In an official announcement, Activision has continued the flow of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock-related news. The title will contain over 90 tracks that will bring players back to the roots of the franchise. But do players necessarily want to go back? Furthermore, does Warriors of Rock really bring anything new and meaningful to the genre?
The game will feature a Quest Mode that will take players on an adventure from New York City’s CBGB to “the molten laval fields of rock treachery.” To top it off, the Quest Mode will be narrated by Gene Simmons. Another new mode in Warriors of Rock is the Quickplay+ mode which provides 13 challenges for on-disc songs as well as any DLC content released since Guitar Hero: World Tour. The game will also include a new guitar control specifically designed for shredding.
The partial list of tracks:
AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”
Anthrax – “Indians”
Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”
Black Sabbath – “Children of the Grave”
Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”
Children of Bodom – “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War”
The Cure – “Fascination Street”
Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”
Dethklok – “Bloodlines”
Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”
DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”
Drowning Pool – “Bodies”
Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”
Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”
Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”
The Hive – “Tick Tick Boom”
Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”
Jethro Tull – “Aqualung”
KISS – “Love Gun”
Linkin Park – “Bleed It Out”
Megadeth – “Sudden Death”
Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”
Muse – “Uprising”
My Chemical Romance – “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”
Night Ranger – “(You Can Still) Rock in America”
Nine Inch Nails – “Wish”
The Offspring – “Self Esteem”
Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”
The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”
Silversun Pickups – “Interstate Love Song”
ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”
By the looks of the setlist, it seems the Guitar Hero franchise is shying away from the pop-rock sound of previous titles and moving back to the sound of the original feel. One has to wonder if this move will be successful.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band have brought new people to gaming. Thus not everyone will be interested in re-visiting (or visiting) the sound and asthetic of the original Guitar Hero. Will the new track list alienate gamers who have been comfortable and happy with the current content of previous rhythm games?
Furthermore, some consumers will frown upon having to lug home another plastic guitar. It’s possible that the last iterations of rock-based rhythm games that consumers “needed” were either Guitar Hero: World Tour or Rock Band 2.
Do the new characters and new modes warrant another plastic instrument and disc? Perhaps rock-based rhythm games have evolved as far as they possibly can, leaving only a need for new songs in the form of DLC. Sales figures for Warriors of Rock will confirm whether or not this is so.
