Guitar Hero Mobile trailer is unsurprisingly terrible

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 9th 2007 at 3:00PM }

You know it's a bad sign when the trailer for a game only uses six seconds of gameplay footage. To be fair, what did you expect? When we first heard the idea of Guitar Hero on a cell phone, we scoffed so hard that we needed to sit down. You may feel just like Hendrix as you shred on your touch-tone pad, but something tells us if we saw anyone actually playing this in public, it would look like they were trying to disarm a tiny cellular bomb.

Tags: Activision, Guitar Hero, Guitar-Hero, GuitarHero, Mobile, Red-Octane, RedOctane

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Neebs @ Dec 9th 2007 3:07PM

Wow. I'm surprised the game can be considered fun or "possible" what with the framerate.

Jeff @ Dec 9th 2007 3:09PM

Yeah, that framerate would be completely unplayable for me. Maybe if you're using an Alienware Hardcore Gaming Phone (tm) you can get 60 FPS and better physics.

Evan @ Dec 9th 2007 3:12PM

I might download this though. I get really bored on the bus to campus all the time.

Wait... this would annoy the hell out of everyone sitting by you, cancel that.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 9th 2007 5:32PM

Sound more like a "pro" than a "con".

meinside99 @ Dec 9th 2007 3:13PM

People who text alot will probably be able to play this game with great ease.

Grant @ Dec 10th 2007 2:44PM

too bad theres no two button presses when texting like there are in this apparently.

How this just won't work:
1.Fat Thumbs
2.Most phones have small buttons
3.needs the sound to be played(everyone i know only resorts to cell phone games in their wonderfully fun lecture classes)
4.probably sounds terrible
5.most phones probably can't run the visuals smoothly
6.Download times for a decent collection of songs would be ridiculous even with 3G.

this is just a plot to horde money from a popular franchise, anyone who thinks otherwise might have too big of a boner for the franchise.

finnith @ Dec 9th 2007 3:14PM

Ugh.

I'd rather get that Harmonix game on the iPod.

sheppy2.0 @ Dec 9th 2007 3:14PM

You know, when I think mobile phone music games, I think DJ Max. After seeing this trailer, I think.... DJ Max.

Will @ Dec 9th 2007 3:15PM

GOTY!

Will @ Dec 9th 2007 3:18PM

And Joystiq, you refer to touch tone pads as if they're a bad thing? They're the new, most innovative controller! Can a Wiimote talk to people in Oregon? Does a SIXAXIS have a 2.4" screen integrated into it? Plus, the average phone has at least 12 buttons (mine has 19 on the pad alone, plus side buttons). We all know more buttons is better, as demonstrated by the modern gaming mouse.

Pikachief @ Dec 9th 2007 3:17PM

ZOMG 15 SONGS!!! BEST GAMEZ EVA!

Fernando Rocker @ Dec 9th 2007 3:19PM

Any news about the DS version of Guitar Hero?

Jam Sessions is very good as an acoustic guitar emulator.

ill trooper @ Dec 9th 2007 11:19PM

I know it's not very often, but I wholeheartedly agree with you F.

Jam Sessions is a really innovative approach to this type of 'game,' although it opts for actual music creation rather than rhythm accuracy/scoring points. It would be interesting to see a game take the two worlds and bring them closer together, it would be harder than and probably not as fun as Guitar Hero, but it might be closer to actually teaching music creation to the player. I would say the drumming in Rock Band is the closest thing right now - although you don't have a high-hat pedal or a velocity feel for the drums you're emulating, you are developing more dexterity in your limbs like a beginning drummer has to.

Guitar Hero on the DS, with a strum on the screen like Jam Sessions uses, seems like a perfect fit. Although I can't say it's easy to play all the chords on Jam Sessions, so maybe not. I gotta try 'Phase.'

Lemmiwinks @ Dec 9th 2007 3:20PM

"does it play Guitar Hero?"

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Dec 9th 2007 3:22PM

I'm just going to flat out say it:

They're milking a franchise at the worst possible time.

Bigfoot @ Dec 9th 2007 3:37PM

I dunno, looks pretty bad to me.

Chicken Eater @ Dec 9th 2007 3:38PM

Will it blend?

thethirdmoose @ Dec 9th 2007 9:57PM

Will YOU blend?

Intellectualdiot @ Dec 9th 2007 3:41PM

I shouldn't be surprised that they advertised this title with the game's terrible cover (both vocally and with that silly, tacked-on guitar solo), but I am. Damn that's a bad cover. At least the music generally washes it out as you play it.

Also, this doesn't make me entirely enthusiastic about the DS incarnation of Guitar Hero. That IS being developed by a different team, right?

Dormammu @ Dec 9th 2007 3:52PM

Dear Joystiq,

Please stop using "to be fair" in your pieces. I know we all love the Daily Show, but that particular phrase of John Stewart's is poorly used even by him. Do not copy it's overusage here! You can almost always drop it from your text and find the result better for the removal. Thanks.

Anticrawl @ Dec 9th 2007 4:12PM

Yes, instead overuse "frankly" and "quite frankly."

hoob @ Dec 9th 2007 5:09PM

It's also very appropriate and recommended to use "to be frank."

Anticrawl @ Dec 9th 2007 6:04PM

@hoob

Brilliant! We shall simply meet somewhere in the middle. "to be frank" is the future! God damn my medication is fucking with my head, don't do drugs kids.

T3H WICKERMAN (FDF) @ Dec 10th 2007 12:39PM

your comment is very new and exciting.

Arctic Monkeys @ Dec 9th 2007 3:45PM

HD Trailer plz

Paul S. @ Dec 9th 2007 3:57PM

While the trailer makes the game look awful, a lot of the previews I've read about it actually say it's pretty good!

Steve @ Dec 10th 2007 6:00PM

if you want something like this with wayy better graphics and frame rate and one that translates your songs into the game buy Phase off of iTunes onto your iPod video

Pikachief @ Dec 9th 2007 4:12PM

APPROACHING SOUND BARRIER!

gevenstaines @ Dec 9th 2007 4:13PM

wow, three frets! the guitar controllers are hilarious enough with only five, but this takes the cake!

Daph @ Feb 20th 2008 1:37AM

yeah, well. As much as this cell phone 'port' looks horrible, may I remind you that Konami's Guitar Freaks series (the original guitar game, way before Guitar Hero) has been really successful with it's 3 fret guitars

LuckyEMS @ Dec 9th 2007 4:40PM

love it how they use a GH2 song for the trailer

Jeff @ Dec 9th 2007 4:55PM

In other news, I got Guitar Hero III PC yesterday. To my surprise, it runs really well, the online works, and you can have multiplayer with someone else if they plug in another guitar or 360 controller, or just use the keyboard. I'm really impressed with Aspyr.

AnonyMack @ Dec 9th 2007 5:09PM

hey look, its Phase!

AirIntake @ Dec 9th 2007 5:12PM

Mega Man 2 on my phone barely manages 5 fps, and it doesn't even include the sound effects! If that's any example of cell phone games, this will be unplayable.

James @ Dec 9th 2007 5:15PM

No, my phone isn't ready to rock. Soz.

Rob Accomando @ Dec 9th 2007 6:18PM

Anyone who thought this game *might* be good on a cell phone would have to be a complete idiot.

James @ Dec 9th 2007 7:07PM

Not really, mobile phone games have a strange market. Even if they're utter shit they still sell to mindless drones who think they're "it".

There was a small army of people at my college who bought games much worse looking than this, the same people who spent £3 for a ringtone on their non-polyphonic ancient Nokia back in 2002.

I commend and condemn the developers for being so smart and so sly.

ThornedVenom @ Dec 9th 2007 6:33PM

If the ad had the soundtrack with cell-phone loudspeaker quality, it wouldn't look as cool.

Jeff @ Dec 9th 2007 6:58PM

Is everyone in this thread forgetting that, in some dark corners of the galaxy, nearly-deaf aliens invented a miraculous hearing device; on Earth, us mortals call them headphones.

If this were done above 15 FPS, it really wouldn't be too bad. Just some crap to pass the time on the bus while listening to music.

Gangsta Smurf @ Dec 9th 2007 6:37PM

... Only for the N-Gage.

Roto13 @ Dec 9th 2007 6:50PM

Why would anyone play Guitar Hero without a guitar controller?

Jeff @ Dec 9th 2007 6:55PM

Because they want to use the ridiculous looking, extra-long necked, 4 button controller... er... the bass.

I wish. Some peripheral manufacturer really needs to make a ridiculous-looking, badass bass for Guitar Hero and Rock Band. As my drummer once insulted me: "Basses are basically funny-looking cheap, plastic guitars anyway".

Raikage (ROFLBERRY PWNCAKES Defence Force) @ Dec 9th 2007 6:53PM

Next up...

Guitar Hero on your microwave...

Kenofthedead @ Dec 9th 2007 7:06PM

It's a waste of money to get that.

Now Phase for the iPod is actualy rather good and fun, especialy as you can use any of your own songs. Harmonix did a good job on Phase with worthwhile game play.
MachineWorks did a horrible job on Guitar Hero Mobile.

B1gC72 @ Dec 9th 2007 8:30PM

don't forget the new PSP PSN download game, beats. it's supposedly just like Phase (dont have an iPod so i never played Phase). but yea you use your own music and it's really fun for those short trips and such. i havent stopped playing it since i got it lol.

SenorLopez @ Dec 9th 2007 7:25PM

WOOOO THIS HAS GAME OF THE YEAR WRITTEN ALL OVER IT!!!

Joe @ Dec 9th 2007 8:21PM

...I have it on my phone.

It's actually not bad, for a cell phone game. The framerate is decent (playable) and it's an OK distraction.

Cons- 15 songs (Miss Murder and Monsters among them), and to play a song, you have to waste 2 to 3 minutes downloading it. It's an assholish way to steal minutes from you. Also, it's only the first 2 to 3 minutes of the song.

I'd give it a 6/10.