"It's pretty much a giant middle finger at the people who love to tell fans of the genre to learn to play a real instrument, isn't it?"

Not really. Its makes it more of a joke IMO. L2 compose some real music. LOL

Is it just me, or does that interface look like a total confusing snooze?

Hmmm... now im interested, since ive been making music ever...well since i got a Amiga 500! Sadly, I make elctronic music and this will look quite different... anyway, im interested!!!

Not to mention, far too simple. It looks like you can only choose between demos for drum beats to any given song. What a half-assed execution of a half-assed idea.

It's a shame to see the series frantically clinging on to Rock Bands innovations rather than coming up with it's own.

Besides, this game holds nothing for me until I see Clive Winston return.

I haven't yet decided if I really want to spend around $150 for all new peripherals again...
I really hope they sell standalones at release even then i'll still be hesitant about it.

Looks interesting. People might actually be able to pull off songs with simpler chord progressions using this option. I'm curious to see how they will handle lead guitar in this mode.

How are non-musicans going to know about scales? sharps, flats, etc...etc..?

@actorpull: I don't feel that way, Mr. Banana Grabber. Well... even if it is awful, this is the start (finally) of console-oriented music creation. The field has been pretty much untapped since Mario Paint, so any improvement is a BIG improvement.

I expect big things to come from this - but not big songs to come from this product. Looks *fairly* robust, though, but obviously simplified for the GH nation.

@y2julio: Exactly. I cannot read music. So why do I care about this feature?

Also, even if you're able to download other people's compositions, who cares? These games are pointless without licensed music. That's where all the fun is.

Sweet.

Being a musician, this is really something that I'm looking forward too.

My 2 passions fusing into one all consuming hobby!

Still not making real music, you're just holding down a few buttons to pick something in a synthesizer. When it's something you can do with the controller itself it doesn't count as playing an instrument. Still, it is very simplified composition, so that's something.

The real question is: Will us Europeans have to sell a kidney to be able to afford the game like it is with Rockband?

I like that you can customize your "Avatars", since the ones in GHIII aren't that great... but then again, I don't know if I'll buy this, ayway, I have a feeling that I have played out the Music-Gimmick-Genre...

What I really love about this new "innovation" is that apparently it involves an art style overhaul for character models and thematics.

So, not only are there now four instruments, but they actually changed some of their artistic direction to better match Rock Band.

And they're claiming innovation by putting in a music system equivalent to those old NES makers.

@actorpull: I'm pretty sure that those styles just map different sounds to the different drum pads. Ride/crash, cowbells, floor tom/other toms. I think.

That being said, composition has little to no appeal for me. Plus, since I just bought Rock Band, I most likely won't be up for throwing down another $160. Plus DLC may be neglected in favour of setting up the infrastructure for sharing people's shitty music.

Looks like Neversoft still sucks at making character models...god, they're ugly. But hey, it's an improvement from last time, where the lead singer was so freakish he could've killed Jay Leno in a chin fight. Maybe by Guitar Hero 15 (you know it'll happen), the characters will actually look half decent.

The amount of effort in putting in a song on that thing.....
You could learn to play a real instrument in that time ><

The Eagles? Sublime? Linkin Park? Those are "rock" bands? Don't make me laugh.

Seems like a cool feature, but what percentage of people want to create music this way? That said, it still might be a good selling point even if it doesn't get used.

"Guitar Hero World Tour is comprised entirely of master recordings..." Nice!

"greatest classic and modern rock bands....Linkin Park"

Sorry Activision but that'll be 1 fail for you.

If they have a set up like some of the simple music programs, like Digital Composer, Fruity Loops or garage band then there might be some decent creation features.

I just hope they don't throw that at us and then use it as a reason to not release any content themselves.

A Frets on Fire type creation would be great, but I would assume it hits on copy right problems.

A different company doing Wii / PS2? Please let them be the same games. I won't buy Rockband because they gimped the Wii version, if this new GH gimps the Wii version too I'll be really upset.

@supercrap:

Ummm the Eagles are one of the greatest rock bands of all time, your definition of Rock must be shit metal.

It needs to be said that Gameboy music gives you an incredibly granular level of control of the sound, so it's not really that valid a comparison.

If this thing outputs what sounds like early mod music, i fear it already.

@FranUnFine: Real guitar and amp: £150
Lessons: £10 an hour
Telling all the guitar hero wannabe musicians to shove it up their collective asses: Priceless

And for the record, in about an hour I'm going to the recording studio to lay MY compositions down. This idea is stupid and a mockery of music. I've just started to teach my girlfriend how to play guitar, her repsonse; 'it's so much more fun than guitar hero', and she loves that game.

The game is fun and all but nothing can compare to picking up a real instrument and playing it in front of a room full of people (well, except getting free beer for it). If you want to make music, learn a fucking instrument, if you want to play a game then play a fucking game. They are not comparable.

That interface reminds me of Gauntlet Legends, strangely enough.

More character and instrument customization, I see. I'm all for that. I also noticed that the press release states "online Band Career". That was one of the problems with Rock Band, at least for me. We have several bands between my roommates at my dorm apartment, but during the summer, we all move back to different parts of the country. It'd be nice to keep the band together.

The character designs aren't as god-awful ugly as GHIII. They seem to be as stylized as they were in GH I & II, which is OK.

Another big thing I just noticed: "Composed entirely of master recordings". That's certainly something to be proud of. Harmonix went a long way to make most of the Rock Band songs masters, but there were still some covers.

Still, one thing keeps me coming back to Rock Band, and that's the DLC. If Activision and Neversoft can't keep a super-diligent schedule of DLC, then I'm not going to consider it.

At the very least, they should try to make the note patterns better this time. No more notes that don't fit with any part of the song. Harmonix is a gaming company made for only music games, so I think they'll always have an edge in this category.

All of these extra features though are starting to make me wish that Harmonix does release a Rock Band sequel (just don't make us buy instruments again).

Remember folks, the best way to make something cool is to wait for the rivals to release a product, steal their idea, and then build on it.

I bet Tony Hawk 23 or whatever number they are on this year will be exactly like Skate.... but with dinosaurs!!

Not that rock band was the first drum agme around, but come on Activision!

@Rbastid:
Um. No. The Eagles are to Rock what Bud Light is to beer. They are a watered down, barely passable imitations of it.

I like some of the Eagles' work, don't get me wrong. But to call them real Rock is an insult to the genre.

Guitar Hero, Roadie and Groupie Edition coming soon! Experience life on the road and backstage! get virtual bj's and smack roadies around for not tuning your guitar the correct way.

coming soon!

Truthfully, this is the only thing about GH4 that is tugging at me. Of course I have no compositional skills whatsoever, so I'd be downloading other people's stuff. But it is interesting. I can only hope RB2 has already had this similar functionality planned into it so I can get it.

It's interesting how much extra customization they're trying to cram into the game, but that doesn't change the fact that the characters' artistic style aren't just ugly, they're pug-fugly.

Rock Band might be more limited, but at least it all looks good together.

There's only question: will I be able to use those instruments with Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band? If so, I'll fucking buy the game just so I don't have to have three different sets of instruments cluttering up the known universe.

@ca$h: Fuck you man. Hotel California is one of the greatest songs ever. That song alone gives The Eagles a free pass on anything.

Is there a foot pedal on the GH drums?

@josh51: You raise an interesting point, which is itself interesting, because I think you missed the point.

I've played an instrument for years. I learned music theory. And you know what? Guitar Hero is still more fun. I don't have to practice for hours on end for years just to get good enough to play a song that still doesn't sound like what other people put out. I'd rather shell out some money now, NOT pay 10 pounds an hour for umpteen hours, and play studio quality music complete with all the other instruments, and have it sound exactly like the bands I am attempting to emulate do without the various extra hassle and equipment.

Sure, I could go out and make my friends learn to sing and play the drums. And you know what? I'd still never find a friend who could sing Guns and Roses like Axl, then turn around and do a Metallica song. It won't happen. Heck, it will be hard enough convincing someone to learn a new instrument for the time it takes to master it.

Have fun at the recording studio studio. My high school band recorded at a studio. I hope you sound better than we did.

So... looking at the creation screen - can anyone tell me what "Melody" is going to be? 3 guitars? Singing? the yet to be released flute controller? Also, without seeing any gameplay shots... does this imply vertical vocals? Wasn't planning on getting this anyway, but that strikes me as the *wrong* way to be different from Rock Band.

Really can't wait for gh4

Please tell me you can use the GHIII guitar for this game and can have the choice to buy the game with only the drums and mic.

I just bought GHIII from Amazon and am even more excited for GHIV, but if its going to conclude with me having a closet full of fake musical instruments, then I will be a very sad panda.

i imagine making music with this makes you as much of a musician as designing houses in the sims makes you an architect. If you think you are giving "a giant middle finger at the people who love to tell fans of the genre to learn to play a real instrument," they are seriously laughing at you. Professional DJ's have a hard time convincing others that they are musicians. The fact is music as a creative process either takes a tremendous amount of skill, or it all sounds the same (garage band).

The composition thing isn't terribly interesting. The fact the drums are so fully featured, including full velocity sensitivity, is far more interesting. I hate everything Guitar Hero is now, but those fancier drums almost make me want it.

I'm excited for Guitar Hero IV now. I'm big on Rock Band but I've been playing GH 2 and 3 a lot lately and like the guitar and songs better than Rock Band. There are some points where you feel like you're playing the song. I'll snap up the game by itself and possibly buy the drums for it depending on the price. It's also nice to see that the character models look better this time around as well.

@RonCey:
No, it gives them a pass to be considered one hit wonders surrounded by a bunch of easy listening shit! The Eagles fucking suck, save for one good song. Deal with it.

"It's pretty much a giant middle finger at the people who love to tell fans of the genre to learn to play a real instrument, isn't it? "I'm making real music, aren't I? Have you composed anything lately?"

Fahey, you are the worst. This is not composing music. It's creating tones with a plastic guitar. I do not play any instrument for real, but this is miles and miles away from really composing. Sure you can put chords together to make a song, but there is no way this is even within the same realm as someone creating real music with a real instrument. Plus, this has to be limited somehow. I wonder how it will handle full scales and all that stuff... maybe you can change the pitch of each individual note? I am interested to see how this works, but I can't believe that it will be anything like trying to write music for real. Otherwise it will make it pretty inaccessible to non-musically inclined.

@francoamerica:

I'd much rather just use a DAW like FruityLoops and make real music, but this is still a good thing. Sign me up.

@josh51: Would a "real" musician be so threatened by a video game? Come on, people... we all know that 99% of what comes out of this is going to suck. The same is true of real guitars. But good music comes from many unexpected places, and there is no "right" way to make it -- talent and dedication will shine through in any medium, even if you don't happen to care for the results.

But no, seriously, guys, keep arguing about which bands are the most awesomest. This is fun.

@Kanik:

Uhmmmm......*glares*......did you just choose to NOT
look at the pictures???

@josh51:

And to touch on what you said...I'm a club/performance dj and drummer myself. And to continue banging the "get a life, grab a REAL instrument" war drum is getting very tiresome. So please hang that phone up...!

I've been involved in music for as long as I can remember. And I've ALWAYS had a deep appreciation for music & rhythm gaming. Regardless of the talent and skill level that anyone has a perception towards either just the gamers that play these, to real musicians...it's all in good fun. I take MY music seriously in it's own respect. And I take my GAMING seriously in it's own right. The important thing is that I believe the "Rock-gaming" phenomenon is a great thing. ANYTHING that brings even the slightest amount of appreciation from "non-musician" towards what WE do, should be celebrated and not soured.

In staying on topic, as a gamer, I'm very much on the proverbial fence on this one. I mean, I've invested HUNDREDS of dollars into Rock Band (I've got all 170 songs in the library) and now there's this! It doesn't look bad at all. I'm actually quite attracted to this. But simply for the challenge and the fact that I'm such a completist (ugh), so I gotta have it all. But for me to make ANOTHER huge investment is driving me, and my wallet, insatiably batty! But I'll wait and see on this. It's quite likely I'm going to start dumping into this one.

But I plan to hold out long enough for ANY info on either Rock Band 2 or some sort of major expansion, first!

Neversoft has some of the worst 3d facial artists I've ever seen. All of the "next-gen" Tony Hawk games have horrible character models, and the ones in GH3 look like Chernobyl babies.