![]() Perform badly and the crowd gets visibly hostile, while fellow band members start moaning and giving out the stink eye. Perform well and the crowd will love every minute of it, sing along happily and all is good with the world. Here players get to see pre-performance rituals, banter with roadies, even getting fresh make up applied before heading on stage, all of which add further to the illusion. In order to do this, a camera was strapped to the head of the guitarist playing in a selection of real bands in front of real crowds that are close enough to smell. While past iterations always had a cartoony element to the gameplay, this is all about the immersion, with the entire experience viewed from a first-person perspective. 'Live' is exactly what it sounds like, a campaign split between two fictional music festivals: 'Rock the Block,' which is similar in scale to one of the larger Stateside gatherings, and 'Sound Dial,' which is loosely based on the Glastonbury experience. Guitar Hero Live sees the series transform from regular standalone releases to a constantly evolving platform with the core package halved into two distinct 'Live' and 'GHTV' sections. Basically, it doesn't need to be hidden away after use to avoid embarrassment when non-gaming visitors pop round. The strum bar feels like it can take some punishment and has a satisfying click when used, the faux volume knob actually doubles up as a joystick, which is handy for navigating the dashboard, and the well placed 'Hero Power' button makes it easy to deploy accumulated power-ups. In terms of build quality, the guitar really feels like a premium item, especially when compared to the older, toy-like models. It's quite a big change, all told, and even the most skilled series veterans will have to re-train as it takes some getting used to. This simple change allows the emulation of chord structure, adding a layer of depth not previously possible with the older model guitars, which is clearly reflected when playing at the higher skill levels. Black notes are played on the top row, white notes refer to the bottom row, with split black and white notes requiring both buttons pressed simultaneously in the style of a bar chord. While the familiar on-screen guitar lane, with its descending notes, makes a welcome return, it now has three channels in order to reflect the number of keys on the controller. The new fret board layout gets rid of the long established five coloured button system and instead replaces it with two rows of three buttons that lie flush to the neck. Starting off with the hardware, it shouldn't come as any surprise to learn that the old guitar controllers aren't compatible with Guitar Hero Live, thanks in no small part to a completely re-worked control scheme. This is a re-invention of the rhythm genre. This is a reboot in the truest sense the slate has well and truly been wiped clean. With plastic instrument fatigue levels on the wane, it seems like the most sensible option to avoid repeat flare ups would be to completely flip the script and start over from scratch, which is exactly what Freestyle Games has done here. After a self-imposed hiatus, Freestyle Games, the developer behind the excellent DJ Hero releases, was charged with the seemingly impossible task of making the Guitar Hero franchise seem fresh and relevant again. In 2009 alone, no less than five different versions hit the market (if Band Hero is included), so it's of little wonder gamers eventually tired of the series. "If you are a competitive player and you want to be the number one player on the leaderboard for that song and achieve the top ranking, then there's quite a bit of strategy in there about how you use these Hero Powers," Napier said.It's fair to say that Guitar Hero was starting to get a little bit stale towards the end of its tenure on the last generation of consoles, which was no doubt inversely related to the increased regularity it was getting released. While accessing tracks can be fast tracked with real-currency, it was stressed that this levelling system can only be increased through play, not cash, hopefully making these rewards feel hard-earned. If you're not good enough to finish in the upper positions, then an experience system that plays out throughout GHTV will help you get better leaderboard placement by boosting your base score or powering up Hero Powers. This is usually a track with special concert footage playing in the background, and here you're pitted competitively against other players, with the highest scoring players receiving unique cosmetic items - such as a steampunk or rainbow-themed note highway - to take away into other parts of the mode. ![]() ![]() Then, another area opens up with exclusive content.
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