Last week, I got to check out a special invite-only event put on by Activision at the YouTube Space LA to preview Guitar Hero Live. While I had seen it in action at E3, this was the first time I really got to spend time with the game, as you’ll see from my less than stellar performance in the video after the jump.

When it comes to the presentation, Guitar Hero Live has absolutely stepped it up. In GH TV, you’re able to play over some of your favorite music videos for songs you already love and there is a massive library of music to select from. At the event, I was the only one to play Green Day ‘Oh Love’ but was thrilled to have the chance to. On the other side is the concert experience with GH Live where the player sees the perspective from being on stage as a member of the band and looking out at a real crowd, not just some polygonal fans.

Guitar Hero is the game that helped define the music rhythm genre with its release in 2005. The series has taken a Madden-like approach with its sequels, updating playlists and adding subtle changes with each iteration (the only exception being the drastic change of Guitar Hero: World Tour by adding a singer and drummer to the mix). Now, in its fifth sequel, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock the single player game attempts to take a drastic turn with the creation of a story mode, the first of its kind in the rhythm genre by stepping away from the Tour Mode which has graced Guitar Hero and Rock Band for the past few years.

Gameplay:

The gameplay of Guitar Hero can best be described as epically standard. If you picked up a plastic guitar back in the PlayStation 2 days of Guitar Hero, you will have no problem playing its 2010 version. A note highway cascades down the screen as players attempt to strum or drum each successive note. Bonuses are rewarded for streaks as players attempt to earn the most stars and points.

While other series are attempting to make a more realistic game experience with actual stringed guitars, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock sticks to what has worked for them in the past. Rock Challenges return to the game to try and add higher stakes during certain portions of songs to result in more stars and higher points.

We at the Flickcast hope you have been enjoying our coverage of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and our four part series of posts dedicated to the eight rock warriors that players will venture through the game’s Quest Mode as.

In Part 4, we take a look at the final two characters in the game Echo Tesla and Austin Tejas.

Echo Tesla: Driven by an insatiable desire to create, Echo has bent many a machine to her will, but this night she will perform her greatest feat of technological mastery.

Warrior Echo Tesla: Fused with the machines she has surrounded herself with, Echo has never felt more alive, empowered, and ready to rock.

Warrior Power: Star Power Generator+ (get 10% Star Power for every 10-note streak)

In an effort to provide the best coverage of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, the Flickcast is doing a four part series of posts dedicated to the eight rock warriors that players will venture through the game’s Quest Mode as.

In Part 3, we take a look at Lars Ümlaut and Pandora.

Lars Ümlaut: Lars has earned many loyal supporters, fans who have followed him across the globe, but will they accompany him to a still stranger place?

Warrior Lars Ümlaut: Lars has dug deep within his soul and tapped into his most primitive nature. What has emerged is no longer even human, but Lars feels this new form suits him well.

Warrior Power: Multiplier Extender+ (max multiplier is 6x instead of 4x)

In an effort to provide the best coverage of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, we’re doing a four part series of posts dedicated to the eight rock warriors that players will venture through the game’s Quest Mode as. In part 1 we profiled Axel Steele and Casey Lynch.

Today in Part 2, we take a look at both Judy Nails and Johnny Napalm.

Judy Nails: Judy’s exuberance has carried her far in life, but it is supported by her exemplary skill, which will soon be put to the ultimate test

Warrior Judy Nails: Finally attaining her altered state, Judy grins and grips her instrument with impish glee, eager to flex her new-found powers onstage.

Warrior Power: Crowd Hyper+ (Rock Meter starts maxed. Overflow Rock Meter to earn 5 extra Power Stars)

In an effort to provide the best coverage of the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,  the Flickcast is doing a four part series of posts dedicated to the eight rock warriors that players will venture through the game’s Quest Mode as.

In Part 1, we take a look at both Axel Steel and Casey Lynch.

Axel Steel: Determined to unearth the cryptic origins of Metal, Axel has toured long across the globe studying the ways of the ancients. But the ancients have plans for him as well…

Warrior Axel Steel: Axel emerges as an embodiment of the undying nature of rock. His music now guided by the wisdom of the ages, he wonders if this new power is a blessing or a curse.

Warrior Power: Resurrector+ (earn 5 Ankhs to instantly resurrect you. Save Ankhs to earn extra Power Stars)

Nickleback asks us, “Are we having fun yet?” Well come September 28th, everyone should be saying yes if they are fans of any of the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock set list.  We have been revealing bits and pieces of the game as it has come to us but below, you can finally see the entire 93 song list.

Sticking to a harder edged theme than the Rock Band series, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s set list looks to keep in line with the game’s story wear players are tasked with saving the Demi-God of Rock. This isn’t going to be the game with an appearance from Lady Gaga to say the least.

Check out the full set list below and the final reveal trailer. Stick with us for more news on Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock as it becomes available.

• A Perfect Circle – “The Outsider”
• Aerosmith – “Cryin’”
• AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”
• Alice Cooper – “No More Mr. Nice Guy”
• Alter Bridge – “Ties That Bind”
• Anberlin – “The Feel Good Drag”

• Continue Reading →

Gene Simmons coming to Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock isn’t much of a surprise. He is as synonymous to rock ‘n’ roll as he is with sexual promiscuity. The man does call himself the Demon on stage when in full KISS attire after all. Much like Ozzy Osborne’s appearance in Brutal Legend, Gene will take on one of the legendary rock figures, the Demi-God of Rock.

In addition to being a figurehead of the game’s Quest mode as explained in the video below, Gene is also the narrator of the game. The trailer also begins to explain the transformation of the Rock Warriors into their special forms and the benefits received once enough stars have been collected. It is definitely a different take on the Guitar Hero formula than what has previously been presented but it feels like a good move for the series.

While Rock Band is moving towards a more realistic view of the music genre, Guitar Hero is embracing the fun of the metal lifestyle with harder songs and more dramatic imagery in an effort to set itself apart and give it its own signature feel.

Take a peek after the break at the new “Quest Mode” trailer and some new screens for the game. Plus, we’ve also got the “Re-Record” trailer for you as well.

It’s not all movies and TV here at The Flickcast. We also love to play video games. Some of us have also, at one time or another, been musicians or played an instrument or two. So, we’re obviously big fans of games that let us do both.

Case in point Guitar Hero and Band Hero, both of which allow you to feed your inner rockstar and jam to your favorite hot tunes. Now, that selection of tunes just got a bit hotter with the announcement from Activision that you will be able to get a whole slew of additions for both games this Summer.

Some of the new tracks and content for the games comes from bands like Queen, Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Shinedown and more. All in it looks to be a great Summer of rock and roll gaming.

For the complete details, check out the official press release from Activison after the jump. Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero are available for XBox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Activision has released two new pop themed DLC packs, one for DJ Hero and another for their Guitar Hero series, and headlining both is the ever outrageous Lady Gaga. Lately Activision has been embracing the popularity of Gaga as they have also had her song “Just Dance” as the focus of the DJ Hero 2 trailer that was released just in time for E3.

For DJ Hero, the Dance Party Mix Pack will include three mashups exclusive to the DJ Hero series. First will be a mix of Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” along with the 80’s classic “Girl’s on Film” by Duran Duran. In addition, R & B vixen Rihanna lends her voice to DJ Hero as well with a beat juggle of her Top 40 hit “S.O.S.” while the lovely ladies of the Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” also makes a beat juggle appearance as well. Trailers of all three songs can be viewed after the jump.

Meanwhile on the Guitar Hero side of things, people’s living room garage band will finally be able to play Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” (not a remix or mashup) with the Pop 1 Track Pack. Joining her will be one of Maroon 5’s earlier hits “This Love” and recent synth pop anthem “Fireflies” from Owl City.

The DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack is available on Xbox Marketplace for 640 Microsoft Points and the PlayStation Store for $7.99. All mixes are available as singles for the Wii for 300 Wii Points each.

The Pop 1 Track Pack will sell for 440 Microsoft Points on the XBox 360, $5.49 on the PlayStation Store and 550 Wii Points. All songs will be available individually for 160 Microsoft Points, $1.99 and 200 Wii Points respectively.

Check out previews of the DLC content after the break.

With all the craziness of E3 last week, we didn’t get much of a chance to kick back and enjoy our regular dosage of playing games, watching movies or reading comics. Instead, this reviewer got gaming in nice short casual samples. The iPhone was the perfect medium for this. Waiting during a commercial break before a press conference started or killing a few minutes while uploading or downloading new videos to the site, casual gaming dominated last week. One of those casual games that helped pass the time was Guitar Hero.

No, don’t worry. There is no plastic guitar peripheral to add to your iPhone to make it work. Instead, Guitar Hero works similar to a DDR system where falling notes need to be pressed when they hit the bottom of the screen. Separating it from just being button presses, Vicarious Visions has added some unique Guitar Hero moves like swiping your finger down the “strum” bar, connecting notes and star power.

As with all Guitar Hero games, gameplay and control is everything. While it is different to play a screen tapping game than plastic guitar controller game, the basic feel of the series is still there. There is a little bit of a learning curve adjusting to the new moves like the note swipe but that is quickly corrected with a few songs.

Track difficulty doesn’t change much. The Expert tracks are moderately more challenging than the Medium versions of the same song, often just sped up with a few extra note moves tossed in there.

On Friday, Activision brought news of the latest installment to their smash music genre series Guitar Hero with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Instead of just being the traditional formula of playing through various setlists with no context or story behind it, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock looks to redefine the style of the genre using Quest mode. In addition, the game will feature an all knew “rock inspired” guitar controller, the largest on disc collection of any Guitar Hero game to date and an all new Quickplay+ mode as well.

David Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Hero said, “Guitar Hero has set the standard for music based gaming and with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s all-new Quest Mode, robust and authentic set list, over-the-top challenges and rock-inspired new hardware, we are once again bringing the soul and energy of rock n’ roll to fans around the world.”

In Quest Mode, players will use eight Guitar Hero characters in any combination of instruments to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” and save rock n’ roll. With “venues” ranging from the punk rock palace of CBGB’s in New York City to mythical lava fields, the game looks to have a fantasy motif under it somewhat similar to that of Brutal Legend. As seen in the trailer below, the game will put lots of focus on these eight characters and the respective beasts they become.