Guitar Hero Live | |
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Developer(s) | FreeStyleGames |
Publisher(s) | Activision |
Series | Guitar Hero |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Wii U Xbox 360 Xbox One iOS |
Release date(s) | |
Genre(s) | Rhythm |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Aggregate scores | |
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Aggregator | Score |
GameRankings | (WIIU) 83.75% (PS4) 81.91% (XONE) 80.93% |
Metacritic | (WIIU) 84/100 (XONE) 81/100 (PS4) 80/100 |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
Destructoid | 9.5/10 |
Game Informer | 7.5/10 |
Game Revolution | |
GameSpot | 6/10 |
GamesRadar | |
GameTrailers | 8.7/10 |
IGN | 7.9/10 |
Polygon | 9/10 |
Guitar Hero Live is a music video game developed by FreeStyleGames and published by Activision. It was released for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in October 2015 and to iOS devices including Apple TV in November 2015. As with previous games in the series, the goal is to use a special guitar controller to match fret patterns displayed on a scrolling note pattern on screen in time with the music.
The game serves as a reboot of the Guitar Hero franchise, being the first new entry in the series since Warriors of Rock in 2010 and the seventh installment overall. Activision wanted to bring back Guitar Hero for the next generation of video game consoles but wanted the new game to be innovative. FreeStyleGames was given a free rein to revitalize the series by Activision, which led to the development of a new guitar controller featuring a 6 button, 3-fret layout in contrast to the 5 button controller of previous games. FreeStyleGames also wanted to bring a more immersive experience to the player, and developed the main career mode GH Live to have the note pattern displayed atop full motion video taken from the perspective of a lead guitarist during a concert, with the crowd and other band members dynamically reacting to the player's performance. FreeStyleGames also wanted to forgo the traditional downloadable content model to provide new songs for the game, and created the GHTV mode which encompasses curated playlists in the style of music television channels that are streamed around the clock, allowing them to easily acquire and add new songs. Within GHTV, songs are presented with the note track overlaid atop their music video or from live concert footage. GHTV allows players to pick up and play currently-streamed songs at any time or use money and in-game credits to play any song within the library, forgoing traditional downloadable content. The game was shipped with forty-two songs on disc and 200 songs within the GHTV library; New content has been added to GHTV on a weekly basis, provided through premium shows that earn players unique rewards.