Details for Guitar Hero 4 Released [Slashdot]

[DP ServBot]

GameSpot is reporting that details for Guitar Hero 4 have been released. The biggest news seems to be that the new release will be adding drums and vocals a la Rock Band. The new drums are to offer three pressure-sensitive pads (which can tell if you are just tapping or really wailing), two elevated cymbals, and a pedal. "The details in Game Informer also clear up the mystery surrounding the 'innovation' which Activision promised was coming to the Guitar Hero series in a recent earnings report conference call. The article outlines the game's studio mode, which will give users a variety of ways to create their own songs. Players will be able to jam along with one of the game's existing tracks, record songs as they're played, or meticulously detail note charts."http://games.slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=08/05/15/216205 (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/15/216205&from=rss)
Read more of this story (http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/05/15/216205&from=rss) at Slashdot.
http://rss.slashdot.org/~a/Slashdot/slashdotGames?i=j6gS4a</img> (http://rss.slashdot.org/~a/Slashdot/slashdotGames?a=j6gS4a)
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~4/291261864

More... (http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotGames/~3/291261864/article.pl)

[diskoboy]

Jesus Christ. They're just gonna run this IP into the ground.

So I guess it's necessary to shell out another $60 for a new game, when you can just take the tracklist, and make it a cheap downloadable pack. Especially when GH3 has barely even been out a year.

Just like the Aerosmith version game coming soon... Why not make it just a download, instead of making us pay $40 for one (overrated) band? Greedy much, Activision?

[boatofcar]

Jesus Christ. They're just gonna run this IP into the ground.

So I guess it's necessary to shell out another $60 for a new game, when you can just take the tracklist, and make it a cheap downloadable pack. Especially when GH3 has barely even been out a year.

Just like the Aerosmith version game coming soon... Why not make it just a download, instead of making us pay $40 for one (overrated) band? Greedy much, Activision?

I'll never understand this mentality. If you ran a business and you could churn out a new product that tons of people buy every year, why would you change that to make less money? Not to mention that $60 a year is a small price to pay for a bunch of new songs, considering most people pay that much a month for cable.

[unwinddesign]

I'll never understand this mentality. If you ran a business and you could churn out a new product that tons of people buy every year, why would you change that to make less money? Not to mention that $60 a year is a small price to pay for a bunch of new songs, considering most people pay that much a month for cable.

...because eventually people stop buying it. You don't kill the goose that lays that golden egg. Look at what happened to Tony Hawk -- hardly even relevant any more. Activision is well known for doing this shit. You can get away with it in sports, but other games? Not really. Who has time, anyway, to play through like 8 updated versions of GH/Tony Hawk/Call of Duty etc. each fall when there are dozens of quality titles available?

Guitar Hero will die, eventually, if Activision keeps this up. Mark my words.

[Oobgarm]

Elevated cymbals sound interesting, and the studio mode could be great-even if we are watching this franchise being milked dry.

But all of that means nothing without a songlist.

[Amnion-Chorion]

I really don't know where I'm going to put yet another drum set. Rock Band already takes up a nice corner of my room. I might even pass on the game solely because it takes up too much space!

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

just not interested in this release. after gh3, i'm skeptical that activision can do anything on par with harmonix, aside from make sturdier peripherals (but then again, what use is a good peripheral if the game sucks?)

this coming from a die-hard gh1 & gh2 fanboy. gh3 was a crushing disappointment. glad i decided to rent it before buying. i had already pre-ordered rock band and was too poor to afford both. economics to the rescue!

[namzep]

this coming from a die-hard gh1 & gh2 fanboy. gh3 was a crushing disappointment. glad i decided to rent it before buying. i had already pre-ordered rock band and was too poor to afford both. economics to the rescue!
I actually though GHIII was the best of the series (this coming from a huge fan of GH2). I like that they increased the difficultly level and the song list was probably the best of the games so far (2 comes in a close second on that front). Now, Rock the 80s, on the other hand...

[Lerxstnj]

Maybe Rock Band 2 will take away vocals and drums now and just have guitar.

[JunkTheMagicDragon]

I actually though GHIII was the best of the series (this coming from a huge fan of GH2). I like that they increased the difficultly level and the song list was probably the best of the games so far (2 comes in a close second on that front). Now, Rock the 80s, on the other hand...

eh, different strokes. i liked the addition of the little cutscenes between sets, but other than that i wasn't happy. i thought the note charts always seemed off, like the buttons you were hitting didn't always seem to have a relationship with the sounds you were hearing.

i was excited as hell to see some of my favorite songs on the setlist (like raining blood), but most of the note tracks just weren't fun to me, esp when you're repeating the same note over and over again at the speed of sound. don't know if that's strictly a problem of song selection or the way they made the note tracks.

btw, i like rock the 80s a lot more than gh3.:D

[carlcarlson]

I dunno, sounds cool enough to me. I agree though, it's going to suck having to stash another drum set. It'd be great if it was somehow compatible with Rock Band, because I like the sound of the raised cymbals.

I'm not sure why people are complaining about them "churning out another game". This is obviously an evolution of the franchise, not just a rehash with new songs.

[mregashu]

I think Rock Band put GH3 to shame, but I always thought it was cool how GH3 was a guitar player's game - with songs that focused on pure ax-shredding ability, as opposed to Rock Band's more balanced song list. I wonder if that's going out the door?

So where does Rock Band go from here? Keyboard/piano peripheral? Horn Section? Cowbell?

[Ponyone]

I think they should just stick to guitar. Like someone said, it's all about shredding and rocking out on a guitar, no need for my little sister to be singing and grandma thinking she's Neil Pearl on the skins.

It's called Guitar Hero, not Band Heroes.

[NeoVenom]

I think they should just stick to guitar. Like someone said, it's all about shredding and rocking out on a guitar, no need for my little sister to be singing and grandma thinking she's Neil Pearl on the skins.

It's called Guitar Hero, not Band Heroes.

Very true. As soon as I heard about Guitar Hero 4 and how they are including other instruments, I was like "Why are they are trying to make Guitar Hero like Rock Band?"

[Terminusvitae]

I wonder if they'll be including Dragonfarce's other song in the tracklist.

[Slate]

Guitar Hero ended for me after I played 3 and Rock Band. Putting in vocals and drums proves that they (Activision and Neversoft) are talentless ripoff artists. I'd like to see Harmonix suing Activision for this (And winning)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Interesting...

...you know, this is going to suck from a hardware standpoint.

Guitar Hero AND Rock Band's respective hardware (which I keep out and fully assembled at the moment due to frequent use) takes up a LOT of space in my living room...

I ASSUME that my current guitars will all be forwards compatible ... but I sincerely hope (and I also sincerely doubt) that there will be some cross compatibility with the drum kits. Probably not ... but MAN I seriously won't have room for both sets.

Oh well, with a total of three (hopefully) compatible guitars, at least I'll only have to buy the disc for Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and Guitar Hero 4. I feel sorry for people who haven't taken the plunge on any/either of the series yet, as the hardware/game bundles probably aren't going to get any cheaper.

[djbeatmongrel]

like gh3 was questionable but atleast still fun, iuf this news is true i will finally say guitar has jumped the shark.

[ErmangelnSeelen]

I dislike the way they are doing this, very much so.

With each new game comes a new guitar/peripheral design. There will be so many "proprietary" style controllers....I don't like the sound of that. At least choose a standard peripheral platform, and stick to it!

[diskoboy]

I'll never understand this mentality. If you ran a business and you could churn out a new product that tons of people buy every year, why would you change that to make less money? Not to mention that $60 a year is a small price to pay for a bunch of new songs, considering most people pay that much a month for cable.


It's not the amount of sequels I was complaining about. It's the time between releases I'm kinda skeptical about.

If you release a new sequel every 9-12 months, people will get burnt out.

I'll use Apple as a comparison. They piss off early adopters of their hardware when they improve it after about 6 months, and then lower the price.