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Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock review: It's the same old song
Between its newfound focus on storytelling and its status as (gasp) the only Guitar Hero game out this calendar year, Warriors of Rock carried major promise to evolve the stubborn music franchise. Maybe you balked at the concept of a story-focused game featuring a cast of characters who have never spoken before, but at least storytelling represents a fairly unbeaten path in the increasingly beaten rhythm genre. (Well, fictional storytelling, anyway.) However, you don't have to spend much time with Warriors of Rock to realize that what sounded like evolutions are actually ancient gameplay mechanics -- only shrouded in a campy heavy metal veneer. %Gallery-98494%
Scenes from Activision's Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock launch party
Activision invited guests to Paramount Studios' backlot in a very hot Los Angeles yesterday to launch Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on a recreated an NYC block, which included the old CBGB club. Check out the setup and the closing concert by Soundgarden in the following gallery.
Guitar Hero controller added to Hard Rock Cafe collection
Imagine it: You're at a Hard Rock Cafe, maybe the one in Pittsburgh (since you don't have the t-shirt yet). You sit there, casually eating your Tupelo Chicken Tenders, when suddenly, you glance up at the wall and see ... those familiar five colored buttons. Yes, Hard Rock has gone plastic, as the UK's biggest Kiss fan, Kevin Curtis (pictured with tongue above), ushered a Gene Simmons-signed Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock guitar controller into the Hard Rock Cafe's "Hall of Fame." That's what they call their collection of "over 79,000 pieces of authentic music memorabilia" displayed around the walls in the ubiquitous chain restaurants. We're torn -- Guitar Hero is great and all, but guitars should have strings and frets, not buttons and flippers. This is like Dylan going electric! Then again, this is the Hard Rock Cafe we're talking about. Maybe a plastic guitar signed by Gene Simmons in a box on the walls of a tourist trap is exactly where it belongs. Check out the full press release after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock summons a launch trailer
If you were looking for a video clip that best summarizes what Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is all about, look no further. Basically, you've got rockers transforming into warriors. Oh, and there's, like, music and stuff.
Import GH: Metallica into Warriors of Rock for free during first week
Activision this morning revealed an incentive for Metallica slash Guitar Hero fans to pick up the forthcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock in the game's first week launch window: the ability to import 39 of the former game's 49 tracks into the latter game for free. Like Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, some of the songs in Guitar Hero: Metallica will be importable into the forthcoming rhythm game release. After the week is up on October 5, the import will cost 480 MS Points / $4.99 / 600 Wii Points, tying it for first place with Guitar Hero 5 for most expensive import cost. We've broken down the track listing from GH: Metallica that will be available for import into Warriors of Rock (39 of 49 songs) after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video highlights expanded DS/Wii connectivity
DS and Wii integration isn't new to the Guitar Hero series, but in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, roadies on the DS can greater affect what's going on in the Wii game. There are also expanded modes for budding roadies, which you can see for yourself by schlepping on past the break.
Warriors of Rock first Guitar Hero game to integrate Twitter and Facebook on Wii
Facebook and Twitter integration is far from the most exciting advancement made in gaming this generation. But, it's a feature that Wii has yet been privy too. That changes with the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Speaking to Nintendojo, Vicarious Visions producer Joe Fisher proclaimed that "we are the first Wii title to support social networking sites, with Facebook and Twitter." Elaborating further, he says that you'll be able to broadcast various in-game accomplishments. Making up for Nintendo's lack of a unified achievement system, the developer has decided to create its own, which connects with the social networking sites. "We've also incorporated a Wii award system, so when you do specific challenges in the game, you get credited for an award. You can share those with your online friends as well." Considering the arcade focus of the upcoming game, we're certain hardcore Guitar Hero fans will appreciate being able to share bragging rights on the Wii as well.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, DJ Hero 2 demos on Xbox Live today
Leery of this fall's literal interpretation of the "Guitar Hero" franchise? In an attempt to assuage your skepticism, Activision has wisely released the Warriors of Rock demo on Xbox Live today. Players can sample "Johnny Napalm's chapter" -- and upgrade the literal hero -- in the quest to save the Demigod of Rock (pictured; with his literal axe). Surprisingly, you still use a plastic guitar to play songs in the game. The demo features the following: Dethklok – "Bloodlines" Black Sabbath – "Children of the Grave" Foo Fighters – "No Way Back" Slash featuring Ian Astbury – "Ghosts" Additionally, the DJ Hero 2 demo is expected on Xbox Live Marketplace today (though it's currently missing from the service) and features the following mixes: "American Boy" (by Estelle featuring Kanye West) mixed with "Good Times" (by Chic) "Don't Cha" (by Pussycat Dolls featuring Busta Rhymes) mixed with "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" (by Pitbull) "Bounce" (Battle Mix) (by MSTRKRFT featuring N.O.R.E.) "Just Dance" (by Lady Gaga featuring Colby O'Donis ) mixed with "Ghosts N Stuff" (by Deadmau5) As usual, both demos are exclusive to Xbox Live Gold subscribers for one week. (Silver members can today download the R.U.S.E. and Vanquish demos.) Historically, most Hero-brand demos have been exclusive to Xbox Live, and today's demos are not expected for release on PSN when the service updates later today.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock gets a bump from Megadeth's Dave Mustaine
Worried that Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock had forgotten about one of rock and roll's primary warriors, Megadeth's Dave Mustaine? Fear not! Megadeth -- and a new song made just for Warriors of Rock, titled "Sudden Death" -- will be present when the game ships on September 28.
Activision reveals Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock pre-order bonuses
You already know that buying Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will net you the Soundgarden album, Telephantasm.* But did you know that pre-ordering the game from either Amazon or GameStop will net you real-world totems that proudly proclaim to friends and family that you were unwilling to miss out on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on day one? If you go the brick-and-mortar route with GameStop you'll get an exclusive pair of "wings" for your axe, seen above on the left. Pre-ordering at Amazon guarantees an exclusive custom guitar strap designed by My Chemical Romance. If it follows in the proud tradition of other things designed by My Chemical Romance, such as their name and their music, you can sign us up. *As an aside: Activision touts this as "the first time a new music album will be simultaneously released and bundled with a video game, and will be exclusively available with the game for one week prior to the album's retail release." Once we have reached that level of specificity, is it really still a "milestone"? If so, this morning marks "the first time we've written about Soundgarden while wearing the blue plaid sweatpants we like so much." Please update your diaries accordingly.
Full Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock track list revealed
We've got to hand it to the recently revealed Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock setlist -- there are more than a few tasty tracks in the series' next installment. Still, as excited as we are to faux-pluck our way through Styx's "Renegade," we can't help but question a few of the songs therein. Not that they're bad songs, per se, but ... well, we can't really envision R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe as a "Warrior of Rock," you know? We imagine him wearing spiked pauldrons, and it just doesn't do anything for us. Check out the full 93-song setlist just past the jump.
Guitar Hero project director discusses aiming for the 'core' audience
For better or for worse, Neversoft has decided to go a very different direction with the Guitar Hero franchise from its competitor, Rock Band. In an interview with Develop, project director Brian Bright explained that the the stark difference between the two games is intentional. "Rather than go head-to-head with our own games and our competitors, we decided we wanted to make something different." Being tasked with developing three games in the Hero franchise simultaneously -- Band Hero, Guitar Hero Metallica and Guitar Hero 5 -- was a drain on the team's creativity, Bright admits. "We did make quite a few games last year ... But the release of all those games split the marketing team's focus, it split our studio's focus." The upcoming Warriors of Rock, however, represents a newfound yearning to go back to the franchise's origins, and deliver a game for "the core audience," the kind of gamer that loves guitar music, and has already mastered the plastic guitar. "The core has got to a pretty high level, so we really want to up the challenge." Developing a game that even franchise stalwarts would find difficult would set the game apart from the upcoming Rock Band 3. It's somewhat fitting that Neversoft is paying homage to the franchise's origins, considering Warriors of Rock is supposedly the last Neversoft-developed Guitar Hero game. But will it be the end of the franchise? No way. "I think it's a given that there will be a Guitar Hero game every year," Bright said, perhaps relieved that his studio won't be tasked with that burden. Who knows? We may even learn more about the team's new shooter before Guitar Hero 7 finds its way to store shelves.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock takes the stage September 28
Anxious to get your hands on Activision's werething-infused rock-em-up, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock? Activision revealed a launch date for the game during its annual investors call last night: September 28 (September 24 in the UK). For those of you keeping score at home, that's a full month before the arrival of its competitor, Rock Band 3, which is set to launch on October 26. Outside of being compatible with "your existing Guitar Hero music library," Warriors of Rock adds 95 new tracks into the mix, including re-recordings from Alice Cooper and The Runaways. Additionally, if you're one of the first million to purchase the game in North America, you get a free Soundgarden album.
Get new Soundgarden album early with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock [update]
Here's how out of touch we are with the music world: we get our music news from game industry announcements. We had no idea that Soundgarden was reuniting, nor that the group was releasing a retrospective album, Telephantasm, in October. Now you know about it too! Pretend you didn't already so we don't feel lame. Here's what you may not have already heard: Activision is giving away the album with the first million North American copies of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. In fact, buying the game will allow you to get the CD a week before it's released elsewhere! Not only that, the album will be available as Guitar Hero DLC at launch. Cool musical bonuses like this are likely to do much more to pique interest in the latest Guitar Hero game than, say, pig monsters. Update: Turns out the DLC won't be free! Activision's Dan Amrich changed his announcement post to reflect this corrected information. There's no word on the actual price yet, except that it's not free.
Guitar Hero Monthly: August DLC
With Activision planning to launch Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock in September, this month allows you to build up your collection of forwards-compatible DLC, or simply bolster last year's Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero. Expect 15 DLC tracks throughout August from bands The Used, Sum 41, Weezer, Megadeth and P.O.D. As always, make your way past the jump to see the full list of songs, release dates and prices.
Preview: Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock
It seems silly to describe the "new features" that have been added to Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock without acknowledging the basic stuff the franchise still doesn't get right. For example, do you want to see the difficulty of a song before jumping into it in campaign mode? Nope, you can't do that. Want to filter and sort songs by multiple criteria? Forget about it. Compared to Rock Band 3's feature set -- keyboard, vocal harmonies, "Pro" mode -- it's clear that Activision has been surpassed. But maybe all you want from Guitar Hero is a "story" and the ability to bust through the five-star ranking system. 32x multiplier and 60 stars, YEAH!!! You could argue that Warriors of Rock isn't regressive; it's an homage to the franchise's origins, a celebration of hardcore guitar music. The 90 songs included on the disc support drums and vocals, but it's clear what the focus of the game is: being a guitar hero. If the franchise's penchant for crazy note maps hasn't satiated your strumming skills, you'll be glad to know that Warriors of Rock ups the ante by including the entirety of Rush's "2112" -- as a boss, of course. Final boss? Yes, Warriors of Rock's big new feature is a Quest Mode, narrated by KISS' Gene Simmons. While I could rant about how it feels like it was written by (and for) twelve year old boys, I'll let Activision do the work. The fact sheet describes it as a "journey from the infamous stage of CBGBs to the molten lava fields of rock treachery ... to help the Demi-God of Rock take down 'The Beast' and save rock 'n roll." Tim Schafer would be rolling in his grave (if he were dead).
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock's song list (so far)
Formerly known as Guitar Hero 6, Warriors of Rock promises the largest on-disc set list so far, with over 90 songs. Here's a look at the list of songs that have been announced to date.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock includes re-recorded Alice Cooper, The Runaways
It seems Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will attempt to achieve its goal of keeping the classic rock hits alive in a fairly unorthodox manner -- by, well, redoing them. Activision has revealed another batch of the rhythm title's songs, which include two exclusive re-recordings of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," as performed by their original artists. Check out all the new additions -- including un-re-recorded fossils like Edgar Winter's "Free Ride" and Styx's "Renegade" -- just after the jump. Update: Check out a behind the scenes video about the re-recording process after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Geddy-ing a dose of Rush's '2112'
We'll be the first to say it: Rhythm games don't exactly seem like the best venue for playable versions of full-length concept albums. Yeah, that one breakout track is still really fun to play, but the 14-minute theremin solo that follows can't be too fun to wait through. That said, we can't help but applaud Activision's recent initiative to include Rush's 20-minute-long 7-part epic, "2112," in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Sure, there are a few parts of the prog-rock suite during which we might want to take brief naps, but the collection's more rocking moments more than make up for it. Here's hoping for an Achievement for playing the whole shebang front-to-back in one sitting -- an act which would cause lesser vocalists to burst into flames. %Gallery-97905%
Bang your head to the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 'Act 1' set list
We get it. In this fast-paced world of ... stuff, you don't have time to scroll over a list of tracks in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Where text would've gotten the job done in the past, we recognize that nowadays you need something to match your speedy lifestyle. Therefore, we present the video past the break. It highlights the set list for the first act of the game, featuring standout tracks like Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" and even a live rendition of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." If you're looking for something a bit on the classier side, you'll be relieved to know that Activision has also included Kiss' "Love Gun." Nothing says class like a song that's about -- well, you know.
