There’s nothing in the way of gameplay shown, but the new trailer for Guitar Hero 4 (now titled Guitar Hero World Tour) showcases some of the biggest new features for the game… all set to Lenny Kravitz and featuring the exact kind of people I hate seeing every Wednesday when I play Rock Band at Hell Gate Social. You know the kind, the pretty emo kids that pick Oasis or The Killers or 30 Seconds to Mars every friggin’ time they play….
First of all is the obvious fact that they’re mimicking Rock Band, with a microphone and a drum kit. The second immediate fact (if you haven’t already heard) is that the drum kit is completely different than Rock Band‘s. It’s got three pads and two cymbals hanging from the top, likely ensuring that you’ll have to buy another hugely priced bundle to be able to even play drums on Guitar Hero 4. The guitar is also a new wireless model.
They also show off a “Battle of the Bands” mode, which could be interesting- but we’ll have to see how it’s implemented.
Let me take this time out to say how much I despise Activision and RedOctane’s decision to use a new drum kit. We don’t have enough damn plastic instruments in our house? How many plastic drum sets do you think we can fit?
If it turns out that the Rock Band drums aren’t compatible with this game (and it doesn’t seem likely, as it has one less input) it’s them fucking over gamers all over again, a really stupid decision that could definitely hurt them in the future. With people already having sunk so much money and time into Rock Band and its downloadable tracks, will people be willing to pay another huge chunk of cash for a similar experience? $60 for a game that was compatible with your current setup would’ve been a lot easier to stomach…
We’ll see how everything goes when the game’s released this fall . The set list hasn’t been fully announced just yet, but it will include Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park, and Sublime. There will also be a “create your own song” mode that’s definitely intriguing (even if vocals won’t be included due to “copyright reasons”). Perhaps all’s not lost just yet….