What we know now
Up until now I have not said much about Guitar Hero Warriors of rock. I suppose a lot of the attention has been diverted away by the unveiling of Rockband’s ‘real’ guitar controllers’ whose somewhat shiny if not a little controversial appearance would be enough to distract any hardcore fan. Still, I think its time to put realism aside for a second and change this. After-all, we are talking about a game here and not a virtual music lesson. It has been common knowledge for some time now that in contrast to Rockband’s attempt to bring music gaming closer to reality, the guys at guitar hero have decided to take their new release back to its roots. But how will this affect the set-list, story and gameplay? I think its time to take a look at what we know now…
Set list update
Taking guitar hero back to its rock roots is to me largely dependent on two things. Number one, an epic (if slightly tacky) story line. Think guitar fights, fire, lightning and maybe even a dragon thrown in there and your on the right track. Number two, a very loud Rock/Metal set-list. Think back to the glory days of battling rock stars and slaying the devil in Gh3 and you start to understand what I am looking for. So how is Warriors of Rock shaping up? Well fortunately I have found a nice Video which gives a glimpse of what to expect for the Warriors of Rock set-list. Stick with it people, there is something for everyone if you wait nicely…
So there you have a taste of the new set list. I suppose there shouldn’t be much to say after that…but then again when was I ever lost for words. Watching this Vid I coudn’t help but make a few small observations. The first observation was that though there is a fairly diverse mix of music, this set-list does seem much more reminiscent of Gh in its early days. Aside from the odd what were they thinking song, this taster video contains a good mix of modern hits, metal, some cheesy classics for good measure, epic monster marathon songs as well as a fair dose of the all important classic rock. In addition to this the choice of set-list feels much more like it has been chosen to incorporate the whole band, something which some previous Gh titles have missed a little.
Now for my second important point to take away. With the amount of song repetition going back and fourth between Gh and Rockband I was starting to worry the world may be running out of songs. I know, I know, there are a lot of songs in the world, but after hearing the same old stuff on multiple disks you do start to wonder if the world may simply have run out of Rock music. Thankfully this vid contained much less song recycling than we have seen in previous games, and has ever unearthed some old forgotten classics which I must admit made me smile. I suppose the lack of repetition will depend on what Rockband has chosen this year, but I for one am vaguely (if not a little naïvely) hopeful that the “I want what he’s got, his has sprinkles…” copycat nature of these games may be wearing off. Well…I can dream…
Oh and Dragonforce is back. This will be fun…
Story update
Now for a quick story update, well I say quick, it will probably go on forever but never mind. Time for video number two. In this Vid we not only get to see Alex Lefeson and Geddy Lee (Rush) talk about their love of guitar hero, but we also learn a little more about the story as well as getting a better look at the Gh characters new Warrior looks.
So there you have it. The story of Warriors of Rock will be inspired by the music of Rush, the game will include the whole 2112 album and Geddy Lee loves guitar hero. In addition to this we now know that we will be soon embarking on a quest to find the Legendary guitar, re-discover the prohibited practice of rock music and awaken the Demi-God of rock. Nice.
Aside from the inventive new portrayals of the characters, and the story-line itself what interests me most is the level to which a single band has affected the games theming. With Rush included quite prominently into the game, it at first seems unusual that this game is called “Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock” and not “Guitar Hero Rush”. Despite the title claiming that this is more than another band add on game, it would appear that the story line, imagery, and locations are all inspired however loosely by a single band. So what makes this title different? Well for a start it is clear that this game does more than simply chart a bands rise to stardom. Instead Warriors of rock uses the music to create a fantasy, fictional story, which though is based largely on the music of a single band is not an actual representation of the band members lives. Warriors of rock seems to encourage us to lose ourselves in the imagery created by the music, and to me this is what music is really about, losing yourself. I’m not saying that the story line won’t be tacky, nor that this game will have the impressive realism that Rockband seems to be offering. Instead I expect quite the opposite, and will be very disappointed if I receive anything else.
Oh, and its my birthday today. Lovely.
Until next time
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Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock
Due for release September 2010
