As promised last week, here it is…

Guitar Hero IV !!!

(Actually, it's Guitar Hero: On Tour, but just to make it easier to write, let's just go with GH4)

Hold your breath, 'cause there's a lot of info here, I'll try to summarize the best I can.

Custom Guitars:  you may not know this, but a few months ago, Gibson and Activision had a pretty bad feud that ended in a lawsuit. The result was Activision and Gibson basically saying "screw you" to each other.  This means there are no officially licensed Gibson guitars this time around. 

What does this amount to?

Activision saw this as an opening to get creative, and so now, when you play the game, you'll have a chance to create the dream axe you've always wanted!  From what I’ve read, the customization is rather meticulous, but in a good way!  You can choose the pickups, neck, head, body, body paint & design, and even fret dot designs. I'm curious to see how far this goes, but customization freaks, rejoice! (and you'll be rejoicing much more in a minute)

The Band:  This time around, the developers have taken a major leap forward with the inclusion of drums and vocals, even if it isn't that new of an idea (cough, Rock Band, cough).

The major difference is that the drum pad has three drum pads, two elevated cymbals, and a kick pedal.  In the end, that makes six notes, which is one more than Rock Band. Does that mean that it's harder? Probably.  The developers also stated that the pad is much quieter and much more durable than Rock Band's, so hopefully you can actually hear the music this time around over the drummer's beating.

Create a Rocker:  Just like Rock Band, except much, much deeper.  Just as an example, you can create your own tattoos, face paint, select hairstyles, see rocker poses they will use, etc., etc., etc.

Song List:  Not much is known right now, but they have announced that Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park, and Sublime are included in the set list.  The developers promise a bigger set list than ever before, and some real “Triple A” bands this time around, so we'll see how it turns out. 

Oh, and for the hardcore players out there, they've announced that they will have more than one "insane song of the game" this time, but for right now, they just announced Dream Theater was to be included, and with John Petrucci in that band being a madman on the real fretboard, get ready!

Make-a-Song:  You heard it right, you can actually make songs, record them, and upload them to the internet for millions to play your creation.  The interface works a lot like Apple's "Garage Band" software, but much more in depth.  I don't have all the specifics, but you choose your notes, (like G#, B, C, etc.) and make the scales, solos, and chords towards your song.  So, in a sense, this could have potential in helping you with the real thing if you work with it long enough, helping develop pitch. (of course, the real thing would be better...) However, it's nice to see something constructive, both literally and figuratively, come from Guitar Hero.

That's it for this week, see you next time (and try to practice the real thing more!)