Guitar Hero World Tour singing, drumming, strumming

Activision finally confirms rumors that the latest offering in its popular rhythm-game series will feature multiple wireless peripherals and music-composing program; due in autumn.

The rumours are all true: The cat's officially out of the bag for the fourth Guitar Hero. The new game will be called Guitar Hero World Tour, and will feature a microphone and a "genuine" electronic drum kit, along with a redesigned guitar peripheral.

Guitar Hero World Tour's drum kit.

Activision also boasts that Guitar Hero World Tour will have "the biggest on-disc selection" of music, and that all of the tunes available to take on will be master tracks. So far, no particular songs have been named, but the company has promised that offerings from artists Van Halen, Linkin Park, Sublime, and the Eagles will be included.

Localised content will also be available to download on all of the next-generation consoles--including the Wii. Of the three instruments, Activision is particularly touting its drum kit, which will have three drum pads, two raised cymbals, and a bass kick pedal. Apparently, it will have "velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back."

Rock on!

The first official trailer for Guitar Hero World Tour, showing off the new peripherals.

There will also be a new Battle of the Bands gameplay mode, in which eight players (two bands of four players each) will be able to play each other to see who's best. In the Band modes, four players can jam locally or online.

Also included will be Music Studio, a music-creation software suite with which wannabe songwriters can create digital music "from scratch." Those budding artists will then be able to share their recordings with chums online via GHTunes.

Rock Band, Harmonix's rhythm game, also features microphone and drum peripherals, and is due out in Europe tomorrow for the Xbox 360 only--other platforms will be released later this summer. Unlike Rock Band, all three peripherals in the latest Guitar Hero game will be wireless.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Wii version will be coming from Vicarious Visions, and the PlayStation 2 version from Budcat. All four versions are slated for release this autumn, although they have not yet been rated, and there are no pricing details.

250 Comments

  • squirreltakos

    Posted Aug 25, 2008 10:19 pm GMT

    not true, there are plenty of super fast metal songs on rock band 1. They just make you play a lot with one foot and pretend you are hitting as many bass notes as you should be.

    Some of the downloadable songs on rb1 pretty much require 2 bass pedals for how fast it is.

  • canialblasm

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 10:25 pm GMT

    list.html is the end of the link

  • canialblasm

    Posted Aug 22, 2008 10:25 pm GMT

    http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/leaked_guitar_hero_4_track_list.html

    This is the link to the rumored track list. if this really is it, then that must mean their will have to be a double kick drum for the drumset to play songs like slayer - Angel of death or dream theater.

  • Znuck_King_Ling

    Posted Jul 13, 2008 12:31 am GMT

    I'm just going to get whichever game has some Yellowcard songs. Guitar Hero tends to have older songs that I'm not so much a fan of, so I'm leaning towards Rock Band 2 over Guitar Hero world tour...but whatever. We'll see how it all plays out.

  • Dubzie1986

    Posted Jul 4, 2008 4:40 am GMT

    Ok, here's my 2 cents. To all the people moaning about GH4 being a rip off of RB, just think about all the other genres out there. They're not all dominated by one game. FPS, Racing Games etc. etc. all have many great games, all essentially 'copying' off of each other. And to all the people complaining about GH selling out and going down the multi-instrument route, having to have 2 sets of drums, guitars, mics etc...you don't have to buy the extra equipment. If you have Rockband, play it as a band, if you want to buy GH4 aswell, then just buy the guitar (or use your old one) and play it solo. Simple.

  • TheJoel1

    Posted Jun 30, 2008 7:52 am GMT

    Yea its easy to say rockband will be blown outta the water lol
    especially when guitar hero decided to rip off rock band
    I should hope they can make a better game considering they got to look at rock band see the flaws improve on it and get over a year longer to release it! If its not a better game thats just sad... seriously.
    When u have two years to improve on a game and simply just rip off the idea in the first place i sure hope it would be better lmao

  • cheese4927

    Posted Jun 14, 2008 9:54 am GMT

    I'm so pumped for this game... and I wonder what the guitar's gonna be like. They said it's gonna be pretty different.

  • bruceylee

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 1:40 pm GMT

    this will be the best guitar hero game ever

  • sithwarrior2003

    Posted Jun 4, 2008 5:27 am GMT

    I think this version will be better.

    First of all, who all agrees that the guitar parts in rock band are easy (for the most part) compared to the guitar solos in GH3. I mean, it just seems to be common sense to me. Also, the drum set--better. A bass pedal that won't break as easy? Wow. I know that 95% of everyone I know has has their drum pedal replaced or fixed. Many of them made wooden parts, and those failed as well. One of my friends got smart and put in a real drum pedal, but now the sensor is wiggin out. I mean, Rock band had first blood, but the GH is gonna pwn RB when this game comes out. A composer function? Yeah. I'm most def gonna get this game. on 360. cause ps3 is junk. ahhahahahhahahhaha.

  • THXiam117

    Posted Jun 2, 2008 2:52 pm GMT

    Even if it doesnt have matellica you can copy it. And you can get guitar hero: Metallica

  • bahman423

    Posted May 31, 2008 3:46 pm GMT

    i hope it has metallica

  • aquabot

    Posted May 28, 2008 12:48 pm GMT

    Um.. is it just me, or are they blatantly ripping off just about every aspect of Rock Band, right down to the visuals? I don't even own Rock Band, but it's still sad to see a bunch of **** chugging *** holes throw away a bunch of opportunities for creativity and innovation and instead just make a transparent rip-off product. They should be ashamed for sucking so very hard.

  • Wolan_PL

    Posted May 28, 2008 3:06 am GMT

    Velocity-sensitive 5 pad drum set? If the bass pedal will be robust enough to take some stomping, the drum set will be superior in every way to Rock Band`s. What I want to know - will it be compatible with Rock Band and (I am scared to even ask this question) when will it come out in Europe? Autumn this year for the US probably means summer next year for us Old Worlders .

  • Gedddy_lee

    Posted May 26, 2008 8:46 pm GMT

    *drools*

  • Saren_Arterius

    Posted May 26, 2008 8:03 pm GMT

    sweet, hopefully features bands like metallica, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Led Zepp. Then id be happy.

  • mrmikeledet

    Posted May 26, 2008 3:11 pm GMT

    you had me at sublime, thats awesome i hope they have more than just one song from sublime believe me when i say ill buy it just to be able to rock out to some sublime!!!!!!!

  • trw534

    Posted May 26, 2008 7:22 am GMT

    thats awsome ill probably buy it

  • juanitodepp

    Posted May 25, 2008 2:02 pm GMT

    Well I dont know about all this...Seems kinda silly. If you look at the trailer for GH4 it shows you absolutely nothing about the game but replicates the sort of...presentation that RB has with the intense foggy, and lighting effects which Guitar hero doesnt have. (well the second one had better sets anyway) but point being, they havent showed the gameplay of the drums (maybe as a marketing technique to hide its crappyness to RB?) and sure creating your own song CAN be awesome but it CAN also suck terribly. Just like when games introduced creating a character--doesnt mean they are all good. and this whole battle of the bands function...what if there is terrible lag behind that? then everyone suffers when trying to hit the notes? But who knows this may even be the best of the best or just a game worse than GH3 (and the DS one). Oh btw, I know everyone thinks that through the fire and flames is the hardest song, but have you guys played Gh2 and played Jordan? Sure you can get to 50% of the song but after that it is practically impossible. through the fire and flames is only "really" difficult in the beginning but after that its not that bad. I know alot of ppl only played Gh3 because it was more accessible but trust me, through the fire and flames is NOT the hardest song in GH series ^_^

  • cheese4927

    Posted May 25, 2008 9:33 am GMT

    I think this is probably gonna stop people from buying Rock Band for Wii.

  • eheid

    Posted May 24, 2008 9:14 pm GMT

    Now I'm not sure wether to just buy Rockband for wii, or to wait until this one comes out and see what it's like....seeing how sucky the last guitar hero was, though, I might just stick with Rockband.

  • athenian29

    Posted May 24, 2008 2:58 pm GMT

    It's not about who does it first, it's about who does it best. If Neversoft can capitalize on Harmonix's formula and improve on it enough, then the rest of us will be able to dismiss all the flaws of GH III as nothing but a bad dream. Likewise, if Neversoft stays in their rut (probably not, having read the article in the June 08 article on GH4 in Game Informer), then Harmonix won't have anything to worry about anymore.

  • Berkie420

    Posted May 24, 2008 1:37 am GMT

    All this talk about who did it first. Who cares? Konami did it first anyway, and are about to get back into the mix. The games are fun, so I say copy away, we as consumers are the ones who get a win/win situation. I just hope Activision decides to be Rockband compatible.

  • storminmormon51

    Posted May 24, 2008 12:55 am GMT

    The only problem I have with this is that I feel Activision (publisher) is encroaching on Harmonix's (developer [ie creator]) creative ideas. I think that the people at Harmonix should have sole rights (to continue) to make insane amounts of money for the game franchise which they started.

    It's the same reason why I didn't buy CoD3. Infinity Ward is where the creative masterminds are. Activision just owns the name. I probably will owns GHWT at some point, I'm just saying that when it comes down to it my support will ALWAYS fall on the Harmonix end, since they're the real innovators. Rock on to Activision for faithfully reproducing the franchise, and I can't wait to play!!

  • Pivotto

    Posted May 23, 2008 9:47 pm GMT

    The trailer was pretty stupid, but I am pretty interested in this.

  • bush66

    Posted May 23, 2008 8:03 pm GMT

    I'm so excited. All master tracks! I'm glad to hear that GH is trying to go all out with this game and set a standard for what these games should be like. However, I am disappointed that the drumkits from RB and GH won't be compatible with both games.

  • zellstrife

    Posted May 23, 2008 7:07 pm GMT

    Honestly you people that complain about GH4 copying RB, kill me. Gaming is today's best form of entertainment period. We as gamers should be thankful for all the choices these game developers and companies give to us gamers. I have RB and I plan on getting GH4 with all the equipment it is coming with. I honestly think games have gotten to a point where originality is scarce. When certain aspects make a game great, it does not always hurt to borrow others ideas. In this case GH4 might be borrowing the whole band idea from RB, but the level at which they are going to take it, will make RB feel kinda old and out dated. I welcome the new GH4 and give Activision their props for pushing the bar to new heights once again. Especially when GH4 is the father of guitar games. It's only natural that GH4 include drums, mic, and whatever else they so choose to put in the game, we are the lucky ones to be given all these options.

  • Ntl_713

    Posted May 23, 2008 6:07 pm GMT

    This game looks kick ass so far since for sure they're gonna fix all the problems Rock Band had with the drums and **** i just HOPE they're gonna make a strong foot pedal for the drums so many people broke theirs

  • Neji561

    Posted May 23, 2008 5:59 pm GMT

    It does kind of looks like a rock band copy but i think this one is going to have better songs. I mean i liked the rock band tracks but having one of the hardest songs in any music game is kind of an advantage. Its like something everyone wants to do. I do hope they keep "through the fire and flames" just to see how hard it is to drum the song!

  • jakob_187

    Posted May 23, 2008 3:37 pm GMT

    Honestly, this drum kit looks to be FAR nicer than the Rock Band one. Having your pads double as cymbals, toms, AND snares is just ridiculous. I just don't know about that yellow cymbal, as it would be REALLY nice to have a more traditional high-hat setup for that...especially if they put something like "Run To The Hills" on it like Rock Band did. = /

    Still, I'm kind of psyched about GHIV, if not just for the fact that I wanna see what Eagles song they go with. PLEASE let it be either "Life In The Fastlane" or "Take It To The Limit"!!! lol "Hotel California" would be sweet...but whatever.

    Oh...and please add a double-bass kick pedal. That would be awesome.

  • cheese4927

    Posted May 23, 2008 2:30 pm GMT

    I was thinking about getting Rock Band for the Wii when it comes out, but not i'm probably going to wait for Guitar Hero World Tour. And I agree that they'll probably fix all the problems that arose from Rock Band. It also sounds like they'll have DLC for the Wii, and from the trailer and screen shots it looks like you can even make your own customized guitar! I just hope the sound track is at least as good as Rock Band. I'm glad they'll have Van Halen and the Eagles for sure!

  • thestickman

    Posted May 23, 2008 1:17 pm GMT

    I believe they'll fix everything that Harmonix did wrong with Rock Band, including the problems with the breaking instuments. Neversoft is working with some professional peripheral designers to make sure the drum kit is not only sturdier, but quieter than the Rock Band kit as well. Can't wait.

  • Jedilink109

    Posted May 23, 2008 12:57 pm GMT

    They cut around too fast in the trailer, you couldn't get a good look at much of anything. As for the "most realistic drums", they'd better reinforce those cymbals or else they'll be constantly hearing people complaining because they broke them off. And the bass pedal is another issue. On Rock Band the cord is stretchy and so I pull the pedal over to use my left foot for that part. I'd better be able to do that on this game. The drum set also looks too cramped. There's definately something to say for space when playing drums man.

    I just don't like the fact that I need ANOTHER set of drums on top of the ones I already have. While I appreciate all original versions of the songs, they're obviously copying off of Rock Band. I still like Guitar Hero, they just are copying off of what's already been done. I just hope that it feels like it should like in Rock Band. I'm just hoping it's as good as Rock Band.

  • Pieguy1111

    Posted May 23, 2008 12:49 pm GMT

    Sounds awesome.
    Just gotta get myself a PS3.

  • GoldenRamoth

    Posted May 23, 2008 12:18 pm GMT

    Wii downloadable content! yahooo!!!! Finally, i can get me some more dragonforce and metallica songs to play.

    BOO-YAH!

  • zgreenwell

    Posted May 23, 2008 10:34 am GMT

    Hopefully they keep the guitar part hard and don't dumb it down so everyone can play like rock band.

  • necronaux

    Posted May 23, 2008 10:30 am GMT

    More perepherals. Whoa. Sure didn't see that comming.

  • AzA17

    Posted May 23, 2008 8:48 am GMT

    From I can see on the GH website the new guitar is the exact same as the one from GH3 but with extra buttons below must be solo buttons or something (however better placed than Rock Band).

    I played Rock Band just and it's not all that there setlist is poor if I'm honest, the guiter is too "over-sized and weak" and then the drums although are quite good could do with a lot of improvement. Also the gameplay such as held notes aren't obvious and you have no idea when to hammer on pull-off.

    Can't wait for this. Even if there are more songs on the setlist we can make them ourselves and just have to sing too it not sing along as vocals can't be added unfortunately.

  • sfranklin04

    Posted May 23, 2008 8:07 am GMT

    I have to admit that I have an admiration for "the firsts in the market." Guitar Hero gives off a nostalgic feeling since they were first to break out onto the scene with this rhythm game that broke us out of our FPS, RPG, MMO routine.

    However, when you look at the economics, business and competition, it looks to me as though Guitar Hero is only copying Rock Band. In other words, Guitar Hero is only matching what Rock Band has accomplished, they are not exceeding what Rock Band is nor are they leveraging their "market first" position.

  • primalwanderer

    Posted May 23, 2008 7:35 am GMT

    I think activision are doing the right thing by adding more instruments as 3(4 if u include bass) and they cant let other publishers get ahead of them.I think although i have not played rockband and proberbly will not due to the price here in the uk this will wipe the floor with it.The drums look a hell of alot more like a real drum kit and as there is more pads it will be harder.This will be a more challenging version of rock band and will ultimatly be more rewarding because of it.I also hope that it will be cheaper then rockband here in england and that you will be able to by every component individually or as a whole.I also like the idea of being able to make your own music as it will give it more playbackability.

  • MrOrmond

    Posted May 23, 2008 3:36 am GMT

    Blah blah Wireless blah blah composing. Neversoft has failed in trying to fix what was broken in GH3. Instead they add on with more "things" to "reinvent" a franchise that can't be "reinvented"... They keep using that word, but I don't think they know what it means.

  • MSG-Deathscythe

    Posted May 23, 2008 3:20 am GMT

    "velocity-sensitive drum heads with soft rubber construction to deliver authentic bounce back." if they make this like i think they would, it's a win for them. playing with the rock band drums feel like hitting pots and pans.

  • BigSmitts07

    Posted May 23, 2008 1:34 am GMT

    still not much innovation..maybe like a fake piano or banjo or something..cmon now...dont just copy

  • ZhugeMarc

    Posted May 23, 2008 12:28 am GMT

    benmc19: I agree on your first part. I'm also a drummer, and think it would seem a bit more authentic to have the raised crash pads. I haven't played Rock Band yet (hopefully in a few hours!), but I'm unsure of the crash pad being where you'd expect a tom. Ah well!

  • GJMCC

    Posted May 23, 2008 12:17 am GMT

    wow......i wish they can make it a little more original besides changing the drums

  • HyruleKing83

    Posted May 22, 2008 11:23 pm GMT

    1. hopefully i won't need a new guitar controller
    2. the price...???
    3. hopefully i can get a bundle w/out a guitar
    4. i'd like to see no less than 80 tracks

  • starfoxmcleoud

    Posted May 22, 2008 11:17 pm GMT

    Dig the drums, but what happened to "Guitar Hero"? Now it's more like Band Hero.

  • neovalkyr

    Posted May 22, 2008 9:49 pm GMT

    rofl @ the guy saying he sticks with the "Guitar Hero" brand. maybe you should pay attention to who makes the games.

  • benmc19

    Posted May 22, 2008 9:06 pm GMT

    This looks like a "Me Too" response by activision, But I'd like to state as a drummer, I think the drum kit here looks much more interesting to drum on. with the raised cymbal pads almost like most Digital Drum kits you can buy on the market. I'm also excited to see how durable the more expensive higher quality pads work. No sock-modding please!.

    oddly enough...Rock Revolution is also "Me Too"-ing rock band. it'll be neat to see how it all turns out, I don't plan on buying any of them till I see what peripherals are universal and what DLC can be moved.

  • Pete5506

    Posted May 22, 2008 9:05 pm GMT

    I so hope I dont have to buy new guitars and drum set

  • erik_wolff

    Posted May 22, 2008 9:04 pm GMT

    I can only imagine what the DLC for this thing will cost. And we all know they'll never keep up with Rock Band's DLC.

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