The Guitar Hero video game series are a rhythm-game series originally created by Harmonix and RedOctane, but was later bought out by Activision and developed by Neversoft.
History[]
Sometime in the early to mid 2000s, hardware developer RedOctane discovered a rhythm game made by Konami called Guitar Freaks, which used a guitar-shaped controller and featured a rock n' roll-based soundtrack. This game had only been released in Japan, and RedOctane was confident they could make a very similar game, with a comparable guitar controller, in the west. They partnered with rhythm game developer Harmonix, and released Guitar Hero in November of 2005.
The first game was extremely successful, prompting sequel, Guitar Hero II, a year later. Harmonix and RedOctane also developed a spin-off game titled Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, but eventually RedOctane was bought out by Activision, and Harmonix by MTV. Activision chose a company called Neversoft to develop the next entry in the Guitar Hero series.
The first Guitar Hero game Neversoft created was Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and it was the most successful game in the series, by far. It was followed by Guitar Hero III Mobile, a portable version of Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero III in Legends of Rock's theming created by MachineWorks Northwest and published by Hands-On Mobile.
Neversoft introduced more instrumental controllers and playable instruments tracks in the fourth main series instalment, Guitar Hero World Tour, likely in an attempt to compete with Rock Band, which had released not too long after Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. From that point on, the Guitar Hero series became more focused on full band gameplay.
While Neversoft was developing the console Guitar Hero games, Hands-On Mobile managed the Guitar Hero Mobile subseries of Guitar Hero games which was later picked up by Glu Mobile. Vicarious Visions worked on the On Tour subseries of Guitar Hero games, as well as the Wii ports of the console Guitar Hero games, the Nintendo DS version of Band Hero, and the iOS Guitar Hero video game. Vicarious Visions was also chosen to work on the 7th main entry of Guitar Hero in 2010 until it was canceled in 2011.[1] Beenox Studios worked on Guitar Hero: Smash Hits for the consoles and Underground Development worked on Guitar Hero: Van Halen while Neversoft was working on Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero.
Due to the lack of rhythm games in sales, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock was Neversoft's final Guitar Hero game in 2010, and would be the last main Guitar Hero game to be developed for several years while the last mobile Guitar Hero game to be developed would be its mobile version for Android and J2ME by Glu Mobile and its More Music expansion in 2011 before the series was finally discontinued. Downloadable content for Guitar Hero games stayed online until April 1, 2014.[2]
Four years later after its initial discontinuation, the Guitar Hero franchise returned back in 2015 with Guitar Hero Live, developed by FreeStyleGames, the developers of the DJ Hero series, as the new 7th main entry and a reboot of the franchise. This reboot, however, proved unsuccessful, and its GHTV online service was shut down in 2018.[3]
List of games and toys[]
Guitar Hero PlayStation 2 bundle.
Many Guitar Hero video games and several toys were released over the years since Guitar Hero first launched in November 8, 2005. However, sales were starting to decline in 2009 until the series was discontinued in 2011, only to be brought back in 2015 for one more time with Guitar Hero Live being the latest release.
Console games[]
Major Guitar Hero video game releases on home consoles. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, and Guitar Hero World Tour also received PC releases ported by Aspyr Media.
Main games[]
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's gameplay on Expert difficulty.
There are currently 7 titles among the main series of Guitar Hero that were usually released annually, including new features such as new note types, gameplay mechanics, game modes, etc.
- Guitar Hero (2005)
- Guitar Hero II (2006)
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (2007)
- Guitar Hero World Tour (2008)
- Guitar Hero 5 (2009)
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (2010)
- Guitar Hero Live (2015)
Expansion games[]
Spin-off titles released between main titles, usually serving as standalone "expansions" based on the latest main release of the games at the time.
- Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s (2007)
- Guitar Hero: Smash Hits (2009)
- Band Hero (2009)
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is based on the gameplay and theming of Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits is a collection of songs from Guitar Hero to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith that is based on Guitar Hero World Tour, and Band Hero features pop songs that is based on Guitar Hero 5.
Band-centric games[]
Standalone expansions based on a specific rock band, featuring characters and many songs from that specific artist, as well as songs and artists that served as the inspiration for those bands.
- Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (2008)
- Guitar Hero: Metallica (2009)
- Guitar Hero: Van Halen (2009)
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is based on the gameplay and theming of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while Guitar Hero: Metallica and Guitar Hero: Van Halen are based on the gameplay and theming of Guitar Hero World Tour. While Guitar Hero: Van Halen was officially released worldwide after Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero, it was initially released alongside Guitar Hero 5 in the United States as a bonus title for pre-ordering or buying the first edition of Guitar Hero 5.
Portable games and toys[]
Some Guitar Hero titles came to handheld devices like the Guitar Hero: On Tour series and a version of Band Hero for the Nintendo DS gaming platform with peripherals created for them. Guitar Hero has also been portable-ized for mobile devices; transforming a major release into cellular games, creating the Guitar Hero Mobile series. Speaking of portability, companies like Basic Fun!, Inc. and Jada Toys have created electronic toys and small handheld gaming devices with the Guitar Hero brand.
Nintendo DS games[]
- Main article: Guitar Hero: On Tour (series)
Point-of-view gameplay of Guitar Hero: On Tour on Nintendo DS with the Guitar Grip attached.
A subseries of Guitar Hero games called the Guitar Hero: On Tour series appeared on the Nintendo DS handheld gaming platform. They required a peripheral called the Guitar Grip, which features four buttons (GRYB) for each finger. This special peripheral is only compatible on the original Nintendo DS (with an extended port) and Nintendo DS Lite models.
- Guitar Hero: On Tour (2008)
- Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades (2008)
- Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits (2009)
- Band Hero (2009)
The Nintendo DS version of Band Hero also supported this peripheral but was not required to play the game (required to play Guitar or Bass on Nintendo DS or DS Lite) as it had other playable instruments that were compatible with all Nintendo DS and 3DS models (Vocals using built-in microphone, and Drums using the D-Pad and interface buttons, which can be skinned on Nintendo DS Lite with a Drum Grip).
Guitar Hero Mobile series[]
Guitar Hero III Mobile's gameplay.
The Guitar Hero Mobile series is a series of portable-ized Guitar Hero main titles for cellular devices, featuring GRY lanes to be played on a cellular device's keypad or touchscreen.
- Guitar Hero III Mobile (2007)
- Guitar Hero III Mobile: Song Pack 1 (2008)
- Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass (2008)
- Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile (2008)
- Guitar Hero 5 Mobile (2009)
- Guitar Hero 5 Mobile: More Music (2010)
- Guitar Hero World Tour Mobile: Backstage Pass (2010)
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Mobile (2010)
- Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Mobile More Music (2011)
This subseries of Guitar Hero games also feature a series of music-themed life simulation mobile games in the form of the Backstage Pass subseries that plays drastically different from every other Guitar Hero (Mobile) video game, containing minigames and a story-based Career mode.
Additionally, most standard Guitar Hero Mobile games received a second edition on J2ME platforms that has "more music", which includes downloadable songs of the original game or other songs from their console counterpart as part of their Career.
iOS games[]
The iOS mobile platform did not receive the Guitar Hero Mobile series but it had its own Guitar Hero self-title as well as a full port of Guitar Hero Live that is also compatible with tvOS. However, these titles—like the Guitar Hero Mobile games—were eventually delisted from digital distribution stores and are currently unavailable for purchase.
- Guitar Hero (2010)
- Guitar Hero Live (2015)
Electronic toys[]
Guitar Hero Carabiner electronic toy and its box.
List of small handheld gaming devices and other electronic toys developed by toy companies.
- Guitar Hero Carabiner (2008)
- Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker (2008)
- Kellogg's Guitar Hero promotional toys (2008)
- Guitar Hero Mini Game
- Half Stak Amp
- Power Jamz
- Star Power Meter
- Guitar Hero 2nd Edition Carabiner (2009)
From late 2008 to the end of 2009, the Kellogg Company has promoted the Guitar Hero brand in their Kellogg's-branded products with small gaming handhelds and toys placed in their products as freebies, as well as tokens that could be used to obtain Guitar Hero-branded clothing and accessories.
Miscellaneous[]
Other video games and toys of the Guitar Hero series.
Guitar Hero Arcade[]
- Main article: Guitar Hero Arcade
Guitar Hero Arcade cabinet.
Being based on an arcade rhythm video game series that Konami made—GuitarFreak—Konami assisted Activision and Raw Thrills in creating an arcade system based on the popular Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock called Guitar Hero Arcade, released on March 15, 2009. Guitar Hero Arcade featured songs from Guitar Hero III including some of its downloadable content on its main setlist. Playing each song costs a credit while "premium" songs required an additional credit to play.
DJ Hero series[]
- Main article: DJ Hero (series)
- For more information about the DJ Hero series, see the partnered DJ Hero Wiki.
DJ Hero's cooperative Guitar and DJ Turntable gameplay.
The DJ Hero series is a spin-off series of Guitar Hero featuring more pop, disco, and hip-hop songs, as well as new gameplay mechanics using the DJ Turntable instrumental controller, but the first game also supported Guitar using Guitar Hero 5's gameplay mechanics for songs featuring guitar tracks in them.
- DJ Hero (2009)
- DJ Hero Mobile (2010)
- DJ Hero 2 (2010)
- DJ Hero 3D (cancelled 2011)
Bundle packs[]
List of bundle packs that paired two or three Guitar Hero games in a single package.
- Guitar Hero & Guitar Hero II Dual Pack (2007)
- Guitar Hero II & Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Dual Pack (2008)
- Guitar Hero: On Tour & Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades Box Set (2008)
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock & Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Dual Pack (2008)
- Guitar Hero 3-Disc Set (2008)
Companion apps[]
Guitar Hero applications that support other Guitar Hero video games.
- Backstage with Guitar Hero (2009) is a Game Space for PlayStation 3's virtual 3D social gaming platform PlayStation Home.[4]
- Guitar Hero VIP Pass (2009) is a digital marketplace on Xbox 360 that catalogs downloadable songs for Guitar Hero World Tour, Guitar Hero 5/Band Hero, and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on Xbox LIVE. This app and service was discontinued in 2014 when online services for the Guitar Hero series was shutting down on April 1, 2014.[2]
- Guitar Hero Live Companion (2015) is an iOS app that allows your iOS device to become a microphone for Guitar Hero Live on any platform Guitar Hero Live was released on. This app was discontinued on December 1, 2018 when the GHTV online music streaming game mode shutdown.[5]
Demo releases[]
List of video game demo discs and video games that featured playable demo versions of, watchable trailer videos of, or extra content for Guitar Hero video games other than demos available on kiosks at retail stores.
- Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc #109 (2006)
- Includes a "Replay Download" (downloadable save file) for Guitar Hero.
- Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc #110 (2006)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero II.
- Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Demo Disc #111 (2006)
- This includes an "Inside the Game" video about Guitar Hero II.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #70 (2007)
- This includes Guitar Hero II gamer pics, costing 800 OXM Points to unlock.
- Tony Hawk's Proving Ground (2007)
- The full Xbox 360 game includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Judy Nails is an unlockable skater in the game. The Grim Ripper was featured as an unlockable skater in the previous entry, Tony Hawk's Project 8.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #77 (2007)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #82 (2008)
- This includes the "Halo Theme MJOLNIR Mix" DLC song from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #89 (2008)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, plus the "I Am Murloc" DLC song from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
- Also includes Guitar Hero World Tour gamer pics, costing 800 OXM Points to unlock.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #91 (2008)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero World Tour.
- Compilation Disc: DJ Hero / Band Hero / Guitar Hero 5 / Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (2009)
- An Italian-exclusive pre-order bonus of Guitar Hero: Metallica for Xbox 360 that featured game demos of upcoming titles like DJ Hero, Guitar Hero 5, and Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (known as Guitar Hero: Smash Hits in North America), as well as the official game trailer for them and for Band Hero.[6]
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #101 (2009)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero: Smash Hits.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #104 (2010)
- This includes a playable demo of Band Hero.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #105 (2010)
- This includes a playable demo of Guitar Hero: Van Halen.
- Official Xbox Magazine Demo Disc #116 (2010)
- This includes a playable demo of DJ Hero 2.
Planned and cancelled games[]
Planned Guitar Hero titles that were scrapped or cancelled for specific or unknown reasons.
- Guitar Hero 4 for Nintendo DS (cancelled 2008)[7][8]
- An untitled Guitar Hero video game for PlayStation Portable featuring drum components, which was meant to be announced for E3 2009 by Activision Blizzard[9]
- Guitar Hero Greatest Hits for Nintendo DS (cancelled 2009)[10][11]
- Band Hero 2, which had data found in a December 1, 2009 Xbox 360 prototype of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (titled "Guitar Hero 6" at the time).[12]
- Rumor about a Red Hot Chili Peppers-band themed Guitar Hero video game in 2010[13][14]
- Guitar Hero 7 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 by Vicarious Visions (cancelled 2011)[1]
Other toys[]
In addition to the LCD games and other electronic toys listed above, the Guitar Hero franchise spawned several other toys based on popular Guitar Hero characters and guitars, manufactured by McFarwell Toys. These include action figures based on popular Guitar Hero characters, miniature figurines based on few classic characters, and Mix & Match guitars that can be equipped to several action figures.
Most action figures and figurines are based on their Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock character models.
Cultural impact[]
The Guitar Hero series became a popular hit from 2005 to 2008 that it made quite an impact in popular culture featuring Guitar Hero or Guitar Hero-related content:
- An episode of South Park entitled "Guitar Queer-o" made its debut just after Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released.[15][16]
- Guitar Hero has inspired many indie rhythm video game releases based on it, such as Frets on Fire, Freetar, Guitar Zero, FoFiX, Phase Shift, Clone Hero, and many more. A major console title published in 2008 by Konami called Rock Revolution is a rhythm game like the Guitar Hero series, but its gameplay roots came from the GuitarFreaks and DrumFreaks arcade series that Konami developed in 1999.
- GuitarFreaks is the game series that Guitar Hero was inspired by.
- A band with a song in a newly released Guitar Hero is very likely to see a jump in sales, sometimes over 100%.[17]
See also[]
- Editing tools, for editing note charts for Guitar Hero and related games.
- Game mods, for community-developed Guitar Hero game modifications and modified Guitar Hero games.
- Inspired games, including fan games and other games inspired by the Guitar Hero series.
External links[]
- Official website (currently redirects to Activision's Guitar Hero Live support page)
- February 22, 2014 web-archived snapshot after the series discontinued and when online servers were shutting down
- November 29, 2018 web-archived snapshot when Guitar Hero Live was discontinuing
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kotaku — Guitar Hero 7 Was Going To Have Six-String Guitars, No Drums, No Singing. Was Cancelled In 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Facebook post — Guitar Hero DLC 50% off sales and discontinuation after March 31, 2014, posted on March 19, 2014.
- ↑ Activision Support — Guitar Hero Live – GHTV Sunset
- ↑ Activision News — 'Backstage With Guitar Hero®' to Debut in PlayStation®Home. Article posted on March 26, 2009.
- ↑ Activision Support — Guitar Hero Live for iOS and Apple TV
- ↑ Redump — Compilation Disc: DJ Hero / Band Hero / Guitar Hero 5 / Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits. Disc data information dumped by PikminGuts92 on 2019-03-29 21:07. Last updated 2022-09-13 05:17.
- ↑ GameFAQs — Guitar Hero 4 for Nintendo DS (cancelled)
- ↑ Guitar Hero 4 (Nintendo DS) on Metacritic
- ↑ GameSpot News — Starcraft II by end of 2009, Call of Duty expanding to new genres. News posted by Brendan Sinclair on May 31, 2009 4:55 pm PT (web archived)
- ↑ GameFAQs — Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits for Nintendo DS
- ↑ Metacritic — Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (Nintendo DS)
- ↑ Hidden Palace — Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Dec 1, 2009 prototype). Prototype build bought and dumped by AWiseMoose on December 2, 2024, released on December 3, 2024.
- ↑ Kotaku — Rumor: Guitar Hero: Red Hot Chili Peppers In The Works
- ↑ 1.UP.com — Red Hot Chili Peppers Getting Guitar Hero Game? (web archived)
- ↑ South Park Studios — Season 11, Episode 13: "Guitar Queer-O"
- ↑ IMDb — South Park's "Guitar Queer-O" episode information
- ↑ arstechnica — Songs included in Guitar Hero 3 see a dramatic leap in digital sales. Article published by Ben Kuchera on November 21, 2007.
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