Guitar Hero Live
a game by | FreeStyle Games |
Platforms: | XBox 360, Playstation 3 (2015) |
Editor Rating: | 7/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 6.8/10 - 5 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Rhythm Games, Dancing Games, Guitar Hero Series |
Guitar Hero Live is a fresh take on the rhythm games genre that developer Activision helped popularize, develop, and perfect. Debuting in all major platforms in 2015, Guitar Hero Live, would become the last game released before the series entered an undefined hiatus. The title was received positively by critics, and in lukewarm fashion by fans of the game.
Guitar Hero Live marks Activision’s departure from the full-band party game model, and back to its roots focusing on the guitar itself. In this version players were tasked with learning a new format as the traditional one by five (Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange) model was swapped out for the two by three - which meant two layers of three buttons each. This change was enough to generate a lot of commotion surrounding the game, especially among players who grew accustomed to the classic layout.
And Music For All
After its multiple entries into the rhythm genre, Activision chose to go back to its roots and used Guitar Hero Live as a manner to compete with the then-popular, Rocksmith. At the time regarded as one of the most popular of its kind, Guitar Hero had no trouble attracting multiple award-winning artists to participate in their game. In this version, we have forty-two songs that encompass My Chemical Romance, The Lumineers, Ed Sheeran, Pierce The Veil, The Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr., and multiple others. Offering a wide range of music to satisfy all types of gamers.
For a period of time Guitar Hero Live relied heavily on its online aspect, which was the Guitar Hero TV portion of the game. This mode would offer multiple songs for players to try, as well as recreate live-action music videos, at some point in time over four hundred and eighty songs were available, but since Activision sold the title to Ubisoft, all that was left were the original forty-two songs. Still, there’s plenty to be explored, especially since the mechanical changes offer a new array of challenges.
Musical Hero
Unlike previous iterations, there’s not much in regards to career mode or any sort of story. Players are asked and tasked with the challenge of mastering the game and its songs. The new two by three layout might take a while to learn, but ultimately the game still relies on the same concepts that popularized it. You play the notes as they hit the bottom of the fretboard, you get multipliers by hitting notes without missing, you acquire star power by nailing special sections, and you multiply your points by activating the star power. While nothing has inherently changed, the game is still fun for fans of the genre.
Summary
In earlier days Guitar Hero Live was a better developed and supported game that had promising ideas that fell through. While fans of Rock Band, Rocksmith, and older Guitar Hero games might thoroughly enjoy this game, Rock Band is the better supported, and most active community of the genre. If you don’t mind the new format, and just want to rock some new tunes, on a new UI you’ll have fun, limited fun since the Guitar Hero TV got erased from existence.
Overall, Activision’s last endeavor had its moments and still deserves the appraisal it received upon launch. The game is still worth playing, even briefly as it stands strong alone, But, unfortunately, the lack of support, new content, or an active community makes this a short-lived hobby for most gamers.
PROS:
- New Concepts
- Beautiful UI
- Varied Setlist
- Nice Visuals
CONS:
- Short-Lived Game
- Departure From What Made It Great
- Only Guitar (No Mic, Drums, Bass)
- Online Aspect Doesn’t Exist
Download Guitar Hero Live
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP