Rock is back! Kinda! After a five-year slumber, the ginormous Guitar Hero franchise has returned with a new game called Guitar Hero Live. And it features some pretty major changes. Aside from a new 6-fret guitar controller, GHL introduces a full-motion, real-time interactive video experience intended to simulate a live concert. The game also marks the debut of GHTV, a 24-hour music video network that’s updated with new, playable tracks every week, a service that’s expected to continue for the foreseeable future. (The tracks can’t be purchased to own, but they’re made available on the GHTV network for free.)
Which brings us to why we’re writing this (sponsored) post. Today, Guitar Hero unveils 34 additional tracks, bringing the grand total of playable songs to a whopping 300. New tracks come courtesy of Jack White, Primus, R.E.M., Tenacious D, and many more, who will join an already-overwhelming roster of artists, some TMT-friendly (TV On the Radio, The Clash, Bob Dylan), some decidedly not TMT-friendly (Jet, Lit, My Chemical Romance). But the coverage is pretty wide: rock, classic rock, indie rock, pop rock, jock rock, mock top, sock hop, new wave, face wave, light wave, grape wave, pen, paper, cellphone charger, other stuff on my desk, blow dryer, etc. — there’s even some Rihanna, Charli XCX, and Katy Perry thrown in the mix!
Guitar Hero Live is out on all major consoles, with an app version available for Apple products.