Dear HMX, how does it feel to watch your baby go down the toilet?

[Zane]

Sorry, I just read the article on how Activision plans on releasing two more guitar hero games before june... Oh well..., just more fans of the series leaving it for Rock Band.

Thank you for choosing DLC over bi-annual disc releases. Its good to see some companies are actually thinking in line with the current gen.

[Caesar593]

Wow, not at all what I expected from the thread title, but I agree with you. I am glad HMX decided to go with regular DLC rather than release a new iteration every year.

[ClinTrojan]

It is like Harmonix baby that they didnt like and left on the front porch for someone else to keep,
I doubt they care now.

They have made a better game with weekly songs instead of one instrument with crappy songs coming out randomly.

[jrinck]

I have all the GH games to date, and I have Rock Band. I will continue to buy GH games as they come out, and will continue to buy Rock Band DLC as it comes out.

This isn't an either-or thing for me. I enjoy both.

[JetWolf]

I admit it, I still have love for Guitar Hero. GH3 hasn't completely beat that out of me (though it's sure tried). I have some tiny hope that future releases in the series will manage to recapture some of what it lost.

It's such a tiny, tiny hope though. Sigh.

[AliceInChained]

When did GH go down the toilet?

GH3 was the biggest selling GH to date.

[Zane]

I have all the GH games to date, and I have Rock Band. I will continue to buy GH games as they come out, and will continue to buy Rock Band DLC as it comes out.

This isn't an either-or thing for me. I enjoy both.

I understand where you are coming from, but I'm a lot more likely to buy new content that works with something I already have. After the debacle of Rock the 80's, I realized that I had blown fifty bucks on essentially three decent songs. Unlocking everything again for the second time (some things even for the third), made me feel like I was going backwards as opposed to progressing.

[Schultzy]

Wow, not at all what I expected from the thread title, but I agree with you. I am glad HMX decided to go with regular DLC rather than release a new iteration every year.

Agreed.


It is like Harmonix baby that they didnt like and left on the front porch for someone else to keep,
I doubt they care now.

They have made a better game with weekly songs instead of one instrument with crappy songs coming out randomly.

Agreed.

[jrinck]

I understand where you are coming from, but I'm a lot more likely to buy new content that works with something I already have. After the debacle of Rock the 80's, I realized that I had blown fifty bucks on essentially three decent songs. Unlocking everything again for the second time (some things even for the third), made me feel like I was going backwards as opposed to progressing.

As I said, I enjoy both, but if forced to choose only one, it would Rock Band without a second of thought.

[Zane]

When did GH go down the toilet?

GH3 was the biggest selling GH to date.

I never knocked Guitar Hero 3 (though it is a shame that they sacrificed fun for difficulty). I'm refering to the fact that they have decided to release disc after disc as if it were a Pokemon franchise.

I used to hate EA for churning out minor updates and calling it a new game*, but oddly enough, EA has grown out of that and now Activision has taken up that strategy.



*Sports games notwithstanding.

[joetaylor]

I really dont get this :confused:

Im from EU so unluckily i cant play RB till April-June so sucks to be me

But im only playing GH3 as a time passer and achievement whore until RB comes along, but if Activision gets some awesome bands, i'll still buy those aswell.

These games should be friends, not enemies, but in a society like this, that aint happening :rolleyes:

But i look forward heavily to RB and look forward to future GH games, not one or the other :)

[shoeshine]

I think of it this way: Harmonix got a baby alligator they named Guitar Hero. When it got too big they flushed it down the toilet and got a puppy.

[Rockbandfan23467]

GH 1 and 2 ruled, 80's was ok, but 3 just did have the same charm. And Judy Nails wan't hot anymore. And Clive Winston, Pandora, and Eddie Knox were gone.

[preOwned]

I am surprised no one has requested a link to this article since I have not seen this information anywhere. So, can we get a link to this article?

I love both games and would be ecstatic at a new release or 2 from Guitar Hero.

[Jimmik]

If the next Guitar Hero games stink as badly as GH3 did, in the gameplay and terrible, terrible visuals department, I will gladly be saving my money for more DLC thank you very much.

[PikkuKaiShinto]

GH 1 and 2 ruled, 80's was ok, but 3 just did have the same charm. And Judy Nails wan't hot anymore. And Clive Winston, Pandora, and Eddie Knox were gone.

Yeah, I agree that GH I and II was great, I PLAYED 80s and didnt like it... GHIII was meh... I got bored of GH III quickly.
As for Judy I think shes still hot, and as for the other characters I didnt/dont miss them at all.
But yeah Releasing 2 before June...? I want to see the link if there is one because if thats true, I dont think Ill ever buy another GH game again... Thats insane.

[Zane]

I am surprised no one has requested a link to this article since I have not seen this information anywhere. So, can we get a link to this article?

I love both games and would be ecstatic at a new release or 2 from Guitar Hero.

I didn't post the article because I am ashamed of reading Gamespot after Kertz-gate. But since you said please (in my mind, anyway :p), here you go.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185779.html

[shoeshine]

Yeah, I agree that GH I and II was great, I PLAYED 80s and didnt like it... GHIII was meh... I got bored of GH III quickly.
As for Judy I think shes still hot, and as for the other characters I didnt/dont miss them at all.
But yeah Releasing 2 before June...? I want to see the link if there is one because if thats true, I dont think Ill ever buy another GH game again... Thats insane.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117980462.html?categoryid=20&cs=1


I'm betting one of the two being released is the DS game.

[SquishemHard]

IMO both Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 have a lot to work on before I'll be satisfied with only DLC coming out for both of them. If forced to choose between either one id choose a real instrument.

[dfjdejulio]

When did GH go down the toilet?

GH3 was the biggest selling GH to date.

While true, remember that GH3 sales were largely based on GH2 reviews. Most of the people I personally know who bought GH3 think it's a huge step down from GH2 in many ways. The only exceptions are all the Wii players, who don't have any other guitar games yet, so they can't make any comparisons. (Again, I'm just talking about my own personal circle of friends here.)

What's going to be interesting is how GH4 sells. I expect it will come out for the Wii before Rock Band does, and I expect it'll still be the only game in town for Windows and Macintosh. So on those platforms I expect it to do at least as well as GH3.

But on XB360 and especially PS3, I'm not sure... (Unless GH4 for the PS3 comes out in Europe before Rock Band for the PS3 does, which I actually think is just barely possible.)

Will I buy GH4?

Well, that depends on what happens with the PS3 patch situation. If the patch is still being blocked and I'm still convinced it's Activision's fault, then I won't buy GH4, even though I'm on an XB360 myself.

But if the patch is not still blocked... if the Les Paul works with Rock Band by that time... then I will wait for it to come out and read reviews. I might even rent it. And then if it's actually good, I'll go ahead and buy it. But I'm going to be even more cautious about buying GH4 than I was about buying GH3. (GH2 was a no-brainer, as was GH1 -- I have been a huge fan of Harmonix's music games since the year 2001, and they have not disappointed me yet.)

[Ninhead]

I'm betting on "GH: Aerosmith" and "GH: Rocks the 90's".

[exittoanywhere]

if i could learn to up/down strum correctly on this new guitar...or get one that works like its supposed to...i would never consider buying another gh.

i miss going crazy on Knights of Cydonia,lol.

[nicko68]

That's awesome that more GH's are on the way, thanks!

I only have a Wii and PS2, so since I don't have any DLC (until RB comes to Wii and hopefully can get DLC going) this is *great* news.

[dfjdejulio]

I got bored of GH III quickly.

There are exactly two things I hadn't yet gotten bored of in GH3 when my Activision boycott started.

1) "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson. Most fun song in the game to play, IMO.

2) The free downloadable "Halo" theme by Steve Vai. But I can tell if I'd kept playing it much longer, I would have gotten bored of it. But it was a neat gimmick.

GH1 and GH2 still entertain me. (As do FreQuency and Amplitude. It's a real shame their online servers have been shut down.)

[NikkiLove]

I enjoy both as well and will continue to purchase Rock Band DLC and GH discs as they are released.

[nicko68]

I enjoy both as well and will continue to purchase Rock Band DLC and GH discs as they are released.

Same here. Everyone has to make it an either-or, when clearly they fulfill different niches.

Of course this is an RB fan(boy) board, so we can't really expect any less. :)

RB is awesome, GH is awesome (I admit GH1 and 2 were more awesome than 3, but 3 is still great), live and let live.

[nicko68]

Games already on the sked for 2008 include the following:

* Multiple "Guitar Hero" follow-ups, including two add-ons in the spring and a proper sequel, "Guitar Hero 4," in the fall.

So a couple of games like GH:80s and a full sequel, by the sounds of it.

[golfstrom]

I'm curious to see if the next GH(s) are any better than GH3. It's sad to see a game go from being crafted out of love (aww...) to being mercilessly milked for profit.

I didn't pay much attention to the whole HMX-Neversoft switch until I saw the presentation in GH3...just terrible. The 'You Rock!' at the end of each song is straight off a VGA monitor from 1994. Actually most of the graphics are. And what's with the exotic dancers?

Though it's interesting from a price standpoint...$50 will probably get you the new GH game w/ idk 50-60 songs...or about 25 DLC songs for RB.

[Rockbandfan23467]

Guitar Hero 2 was the Pinacle, 80's was esentially the same game, but 3 brought it all down.

[LZ_69]

Hey don't forget of another example of th GH franchise going down the toilet is the Guitar Hero air guitar belt buckle from Jada toys they anounced a month ago or so.....shameful!!

[AnonymousMonkey]

When did GH go down the toilet?

GH3 was the biggest selling GH to date.

Biggest Selling and Best aren't even close to the same thing.

[Lord SIlverfish]

When did GH go down the toilet?

GH3 was the biggest selling GH to date.

That happened the moment they released a game with boss battles and other poorly thought out features.

Britney Spears sold millions, but I don't think her music was all that great.

[KaYotiX]

HMX> Activison.....i WAS a huge fan of Frequency,Amplitude , GH 1 and 2 but 3 ugh.....its hard to comprehend how bad Activison made GH 3.

Rockband is all i need!!!!

[Runa216]

hmmm, I do think that the prices for the Rock Band songs are pretty steep, but I won't shell out another dime for Guitar Hero.

[AllMe]

I only bought GH III for one song. TTFatF. If Rock Band came out first I most likely wouldn't have bought GH at all. Doubtful I'll buy the new GHs unless I see some major changes in the game.


Britney Spears sold millions, but I don't think her music was all that great.
LMAO

[PikkuKaiShinto]

There are exactly two things I hadn't yet gotten bored of in GH3 when my Activision boycott started.

1) "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson. Most fun song in the game to play, IMO.

2) The free downloadable "Halo" theme by Steve Vai. But I can tell if I'd kept playing it much longer, I would have gotten bored of it. But it was a neat gimmick.

GH1 and GH2 still entertain me. (As do FreQuency and Amplitude. It's a real shame their online servers have been shut down.)

Well yeah I loved Dover, but one song isnt good enough to make me play one game lol. As for the controller, I cant stand the GH controller anymore, thats another reason I cant go back to GH again.
As for Halo... bleh.

[nicko68]

Hey don't forget of another example of th GH franchise going down the toilet is the Guitar Hero air guitar belt buckle from Jada toys they anounced a month ago or so.....shameful!!

I don't know if I'd go there considering Rock Band has the smoke and mirrors kit.

[AllMe]

I don't know if I'd go there considering Rock Band has the smoke and mirrors kit.

Hey! I want that! ;)

[HeadHunter67]

It's not against thelaw to like GH and Rock Band.
As others have said, if forced to choose, it's RB hands down - especially if they were to add my favorite songs from GH!

But I've got all 4 GH releases and RB and I play them all to some extent. I will probably buy future Gh releases too, providing they add something I can't get in RB.

Yes, these games are in competition with one another, but they're bound to appeal to the same gamers.

[snwns26]

They aren't really whoring it out yet, the two games will probably be the Aerosmith one and DS version. Just like an 80s and 360 release last year.

[dfjdejulio]

They aren't really whoring it out yet...

Have you seen the Guitar Hero "air guitar" thing? I mean, like, the actual video of someone demonstrating how it works?

If you can watch that, and observe that it's using the "Guitar Hero" brand, and still say they're not whoring it out yet... well, I guess you have extremely different standards than I do.

Edit: here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WpE1qNkm9k). It's got a little box that goes on your hip and contains a sound chip, and a belt buckle, and a little pick-like thing. When you move the pick thing past the belt buckle, it plays part of the song. So if you hold the pick in your hand and keep moving it up and down past your crotch, the whole song plays. That's it. And it has a small list of songs, and from what I read, cannot be expanded. And it is not made by Activision. And they licensed the "Guitar Hero" name to go on it.

[shaybo]

I haven't played my copy of GH3 since Rock Band came out, and with weekly DLC for Rock Band, I'm not going to buy anything else GH. Not to mention the whole PS3 patch issue. I keep meaning to go sell GH1, 2, 80s, and 3 to GameStop but I'm just too lazy.

[Feigned]

I think that Rock the 80's was a sign of things to come. That expansion, or whatever you'd like to call it was horrible. Yes, I bought the game, played through the songs (which I didn't much care for) and exchanged it for something better. I'd have been a happier if I'd payed about $20 less.

I wouldn't call Guitar Hero III a failure, but if the franchise continues to move in the direction that this game took, I don't think they'll ever be able to hold a flame to what HMX did in the first two.

Guitar Hero is always going to have fans, and I see the franchise lasting for some time. I'll probably still pick up the games just to change things up, but Rock Band is going to be a constant, since it's really a platform meant to last. I like not having to swap out discs just because there's a few songs I want to play on GHII rather than GHIII.


Quick note: Since we're talking about GH, I'm moving this to General.

[Julio_Strikes_Back]

I'm pretty sure one game will be the DS version and then a console expansion. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

[Angry_Games]

I have all of the GH games (1/2/80's for PS2, 2/3 for 360). I really really loved them...until Rock Band came out. Now we have a weekly 'party' where 2 friends play with my wife and I for hours on end...and the weekly DLC keeps the game fresh as we (well, they haha) work towards Hard/Expert.

Don't get me wrong, I still love Guitar Hero, but now that we have a full 'band' experience, Guitar Hero just doesn't do it for me anymore. I've played maybe a total of 10 hours since I brought Rock Band home...Rock Band must be over the 300+ hour mark by now lol.

Even if Activision brings the 'band' experience to Guitar Hero (Rock Hero?) I doubt I would purchase it anymore based on the DLC experience (ie: basic lack of DLC for GH2 and 3 as well as pretty much lame DLC for GH3).

This doesn't make GH terrible. It just means I'm going to spend my money on Rock Band based on my satisfaction (or lack thereof) between the two games.

[xNOSOUP4YOUx]

I'm betting on "GH: Aerosmith" and "GH: Rocks the 90's".

Hahaha. (I really laughed out loud when I read this.) I wouldnt doubt it. :D

[Rock_Starman]

When did GH go down the toilet?

Exactly 37 seconds into this:

<object width="325" height="300">
<param name="movie" value="http://www.gamesradar.com/video/ext/v-20070706135057322005"></param>
<param name="wmode" value="window"></param>
<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param>
<embed src="http://www.gamesradar.com/video/ext/v-20070706135057322005" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowFullScreen="true" width="325" height="300"></embed>
</object>

[senomar]

Hooray for more ridiculous note charts, robotic drummers, mutant singers, and **** song lists!

Even a Guitar Hero Stoner Rock edition with Cyborg Jesus and Chuck Norris as unlockable characters couldn't save this series from complete and utter fail.

[Zane]

If they do release "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith", I will destroy my Xplorer and settle for the strat.

Also, to those complaining about DLC prices compared to on the disc prices, think of it this way. 50 bucks, three good songs. Or 60 for 20 good songs? the ability to pick and choose what you want makes up for it. Just like karaoke discs, you could buy a disc with one song you really like for twenty bucks or make a mix disc at 5 bucks a song where you enjoy all of the songs.

That got a little texty..., sorry.

[Quinarvy]

I would describe it more like this...

HMX had itself 3 nice, smart, successful children, the FreQuency/Amplitude Series, the Karaoke Revolution Series, and EyeToy:AntiGrav. All the kids were successful to a degree and liked by their own invidual groups.

Then HMX had a fourth child, who grew up fast, and was smarter, more successful, and got along with more people. however this led to bad things, as the child, known as Guitar Hero hung out with the wrong people. Eventually GH got into drugs, and all sorts of things and went to live with it's girlfriend(RedOctane) and her parents instead of HMX. Its current parents hate HMX and have corrupted GH beyond belief.

Thus the new children, Rock Band and Phase, were born, to avenge the parents.

Wow, I am REALLY bored.

[chico76]

Okay, so I'm not sure I understand how or why people think that GH2 is/was better than GH3. I absolutely loathe and despise GH2. The song list is really bad, the gameplay is even worse. GH3 has an incredible song list (of course there are a few I don't like, but it's a HUGE improvement over GH2). It would be nice if there were more DLC for it, but no biggie for me yet.

I absolutely LOVE Rock Band. If I had to choose between them, I'd choose RB for sure. But there are songs on GH3 that I wish were in RB, so that's what keeps me playing GH3 at all. Would be nice to have "One" in RB, but I guess I'll live.

I'd also prefer that HMX simply work on patches and/or updates for RB rather than release a whole new disc. Keep the DLC coming, but work on a patch so it makes it easier to navigate the Solo tour (or just make the Solo work the same as the BWT). It's going to suck if we have to change discs when people want to play songs that aren't in the same game.

[KillAutumn]

continuing on a dead discussion around page 3...

Am I also the only one who though Xavier Stone looked more bad ass as a Disco suit wearing Samuel L. Jackson than a Jimi Hendrix visage? =(

[Smidget]

Its all going to be about expanding the depth of gameplay.

GH3, battle mode and boss battles = fail

RB, Band World Tour = win


The continued success of each disc released is going to be about innovative gameplay and features. This is happening to music rythm games across the board. Here's a trailer for the new Pump It Up arcade dance game: (ignore all the awesome korenglish, haha)

<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u5E347lwIxQ&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u5E347lwIxQ&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>

At 1:29 - 2:12 you'll see the new USB system and World Max mode. World Max is a mission mode requiring you to do certain things to clear each mission, unlocking new songs and other special stuff along the way. You jump across different "continents" throughout it, creating a sort of adventure feel (in a dance game!). USB system saves your progress, information, scores, etc..

USB isn't a new concept for arcade games but this is an arcade dance game we're talking about. Even they are having to push the game further with new & innovative gameplay aspects to keep players coming back, such as the World Max mode.

Both Activision and HMX know they can't just release a disc with songs on it and expect it to sell. I agree with Feigned in that "Guitar Hero is always going to have fans, and I see the franchise lasting for some time." But I think the game that will end up being higher acclaimed (which I think would cause it to sell more, but who knows) will be the one that brings in those new ideas. Rock Band is a new idea in and of itself (for Western console audiences, not including GF and DM) but now its out there, people know it and have become accustomed to it. Even though GH doesn't have the gameplay RB does from 4 instruments, if Activision brings it with innovative features (and cleans up what fans didn't like about GH3) they'll come out on top. But HMX is chuck full of innovative minds. All they've done is be innovative since the beginning; I see them bringing complete awesomosity to the RB brand.

[AnonymousMonkey]

Yes but are you ready to enjoy it? It have next graphic and increased user system. it is the meaning of better and the play of better.

[Rockbandfan23467]

continuing on a dead discussion around page 3...

Am I also the only one who though Xavier Stone looked more bad ass as a Disco suit wearing Samuel L. Jackson than a Jimi Hendrix visage? =(
Yes. But that disco suit was what made Neversoft decide to take out Clive Winston.


WHY IS THERE NO EDDIE KNOX!!!!!!!!!

[exittoanywhere]

just wanted to say...
rofl @ gh3:aerosmith.
what a joke.
NO band should EVER have their own game.

[sillystou]

I think of it this way: Harmonix got a baby alligator they named Guitar Hero. When it got too big they flushed it down the toilet and got a puppy.

LMAO!!! That was some funny shizzle!!! :D