[02.04.16] ‘Through the Fire and the Flames’ returns to ‘Guitar Hero’

Activision

When ‘Guitar Hero Live’ was revealed, no one looked at the redesigned controller without thinking “well, this just got harder.” Apparently, that overhaul was not hard enough for Activision and FreeStyleGames because they decided it was time for Dragon Force’s epic “Through the Fire and the Flames” to make its return to the Guitar Hero franchise – you know, because that song needed something to make it more challenging. However, if you want to play it, don’t expect your fingers to get a break. That is because it is currently debuting in a brand new GHTV event dubbed the “Shred-A-Thon,” which began yesterday, February 3.

The “Guitar Hero Live Shred-A-Thon,” which will run on a separate third GHTV channel, is a five-day special marathon event featuring only the most difficult “Guitar Hero” hits. This includes the highly anticipated return of “Through the Fire and the Flames” alongside Alter Bridge’s “Cry of Achilles,” Megadeath’s “Hangar 18,” Lamb of God’s “Ghost Walking,” and Trivium’s “Strife.” These five songs will be on repeat until the marathon ends, after which “Through the Fire and the Flames” will be added to the game’s regular catalogue.

“The Guitar Hero community is the lifeblood of the game, so we knew we had to do something huge to bring back one of the most beloved songs of all time,”

said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director and Co-Head of FreeStyleGames. “Everyone at the studio has fond memories with ‘Through the Fire and Flames,’ so we decided to take it up a notch and combine it with the toughest songs in the game hand-picked by us to create the ultimate challenge: a five-day shredder marathon. It is time to crank it up to expert difficulty and show us what you got!”

Every song in the playlist is also Rival Challenge-enabled, meaning players have the option of competing head-to-head against matchmade players during each song. Once you top those leaderboards, you can tweet a screenshot of your high scores to the @GuitarHero Twitter for a chance to win in-game prizes, including an exclusive Player Card and song play tokens, as well as some real-world prizes, such as “Guitar Hero Live” controllers, “Guitar Hero Live” t-shirts, and more.

Since the game’s launch in October 2015, the catalog has seen vast expansion with the likes of Def Leppard, Fall Out Boy, The Strokes, Weezer, The Dead Weather, and so many more. The “Shred-A-Thon” ends February 8, at 9:00 AM CST and the catalog expansion will then include the most iconic “Guitar Hero” track of all time.

[11.05.15] ‘Guitar Hero Live’ celebrates launch with free all access weekend

Activision

Since its release two weeks ago, fans of “Guitar Hero Live” have been rocking along to over 200 songs in the GHTV catalog. The first ever playable music video network features an endless playlist of songs that are available 24-7 for players to drop in and out of. Beginning today, Nov 4, 2015, Activision and FreeStyleGames are kicking off their regular updates that will be available to all players who purchased the game entirely free of charge. The already extensive library will continue to grow with plans to expand by an additional 70 songs by the end of the year.

In celebration of all of this, Activision is giving all players of “Guitar Hero Live” unlimited on-demand access to the entire GHTV catalog through the whole weekend, beginning this Friday at 4:00 AM PST.

This week, GHTV kicks off their launch with a new live show, some legendary rock songs, and a collection of classic pop songs to round out the music video selection.

Starting this Friday, three brand new songs from the Black Veil Brides will be added to the rotation of GHTV. “Heart of Fire (Live),” “Fallen Angels (Live),” and “In the End (Live)” were all recorded from performances on the Black Mass Tour in November 2014 at the legendary Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. These performances are a part of Black Veil Brides’ first live concert DVD “Alive and Burning” and will all be playable as a part of GHTV network.

Along with these live performances, several new music videos have found their way into the rotation. This includes some staples of both the rock and pop genres. “Monster” by Paramore, “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy, and “First Date” by Blink-182 have already debuted on GHTV. With them comes “Chocolate” by The 1975, “Believer” by American Authors, and “Budapest” by George Ezra.

The fun does not stop there, however! In the coming weeks, fans can expect countless more songs to join the network. Both playable concert footage and music videos from a wide variety of artists will be available from the likes of Judas Priest, Iggy Pop, Bully, Leon Bridges, Biffy Clyro, Weezer, Rival Sons, St. Vincent, Alice in Chains, System of a Down, Bring Me the Horizon, and many more.

Most new music will launch as a part of premium shows before making their way into the regular rotation and on-demand catalog. During that time, players can complete in-game challenges to unlock the chance to play a premium show. After successfully performing a premium show, players have the opportunity to earn in-game prizes such as status and coin boosts, unique player cards, or note highways to show off while playing online. Once the premium show finishes, the songs will then typically be released to the GHTV channels and be available for play using on-demand tokens or passes.

To keep up to date on the latest Guitar Hero news, check out www.guitarhero.com, www.facebook.com/GuitarHero, www.youtube.com/guitarhero, or by following @guitarhero on Twitter and Instagram.

[06.09.15] ‘Guitar Hero Live’ E3 preview

It’s been almost a month since the exciting announcement of the return of “Guitar Hero.” Since then, a steady stream of songs has been released to help tease the excitement of the game. Included tracks have spanned the likes of Killswitch Engage, Ed Sheeran, Tenacious D, Anthrax, and Skrillix, to name just a few. We’ve seen some returning favorites, some highly request tracks, and some wonderful surprises as well. Any fan should be able to be able to find something they love and should, hopefully, discover something new along the way as well. If you haven’t yet, don’t fret, as there’s still plenty to come. It should be time for another #TrackListTuesday on this Tuesday, June 9; however, E3 is less than a week away, so instead of a track list, it’s time for some more exciting announcements!

During the initial reveal of “Guitar Hero Live,” the new GHTV was also unveiled. GHTV brings the popular trend of recent music streaming services, such as the newly revealed Apple Music, to the “Guitar Hero” experience. In essence, GHTV will be the very first playable music video network. It will be constantly updated with a bevy of new tracks, including old favorites and, again, hopefully plenty of new music for players to discover and love. So far, over 54 artists’ songs have already been confirmed for the game’s library. GHTV will be online 24/7/365, with a nonstop playlist, meaning players will probably be able to drop in and out freely, much like the “party mode” of previous “Guitar Hero” games. Exact details on this as well as additional information on the service will be covered during E3 next week.

Speaking of E3, Activision and FreeStyleGames also confirmed today the “Guitar Hero Live” will be available to play at E3.

“We’ve been working super hard on ‘Guitar Hero Live’ for years, so we’re so stoked to show people more of the game every chance we get and to give fans a chance to play it themselves,” said Jamie Jackson, Creative Director and Co-Head of FreeStyleGames. “Five years is a long time. Not only has technology changed, but we’ve had years to think about what makes Guitar Hero so much fun to play and also to talk to fans about what they loved most about the original game. We’ve developed an awesome new experience built from the ground up and we are integrating new technology and techniques that just weren’t possible back then. GHTV is a huge part of that and comes with a bunch of new songs, of which we’ll announce more next week. See you at E3!”

“Guitar Hero Live” launches Fall 2015 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, and select phone and tablet devices. If you missed the initial announcement, you can see it – along with the reveal trailer – here.

In case you’ve missed any or all of the #TrackListTuesday announcements, here’s a rundown of the complete set list so far.

June 2, 2015

Queen – “Tie Your Mother Down”

Alice in Chains – Stone”

Bullet For My Valentine – “Temper Temper”

Deap Valley – “Lies”

Wolfmother – “Sundial”

Weezer – “Buddy Holly”

Angus & Julia Stone – “A Heartbreak”

Catfish and the Bottlemen – “Kathleen”

Neon Trees – “Everybody Talks”

New Politics – “Harlem”

May 26, 2015

Halestorm – “Love Bites (So Do I)”

Tenacious D – “Tribute”

Beartooth – “I Have a Problem”

Pearl Jam – “Mind Your Manners”

Rise Against – “Tragedy + Time”

Soundgarden – “Been Away Too Long”

Anthrax – “Got the Time”

Architects – “Gravedigger”

Chevelle – “The Clincher”

A Day To Remember – “Right Back At It Again”

May 19, 2015

Royal Blood – “Little Monster”

Marilyn Manson – “Disposable Teens”

Killswitch Engage – “In Due Time”

Marmozets – “Move Shake Hide”

Of Mice & Men – “Bones Exposed”

Deftones – “Diamond Eyes”

Vista Chino – “Sweet Remain”

Bring Me the Horizon – “Shadow Moses”

Mastodon – “High Road”

Trivium – “Strife”

May 12, 2015

Rage Against The Machine – “Guerrilla Radio”

The Killers – “When You Were Young”

The Lumineers – “Ho Hey”

Skrillex – “Bangarang”

Sleigh Bells – “Bitter Rivals”

Ed Sheeran – “Sing”

Blitz Kids – “Sometimes”

ALT-J – “Left Hand Free”

Broken Bells – “Leave It Alone”

The Black Keys – “Gold on the Ceiling”

The War on Drugs – “Under The Pressure”

Garry Clark Jr. – “Don’t Owe You a Thang”

My Chemical Romance – “Na Na Na”

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”

Pantera – “Cowboys from Hell”

The Pretty Reckless – “Going to Hell”

System of a Down – “Chop Suey!”

Fall Out Boy – “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)”

The Rolling Stones – “Paint It Black”

Green Day – “Nuclear Family”

Alter Bridge – “Cry of Achilles”

Black Veil Brides – “In The End”

Judas Priest – “Breaking the Law”

Pierce The Veil – “King for a Day (Feat. Kellin Quinn)”

[04.14.15] Activision unveils 'Guitar Hero Live'

Activision

It’s time to get real. Real different, anyway. That’s because Activision announced this morning, April 14, that the beloved blockbuster franchise “Guitar Hero” is making its return later this year with “Guitar Hero Live” and with it comes an entirely new experience. “Guitar Hero Live” will feature changes on both the physical and digital sides of the game, and it’s unlike anything that has launched before.

Everything about “Guitar Hero Live” is about creating a more real, live experience. The game puts you in the first-person perspective up on stage with real, live band mates and a real, live audience that dynamically reacts, in real time, to everything you do. The better you play, the happier everyone is. If you start to stink it up, well… be ready for their wrath. As the lead guitarist, it all falls on you, from the smallest bar venues to the largest stadium rock concert. Can you handle the pressure of a real stage environment?

If not, maybe the second offering of “Guitar Hero Live,” known as “Guitar Hero TV,” is more your style. GHTV is the first-of-its-kind playable music video network. If you’re familiar with the Xbox exclusive karaoke game “Lips,” it’s just like that, only with a guitar. The platform will be constantly evolving and will feature multiple channels and themed shows as well as the ability to play songs on-demand. Players can take on their friends in the same room or attempt to climb the online leaderboards from around the world. GHTV will elevate the unmatched party atmosphere and encourage music discovery.

A major physical change comes to “Guitar Hero Live” with a completely redesigned controller that marries the feel of the vintage axe with the new in-game experience. Much like how the live experience emulates realism, the new 3x2 layout of the controller is supposed to make playing “Guitar Hero Live” feel more like a real guitar. It provides gameplay that is easy to learn but difficult to master. On expert mode, the unique button layout will create an experience closer to playing chords and playing multiple strings than has ever been done in “Guitar Hero” before.

“Guitar Hero Live” offers you the opportunity to play your way with multiple game modes and a release that spans consoles, tablets, and mobile phones. It will release this Fall on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and the Wii U. Select mobile devices will be announced soon.