Guitar Hero 3 to feature online multiplayer
by Justin McElroy 
{ Apr 16th 2007 at 10:26AM }
For our part, we're interested to see how a game that necessitates split-second timing will translate to the occasionally laggy world of online play. Sure, the "online mode" could just be you and a friend playing the same song and then comparing scores, but that hardly seems like fun. Another question: Won't our fingers cramp up entering our 12-note friend code on the Wii version? We kid, of course, we don't know that there will be specific GH friend codes. But we can dream.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Yoshi Likes Boys @ Apr 16th 2007 10:31AM
Another friend code blast....priceless! You guys are hilarious.
AirIntake @ Apr 16th 2007 10:34AM
It will also cost $329.99, based on the recently updated song prices.
Konny @ Apr 16th 2007 10:36AM
Friend Codes are lame.. most likely, GH Wii will be the PS2 port, with worser graphx, wonky controls, and of course NO ONLINE for you... cause Mr Pedophile Rocker out there is out to get you.
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 10:40AM
This game will be LAME online. Everyone knows it in the back of their head.
Playing GH against a friend that's NEXT to you is at least a thousand times better than online.
I have a feeling it'll be worse online. LAG = death for your song.
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 10:41AM
Regardless what they think, anyway. *points at my Lag comment*
Kizzle @ Apr 16th 2007 10:47AM
I agree that this is a disaster waiting to happen, but on the off-chance you can get a near lagless game going it could be fun. This is the same reason I want them to release an update for 360 GH2 to allow this, although judging by their recent actions I'm worried they would charge like 15 bucks for it.
So yeah - it won't work well every time, but at least it's there for those who want to give it a shot.
Stele @ Apr 16th 2007 10:44AM
Actually the friend code will be your consoles own unique 3 minute song
Jonah Falcon @ Apr 16th 2007 10:43AM
Er, Dance Dance Revolution has lag-free online multiplayer - how is it any different than Guitar Hero?
sheppy @ Apr 16th 2007 10:44AM
I suppose I'm the only person more concerned with Neversoft taking over the series in regards to difficulty. Let's put it this way.
Tony Hawk.... untouchable to casual gamers. Period. I, personally, was good on the first and second, left the series for a while, came back on THUG2, and suddenly the game was completely undoable by me.
If Neversoft applies this same formula to GH, it could soon be unplayable to those outside of the established fanbase.
Buckshot @ Apr 16th 2007 10:44AM
Sweet, maybe I'll be able to beat Free Bird before it comes out :)
Jago @ Apr 16th 2007 10:49AM
I'll eat my shoe if the Wii version is online, I don't see it happening.
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 10:54AM
@ Jonah Falcon
DDR -> Made by Konami, and not rushed out the door.
GH3 -> Neversoft... rushing game out the door for $. Hardly any time for them to make a "lagless" online.
samfish @ Apr 16th 2007 11:22AM
"This game will be LAME online. Everyone knows it in the back of their head.
Playing GH against a friend that's NEXT to you is at least a thousand times better than online."
I've long since feared the exact same thing regarding SSBB. Some games are just better surrounded by friends.
JBGUY2K @ Apr 16th 2007 11:24AM
@Jonah Falcon
Because if the game doesn't get the signal that if they opposing player hit the note on time, the part that the opposing player is playing will stop playing.
In DDR, if you miss a note, the music will still play. That is exactly what they mean by "Lag = death of song"
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 11:24AM
@samfish
And Mario Party. What fun is it if you're not sitting next to them?
sheppy @ Apr 16th 2007 11:30AM
You know, I've made the same "what fun could this be online?" arguement about several games on this board only to be treated hostile. The path this conversation is taking is making me laugh my ass off.
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 11:34AM
WTF sheppy?!
You were treated hostile?! *pushes you* Stop being treated hostile!
Young punk.
Doug Kaplan @ Apr 16th 2007 11:37AM
When I see people like Konny actually type something like this:
worser graphx
I get concerned for our future.
sheppy @ Apr 16th 2007 11:42AM
"You were treated hostile?! *pushes you* Stop being treated hostile!"
Heh, no really. When the discussion of things like VF5 lacking online for PS3 came up, I made the comment that online features in games like DDR, Tekken, VF5, and even Guitar Hero takes away the fun of the multiplayer. After all, the physical presence of other gamers make genres like fighting, party, and rhythm games so much fun. And then I got the typical "youse a PS3 fanboy, blarg! Bet you don't even have a 360" bullshit. So this thread is amusing me.
Ken @ Apr 16th 2007 11:51AM
sheppy,
Yeah I know. I saw the onslaught when you brought it up. There's a TON of games that shouldn't have Online play.
Fighters are definitely in there. Rhythm games are in there. And Party games are in there.
Sports/FPS/Strategy are all OK for online.
RPGs... it really depends.
Judd @ Apr 16th 2007 11:52AM
I would figure that if they were going to release a game online they'd make sure that lag wouldn't be an issue. It's not like there aren't other games online that don't involve split-second decisions. Fighting games, racing games, these are all very fast genres that have appeared online. Even Mario Kart DS was online and I don't remember having lag. So I'm the Xbox 360 and PS3 can handle it.
On the other hand, this is Red Octane. And as big of a fan as I was with the Guitar Hero's for the PS2, the overall quality of the 360 version was unacceptable. I don't care if the game comes with 10 extra songs, $90 is absurd. And $60 for a controller by itself! Are you shitting me? Not to mention their horrendous DLC pricing. And of course, their horrible guitars which not only had whammy bar issues, but also had sticky yellow buttons, and my brother got two seperate guitars that both went out after he got an electric shock.
jaysins @ Apr 16th 2007 11:59AM
I don't think lag will be a problem because you are not directly dueling or fighting the other person. Head to head will just be each person playing it on the their own box and seeing what the other person is doing and what there score is. So even if there was lag it shouldn't affect your performance any. At least this is how I would assume they would implement it and not have one person hosting a match. I'm not into guitar hero but so I can't comment on how fun online would be or not be. SSBB though lag could be a real issue. Still I'm looking forward to playing it online because it gets old fighting the computer and having another person to play with at any given second sounds fun and I'm sure I can find some real challenges online. Nothing beats having your friends with you on that game though.
Raws @ Apr 16th 2007 12:36PM
Wii online won't happen, unless GHIII comes out next year. Remember, no third party online until 2008.
Josh @ Apr 16th 2007 12:55PM
Well, for all of those saying GHIII shouldn't have online play, I think you need to stop thinking everyone has fun with games the same ways you do. I mean, ok, to you this game might be more fun with someone actually there, but I can't find anyone around here's who's actually good at the game to compete against. Having online play now gives me a chance to play against people who I would actually have fun playing against. That and if you don't want to play it online, then just don't. It's not like they're going to take out offline multiplayer. You'll still be able to play what you find fun while others will have fun playing online.
Dave Silva @ Apr 16th 2007 1:30PM
... but what about Guitar Hero 80's Edition? :(
religiousjedi @ Apr 16th 2007 1:49PM
@Raws...
Read here
There may be hope after all...
Jake @ Apr 16th 2007 1:50PM
I like GH fine by myself. The only reason I own two controllers and play multiplayer is so that two people can enjoy it at the same time when multiple people are over. Multiplayer doesn't add to the gameplay for me because you are basically doing the same thing. You don't really affect one another the way, say, you do in a co-op shooter or fighter. If they added online multi, I'd never use it. But, I am not going to be mad or anything if they do add it.
For Smash Bros or Virtua Fighter, I want online. If nobody is over, I prefer playing human opponents over computer opponents for the most part. I feel the gameplay is better in a game where your opponent directly affects what you do to have human opponents whenever possible. Sure, if lag sucks on Virtua Fighter 5 then I won't use it, but I want it in there anyways. It doesn't take from the single player or local multiplayer. It is just an additional game mode.
As for lag, keep in mind with fighters and GH and DDR, you only have two people in it and only button presses need to be transfered. In a shooter, there are bullets, explosions, item drops/pickups, damage, etc. flying all over the place. There is much less info for GH, fighters, and other games so that lag-free play is easier to obtain.
And sheppy, I was one to go after people like yourself when you suggested Virtua Fighter 5 would be better without online. I just don't understand how (VF5 + online multiplayer) < (VF5). It isn't like they are taking away local multiplayer or anything. You still have local multi and single player. It is just that they have added an additional optional mode. Hell, if online for VF5 works pretty well it will make that version far superior to the PS3 version imo.
Luis Chamorro @ Apr 16th 2007 1:51PM
Darn...link didn't work...ok...
http://wii.ign.com/articles/780/780807p1.html
Aex @ Apr 16th 2007 2:18PM
@Sheppy
Some people just don't understand the intricacies of network programming... You can't really blame them for thinking a game with an online component SHOULD be done right, without knowing it CAN'T be done right.
sheppy @ Apr 16th 2007 2:19PM
@Josh
Before you jump peoples shit for not playing the same way you play, keep this in mind....
In Guitar Hero, multiplayer pretty much equates to either versus or coop. In coop, you'll get to hear the "twangs" of a bad player or the melody of a good one. Regardless, there is no presence, just a bodyless presence cranking out a combo. Just like in versus, there is no presence. It's a bodyless entity who's cranking out tunes. There isn't even a feeling of someone there even during the tabulation screen. Just.. a score. Maybe a robotic voice in your ear calling you a faggot or the n word every 12 seconds but outside of that, what is there? Now compare this to the addition of beer, pizza, and guitar hero in a local machine. When you are playing with your friends, you tend to get goofy unless you're overly stoic of a player. You drop to your knees, you tilt the controller vertical during a more advanced combo. You face him during a sequence you have memorized and piss him off doing so. All that shit, he does to you as well. There is a feeling of energy and community in the physical presence of a second player. That's the fun, in essence. Otherwise, when you strip that fun from GH, what do you have? You have a fairly soulless experience where your only goal is to outscore your opponent.
@Jake
Actually, I simply stated I didn't care about online VF5. I never suggested it shouldn't be done. I merely stated my preference and while my preference may mean the friday night competition between friends, oooohing at the combos, and general trash talking among friends, I know others have a different idea. I've triend many fighters online and it wasn't the lag that killed my interest in it, but rather the fairly soulless experience of it. Nothing ruins a trip down memory lane with Street Fighter II Turbo quite like the lack of a human presence toggling between characters. Hell, even on shooters and RTS games, I still prefer the lan to the internet.
Josh @ Apr 16th 2007 2:43PM
@sheppy
My point wasn't that playing multiplayer with other people isn't fun, I understand how it could be, but seeing as how I don't really have many friends that would be up for playing a game like Guitar Hero that kind of makes it hard for me to enjoy the game in the way that you described. Also, I still think the idea of playing against someone online would be fun, whether or not you do, ok whatever.
Kylearan @ Apr 16th 2007 2:48PM
YAWN. I loved the first GH and liked the second one, but this is all just getting drawn out a bit too much. Little micro improvements all over the place, when this could've been done for the 360 version of GH2 -- which I actually returned to the store for a refund (bought used, so you can do that) and told the store clerk what I never thought I'd say: "I'm SO over Guitar Hero."
sheppy @ Apr 16th 2007 3:54PM
@Josh,
I'm not calling you out on this. I'm merely stating the limitations placed on the game in an online style setting. To me, it seems, online Guitar Hero would reduce itself simply to a two player leaderboard rather than an actually interactive experience. Likewise, I'm not bashing your preference, merely stating mine.
But as I've stated many times on this board, I'm weird in my tastes. While I cannot imagine GH being fun with an online component, I was disappointed when the Amplitude servers finally went offline. Also, I deeply desire a new cyber cafe to open up locally so than friends and I could easily arrange some RTS loving without the elaborate planning required to organize a LAN. I mean, the local tabletop gaming area finally kicked us out despite the fact we would go there, set up, and spend about $15 in their store each time we did it, they still thought we were somehow ripping them off compared to the guy who's been playing his Warhammer 40K army for 10 years straight without any new additions to their ranks.
Crazybros.com @ Apr 16th 2007 5:06PM
@sheppy
You act like online play is a bad thing:
"Maybe a robotic voice in your ear calling you a faggot or the n word every 12 seconds but outside of that, what is there?"
Is that REALLY what you think all online play is?
obo @ Apr 16th 2007 4:53PM
> Regardless, there is no presence, just a bodyless presence cranking out a combo.
Xbox 360/PS 3 video camera.
"But you'll be watching the action of the game, not a little window - "
Then STOP WATCHING THE DUDE WHO'S PHYSICALLY NEXT TO YOU PLAY WHILE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYING.
If you're actually playing the game and not just screwing around, the only "benefits" to physically having a person next to you are 1.) for the spectators, who also can afford to watch a webcam display of your opponent, or 2.) bumping or tripping them to screw them up.
It's not like they're taking away your offline multiplayer. They're adding features. Why are you complaining? Just don't do it.
jchensor @ Apr 16th 2007 5:09PM
"Er, Dance Dance Revolution has lag-free online multiplayer - how is it any different than Guitar Hero?"
Pressing the arrows has no effect on the music. So if person-over-the-internet Perfects 10 steps in a row, even with lag the only thing the game needs to do on your end is report that the notes were hit correctly on your screen. They arrows don't have to disappear on time on your view of their game.
In Guitar Hero, playing notes actually affects the way the music sounds. So if person-over-the-internet plays the notes correctly, lag will cause your view of the game to not instananeously know if they hit it correctly on your screen. So the slight lag may make their note play the music note later than it should ('cause the game is waiting to see if inter-person got it right or not), thus making it sound weird even if it were just a few milliseconds off. In the case of one really bad hiccup with the lag, the game will never know if they hit it right at all, until half a second after the moment has already passed.
Mr Khan @ Apr 16th 2007 5:41PM
I feel Guitar Hero doesn't NEED player vs player
Something like WiiConnect24 or the LIVE leaderboards, just a system of posted leaderboards, but very in depth, would be all that's necessary
I always felt that the games head to head mode was stupid anyway, felt very shoehorned, much like DDR's battle mode
Megaqwerty @ Apr 16th 2007 6:48PM
Quake III was perfectly playable on 56k. Remember?
If they truly wanted to make a lagless experience, they probably could: Ninjam. Ninjam is an online system for ACTUAL MUSICIANS. And it works by streaming Ogg Vorbis. If that is wholly playable, then it's possible to make a lagless GH multiplayer. Of course, Neversoft probably won't that polish on.
"Tony Hawk.... untouchable to casual gamers. Period. If Neversoft applies this same formula to GH, it could soon be unplayable to those outside of the established fanbase."
Go look at Beatmania IIDX 14 or any other Bemani game on its double-digits release and compare to the first release (Ex: go play Stepmania and then look at the first few DDR releases). The difficulty increases exponentially per release. This happened in GHII and it happens in virtually every rhythm game. We usually refer to it as progress.
Josh @ Apr 16th 2007 9:16PM
@sheppy
Maybe I'm the one with the weird taste for actually thinking the Guitar Hero online would be fun. It is a kind of boring idea for multiplayer when compared to games like Amplitude, which I thought was awesome, but idk. I just like the idea of being able to play Guitar Hero against people, even if leaderboards are enough for its design.
SpiritJoint @ May 10th 2007 1:01AM
mr khan u have no friends kthxbye and obo your a retard......playing with friends is always better then online for thee basic reason u can say okay lets take a break or u can just start trash talking saying "OMFG DID U SEE THAT COMBO RAWR FACE HAHA U GOT OWND FACE" while your friend says "PSSH what ever that was just a bad song LETS DO IT AGAIN HAHA"
while online your gonna have some 10 year olds screaming U CHEATED WAHHHHHHHHH and because its online its gonna affect the songs that r in the game so u can't have any reference to drugs or any sware words which alot of us know eliminates alot of the songs which r badass
plus u will have mothers sueing the company saying "HOW CAN U ALLOW KIDS TO SAY THIS PROFANITY WITH YOUNG EARS ON THE OTHER END" and before u know it its gonna end up to be a pussy rp server on WoW with stupid people saying OMFG HE KILLED ME AND SPIT ON ME REPORTED THEN U HAVE BANNED GAMES AND BANNED SONGS AND THE GAME WILL SUCK FACE
and if u don't have any friends who wanna play games with u.....GET NEW FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! or let them burrow the game so they can be on the same skill lvl as u or start the game at the same time as them....like i did with 2 of my friends and its great we're all on hard so when 1 of us screws up we have bragging rights but we're all even plus u can say u suck when they mess up a note while on online games there gonna purpospisly screw up the songs to piss u off