

Guitar hero live downloadable songs update#
However, a recent update to both the Apple TV and iOS versions put a “Coming Soon” banner for on-demand play and the party pass on the GHTV menu, so maybe there were just kinks to work out. I asked Activision’s PR reps for an explanation at the time, but wasn’t able to get a response. But for some reason, that feature was cut via a post-launch update. When the iOS version launched, you could purchase a party pass to play GHTV songs at will for a certain span of time-like $1 for 30 minutes of play. Only instead of just watching these videos, you can jump right in with your guitar controller and play along to them. GHTV is more or less the interactive version of a classic MTV, with themed blocks of music videos streaming around the clock. With 42 songs, the main Live soundtrack is slimmer than past Guitar Hero entries, but there’s a reason for that: GHTV, the online streaming side of the game. You’ll still play notes that stream down the screen, but now there’s a crowd in front of you and fellow fictional bandmates all around. And the soundtrack is nicely diverse, with rock mainstays new and old like The Rolling Stones and Fall Out Boy joined by surprise picks from the likes of Skrillex, Eminem, and Katy Perry. Still, it’s oddly endearing, rather than off-putting. You can almost hear the corporate suits talking about brand engagement backstage.

It’s a little lame, admittedly-these are fake performances staged to sell video games, after all. Here’s iPhone play: using the six-button guitar on the left (the pick-shaped notes point up or down), and then the tap-centric version on the right. And the crowd gets upset if you’re terrible, just as they should. Each song has its own little concert featuring a made-up band, and you’ll take them on in multi-track sets that add a theatrical element to the experience. It’s a throwback to early ‘90s CD-ROM fare, as you’ll see real fans and fellow musicians in the background as you shred along to popular hits. Most notably: The live-action crowds and bands filmed just for the “Live” side of the game. Here’s the guitar controller-it’s the same size as on consoles (a little smaller than a real guitar) and has a new six-button fret design.

And beyond the same act of playing along to scrolling notes, everything around it is different. The neck has a new six-button design (three across, two down), which not feels a bit more like playing a real axe than the familiar five-across format, but also gives your brain and fingers a whole new playground to explore. Now, it’s not only refocused, but reborn: Guitar Hero Live is still a toy guitar-strumming game, but the details are all different.
