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E3 2015 Preview: Guitar Hero Live

Do you remember the first time you ever played Guitar Hero? That incredible feeling like you were actually playing a guitar and rocking out? Do you also remember how hard it seemed to move up from Beginner to Medium, or even Hard and Expert? It was almost impossible; yet when you started to get it, it was an incredible sense of achievement almost unmatched in any other game.

Now, the death of Guitar Hero was undoubtedly, largely caused by oversaturation. Too many games in too few years burnt gamers out. But, I’d also argue that part of the reason was that the games became less fun. As players got better or reached their baseline, that thrill and feeling of shredding on a guitar was lost and so playing became a process of going through the motions. No matter what songs were included or what new features were thrown in. Gamers just got bored and turned away to look for the next thing. I predict though, that Guitar Hero Live is going to bring them back in a big way.

Let’s start with the controller. It’s different, but is it better? Well, that’s going to depend. For me – someone who is reasonably comfortable playing on Expert — the new controller at first seemed to present an insurmountable challenge. The familiar clang of bung notes being hit was streaming out of the speakers at me as I mashed haphazardly at the two rows of buttons. If you’re unfamiliar with Guitar Hero, the old guitar controllers has 5 fret buttons laid out in a row. The new controller has two rows of three buttons.

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To play, you need to not only move between left and right, but also up and down. The rows are separated by colour (black and white) with the notes on screen featuring the colour and being shaped like a plectrum facing either up or down. Some notes are square shaped meaning both buttons must be pressed and others are unassigned meaning play whichever row you like.

It’s familiar, yet wholly different. I played “When You Were Young” by the Killers first up on Medium difficulty and it wasn’t until the sing was ¾ finished that I started to get the feel for the new system. Following that I played “Gold on the Ceiling” by the Black Keys and fared a little better and it was during that song that I started to feel that good old Guitar Hero buzz. I was rocking out and even though I was smashing out a few bung ones here and there, the notes were flowing and the crowd was cheering. Helping me feel like a rockstar was the new first person perspective.

When I was sucking it up at The Killers my band mates were getting in my face on screen pleading for me to do better and asking just what the f*ck was going on. When I was doing better with The Black Keys they were coming up to me to rock out together, back to back and loving it. It puts you squarely in the action and really helps nail that “I’m a rock god” vibe. The fact that it’s all composed of real footage and not goofy, stereotypical character models also goes a long way in putting distance between Live and Guitar Hero of last-gen.

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Another very current-gen element to Live is Guitar Hero TV. Basically it’s MTV for Guitar Hero. Turn it on and music will play and you’re able to jump in wherever and whenever you want. Stop playing and the music keeps going and you can listen while you go about your business. It seems ideal for parties and the like, but also for doing chores. You could turn it on to have music playing while you make dinner, then while you’re waiting have a play then put the guitar down and go back to your cooking while the music continues. The feature was seamless at E3 and will likely get a hefty workout when Live is released.

Guitar Hero Live is THE music game for the current-gen. While Rock Band has a multitude of songs, it’s the same old thing you’ve seen and done before. It’s also insanely expensive in Australia. Guitar Hero Live pulls off that tricky feat of feeling familiar, but new at the same time. It made me giddy and excited. It made me want to do better and it made me desperate to play more. I can’t wait for it to be released and I think fans are going to be blown away.

Guitar Hero Live will be available for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U from 20 October.


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DeltaPhoenix08