Guitar Hero goes Live in SA

Two new gameplay modes, GH Live and GHTV, usher in the new era of music games as Guitar Hero Live arrives on store shelves today

Guitar Hero, the pop culture phenomenon that captured the hearts of 40 million players across the globe, has been reninvented and is now available at retail stores nationwide with the completely reinvented.

The new game, Guitar Hero Live, has been developed by FreeStyleGames, the studio behind DJ Hero and DJ Hero 2. It introduces a radically improved guitar controller, hundreds of songs and two brand new ways to play: GH Live, a first-person point of view where you play in front of a real crowd that reacts to how you perform, and GHTV, the world’s first playable music video network.

“Guitar Hero is one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time, and now, after years of research and development, it’s back, totally reinvented, and better than ever with Guitar Hero Live,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing.

“The experience of being up on stage, in first person, playing in front of a live crowd that responds to your performance in real time, will put your heart in your throat. And GHTV, which lets you play along to your favorite music videos will keep the game fresh with a continuous stream of new content. We’ve poured our hearts and souls into Guitar Hero Live and we can’t wait for fans to get their hands on it. It’s going to be awesome.”

Each mode of the game delivers a new take on the music game genre. GH Live is a live-action experience that delivers the emotional roller coaster of being on stage, with players performing in a real band, in front of real crowds, who react in real time to how well or poorly they play.

Shot live with musicians performing in front of real crowds, GH Live delivers the raw excitement and stage fright that comes with owning the stage in front of thousands of cheering – or jeering – fans.

GHTV is a 24-hour playable music video network that lets fans play along to a continually-updated collection of official videos, from the newest releases to old hits. GHTV will launch with hundreds of songs and will continue to grow, with new songs added weekly, serving as an ever-expanding source for music discovery. Fans can play along with different channels of music or choose to play one of hundreds of songs on demand.

They can play solo or with their friends in local head-to-head multiplayer, and online against other players trying to master the same song. By plugging in a USB mic, players can sing along to the music in both GH Live and GHTV with lyrics displayed on screen.

GHTV also includes Premium Shows, which highlight premium playable content such as live concert footage and debut music videos in the platform. Fans can also experience the GHTV premiere of the Avenged Sevenfold Premium Show, including playable concert footage recorded at the band’s recent headlining performance at England’s Download Festival. Players will be awarded with a custom Avenged Sevenfold themed note highway and player card.

Activision is also giving fans a chance to get in the game by submitting clips of themselves performing Ed Sheeran’s hit song, “Sing”, through the musical.ly app. Winners will be featured in a world premiere music video that will be playable in the game. Fans can visit www.guitarhero.com/ghtvstar for more information.

Guitar Hero Live introduces a new guitar controller that features six buttons: two rows of three buttons that better reflect the way people naturally play and deliver more fun for players of all abilities. This simple innovation makes it easier for beginners to play and harder for veterans to master. Additionally, fans can sing along in the game, with lyrics on screen, adding another way to play together in the same living room.

Guitar Hero Live takes a fresh take on the music styling of rhythm games. The tracklist includes hundreds of songs at launch, including the music of The Rolling Stones, The Black Keys, Queen, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fall Out Boy, Pearl Jam, Bruno Mars, Weezer, Iggy Pop, Alt-J, Jet, ZZ Top, Rage Against the Machine, Megadeth, The Strokes, Royal Blood, Ed Sheeran, and Gary Clark Jr. The full list, which will be continually updated, can be found at https://www.guitarhero.com/game/artists.