See Also: Guitar Hero Vids | Guitar Hero Soundtracks | Rock Band | Rock Band Soundtracks| Rock Band Vids

Guitar Hero

Guitar Hero is a music video game. It was developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane
for the PlayStation 2 video game console, but it's since spread to all major game consoles. It is the first entry in
the Guitar Hero series. Guitar Hero was released on November 8, 2005 in North America, April 7, 2006 in
Europe and June 15, 2006 in Australia.

The game features a guitar-shaped peripheral (resembling a miniature Gibson SG). The buttons on the neck of
the guitar can be pressed to simulate musical chords, while a bar on the body of the controller can be "strummed"
to simulate playing notes on strings. The game features covers of 30 popular rock songs spanning five decades
of rock, from the 1960s to present day.

Guitar Hero became a surprise hit. Its fun yet challenging gameplay earned critical acclaim and winning awards
from many major video game publications. The game's success launched the billion-dollar Guitar Hero franchise,
spawning the sequels Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Guitar Hero II

Guitar Hero II was the next installment in the franchise, again developed by Harmonix Music Systems
and published by RedOctane. It was first released for the PlayStation 2 in November 2006 and then for
the Xbox 360 in April 2007, with additional content not originally in the PlayStation 2 version. Like the
original Guitar Hero, the player uses a guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate playing a guitar as notes
scroll towards the player. Most of the gameplay is the same, with additions of new modes and note
combinations.

The game features more than 40 popular licensed songs, many of them covers recorded specifically
for the game. The musical selections span five decades (from the 1960s to the 2000s). The
PlayStation 2 version can be purchased individually or in a bundle that comes with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller. The Xbox 360 version of the game is offered in a bundle that packages the game with a white Gibson X-Plorer controller. Both of these controllers are wired, but RedOctane also sells a wireless controller for the PlayStation 2.

Since its release, Guitar Hero II has met with both critical and commercial success. To date, the game has sold over 3.1 million copies. It has spawned the "expansion" title, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2. A full-fledged sequel, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, has been released by Neversoft, the makers of the popular Tony Hawk series. Harmonix went on to produce Rock Band, a similar rhythm game that features guitar, drum and microphone gameplay.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (titled Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s in Europe) is the third installment in the popular Guitar Hero series. It was released in July 2007 in North America and Europe, and in August 2007 in Australia. Players use a guitar-shaped controller purchased separately to simulate playing rock music by hitting notes as they scroll towards the player. Rocks the 80s is a supplemental title in the franchise rather than a full installment, providing additional songs and skins but no changes in gameplay.

As implied by the game's title, the game features a 1980s theme, consisting of songs from the decade and playable characters, fashions, and artwork that reflect the time period. The game was not as well-received as the prior two Guitar Hero games due to the lack of new gameplay features and reduced soundtrack. Rocks the 80s is the third and final title in the Guitar Hero series to be developed by Harmonix before they moved on to create Rock Band.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the third installment in the Guitar Hero series (the fourth title overall). Harmonix was no longer developing the franchise at this point, handing it off to Neversoft. It was published by Activision and RedOctane, with Neversoft as the developer for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii consoles, and Aspyr Media as the developer for the PC and Macintosh computers.

Due to the acquisition of RedOctane by Activision, Harmonix Music Systems is no longer involved in developing titles in the Guitar Hero series; instead, they developed the competing Rock Band.

Gameplay from the previous installments of the series is mostly the same. The most notable addition is a new co-op career mode. The game features over 60 total songs, many of which are master tracks. This is a new development, as previously the titles largely made do with specially recorded covers of famous songs. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is available both individually and in bundles packaged with wireless controllers. Previous Guitar Hero controllers are compatible with this title. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is the first game in the series to feature online play in addition to existing game modes. The game includes Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave) and Slash (of Guns N' Roses/Slash's Snakepit/Velvet Revolver) as in-game characters. The Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions also include Bret Michaels (Poison).

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith features music from the band Aerosmith and similar artists. This is a supplemental or expansion title and is not expected to have any significant changes to gameplay. It is being developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision.







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 Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles on October 26, 2008. A version of the game has been rated by the ESRB for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh 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 is also the first Guitar Hero to have a beginner level which is easier than easy. It has one bar from green all the way to orange. They made so all you have to do is hit any fret when the bar comes.


Guitar Hero:On tour is a brand new DS game in the series. Players strum on the Touch Screen and press the four buttons( green, red, yellow, and blue.) to hit notes. Guitar Duel mode let's you fight against others in a musical battle. Nintendo Power gave it a strong 8/10 review score, and the Ultimate Gaming Club wiki also gave it an 8/10 score. The
game features many good songs, with a few bad choices. I'm not gonna say who (cuz' I think you know...), but overall the soundtrack is amazing. The game does feature a store function, but new rockers and tunes are unavailable in this game. Though not as deep, Guitar Hero:On Tour features the same fun rocking gameplay as before. This time, though, your rockin' on the go.