Guitar Hero World Tour Review

History

Seeing as this game is a little, shall we say, 'shallow' on stories and plotlines, I thought it would be quite cool to look back at all the previous franchises that have led up to the current day rhythm game genre.

For me, it all started back with the 1996 classisc PSone game, PaRappa the Rapper. You had to keep the rhythm and keep Rappa rapping all the way to stardom. Basically, it's the same "hit the right button at the right time gameplay" just like modern day.

These games then magically spawned into dancing games, Konami got the ball rolling with their Dancing Stage range back in the 90's which saw players tapping their feet with the corresponding arrows on the included mat on the floor. These are still common sights in most arcades across the country.

1999, the year that Space Channel 5 launched on the Dreamcast and Ulula was seen defending earth with the trademark "chu" or "shoot" as she killed the aproaching Morolians (weird alien creature things). The game was a hit... apparently.



A year later, and the genre was literally, slightly revolutionised when the Dreamcast played host to the classic Samba de Amigo, a game where you shake your maracas. Yeah, I think they were really running out of ideas then, until 2003.

Yep, the new generation of consoles, all new technology and fresh new ideas. Except, somebody forgot to remind Nintendo of this and subsequently, Donkey Konga (complete with bongo's) was launched. The game arrived with mixed opinions, however to this day, the game is a cult classic.
It was 2 years later (2005) and then the familiar names of today decided to make their appearence, Guitar Hero was launched on the PS2 and was an instant success. Complete with its own guitar controller where you have to strum and get the correct notes by pressing the corresponding colours on screen, the game was so successful the makers of the hit TV show 'South Park' decided to make their own episode (titled 'Guitar Queer-o') to celebrate it.

November 2007 and the modern day band rhythm instrument game was launched in the form of Harmonix' Rock Band. The game allows you and up to 3 friends to take control of the main instruments of any successful band (Drums, Guitar, Mic etc.) and take them to stardom.

And here we are today, 2008 and the launch of the second generation Rockband (see Shade360's review) and this all new Guitar Hero: World Tour.

Gameplay

This review includes all of the Band in the Box instruments and has been tested thoroughly by somebody new to the Guitar Hero series.

Basics, you are challenged to master one instrument from the selection on offer and take your digital counterpart to the glittering heights. You do this by filling up the Rock Meter on the left by being in time and hitting the correct colours at the right time to keep the music going. Star Power helps boost your score by adding multipliers and at the end of the performance, you get a cut of the profits which you can use to buy new stuff to customise the look of your rocker or to fund gigs in the career mode.

Specific instrument reviews are below:



Guitar: (instrument)
The new 2008 World Tour guitar is a handsome piece, with its faux wooden effect surround/faceplate and all new 'Touchpad' (for those hard to master solo's), the guitar has a nice weight to it and easy to use fret buttons, strum and whammy bars with minimal noise being produced from the controller. The guitar fits in the with the modern ways by being wireless (taking 2 x AA batteries) and also includes the Xbox microphone/headset port for Live communication.

Guitar: (game mode)
Featuring a more modern scrolling fret key bar (which is far easier on the eye) and clearer colour selection, the game is easy on the eye and is very welcoming to new users of the franchise.

You have 5 fret buttons (blue, red, yellow, orange and green) and your job is to select the correct button on your guitar controller and strum at the correct time to hit the note. Longer notes require the strum bar to be held and adding in the whammy bar adds extra points to that total score. You also have "star power", which is activated by the new, big buttoned "STAR POWER" to the right of the strum bar, or by tilting the controller to the sky and rocking out.

There are two game options now for guitar users: Guitar and Bass Guitar and you may progress through careers and solo songs as either of them.



Drums: (instrument)
These are 'wow' when you look at them: wireless (using 2x AA batteries) sitting on extendable legs (allowing the kit to be raised and lowered accordingly) the drum kit is a beast of design. With 2 raised symbols, 3 pressure sensitive pads, those drum solo's just feel that little more realistic when you're asked to "hit the pad hard, not as hard as you can, just harder".

Also included is a nicely weighted and designed foot pedal which is excellent at crippling your ankle after a long drumming session. 2 sticks are also included (they are necessary). The pads are of excellent quality with nicely finished rubber pads for noise reduction and a satisfying thud when drumming.

There's a standard looking 360 controller layout featuring guide button, D Pad and A,B,X,Y,Start,Back buttons and on the far side (facing away from the player) the Xbox Headset input. This isn't the ideal place for such connectivity as you have to then have the wire draping over one of the pads or passed underneath the kit.

Drums: (game mode)
You're greeted to a familiar screen layout to the guitar mode but you now have the added complication of pressure 'keys' scrolling down (these mean whack the corresponding pad hard, proper hard) and the foot pedal bar which stretches right across the screen.

For an amateur (that's me), the beginner mode is ridiculously easy, requiring just the kick pedal. Boosting up to easy adds the pads but allows for a slower drumming experience. Medium (my level at the moment) is much more like it, challenging yet entertaining and requiring a lot of concentration to hit those difficult cross kit drum moments. Very entertaining and quite infuriating when you hit a symbol instead of the kick pedal in stressful circumstances.



Microphone: (instrument)
Again, another quality piece of kit, nicely weighted although this instrument is wired. The USB attaches to one of the ports on the front of the console and you use an ordinary 360 controller to navigate the menus.

Microphone: (game mode)
"ooooooh, half way there....ooooOOOH, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER" can indeed begin to burst ear drums and deafen small children especially when singer is fully laden with an assortment of Dorito's and their alcholic beverage of choice.

It's no Lips or Singstar, but it does add an entertainment value for the full in house co-op drunken night in front of the tv band experience. People seem to dislike using the mic online however, strange that...

Multiplayer

Local multiplayer:
This game was designed for multiplayer, no doubting that whatsoever. It's reassuring then, to find out that there are a wide array of options for multiplayer. You and your real life friends can take a band on tour from your living room and play with a selection of instruments that take your fancy.

Not in for the long haul but just fancy a quick song or two? Quicklplay is the way to go, allowing you to stack up a few songs to play at a time and to play as you go. You still earn the 'cut' of the nights earnings based on your performance just as the Career mode.

Xbox LIVE multiplayer:
Taking the battle online with up to 8 players (yes, 8) in a 4 v 4 battle of the bands is the ultimate online band experience. Of course, if there's just two of you that fancy a face off, then no trouble.

There's a pass the control mode where only one user drums/strums at a time or a general face off mode where you both have to keep in time at the same time. Song choice alternates between the players in the party and you don't have to be playing the same instruments.



Graphics

Probably, the least important element of a rhythm game. You're playing it on your 32/42/50" tv and you're focussing on the bottom, centre 5" without the time or need to focus anywhere else.

Comforting to know then that the developers have taken time to create some great venues, well animated and rendered rockstars and a vast amount of creativity for customising your band's look.

The scrolling note bar still gives the dreaded "wall breathing", where after a long a session of Guitar Hero-ing you look away from the screen on any inaminate object and it appears to be making its way eerily towards you.

Aside from that, the bar is smooth, the keys bright and simple, great for players new and familiar with the series.

Sound

You make the sound what it is so if it's "poor" or "off key", you're at fault.

In all seriousness though, the game features a grand selection 86 Master Recording songs, ranging from "La Bamba" to "Eye of the Tiger" so there's bound to be something for all tastes.

Some of the more excentric music isn't appealing to myself, but at least it does add to the longevity of the career mode. Unlocking a song in the career mode allows the player to access it whenever they wish to in the quicklplay modes.

Extra Features

Downloadable content and the ability to create your own music from scratch using the "Music Studio" feature is a great addition which lends it self to a long lifespan. Tracks or "Track Packs" are available from Xbox LIVE and add either a single song or a group of songs to your playlist.

These additions range in price from "Free" to around 440MS points (or £3.74) and can now be viewed, paid for and queued up by following the link.

The music studio allows you to create your own music, played either in real time or slowed down and then beefed up to your liking and then tweeked to perfection. everything from distortion effects to hard hitting drum solo's are offerded and when your entry is finished, you can upload the track to the Guitar Hero servers on LIVE for the masses to play.

Your version of the song becomes the "expert" level of difficulty and the software manipulates the song for the easier levels to master. Really great addition although the ability to add lyrics to your song is missing, probably due to legal reasons.

Final Thoughts

So, has the Guitar Hero brand successfully merged into a full rock experience and into Rock Band's turf? Well, the latter I am unable to comment on, but the former is a definite yes. The drums, you simply have to experience them, satisfying entertaining and infuriating and utterly addictive.

A worthy addition to anybody's game selection and an absolute must for fans of the genre. I am now officially, a Guitar Hero convert, HALLELUJAH!

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