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Guitar Hero World Tour
It's been a hell of a couple of months in
Australia, especially with the release of Rock Band and Activision's
Guitar Hero World Tour which truly goes beyond the original premise of
the Guitar Hero franchise. Coming with a new guitar, a microphone and a
drum kit, this is the ultimate virtual band experience. Throw in 84
tracks and a variety of rock celebrities and this is one mean game that
is a must have for everyone. Best of all, you can even use your
pre-existing guitars from the other games, ensuring that your band will
truly kick some serious music butt!
The new guitar
controller has a touch-sensitive bar installed in the neck, so you can
tap away at long note strings without wearing down your fingers. It's an
ideal addition, especially for dedicated Guitar Hero pros. The guitar
also functions as a bass, with the addition of a sixth strum beat added
to songs.
The microphone is standard issue, working well enough but
hardly better than the Rock Band model. The drums are a double-layer
peripheral with three main drum pads and two cymbals. It's comfortable,
but takes practice getting used to. Your sticks will often slip under
these pads, resulting in missed beats. In addition, the foot pedal isn't
attached to the main unit, and you may kick it away by accident. Of
course, if you're not up for using these new peripherals, World Tour
supports most Rock Band and Guitar Hero controllers.
The singer's
bar sits at the top of the screen, and the guitar and drum meters roll
along on the bottom. In the background, your virtual musicians entertain
audiences at different venues, including a Russian performance hall and
a state fair. Overall, the interface looks good, albeit a little
unoriginal. The on-stage characters look great for the most part,
although a badly-rendered performer or two pop up. Billy Corgan, for
example, looks like a mannequin.
Then there's the set list. World Tour has 16 repeat songs from Rock Band
2, including "Livin' On a Prayer" and "Float On". However, there are
enough original tracks. You'll find several classic favorites, including
The Doors' "Love Me Two Times," a pair of hits from Jimi Hendrix, and
Steely Dan's groovy "Do It Again." Newer songs are also here, including
a three-pack from Tool that will rock your soul. There are even a few
oddballs, such as Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again." Eighty-four songs
are available, not including the additional tracks from Neversoft,
additional downloadable content and the easily accessible Music Studio.
Yes, the Music Studio is awesome, but it requires a lot of effort, both
in building and editing. However, those with patience are happily
rewarded. The character creation tool is just as deep, as you can create
anything from a country girl with pigtails to a freaky looking pierced
dude. If you don't feel like creating your artist, you can pick from
several default characters. Celebrities pop up as well, including Billy Corgan and Ted Nugent.
Aside from separate Career modes for each individual band member, Guitar
Hero: World Tour offers multiplayer options galore. Local multiplayer is
easy to set up, and several classic modes make a return, including a
pair of Face-Off modes. Unfortunately, they're all slammed together into
a plain and unfriendly interface. You'll have to skim through
preferences, match types, friend lists and such just to get a match set
up. There's no "jump in and play" option; you actually have to work at
it. Scores are also near impossible to access, even if you want to take
a quick peek. The online play works fine once you get there – getting
there, however, is the issue.
Finally,
whenever you pause the game, there's an excellent countdown meter that
allows you to easily get back into the song. The customization tools, Music Studio
options and overall sense of fun make this show worth attending. This is
one game that everyone can play and I cannot wait for the addons!
Guitar Hero World Tour
set list:
• 311 - “Beautiful Disaster”
• 30 Seconds To Mars - “The Kill”
• Airbourne - “Too Much Too Young”
• The Allman Brothers Band - “Ramblin' Man”
• Anouk - “Good God”
• The Answer - “Never Too Late”
• At The Drive-In - “One Armed Scissor”
• Beastie Boys - “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
• Beatsteaks - “Hail to the Freaks”
• Billy Idol - “Rebel Yell”
• Black Label Society - “Stillborn”
• Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - “Weapon of Choice”
• blink-182 - “Dammit”
• Blondie - “One Way or Another”
• Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - “Hollywood Nights”
• Bon Jovi - “Livin’ On A Prayer”
• Bullet For My Valentine - “Scream Aim Fire”
• Coldplay - “Shiver”
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - “Up Around The Bend”
• The Cult - “Love Removal Machine”
• Dinosaur Jr. - “Feel The Pain”
• The Doors - “Love Me Two Times”
• Dream Theater - “Pull Me Under”
• The Eagles - “Hotel California”
• The Enemy - “Aggro”
• Filter - “Hey Man, Nice Shot”
• Fleetwood Mac - “Go Your Own Way”
• Foo Fighters - “Everlong”
• The Guess Who - “American Woman”
• Hush Puppies - “You're Gonna Say Yeah!”
• Interpol - “Obstacle 1”
• Jane's Addiction - “Mountain Song”
• Jimi Hendrix - “Purple Haze (Live)”
• Jimi Hendrix - “The Wind Cries Mary”
• Jimmy Eat World - “The Middle”
• Joe Satriani - “Satch Boogie”
• Kent - “Vinternoll2”
• Korn - “Freak On A Leash”
• Lacuna Coil - “Our Truth”
• Lenny Kravitz - “Are You Gonna Go My Way”
• Linkin Park - “What I've Done”
• The Living End - “Prisoner of Society”
• Los Lobos - “La Bamba”
• Lost Prophets - “Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)”
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - “Sweet Home Alabama (Live)”
• Mars Volta - “L'Via L'Viaquez”
• MC5’s Wayne Kramer - “Kick Out The Jams”
• Metallica - “Trapped Under Ice”
• Michael Jackson - “Beat It”
• Modest Mouse - “Float On”
• Motörhead - “Overkill”
• Muse - “Assassin”
• Negramaro - “Nuvole e Lenzuola”
• Nirvana - “About a Girl (Unplugged)”
• No Doubt - “Spiderwebs”
• NOFX - “Soul Doubt”
• Oasis - “Some Might Say”
• Ozzy Osbourne - “Crazy Train”
• Ozzy Osbourne - “Mr. Crowley”
• Paramore - “Misery Business”
• Pat Benatar - “Heartbreaker”
• R.E.M. - “The One I Love”
• Radio Futura - “Escuela De Calor”
• Rise Against - “Re-Education Through Labor”
• Sex Pistols - “Pretty Vacant”
• Silversun Pickups - “Lazy Eye”
• Smashing Pumpkins - “Today”
• Steely Dan - “Do It Again”
• Steve Miller Band - “The Joker”
• Sting - “Demolition Man (Live)”
• The Stone Roses - “Love Spreads”
• Stuck In The Sound - “Toy Boy”
• Sublime - “Santeria”
• Survivor - “Eye of the Tiger”
• System of a Down - “B.Y.O.B.”
• Ted Nugent - “Stranglehold”
• Ted Nugent’s Original Guitar Duel Recording
• Tokio Hotel - “Monsoon”
• Tool - “Parabola”
• Tool - “Schism”
• Tool - “Vicarious”
• Trust - “Antisocial”
• Van Halen - “Hot For Teacher”
• Willie Nelson - “On The Road Again”
• Wings - “Band on the Run”
• Zakk Wylde’s Original Guitar Duel Recording |
