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Guitar Hero 5 Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

Guitar Hero 5 Hands-On Preview for Xbox 360

Rocking the House Again

August 10, 2009 – Guitar Hero has been the quintessential music/band franchise for quite some time. Although Rock Band has been building its own franchise base, nothing can compare to the brand power of Guitar Hero. Still, even though this brand has plenty of notoriety and fans, many have wondered if there is anything it can do to keep itself fresh. After all, there’s only so many ways to rock out with plastic instruments, right? Wrong!

Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

Although last year’s Guitar Hero: World Tour marked the most significant change to the franchise as a whole with the addition of drums and vocals, GH5 makes several changes to the formula laid down in World Tour. On the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 there have been several improvements made to the core game, particularly in the realm of multiplayer modes.

One of the biggest new features that we were able to check out on the PS3/Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero 5 was the new creation mode. Although World Tour has a pretty robust song creator, GH5 is going to take it to the next level. The mechanics are similar to World Tour, and you can add notes to multi-layer tracks using the guitar, bass, and drum instruments.

However, instead of just starting off from scratch, you have the option to jam along to a template song. There are plenty of different genres to choose from, and we were able to try jamming along to a Bach-inspired classical track. In addition to the new backing tracks, there are also deeper production tools that give you more freedom to sample and mix your work to create your ultimate Guitar Hero tune.

Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

Also new for the PS3/Xbox 360 versions of Guitar Hero 5 is Party Mode. This mode allows you to create party mixes of your favorite songs. The mixes will automatically play, even if there is no one actively playing the game. But, if someone at your party or get-together feels like they want to hop on the guitar for “Fame” by David Bowie, or the bass for “So Lonely” by The Police, they can just jump into the game at any point in time, without having to go through the menus or restart the song.

Guitar Hero 5 will also be backwards and forwards-compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour and the upcoming Band Hero. As long as you still own the discs to these games, you can put in a special code and re-download most of the tracks from these games after paying a re-licensing fee (the price of which has yet to be revealed).

Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

Although Guitar Hero 5 still features the same tried and true Guitar Hero gameplay that fans have grown to love, there are plenty of new features that will keep fans rocking. In addition, if you are planning on picking up the Xbox 360 version, you will also be able to rock out with your avatars. With new multiplayer and creation modes, the newest Guitar Hero will really let you come into your own and rock any way you want to. You can look forward to the newest iteration of Guitar Hero to hit store shelves next month!

Game Features:

  • Living room legends will rock any way they want in Guitar Hero 5. The entire set list is at your finger tips from the start, featuring genre-defining hits from some of the biggest rock artists and bands of all time, including The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Santana and Vampire Weekend.
  • You will take complete control as Guitar Hero 5 allows you to personalize and customize how you experience music by being able to play with any in-game instrument combination — multiple vocalists, guitarists, bassists and drummers, in any game mode.
  • With the game’s all-new Party Play Mode, getting the band back together has never been easier. You can now jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, without interrupting their jam session.
  • Elevating the Guitar Hero series to new heights with unmatched social gameplay, an enhanced style, new in-game artists and more rock legends, Guitar Hero 5 features new surprises and challenges that will fire-up long-time fret board fanatics and create a new generation of addicts.


  • Soiree Hero

    June 8, 2009 – It seems like music and rhythm games may never get old; people just keep on gobbling up everything Activision and EA throw their way. Thankfully, this hasn’t stopped the two companies from innovating – as a consumer, you’ve got to love a little healthy competition! Guitar Hero 5 continues to improve the series by concentrating on a two key areas: making the game party and multiplayer-friendly.

    Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

    Of course, Guitar Hero 5 will feature a stellar list of artists that run the gamut of rock. In total, there will be 85 songs getting packed into the game disc, and many of the bands are featured for the first time in any music game (check out the end of this article for the complete list of included artists). We were fortunate enough to sit in on a private showing of the game at E3 2009 and got a great idea of what we can expect from this next installment. The house band played through Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” and Arctic Monkeys’ “Brainstorm.” While having to sit on a couch, taking notes, and listening to others play through these songs on the surface may seem like a futile endeavor, the devs at Neversoft were careful to point out all of the subtle changes that make this version of the game the best yet.

    First, we paid special attention to Party Play mode. While standard Guitar Hero play is still on offer, this new mode really helps set the title apart. This time around, players can use Guitar Hero 5 as if it were simply background music. Not only can you just let the music flow through perhaps the best set of speakers in your house, you can also create playlists to suit your musical taste. This may not seem like such a huge innovation, but the fact that you can now jump in and out of songs whenever you want with whatever mix of instruments you prefer without failing or even missing a beat is perfect for parties. Literally, players can pick up a controller, select the difficulty, and start jamming out mid-song. Moreover, you can even switch instrument type and difficulty setting on the fly. This should go a long way toward making the game more accessible to players in a social setting – no more compromising or time wasting while wading through menus. Now we get to just pick up and jam!

    Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

    Second, a load of multiplayer modes have been included that go far beyond the battle modes of the past. In the Momentum mode, the game continually adjusts the difficulty setting in order to reflect how well you’re playing. If you’re able to build up to and maintain expert level, you’ll accrue a ton of points. Then there’s Elimination mode, which will fire off the trailing player at specific intervals. In Streakers, players need to keep their consecutive note count high. Perfectionist has players trying to maximize their percentage during specific phrases through the song track. Finally, Do-or-Die penalizes competitors if they don’t perfectly hit a given phrase by locking out their ability to participate for a short time. If you’d like to experience the entire smorgasbord of competitive goodness, players can choose the RockFest function and work their way through all the game types. All multiplayer modes seem to be very well thought out and highly entertaining. Many of them even seem to work well for breeding competition between players of distinct skill levels through handicapping, however, players of high skill level will likely get the most enjoyment out of the multiplayer modes.

    More subtle yet crucial improvements to the game include a new Star Power mechanic (no longer a shared pool of points but rather tracked individually), enhanced tools for GHTunes (yet to be revealed), and greatly improved guitar peripherals that are “spot on.” In fact, instruments are so accurate now that the developers have been able to really run with the instrument tracks. Players will find the guitar tacks especially are more “expressive” than they ever have been. Whammy and slide sections have been completely overhauled to make for the most immersive Guitar Hero experience to date.

    Guitar Hero 5 screenshot

    Though Guitar Hero 5 is another entry in a long line of similar titles, the development crew at Neversoft has really gone above and beyond in an attempt to bring another level of fun to a convention-laden genre. The stellar, varied list of 85 master tracks, uber-flexible Party Play mode, great set of multiplayer features, and enhanced peripherals and instrument tracks should help Guitar Hero 5 set it apart from both the competition and itself. Look for Guitar Hero 5 to hit store shelves on September 1, 2009. Until then, you’ll have to be content with the artist list featured below.

    • 3 Doors Down
    • A Perfect Circle
    • AFI
    • Attack! Attack!
    • Band Of Horses
    • Beastie Boys
    • Beck
    • Billy Idol
    • Billy Squier
    • Blink-182
    • Blur
    • Bob Dylan
    • Bon Jovi
    • Brand New
    • Bush
    • Children of Bodom
    • Coldplay
    • Darker My Love
    • Darkest Hour
    • David Bowie
    • Deep Purple
    • Dire Straits
    • Duran Duran
    • Eagles Of Death Metal
    • Elliott Smith
    • Elton John
    • Face to Face
    • Garbage
    • Gorillaz
    • Gov’t Mule
    • Grand Funk Railroad
    • Iggy Pop
    • Iron Maiden
    • Jeff Beck
    • Jimmy Eat World
    • John Mellencamp
    • Johnny Cash
    • Kaiser Chiefs
    • King Crimson
    • Kings Of Leon
    • Kiss
    • Love and Rockets
    • Megadeth
    • Mötley Crüe
    • Muse
    • My Morning Jacket
    • Nirvana
    • No Doubt
    • Peter Frampton
    • Public Enemy Featuring Zakk Wylde
    • Queen & David Bowie
    • Queens Of The Stone Age
    • Rammstein
    • Rose Hill Drive
    • Rush
    • Santana
    • Scars On Broadway
    • Screaming Trees
    • Smashing Pumpkins
    • Sonic Youth
    • Spacehog
    • Stevie Wonder
    • Sublime
    • Sunny Day Real Estate
    • T. Rex
    • The Bronx
    • The Derek Trucks Band
    • The Duke Spirit
    • The Killers
    • The Police
    • The Raconteurs
    • The Rolling Stones
    • The Sword
    • The White Stripes
    • Thin Lizzy
    • Thrice
    • Tom Petty
    • Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
    • TV On The Radio
    • Vampire Weekend
    • Weezer
    • Wild Cherry
    • Wolfmother

    Game Features:

  • Party Play mode lets you play whatever you want whenever you want with drop in / drop out play.
  • Expanded competitive multiplayer options will keep the party rockin’!
  • The extensive list of 85 master tracks are sure to please music lovers of all stripes.
  • Subtle improvements to gameplay mechanics and instrument tracks make this the most immersive Guitar Hero title yet.

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