Guitar Hero Failed Without Heavy Metal

Activision recently announced that it will no longer be producing any more Guitar Hero games. How did a game that was a huge revenue driver and actually pretty fun end up in the scrap heap?

The Guitar Hero series was trying so hard to please everyone that it alienated the fans that made the game great in the first place. In an effort to find wider appeal, the series abandoned its hard rock roots.

[maverick878]

Guitar Hero with Taylor Swift songs was just plain wrong.

[jbl316]

I actually like Taylor Swift's music. But she's not the type of artist I would play Guitar Hero with.

Unlike Metallica! Orion is my favorite song to play. The bass track is epic!

[CommonCent]

Rock band does it right. Release a new title for major additions keep the songs DLC.

[kneon]

I've found that the songs that ship with Rockband have mostly been lame, but the DLC is good, the songs that ship with GH have mostly been good, with the DLC mostly being lame

[Bathyj]

I would pay $300 for a Guitar Hero : Guns N Roses.

If only that were possible.

[El_Colombiano]

I never understood why this didn't happen.

[koehler83]

I'm sure it's due to licensing battles within the band. I recall Axl making a stink over Slash' involvement in GH3, particularly regarding the use of Welcome to the Jungle.

Personally I'm holding out for a Rush based music game. With the introduction of the keyboard to RB, seems like the perfect time. Although Warriors of Rock having secured the rights to 2112 (if exclusive) would be a crushing blow to the concept.

[LordStig]

because Axl Rose is a wanker that's why it didn't happen.

What would've been good is live recordings instead of studio versions. Playing Whole lotta Rosie by ACDC at tushino airfield in 1991 or playing the entire set of Metallica live shit binge purge in Seattle 1989. An entire untapped resource there completely glanced over.

[SoapShoes]

YES! That would be an awesome game. Looks like we'll have to go for a Rock Band Guns N' Roses. Either way, I don't care. They even released all of Chinese Democracy on Rock Band and they could easily compile that, Appetite, Lies, and Use Your Illusions into it's own game.

[house]

lordstig you sir are a genius i would love playing that live set list of metallica

[DaBadGuy]

Hell yes.

If it happens it'll be with Rock Band, but if it does happen I'd prefer Appetite, Lies and Illusion as DLC rather than a game because the actual band featured in the game wouldn't be the Guns N Roses we know, it would be Axl, of course, but then DJ Ashba, Bumblefoot, Richard Fortus, Tommy Stinson, etc. and I must admit.....I have no idea who any of those guys are, except for Axl.

At least Buckethead is instantly recognizeable because like Slash, he looks unique, except instead of a tophat it's a mask and KFC bucket.

So I'd prefer the albums as DLC rather than a game because it just wouldn't be pretty. Hell I'd take the Live Era album if nothing else, at least that's something.

[earbus]

Needed more steve vai ,satriani ,buckethead,dime bag and maiden these guys are guitar heroes.

[Shmotz]

Guitar Hero needed Brain Drill.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Same applies to Rock Band.

[LightofDarkness]

While I appreciate brutal death and mathcore (the virtuosity is undeniable), adding things like this would only serve to further alienate the fans. This music is too extreme for most, as they can't really keep up with the complexity and simply hear a lot of fast moving noise, especially if there's a lack of any sort of recognizable melody.

[seinfan]

They sound awful. Listen to All Shall Perish. They actually make music and not just random noise.

[Shmotz]

There's about three deathcore bands that dont make me want to gouge out my eyes. All Shall Perish isn't one of them.

[Killustrious]

Guitar Hero failed because Activision whored it to death. Just like they will do with CoD soon enough.

[dragon82]

Exactly!! How many GH games have there been this generation? I can handle Band Hero and DJ Hero but did we really need so many damn GH games in such a short time frame. They should have just made them all DLC song packs after World Tour.

[Xof]

In general, I don't really care for Heavy Metal music. Some songs I've heard are pretty good, most seem pretty bad to me. I guess that's true of most music.

Heavy Metal fans, however, strike me (universally so) as, well, the kind of people who don't really effect anything, and never really say or do anything of merit.

[LightofDarkness]

Yeah, you know, except for the fans who go on to form bands like Metallica and leave an indelible mark on the music world. /s

What a sickening generalization.

[HellzAssassin]

Wow... statements as such are purely disgusting in every aspect of the word. Your last statement that is.... A huge generalization. But than again, it depends on the "Metalhead" I adore music in general and Metal and Industrial just so happen to be one of my favorite genres. People such as you, who have no recognition or experience in the genre should shut their mouths before degrading others solely based on music tastes.

Humanity nowadays is just absolutely stunning in the most negative way. It pisses me off, and you're a prime example of my theory. I'm sure you've done absolutely everything to help the society, haven't you?

[kneon]

Your statement is just stupid. You are generalizing fans of a particular genre of music based on some stereotype you have in your head.

I've found that people in the hard sciences (physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science etc.) are far more likely to listen to metal and hard rock than any other genre of music. These are the people that are changing the world today.

I have degrees in computer science and physics, I'm in the top 2% of income earners, have worked on various international technical standards bodies, been responsible for project plans exceeding $500 million and have had business meetings with some of the top billionaires on the planet, and I'm a metal fan. How is that possible??

[metal408]

@Xof
Why do you click on an article just to put down heavy music and its fans? Lot of free time, eh?

[peevmyster]

I agree, they tried to appeal to way to wide of an audience. There is still good metal or 80's rock, but too much other stuff. They should keep the base game metal/80's rock and do dlc packs for the other stuff.

[DaBadGuy]

Guitar Hero needed more Mastodon.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[JmanHunsman]

Guitar hero TRIVIUM or A7X. 'nuff said.

[VenomProject]

Guitar Hero needed more Iron Maiden.

[fatalis95]

guitar hero needed more metallica songs like the four horsemen

[koehler83]

Four Horsemen will not likely ever be featured in a game, much like many of the tracks on Kill 'em All. Four Horsemen was written by Dave Mustaine. Working out the license agreement is a lot more work and money than a single track is worth to any game dev.

The same issue is a common problem among a lot of old music by separated bands. Usually one dick member refuses to sign over the rights (Axl), or worse.. their damn wife (Yoko).

[Flare149]

I don't think that's true, I think it's more that they released so many games and changed the formula so much. I mean, think about it, Rock Band has country and other non-Hard Rock and it does phenomenal. Your love for Hard Rock has clouded your judgement young padawan

[monessanr]

guitar hero needed more SONG nice my hero .
http://zetaclearsite.net/

[paradiselost93]

Agree, the best setlist was in Gh3 after that, the songs just went downhill.

I would of loved some more slipknot, Rammstein, Lamb of God, Metallica, Cradle Of Filth, etc etc. Point is, there were more Pop songs than actual metal songs.

[femshep]

how about bands that are super popular and mainstream
bless the fall would be awesome to play....so would Girugamesh but there Japanese but there still awesome