Activision CEO introduces Guitar Hero World Tour
by Ross Miller 
{ May 28th 2008 at 6:00PM }
Instead, Kotick had Paula Abdul pull four people from the audience -- one of them just happened to be legendary skateboarder (and Activision franchiser) Tony Hawk -- to play an unnamed Lenny Kravitz song (we're guessing "Are You Gonna Go My Way," since it was used in the trailer). We've embedded the video, which features some in-game footage, after the break.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
loungemonkey @ May 28th 2008 6:03PM
Ahhh Activision....nothing like grinding out games till the sun goes down.
Seriously....stop with the GHs for awhile.
Co @ May 28th 2008 6:45PM
And so the downfall of the music gaming genre commenced.
jsn @ May 28th 2008 7:16PM
It's about as bad a blatant rip off of Rock Band as you can get, but Rock Band simply looks.. better..
also the drums are just different. Hard to say they're better. The guy is playing them like they're made of paper.
Tiptup300 @ May 28th 2008 7:38PM
I love the players faces, looks like they are all having a blast.
(-_-) (o_o) (-_-) (*o*) ('>')
Vcize @ May 28th 2008 10:28PM
"It's about as bad a blatant rip off of Rock Band as you can get"
Yeah because rectangle notes and calling star power "overdrive" are so original.
I realize they created the franchise, but when you're starting over with a new one you could at least change up its core a *little* bit, like maybe not making star power have the exact same effect and note charts work with the exact same vertical scroll with a 5th orange button added on hard difficulty?
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ May 28th 2008 11:13PM
Actually, rectangle notes originate in the Bemani franchise. But that's neither here nor there.
"Holy crap, Harmonix totally stole their own game!"
Seriously, vcise. If you're going to be an activision tool at least realize a few things I noticed while watching this clip....
1. Oh look, they brought back the original meter which didn't suck! Neversoft apparently realized they couldn't design a decent GUI to save their life so instead they just copy pasta'd the old one.
2. Amazing how the screen layout is 100% identical... of wait, the score meter is on the left now instead of the right. They are really cranking up the originality on this one.
3. Despite having a full year to stare in awe of Rock Band while taking notes, the band, the group, the scenery, everything basically holds about as much love and attention to care as an art staff who's basically just showing up for the paycheck. Rock Band's visuals apply filters, zoom in, display a wide variety of performances, and has a rock band feel to it beyond compared. Guitar Hero IV basically, well, stand there. Set pieces with no energy, no feeling of performing a concert, no interacting between the members.
I said it before, I'll say it again. I don't have a problem with competition in this genre, in fact I encourage it. But we're not seeing competition. We're seeing Konami stumbling drunkenly on stage like Amy Winehouse and Activision throwing up a massive "me too" logo on all their shit. Harmonix is not only leading this industry, but their drawing the map for where Activision is going to fuck up next.
Chase @ May 28th 2008 6:07PM
I skipped around in the video, but did I see Paula Abdul in the background? Is her presence a harbinger for Guitar Hero: Bratz?
liquid_kore @ Jun 2nd 2008 10:50AM
There is nothing more rock and roll than Paula Abdul.
Delgado @ May 28th 2008 6:08PM
Totally worth watching to hear the lady go "isn't that called Rock Band?"
copa @ May 28th 2008 6:33PM
Yeah, that was even better than watching him pimp out a miserable Tony Hawk.
"You see folks, Tony was once the face of a critically acclaimed extreme sports videogame franchise, which we ran into the ground. So now he's going to ride out his endorsement awkwardly holding a plastic guitar."
"Be sure to catch him next month, when he'll be wearing an army helmet and reading a cue card that says, 'Buy Call of Duty 5, developed by Treyarch'."
Youthinized @ May 29th 2008 3:43PM
Yup.
I yelled BURRRNN!!! at the computer, cuz that was pretty harsh and hilarious.
RobLink (Return of the McElroy Defence Force) @ May 28th 2008 6:08PM
"It's called Rock Band I think" "We're calling it Guitar Hero: World Tour". Brilliant!
RobLink (Return of the McElroy Defence Force) @ May 28th 2008 6:19PM
Also, Joystiq, I'm getting that fappin' HD hummingbird ad avery other time I click on something. Reply? ADVERT! Page 2? ADVERT! Comments? ADVERT! And sometimes now it seems as though it's learned that I hit 'skip' within 1/2 second EVERY time and decides to ignore me. It's fast becoming frustrating - please look into it. I understand that there need to be some adverts to keep you all in gold chains and comfy sofas and whatever the devil it is that you bloggers need to sustain you, but it's just getting silly now!
MechaDEVO @ May 28th 2008 6:41PM
Firefox + AdBlock
matthew_neitzer @ May 28th 2008 6:58PM
... doesn't always work.
Einhanderkiller @ May 28th 2008 7:14PM
+ filterset.g
mike @ May 28th 2008 8:19PM
you know morons, when a webpage does not display properly/has problems, the solution is not to get firefox, the solution is to fix the damn code on the page so it displays properly in all browsers. When I complained RobLink I got the same response from those firefox hounds.
I use avant browser, and it never works. If I try long enough I can usually start a comment, but I cant reply to anybodies. to reply, like im doing now, I must switch to internet explorer. And even then it takes like 15 reloads before it actually works properly, and the hummingbird ad goes away.
Its been like this for over a month now and its realy annoying. I dont understand why joystiq has not fixed this. Whats worse is its just the one ad, and it has the need to come up on every click, comments, then again on replying, for EVERY story.
Why not make it come up once a day, or at least per hour, and make it WORK with browsers, especially the default one that comes with windows.
RobLink (Return of the McElroy Defence Force) @ May 28th 2008 8:48PM
Thank you Mike. I know nothing really about computers, have no clue what the hell +filterset.g means, and I'm sure this makes me less of a man that the experts above. But the fact is that the ads used to pop up every hour or so, mybe half hour if I was busy on here. Now I'm getting the damn ads with every other click. It's really annoying, and I'd hope that the 'Stiqers care enough about their readers and the community that has come about here to do something to help us. Chris? Luddy? Anyone? Hearing me? HELP!
Anticrawl @ May 28th 2008 8:57PM
You know I use IE7 w/ MS's ad blocking service on max and a community memory leak patch and I've yet to see whatever the hell you guys are talking about. In fact I will probably never go back to that clusterfuck of poor coding called Firefox.
Geoffrey @ May 29th 2008 9:51AM
@mike:
I had never heard of the Avant Browser before, so I went to see what the dealio was. For the heck of it, I decided to run it past Acid3. Failed 88 tests out of the 100. Ran it past Acid2. Not pretty... not pretty at all.
If your browser of choice chooses to be so incredibly standards non-compliant, I don't see how you can expect a website to program for it, especially when so much effort would be required for a userbase so small.
I'm not going to say you should get Firefox, but I will say: Get a better browser.
d3rr1ck64 @ May 28th 2008 6:09PM
Wow, good job on copying Rock Band's multiplayer interface Activision...
I mean come on -- if you're gonna steal someone elses idea can't you at least just attempt to pull out some originality?
NATO_Duke @ May 28th 2008 6:11PM
..said GH to RB when it was made too.
d3rr1ck64 @ May 28th 2008 6:14PM
Well, seeing as how the first two GH's were made by Harmonix, it's wasn't exactly 'stealing'.
Plus, they changed the notes from being to circular to being rectangular -- now that's originality!
loungemonkey @ May 28th 2008 6:14PM
Umm Rockband was created by the original team that made Guitar Hero (though Konami beat them all to the punch with a guitar game).
Moorio - XBL: peacebyanymeans @ May 28th 2008 6:16PM
Fuck Guitar Hero.
RESISTANCE @ May 28th 2008 6:17PM
Oh NATO, NATO
How many times does the fact that Rock Band is made by the original creators of GH. GH just has the name.
Futuramaguy42 @ May 28th 2008 6:31PM
His comment is true, Guitar Hero was made before Rock Band, so there getting back at Rock Band by stealing its ideas because it stole there idea in the first place. Neither games are original anymore.
tmacairjordan87 @ May 28th 2008 6:36PM
Dude you're not getting it. The people who made rock band made guitar hero 1 and 2 and created the idea. HOW CAN YOU RIP YOURSELF OFF?
Sora267 @ May 28th 2008 6:51PM
Saying that Harmonix ripped off Guitar Hero to make Rock Band is like saying that Nintendo ripped off of the Gamecube to make the Wii.
Noshino @ May 28th 2008 8:51PM
tmac,
The idea wasn't created by Harmonix, you should look up Guitar Freaks
NATO_Duke @ May 28th 2008 6:10PM
I am so overhyped on GH and RB at this point. Give us a month of no GH news releases please!
Noshino @ May 28th 2008 8:59PM
yah, Im actually hyped about this game
As you can see on the video, the dude playing the drums was hitting them too strong the first few times, you can hear the loud notes, and afterwards he understood that he had to hit them lower...
That is awesome! Harmonix has to come up with an idea like that that in a way penalizes you for hitting the drum too hard
Young_Nastyman @ May 29th 2008 12:04PM
he wasn't getting penalized, he probably realized (or got yelled at by someone off stage) that the damn thing was gonna fall apart if he kept going at that rate
GatorSax2010 @ May 28th 2008 6:10PM
Awkward promotional event moment of the day:
CEO: It'll be the first time you can have multiple instruments--drums, mic, bass...
HOST: It's called "Rock Band," I think.
CEO: ...We're calling it "Guitar Hero World Tour."
tmacairjordan87 @ May 28th 2008 6:28PM
Hearing that in the vid made my day. Loved seeing them get called out for copying, and it was towards the CEO of activision no less. Pure gold.
GoldenS1104 @ May 28th 2008 6:11PM
Tony Hawk looked like he was having loads of fun. *sarcasm*
mundox @ May 28th 2008 6:31PM
If you actually want to hit the keys you have to concentrate... I have never seen a "fun" concentrated face :P
Helloimbob @ May 28th 2008 6:12PM
I think this calls for a:
Once you go Rock Band, you never go back.
whymog @ May 28th 2008 8:14PM
Amen.
Travis @ May 28th 2008 6:13PM
Show more gameplay plz
Geoffrey @ May 28th 2008 6:16PM
Bobby: "...which is the first time you'll have multiple instruments: drums, mic, a bass, different guitar..."
Kara: "Called Rock Band, I think?"
Bobby: "We're calling it Guitar Hero: World Tour"
Listening to that, I couldn't help but think "first time"? Really? And then Kara called him out on it, which made me happy.
On the video: Disappointing not to see how they're displaying the bass drum beats, but the 5 colors do match the 5 pads, so so much for the theory that the elevated pads were interchangeable (hit either, same effect). Also, using standard 5-button GHIII controllers, so are the extra buttons seen in the previous commercial going to be "optional" buttons like Rock Band's high frets?
Paulo Rules @ May 28th 2008 6:52PM
About the bass beats for the drums, there were very, very faint lines scrolling down like RB drums.
shadowchaoscontrol @ May 28th 2008 7:23PM
good, now we all know wii owners don't have to shell out another 70 bucks for a mew shell
JimyD @ May 28th 2008 6:18PM
Nice plug for Rock Band from the interviewer.
Lone Starr @ May 28th 2008 6:22PM
"10 Note Two Player Streak" really rolls off the tongue, Activision.
tmacairjordan87 @ May 28th 2008 6:30PM
Normally I would not buy this or even think about it and curse Guitar Hero for how shitty it has become.
But then I heard eruption is going to be in GH 4 and now I want it. Quick Harmonix release eruption before I sell my soul
B3astofthe3ast @ May 28th 2008 8:57PM
Yea, there definatly gonna put Eruption in GH: WT, because it has such outstanding vocals...:/
Another reason why GH should stay with just guitars; no more cool songs w/ no vocals.
Ahmedz @ May 28th 2008 6:31PM
pretty soon they're gonna rename it into RockBand Hero: World Tour and its gonna make 15000 sequels.............
RESISTANCE @ May 28th 2008 6:31PM
LOL YES called out for ripping of Rock Band. Oh BTW Tony Hawk sucks all i heard was missed guitar notes.
Demosthenes @ May 28th 2008 6:48PM
Someone fill me in on why the hate for Activision and GH? Activision hasn't done anything bad for the series, its only made it better so far. Harmonix has gone onto Rock Band, which of certain aspects i love, but others I hate. Such as why they made it so I can't even figure out what a hammer-on and pull-off is anymore from normal notes. So really, why dis GH?