Get Ready For (Sigh) Guitar Hero TV Shows, Concert Tours

Yikes. Wasn't the Rock Band TV show brutal enough? It's almost heinous enough to make it stray from my weekend "Metal Mania" lovefest. But not quite; Dio always sucks me right back into the fold.

@godlyzombie:
Yeah because having an opinion is a sin around these parts.

People here seem to think that this is killing the series, but that isn't true. Guitar Hero is sort of like the Wii. Lots of people don't get why it's so successful, but it is. And it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Valnen

@Deathbearer: Originality? It's a copy of Konami's Guitar Freaks, itself a loose copy of Simon, itself a 30-year-old game. You sound like an indie kid, whining that something has become popular beyond your levels of acceptance.

are you really playing the Activision STOLE the Rock Band idea card, Luke? i thought we were past that... i thought i meant something to you Luke.. what about Paris?

godlyzombie

what i'd like to know is just how activision has not been purchased by gene simmons yet... surely any company that is THAT good at whoring out its product names would be bought up by Gene, or at least have him behind the scenes somewhere...

@Itri: i'm sure Luke didn't see a problem with FF movies being made.

godlyzombie

@kcha295: try spending more time on your Algebra homework and less time fanboying.

godlyzombie

@Curse_Lily: I imagine at this point it's like the bug from men in black. We don't Raid, we need Will Smith.

@Jiawei Sun: Guitar Hero: THE FLAMETHROWER!

The kids love this one.

Akekazori

@Musika13: Look on the positive side, it introduced our generation to some great classic rock.
Also, quit bitching. You sound like a a high schooler.

Rock Band had a tour, too:
[kotaku.com]

And a TV show.

But I'm a Rock Band fanboy, so F you, Activision!

Christian Carpenter

@GrYnder: I think

It May

be Some New form

Of poetry.

who Knows though?

I wonder if half the people involved in anything Guitar Hero ever reads sites like Kotaku. Maybe they will see that the people's opinion that really matters(kotaku) isn't so great and rethink things. But I guess as long as they keep taking people's money they don't care what anyone thinks.

@GrYnder: Well I think with Smash Hits it could kinda go either way. Many people never got to play GH1 or GH80s since they were only on the ps2 and GH2 wasn't on a nintendo a console. So I think many people will be interested in a large portion of the setlist. Some on the other hand will only like a few songs so they would've appreciated dlc more. At worst, waiting until it's on sale for $10-20 isn't terrible imo.

Band Hero and Lego Rock Band are both supposedly aimed at younger audiences I believe. So, we'll have to wait and see how each fares at that >_>

Ghar

Can you really milk a franchise anymore? Honestly this is just shameful.

ctorrans

The only way a GH show would be at all interesting is if they did it like that episode of "WCG Ultimate Gamer" (a pretty fun show, by the by, despite the large amount of stereotypical douchebags they casted for the first season), and get GH players to take quick, basic lessons and play the song for real in front of the original bands.

And even if they did that, it would get stale after half a season.

@FlameEye: Haha

I Noticed that Too

Strange, isn't It?

But sir...it's just a wafer thin mint!

die. die now. die again. please.

MOOOooooooo

that's the sound of the Guitar Hero cow being milked

Steve

@dae_giovanni: despite being in love with your last ninja avatar.

@dae_giovanni: and the people that whine about the people whining about it? ironic!

@SuperTongue: ive decided to take up the job at my school of convincing everyone that rock bands better and here are the responses i get:

1) rock band is a copycat
i say: rock band was made by the people who made gh first

2) the songs arent as good (without playing the game)
i say: they have a much larger store and they arent better

3) the notes are rectangles. i like the circles.
i say: they really dont deserve either.

@EnigmaNemesis: but pokemon has a story this has... plastic.

@enchantedduck: guitar hero.

@Ghar: DLC is great if I don't care for modest improvements that'll cost you more than you're willing to pay. I wouldn't mind a yearly or bi-yearly releases of discs that throw down large improvements in customization and such, with a constant stream of DLC in between that I can carry between games. That's what I'd like to see.

I suppose I can understand band specific releases coming out. If you're into the band, it's interesting to see the custom menus, set lists, and of course the band itself performing hits. It's things like Smash Hits and Band Hero that bother me. Smash Hits could easily be DLC and it wouldn't make a difference. Instead, those who want to play Dragonforce on drums are going to have to pay for songs they don't want as well.
As for Band Hero, I'm not entirely sure what's going to set it apart from Guitar Hero 5, but will it really be so dramatic that they need both both releasing mere months apart? Or is it going to be another case of Should-have-been-DLC?

@McWhammer: Building something up to the level of idolatry then tearing it down is a deep-rooted human behaviour dating back to sacrificial rituals. It's a psychological impulse and it's not going away any time soon, no matter how illogical it is.

The core gameplay of Guitar Hero has remained identical since the first incarnation. Tweaks to the way hammer-ons are played and other minutiae are irrelevent because people play the games for new songs, not evolutionary gameplay.

The release of Guitar Hero: Jonas Brothers or a Guitar Hero TV show has no impact whatsoever on the gameplay or your enjoyment of it, beyond a simple kneejerk "HEY, WHAT'S UP WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE LIKING WHAT I LIKE? GOD GUITAR HERO IS SO LAME!" reaction.

Adramelech

@arniejolt: I liked the Tony Hawk whoring until American Wasteland.

@McWhammer: GTA is never frowned upon because no one dares frown upon it. lol. No, but those have been consistently good games, and are usually spread apart pretty well. GH is getting crazy with this 4,5,6, hell might as well be 10 games a year thing they want to do. It's just too much. Even for the mainstream. Some of my non-gamer buddies who play 2-3 games a year are still on Guitar Hero World Tour and they're fine with that.

I've never seen one competition copy the other so much in my life. Anyone else remember the RB Live Tour with Panic at the Disco and Dashboard Confessional? What about the reality show Rock Band 2 The Stars on VH1? How about drums and vocals? Drum over songs mode? Star count during the song?

Fuelie79

@GrYnder: Yeah, I saw an episode on VH1 months ago and it was terrible. The only hope for this is if it's so bad it becomes funny

Ghar

Stop it, Activision! You stop it, right now!

TOWER_JUNKIE

"Seems not content with stealing Rock Band's idea for a game, they're taking its idea for a TV show, too."

i dont really think that a company can steal an idea from itself

phishman631

Re: ghzoom.jpg

You've just stopped trying, huh?

Guitar hero as a concert tour? Awesome, giving a chance so the artists that made the franchise work get out there in front of people? double awesome.

But yeah, you people will whine and complain endlessly about how they're whoring "your" franchise instead of looking at the positives.

@McWhammer: The quality is improving actually. GH:Metallica has fixed up the tapping notes and vocals a bit and the graphics are better.... People whining over discs is getting absurd. DLC is just as bad. With discs we get to see these constant improvements... there's no improvement with DLC, just the same old RB. Yes DLC allows more picking and choosing what you want but the price never goes down. Disc prices do. GH:A for $10? That's a really good deal there. The disc swapping issue does suck admittedly. Eh, overall we're getting spammed with new songs via both methods so it's really either win/win or lose/lose depending on whether you think the mass amounts of new songs we're getting each month is awesome or just bringing the genre down faster >_>

Ghar

@McWhammer: No one has a problem with Guitar Hero itself, just what Activision has done to it.

DMan304

Yeah, just keep on beating that dead horse.

Matthew Lynagh

@GrYnder: Rock Band Unplugged (the PSP one) seems only to share the name Rock Band - gameplay wise, it doesn't look like the others at all.

I wonder how Harmonix feels watching it's poor baby get raped over and over repeatedly like this?

DMan304

@GrYnder: I wasn't comparing the release sched., sorry if I made it sound that way. I meant that GTA has had nearly the same amount of releases as Guitar Hero (When counting handhelds), but I hear only a rare amount of complaint over the abundance of their games.

I do see everyone's point about how the quality is a big factor. I haven't played every spin off of Guitar Hero to know how the quality is (Such as the artist-labeled games), so I can't judge that myself.

@FP Shindokie: HAHAHA, Nice.

@Ghar: That RB show actually aired? I didn't know it was out yet. Haha :P

And you're right, this couldn't be any good. Watch contestants create drama between each other for a while, watch a poorly cut guitar duel, watch someone get eliminated. Repeat.

@McWhammer: There is a difference between a label artist and a publisher who wants close to three new games of the same ip a year.

@GrYnder: Hang on, let me recount that. 6 GH games in a year. Metallica, Smash Hits, GH5, GH: Van Halen, GH: Greatest Hits (DS), Band Hero.

You can't possibly compare the release scheme of the GTA games to that. That's ridiculous.

How can you make a TV show about playing a pretend guitar? Wouldn't making a TV show about, you know, playing a REAL guitar seem a bit more reasonable?

It's like watching a TV show about people playing Pretend Football (Two guys playing on the grass with football action figures). It's just....stupid.

RockyRan

@McWhammer: Seriously? I liked Guitar Hero, just like the OP, but 4 games in a year? No, that's too much. I realize that there is a demand for more content and such, but this is a bit much.

DLC is fine, because you get to pick and choose. I far prefer Rock Band's DLC scheme rather than Guitar Hero's on-disc purchases 4 times a year.
Though with Rock Band: Beatles, Lego, and the PSP version with the name I can't think of ATM, EA seems to be milking it's franchise just as much.

Somehow I feel as though Activision will run GH into the ground while EA might let up a bit. But that might just be because I prefer RB far more than GH.

@Jiawei Sun: I need a whammy bar on the toilet plunger or I will NOT be satisfied.

RockyRan

@McWhammer: It's not the fact that it's mainstream, but the fact is that every inch of originality the games had are being lost to the constant sequels and spin offs and "reality tv". I don't hate Activision {much}. I understand they run a business but all this is unnecessary. It's overkill.

Deathbearer

@Leonskey: I Love How You have Unecessary caps.

And Write Things in Several Sentences instead Of Paragraphs.

I Really Do.

@McWhammer: I don't think any Guitar Hero 1 fans wanted to have the franchise turned into a goddamned reality show. There's a difference between banking on success and outright milking it shamelessly for all it's worth. The former nets more money, while the latter does the same only the public ends up becoming absolutely sick of your franchise and doesn't want to have anything to do with it again.

See: The Sims.

RockyRan

I feel bad for admitting I play Guitar Hero now.

Cpt. Overkill

I love you for linking to the Meaning of Life. I loved that clip.

Not so big on the continual whoring of GH, but Monty Python makes up for it.

@arniejolt: I never stopped missing it. My annual THPS game was near the top of my most anticipated titles every year. Still cant beat the pleasure of a good round of HORSE. I hope the next one can be more like Burnout Paradise and just gets DLC support for 2+ years... And that I can play it with the same control scheme of the previous entries... And they continue with 'Nail a Trick'

@Deathbearer: But isn't it kind of old to suddenly hate something that becomes mainstream? Guitar Hero had humble beginnings (Not unlike Activision), yet once it succeeds on great levels, everyone balks at them for wanting to make money (This happens with many bands as well... once they are picked up by a major label, a select few of their fans pretend they are no longer "good" anymore)? They are running a business... I don't think they're doing anything that their fans haven't asked for.

Sure, if they continue going with the franchise for ten more years straight, then I would start to agree that they are exploiting what made them more well known, but I think it's too early to proclaim them as evil, or prostitution. No one has done that with the GTA franchise, and it has had a comparable amount of releases, and publicity.

Fixed. "Hooray. Seems not content with buying Rock Band's idea for a game, they're taking its TV show, too."

Kewk

@Xusder: Especially with a fresh batch of teenagers who seemingly forget what they bought just a year before...

SuperTongue

Upcoming Activision Titles:

Ass Wipe Hero
Jet Pilot Hero
Hot Dog Vendor Hero
Burger Flipper Hero
Grass Growing Hero
Hero Hero

@Lethal Dosage: At the rate they're going I wouldn't be surprised if their employees are overworked.

Deathbearer

I like this music games but this is getting ridiculous faster than you can say Activision sucks. I was fine with one a year. This is complete stupidness and they are killing the franchise. They could have steady income with yearly updates but they are more interested with sucking the life out of it and getting the quick buck. Good long term business plan asshats.

wow

Matt0505

[www.penny-arcade.com]

*puts SG in mouth*
*strums trigger*

American Hero Idol!

Who ever wins we lose :/

That RB show was HORRIBLE. I can't see a GH show being any better. But I suppose GH/RB shows are still a lot better than most of the crap on MTV/VH1 nowadays anyways so meh >_>

Ghar

I'm actually starting to miss Tony Hawk video game whoring...but not by much.

arniejolt

This will probably end up being another trash show on G4 which will make that network even more boring than it already is.

Instead of trying to cash in on the name, why not take the time by, y'know, improving the stock gameplay of the damn game?

As for the CoD movie, yes, CoD4 adaptation or no dice.

Kill it with fire. Kill it please god. It's cool if you want to play plastic instruments with your friends in your basement, hell, it's what motivated me to start taking some guitar/vocal lessons. But this is just straight up retarded. I don't care how high a score you can get on Through The Fire And Flames, you still can't play an actual instrument.

Actual concerts? Dear lord, I hate to thing about what gaming is becoming....

Musika13

@Korvac: Which will never happen.

Do we really need anymore of these music games. They have reached their peak IMO (in terms of originality, not sales).

curori

@Deathbearer: Looks like they were serious about that exploiting franchises at every chance they get thing.

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

@Deathbearer:

I want Activision to fail. They've gone beyond EA at its absolute worse. The only thing it needs to become truly the most evil company ever is a story on overworking its employees and poor work conditions.

The only thing more tiring than Guitar Hero oversaturation, is all the people who whine about it.

Still waiting for TETRIS with Jack Nicholson and Christopher Walken..

Would somebody PLEASE get some Raid and kill this pest call Activision.

Now I just need a Guitar Hero Breakfast Cereal and a Guitar Hero Toilet Plunger, and I'm all set.

Jiawei Sun

I Love Guitar hero, I really Do.

I Don't care About the Losers who whine about it Not A real One(guitar).

I occasionally Play at Local Tournaments.

It's Really Fun, And a great Franchise.

But this Is Just Plain Ridiculous.

Leonskey

@enchantedduck: sickening.

Neo-Senku: The World's Finest Pervert

@enchantedduck: Too much of a bad thing is Activision.

Now you can pretend to be a TV star while you're pretending to be a rock star!

Dear God have they no shame!? I used to like Guitar Hero but fucking Christ I can't stand it anymore! There's whoring out a franchise, and then there's this. For some reason this is just too far. It's goddamn ridiculous!!

Deathbearer

too much of a good thing is bad, whats too much of a bad thing?

enchantedduck

Like Pokemon!

But WWII movies have a chance at Oscars! Come on Luke, think of the bigger picture :P

Itri

These things will stop happening when people stop consuming them.

@kcha295: Get out of that kindergarten.

@MaximusDM: SOANDSO IS LORD! YOU WILL BURN FOR ETERNITY FOR YOUR DISBELIEF!

i'm just sayin.. get the hell of my porch..

godlyzombie

I think most people in their right minds have already given up on GH. It's a shame Blizzard's associated with them now.

Fuck Activision.

roq

Could people please stop buying this shit? It's the only way to stop this.

I mean, you have Rock Band and the whole band set already why the fuck would you want to spend $100 on a guitar CONTROLLER just because it looks like George Harrison's REAL guitar?

@dae_giovanni: Somebody needed to say it. I enjoy looking at the Guitar Hero news here, because I guess I'm one of those evil people that likes the games, but even though I think the GH:TV show stuff is taking it a bit too far, the haters have been beating the dead horse since GH:3.

Scott Kelly

@undefined:
Sorry, nasty habit I have, Don't comment very much here.
I get A little rusty.
Did come out looking like weird poetry, didn't it?

Leonskey

Excellent use of imagery to get the message across. It is pretty much that bad.

Too bad the concert tour will probably be Paramore and the like, rather than a bunch of real guitar heros together.

Tenacious_Z

@Jiawei Sun: Hey Kids! Try new Guitar Her-Os with little marchmallow notes in all your favourite fruity colours! It's part of a balanced breakfast [insert picture of bowl of Guitar Her-Os with two slices of toast, half a grapefruit, a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice]! Look for your Guitar Hero Iron-On Tattoos free in every box, collect all eight! warningthefdahasdeterminedthatcontinuedi... causemorbidobesitydiabetescancerandisins...

@kcha295: amen, rock band does the series right...they do guitar hero aerosmith, they do rock band beatles

pwn

@dinga6969: Activision publishes my sweet sweet Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.....I have to love them.

Guitar Hero.....out of fucking control. Stop already. Rock Band is already superior. They are going to run the GH franchise into the ground.

Damn, I misread it. I thought they were releasing a 'Guitar Hero: TV Themes'. Damn :(

konami defined it. harmonix refined it. activision will destroy it.

AlphaUltima

@Leonskey:
It looks slightly
like an advanced form
of
Haiku

Activision must have a department that's sole job is coming up with ideas on how to run franchises into the ground.

Man, I hate it that our industry is appealing to so many people. What are we going to do with all these new revenue streams??

I think we should ban music games completely, oh except Rock Band because we like that one. Sports games too, they're really popular, but getting a bit old for us.

Woffls

tv show will prolly be as filling as that wafer thin mint as well

Way to milk a once-great franchise dry, Activision. We knew you had it in you.

@GOLD5: Only as long as the geniuses at TetrisConcept get brought on as technical consultants.

@Gundragon: Oh, hey, comment of the week.

@Combichristoffersen:
Guitar Hero thread
No, says the grammer nazi
Let us discuss prose.

Gundragon

@Itri:
If a video game movie, especially one published by Activision, ever had Oscar contention, I'd probably stop attending movies because there's a good chance that Brett Ratner would've directed it.

@godlyzombie: There's a Fruit Fucker movie being made?

If you look away it doesn't exist just remember that!

@Scott Kelly: I'm pretty sure it's Activision who's been beating the dead horse. So far, I've seen them raise the horse, kill it, beat it over the head, and now they're looking to turn it into glue. Which they'll probably huff.

There are a lot of really excellent songs throughout the different GH games, but I'll be damned if I'm going to buy 5 copies of the same game just so I can play the handful of songs I really want. In that respect, Rock Band is better (DLC so I can at least pick and choose).

Bill Groesbeck

@Scott Kelly: I know, right? I don't really have a problem with more GH or RB games. The same rule applies as always-- buy that which I like, skip that which I do not.

If all these games are somehow bringing the genre/market down, hey, it's not my problem.

In the meanwhile, I would still murder for a dedicated Queen game. I can see the 'convenience' argument as regards disc-switching, but I'm not that bothered by it.

Now, GH:TV? I don't know. I get antsy and bored watching my friends play (while waiting for my turn, if there's a rotation)... I can't see the appeal of watching complete strangers play, -on tv-...

@Polite Society: Damn. Part of me wants to say 'but I wasn't whining'. But another part of me does love the irony...

Hey, thanks for the props on the avatar! ;-0

@Korvac:

This reminds me of Gold Farmers in MMOs.

@McWhammer: I totally agree. I love GH, and the more (console) releases the better I say. There's a lot of hypocracy going on when ROCK BAND DID THE SAME DAMN THING LAST YEAR! They out out a crappy TV show which did nothing for them.

The only problem going on with GH is that it exists in a day and age where it isn't cool to be mainstream. RB is owned and made partially by MT friggin V, and the only reason they get most of the liscensing they do is because of that. But since MTV is no longer a music channel (and no, playing videos at 4 am doesn't count) everyone fails to see the irony that Rock Band wants to be the "little indie music game".

I swear there were paragraphs in the comment form when I wrote that. I guess you need an account for that?

WadeLolzord

The TV show and concert tour are the wafer-thin mints in this analogy. Rock Band had a TV show and concert tour (with a bunch of bands that weren't even in the game at the time), but that's when it only had one game. If Activision would just lay off the spinoffs, maybe they could actually keep up with Rock Band's massive amounts of downloadable songs. Better than making Queen songs unavailable to people who don't like Metallica. Hell, there's NO reason the Smash Hits songs can't be downloaded or at least exported to World Tour. And the DS games are far too uncomfortable to play to justify three in a year. For what it's worth, I'm perfectly fine with The Beatles: Rock Band because it's The Beatles, but I hope it doesn't open the door for more band-specific Rock Band games (at least there's no "guest acts"). Unplugged seems to be slapping the Rock Band name on something that doesn't play much like Rock Band, but at least it's inspired by earlier Harmonix games, so I'll give it a shot. And the new songs from it will be downloadable for the console Rock Band eventually. Lego Rock Band is... odd, to say the least, but a lot of people are complaining about it despite not really knowing anything yet. tl;dr: Guitar Hero's still being milked far worse than Rock Band. still tl;dr: RB good GH bad

WadeLolzord

I brought Brian Bright a cake today...

It had one candle for every time that Activision has milked the GH license so far.

Look at it this way. At least there will kinda be music on mtv now.