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Activision has lifted the lid on Guitar Hero World Tour, the latest instalment in the multi-million selling Guitar Hero video game franchise. The game is heading to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2 this autumn and promises to transform music gaming.
It’s been rumoured for so long now that it comes as no great surprise to hear confirmation that Guitar Hero World Tour will feature the full band experience, with guitar, drum and microphone peripherals to make it all the more real.
The game will support a newly designed, more responsive guitar controller, a microphone to belt lyrics into and an authentic electronic drum kit which promises to deliver the “most realistic drum experience ever in a video game”. The drum kit will feature three drum pads, two raised cymbals and a bass kick pedal, plus authentic bounce back.
We’re told the game will feature the largest on-disc set list in a music-rhythm game to-date and will be comprised entirely of master recordings from the greatest classic and modern rock bands including Van Halen, Linkin Park, The Eagles, Sublime and more. Activision is also promising “significantly” more localised downloadable music than ever before on all of the next-gen consoles.
Customisation is also at the forefront with players able to choose character and instrument appearance, the band’s logo and album covers.
In addition to the full band experience, virtual musicians will be able to live out their rock dream by playing a single instrument or any combination of instruments.
Online play has also seen a massive overhaul, featuring all the online modes from GHIII, plus the all-new Battle of the Bands mode which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other, band-to-band, to determine who is the best. Band modes will enable up to four players to combine as a band online or offline and progress through the career mode.
Perhaps the most innovative new addition is the Music Studio, which lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to the tools to create music from scratch. All the instruments can be utilised – not voice – and the tracks can then be shared with friends through GHTunes.
“Guitar Hero has set the standard for music-based gaming and with Guitar Hero World Tour and the game’s groundbreaking Music Studio, we are once again delivering unprecedented innovation that has the potential to revolutionize consumer generated music, much in the same way that video sharing hubs have driven user generated video,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane.
Guitar Hero World Tour is in development at Neversoft for Xbox 360 and PS3, Vicarious Visions for Wii and Budcat for PS2. The release date is currently set for autumn 2008.
Head over to the VideoGamer.com video player for the game’s official reveal trailer.
About the Author
Guitar Hero World Tour
- Platform(s): Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
- Genre(s): Arcade, Music
