Guitar Hero World Tour

Guitar Hero World Tour (initially referred to as Guitar Hero IV) is a forthcoming entry in the music video game Guitar Hero series, and is being developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. The game is expected to be available for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles on October 26, 2008. A version of the game has been rated by the ESRB for Microsoft Windows computers, though Activision has not officially confirmed this version. While the game will continue to feature the use of a guitar-shaped controller to simulate the playing of rock music,... (More) Guitar Hero World Tour (initially referred to as Guitar Hero IV) is a forthcoming entry in the music video game Guitar Hero series, and is being developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision. The game is expected to be available for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles on October 26, 2008. A version of the game has been rated by the ESRB for Microsoft Windows computers, though Activision has not officially confirmed this version.

While the game will continue to feature the use of a guitar-shaped controller to simulate the playing of rock music, Guitar Hero World Tour will be the first game in the Guitar Hero series to feature drum and microphone controllers for percussion and vocal parts. Gameplay will be similar to the competing Rock Band series of games. Furthermore, according to Game Informer, the game will allow users to create new songs, including drums, rhythm guitar, lead guitar and bass guitar, although the studio mode will not allow players to record vocals, officially due to copyright and storage limitations, among other undisclosed reasons. Players may upload and share their songs as well as download others' songs through a service known as GHTunes.



Guitar Hero World Tour will build on the existing gameplay from previous Guitar Hero games, in which players attempt to simulate the playing of rock music using special guitar-shaped controllers. World Tour expands beyond the core guitar-based gameplay by introducing the ability to play drums or sing vocals, and supporting the ability for up to four players to play together in a virtual band through these different instruments. Successfully hitting notes will increase the player's or band's score, as well as increase the "Rock Meter" that represents the song's performance. Missed notes are not scored and negatively affect the Rock Meter. If the Rock Meter drops too low, the song will end prematurely, with the virtual audience booing the band off stage. Successfully completing a song will garner a one to five-star rating based on the accumulated score, and rewards such as in-game money to be used to buy new guitars and outfits for characters.

The guitar interface remains relatively unchanged in World Tour. As with previous Guitar Hero titles, the guitar and bass player must hold down the correct fret button(s) on the controller while also strumming in time with the notes as they scroll on-screen. The bass guitar player will encounter note tracks that include a straight line across the on-screen fret, indicating an open E string, and is played by strumming the controller without hitting any fret buttons. The drum interface is similar to the guitar, with each on-screen note track equivalent to a colored drum head on the controller, with the bass drum indicated by a line across the note track. The drum player only needs to hit the correct drum pads in time to successfully play their track. Drum tracks will include "armored" notes, which players may strike harder than prior notes to obtain additional points. The drum career will also feature sections of a song during which the player may play a drum solo, emphasized by in-game choreography that focuses on the drummer. The vocal track requires the player to match the pitch of the notes in a manner similar to Karaoke Revolution to be successful. Special sections of each players' note track are marked with glowing notes, which, if completed successfully, helps to build up "Star Power". Once enough Star Power is accumulated, it can be released via various means in order to boost the band's score multiplier. For guitar and bass, this done by lifting the guitar controller vertically or by pressing a button on the guitar face; for drums, by striking both cymbal pads on the controller at the same time; for vocals, by tapping the microphone or making a similarly quick sound. (Less) Developer: Neversoft - Released: 2008, Oct 26 - Genre: Music - Platform: PlayStation 2,PlayStation 3,Nintendo Wii