making a simulator, we're making a game that's fun.

I don't know how to feel about this. I appreciate the variety but if I have a guitar controller, I should be playing guitar tracks, no? Tracking backing bits in dull or repetitive areas is fine but if I'm playing a synthesizer for the whole song, it feels off. How are the videos going to look for songs like that? If it's still a person playing guitar, won't that be jarring?

 

[RyanPierre]

Two rows of buttons sounds like an interesting idea. The FMV stuff looks like it'll give me a headache though.

Against it: Artist list and FMV
For it: I'm more likely to play Guitar Hero more than twice a year (like I do with Rock Band)
New controller looks interesting

For all the love of Rock Band, and it is a cool franchise, it is a really good party game. For those 363 days a year when there's not a party at my place where people want to play all the instruments, it lays collecting dust as the individual parts weren't that interesting to play on your own.

There were way more interesting parts to be found in Rock Band than Guitar Hero just be sheer number of DLC alone. But if you think Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Skrillex guitar parts will be so much more interesting to play than whatever will be in Rock Band, hey, whatever floats your boat.

 

[Randam]

The white notes are the top row of buttons, the black ones corresponds to the bottom row.

Watch the video. It's got 2 tab shapes (one with an inner ring - in addition to the color being different). Like how the hammer-on buttons were smaller shaped, so it can be on the same lane but show a different icon to indicate the other button.

boy, that is confusing.
you see the fretboard on the screen but it doesn't correspond 1 to 1 with the controller?

http://i.imgur.com/LBCj2pe.png

What is this? A GUITAR FOR ANTS?!

lol

 

[Xater]

Even then, how many hours of footage can a blu ray hold, on top of the audio tracks, and other game assets. Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like FMV video could limit the amount of songs available on the disc compared to what they used to have. Obviously, you'll get DLC. We'll see I guess.

Let's say it has 30 songs at about 3 minutes a song. That fits easily on a Blu-ray disc.

 

[creatchee]

The sentiments of many gamers recently:
"This gen has way too many remasters, rehashes, and the same old shit."

But in this thread today:
"This game sucks because it doesn't play exactly like the same game I've been playing for the last ten years."

Irony says hi.

I'm going to wait to try it out before I condemn it. I already have 12 discs and 1500 downloaded songs of five color button guitar. I want something new.

 

[Booker Dewitt]

You can see it in the video. They do this weird screen warp effect and the video track changes from good to bad or the other way around.

Does this happen when you reach a certain point in the song, or when you reach some performance threshold? Can't watch the video right now.