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Guitar Hero Live is a 2015 music video game that's developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It is the first title in the Guitar Hero series since it went on hiatus after 2011, and the first game in the series available for 8th generation video game consoles (PlayStation 4, Wii U, and Xbox One). The game was released worldwide on 20 October 2015 for these systems as well as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and iOS devices including the Apple TV.

The title is considered a reboot of the series; instead of using a five-button guitar-shaped game controller, the game shipped with a six-button controller, arranged in two rows of three aimed to provide more realistic fingering positions than the five-button controller. The game includes 42 songs on the game's disc, presented in sets using full motion video taken from the first-person perspective of the lead guitarist as the background visuals to create an immersive experience. Guitar Hero Live does not use traditional downloadable content to expand the game and is not backward compatible with previous songs from Guitar Hero games. Instead, the game includes the online Guitar Hero TV (GHTV) mode modeled after music video channels that players can jump in or out of at any time, playing through ongoing songs in a curated fashion. GHTV, through in-game rewards and microtransactions, supports the ability to play any song in the library, perform Premium shows where the newest tracks to GHTV will be found, or even unlock all features for a 24-hour period as part of a Party Pass. Two hundred songs were available at the release of the game, with more added over time, averaging about six brand new songs each week.

FreeStyleGames selected on-disc songs from a wider variety of music genres beyond rock music as to provide challenging guitar tracks for players, while their approach to licensing of songs for GHTV enabled them to attract more musical acts to offer their music. Game reviewers found the on-disc soundtrack to be weak as it focused too much on more recent musical acts, while praising the wider variety across a larger time period that GHTV offered.

• 2GHTV

On-disc soundtrack[edit]

Forty-two songs are featured on disc as part of the game's main 'GH Live' career mode. Players progress though the career mode by playing one of several continuous sets of three to five songs, with each set presented as part of a concert performance. During a set, the game shows the note highway, the on-screen fretboard which represents the notes the player should play in time to the music, and other gameplay elements. This is shown atop live-action footage taken from the first-person perspective of the lead guitar player of one of several fictional bands, performing on stage and watching the reaction of the crowd and their bandmates. The live-action footage is manipulated by the game to reflect how well the player is performing. Once the player has completed a set, all songs from that set are available in a quickplay mode, allowing the player to perform a single song at a time which they can use to practice the song or attempt to achieve a better score.^[1][2]

In selecting the on-disc songs, FreeStyleGames recognized that engaging guitar tracks are not strictly limited to rock music, and included other genres into the mix.^[3][4] According to designer Jim Norris, their selection process began with identifying songs that would be expected by players to be on a Guitar Hero title, and then determining which of those songs which they could license. Once they had obtained the license, FreeStyleGames would mark up the song for the note highways and determined how much fun these songs would be to play. Finally, they balanced the song selection in the game to give players a combination of songs they know and those they may not recognize but would be enjoyable.^[5]

The table below lists the on-disc songs, including the venue and fictional band that are used in the set where the song is included.^[6]

GHTV[edit]

Forgoing the downloadable content model used in previous Guitar Hero games, Guitar Hero Live adds songs to the game via Guitar Hero TV (GHTV), an online game mode offered free of charge in Guitar Hero Live. Instead of playing the immersive first-person view that the main career mode presents, songs on GHTV are played over the music video or footage of the band playing at a concert. Songs on GHTV are normally offered in a curated rotation, similar to a music video channel, allowing the player to drop in and out, but the player can use collected in-game rewards or use microtransactions to play any available song outside of this rotation.^[7][8] FreeStyleGames found that this approach, in contrast to the traditional downloadable content model, made it easier to secure licensing rights with artists to use their songs,^[9] as well as a throwback to the heyday of music video channels like MTV.^[10]

Launch songs[edit]

Two hundred songs were initially available on GHTV on the game's release on 20 October 2015.^[6]

Added songs[edit]

New songs have been added to GHTV on a regular weekly basis with approximately six new songs a week since the game's release. While some songs are directly added to the on-demand and curated lineup, several other songs are introduced to GHTV through Premium Shows, typically offering three songs by a single artist or within a musical theme.^[11] Some Premium Shows, such as those for Avenged Sevenfold or Fall Out Boy, use songs and footage taken live from the band's current tour.^[12]

Guitar Hero Live Controller Driver Pc

A player can access a Premium Show either through playing specific songs already in the GHTV catalog or through microtransactions. Completing Premium Shows can earn the player in-game rewards such as a decorative item for their player card or on-screen fretboard. The week after their introduction, these songs are added to the on-demand playlist, and after another week enter into the GHTV's rotation of songs.^[11] At the release of Guitar Hero Live, Activision announced plans to add 70 new songs to GHTV before the end of 2015.^[13]

Between August 2017 and April 2018, only one song was added to GHTV and on June 3, 2018, Activision confirmed that the servers will be shut down December 1, 2018.

The following table lists songs that have been added to GHTV since launch, including those released through Premium Shows and those directly added to the service.^[14]

Notes

1. ^ ^abcOriginally removed from GHTV on 4 November 2015 due to being a pre-order exclusive, re-added to the On-Demand Library for everybody on 23 December 2015.
2. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaab}Added alongside the Dance Meets Rock and Face Melting Metal Premium Shows.
3. ^ ^abcdefgAdded alongside the Party Party Party, Dead Weather Live, and Nothing But Classics Premium Shows.
4. ^Added to a special channel on GHTV alongside 'Ghost Walking', 'Strife', 'Cry of Achilles' and 'Hangar 18'.
5. ^Originally previewed for on demand on 11 January 2016.
6. ^ ^abcdefghijklOriginally previewed for on demand on October 3, 2016.
7. ^Error not corrected by Activision during Premium Show period caused the already present on GHTV song 'Come With Me Now' to appear on this show instead of this song. The song is shown as added to this show according to the official Guitar Hero Twitter, and the game's website.
8. ^Song was available on demand in August due to the error in the show.

Reception[edit]

Reviewers considered the on-disc soundtrack for Guitar Hero Live weak. Griffin McElroy of Polygon found it the 'biggest disappointment' of the game given the setlist had mostly songs from 2000 or later, forgoing classic rock songs.^[15]GameSpot's Scott Buttersworth stated that many of the on-disc selections are pop songs that 'just aren't cut out for Guitar Hero gameplay', as they feature the same repeating guitar riff over and over.^[16] Ben Griffin of GamesRadar was more favorable of the on-disc set list, finding that the tracks represented 'the music landscape as it is rather than as it was'.^[17] Chris Carter of Destructoid also appreciated the soundtrack, calling it a 'good spread' of songs that can appeal to everyone.^[18]

The GHTV mode earned mixed opinions, with most reviewers praising the concept. The presentation of the channels was highlighted as hearkening to the heyday of MTV, and praised for providing players with the ability to explore new music. The selection of songs for GHTV was considered very diverse, and some reviewers found the GHTV songlist to be better varied than the on-disc list, providing songs from 'six-string classic' bands that work well for games like Guitar Hero.^[16][19][20] Criticism was raised on the use of microtransactions and premium shows, disallowing players to play specific tracks at any time without cost.^{[15][17][16][18]}

References[edit]

1. ^Rignall, Jaz (23 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live PS4 Review: This One Goes to Six'. US Gamer. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
2. ^Ogilvie, Tristan (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live Review'. IGN. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
3. ^Kreps, Daniel (12 May 2015). 'Exclusive: Rolling Stones, Green Day Lead 'Guitar Hero Live' Set List'. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
4. ^Kalmari, Luke (14 April 2015). 'Activision Announces Guitar Hero Live with 2015 Release Date'. IGN. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
5. ^Salter, Ben (7 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live interview: Selecting the tracklist, GHTV, the 'danger pinky' and playing colour blind'. MMGN. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
6. ^ ^abFutter, Mike (24 November 2015). 'Here Are All Of The Currently Available Guitar Hero Live Tracks'. Game Informer. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
7. ^Fahey, Mike (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live: The Kotaku Review'. Kotaku. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
8. ^Kamen, Matt (18 June 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live's GHTV mode explained'. Wired UK. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
9. ^Robinson, Martin (29 September 2015). 'Don't stop the music: Why Guitar Hero is making a comeback'. Eurogamer. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
10. ^Walton, Mark (2 October 2015). 'From DJ Hero to Guitar Hero: How Freestyle is making rhythm games sexy again'. Ars Technica. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
11. ^ ^abRamsey, Randolph (23 July 2015). 'What Are Guitar Hero Live's Premium Shows All About?'. GameSpot. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
12. ^Carter, Chris (18 November 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live adds another live rock concert this week'. Destructoid. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
13. ^Makuch, Eddie (4 November 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live Adding 70+ Songs Before End of 2015'. GameSpot. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
14. ^References for song additions:
    • 20 October 2015: Makuch, Eddie (20 August 2015). 'Get $20 Virtual Cash for Preordering Guitar Hero Live'. GameSpot. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    • 4 November 2015: Nunneley, Stephany (4 November 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live players get free access to the entire GHTV catalog this weekend'. VG247. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    • 11 November 2015: Makuch, Eddie (11 November 2015). 'New Guitar Hero Live DLC Songs Revealed, See Them Here'. GameSpot. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    • 18 November 2015: Makuch, Eddie (18 November 2015). 'New Guitar Hero Live DLC Songs Revealed, See Them Here'. GameSpot. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    • 24 November 2015: O'Brein, Lucy (24 November 2015). 'Activision Drops 34 New Tracks in Guitar Hero Live'. IGN. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
    • 1 December 2015: Bernard, Oscar (2 December 2015). 'GHTV 12/01 – Tracks from both the 90s and 2015'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
    • 8 December 2015: Bernard, Oscar (9 December 2015). 'GHTV 12/08 – Country Hits and 2015 Tracks'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
    • 15 December 2015: Mejia, Ozzie (15 December 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live GHTV additions for 12/15: Live Weezer show, Queen, and System of a Down'. Shacknews. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
    • 23 December 2015: Makuch, Eddie (23 December 2015). 'Rock Out for Christmas With These Guitar Hero Live Shows'. GameSpot. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
    • 30 December 2015: Elliott (30 December 2015). 'GHTV 12/29/2015 – The Dead Weather, Party Hits, and Classic Songs'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 3 January 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
    • 6 January 2016: Paget, Mat (6 January 2016). 'Top 20 Guitar Hero Live Songs From Over the Holiday'. GameSpot. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
    • 13 January 2016: Makuch, Eddie (13 January 2016). 'Guitar Hero Live Adds These 9 Rock, Metal, and Indie Pop Songs'. GameSpot. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
    • 20 January 2016: Makuch, Eddie (20 January 2016). 'Guitar Hero Live's Next DLC Tracks Revealed, See Them Here'. GameSpot. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
    • 27 January 2016: Mejia, Ozzie (27 January 2016). 'Guitar Hero Live GHTV Additions for 1/27 - New and Classic Def Leppard'. Shacknews. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
    • 3 February 2016: Bernard, Oscar (3 February 2016). 'GHTV Update for 2/2: Blues and Modern Rock'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2016. and Makuch, Eddie (3 February 2016). 'Guitar Hero Live Adds One of the Most Difficult Songs in Franchise History'. GameSpot. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
    • 10 February 2016: Nunneley, Stephany (10 February 2016). 'Valentine's and Grammy themed Guitar Hero Live content hits today'. VG247. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
    • 17 February 2016: Elliot (20 February 2016). 'GHTV Update 2/17/2016 – Wolfmother'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    • 24 February 2016: Elliot (23 February 2016). 'GHTV Update 2/24/2016 – Trailerblazers: UK Rising and Rock The Ages 1994'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    • 1 March 2016: Bernard, Oscar (29 February 2016). 'GHTV Update 3/1/16: Hair Metal, Hair Metal, and more Hair Metal!'. The Hero Feed. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    • 8 March 2016: 'Rock Out With Two New Premium Shows for GHTV' (Press release). Develop. 10 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
    • 15 March 2016: 'GHTV Premium Shows/Catalog Additions - March 15th, 2016'. Reddit. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
    • 22 March 2016: 'New Premium Shows 3/22/16'. Reddit. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
    • 2 October 2016: 'GHTV hidden unreleased songs (found on the guitar hero website)'. Reddit. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
    • 2 October 2016: 'Unreleased GHTV Songs From Places/ghtvsonglist.xml/?'. Reddit. 30 July 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
15. ^ ^abMcElroy, Griffin (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live review'. Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
16. ^ ^abcButterworth, Scott (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live Review'. GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
17. ^ ^abGriffin, Ben (21 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live review'. GamesRadar. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
18. ^ ^abCarter, Chris (20 October 2015). 'Review: Guitar Hero Live'. Destructoid. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
19. ^Walton, Mark (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live review: This is how to make rhythm games relevant again'. Ars Technica. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
20. ^Riccio, Aaron (20 October 2015). 'Guitar Hero Live'. Slant. Retrieved 20 April 2016.

Guitar Hero Live Controller Pc