Guitar Hero World Tour: The Best, The Worst, and Everything in Between
by Derek Wilson on October 31, 2008 7:10 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
The Instruments: The Guitar and Mic
So here it is: the thing we like best about GHWT. The new guitar is terrific. Hopefully in the next version of Guitar Hero we'll see them steal the auto calibration idea from Harmonix, but other than that this is a great controller. First let's compare it with the old Guitar Hero controller.
Aside from the neck slide, the changes are subtle. The strumbar is longer, which is awesome. It's solid and clicks when engaged and not sloppy like the RB2 strumbar (also awesome). There is an added star power button right next to the strumbar with two start buttons on either side. This is a great idea, but for the way I play (not sure about everyone else) I would prefer the star power button be a little lower than the strum bar, lets say about the width of my palm away.
This little bone in the black circle causes my problems ...
Right now it's possible to hit the button, but I've really got to take my hand off the strumbar to do it (which defeats the purpose). When I try and press it, I just hit the start button (along side the star power button) with what I believe is my pisiform bone (or something else that protrudes from the volar surface of the proximal row of the carpus).
This both engages star power (if I'm lucky) and pauses the game. This is not optimal.
Probably the nicest thing is that the fret buttons are easier to push down. They feel the same, but just lightly tapping them activates them now, which is much nicer on strained hand muscles, especially after hours of playing. We still prefer the button style of the RB2 controller, but the major advantage (the decreased forced required to play) is now nullified.
On top of this, the GHWT instruments now feature a connection for the XBox live headset. This is great for online play and is definitely something missing from the RB2 instruments. They also continue to include the RJ11 connector for attaching a pedal to activate star power. Which is a better way to do it than tilt or buttons, but requires the purchase of an add on (or some DIY hacking and an old phone).
So on to the new hardware: the touch sensitive neck slide. This is a pretty interesting feature, but we couldn't get much use out of it. When the "slider gems" pop up it's really difficult to switch between the fret buttons and the neck slide and back again. It's also tough to tap normal notes on the neck slide with the right timing and accuracy. We REALLY want to be able to use this like normal buttons: I want to hold my finger on the green pad and strum a note. Currently this can't be done, which really doesn't make any sense at all. It fells more like a real guitar, would allow easier sliding between notes than any buttons ever, and would really add to the experience.
All in all, the neck slide is a cool idea that fell way too short with this first implementation. Hopefully next time around we'll see them get it right, but right now it's just taking up space on the controller.
Overall, the Guitar Hero World Tour guitar controller is a good balance and easier for me to play than the RB2 controller. Keep in mind I prefer the RB style controller over the original GH controllers, so the subtle tweaks to the rest of the guitar really made a difference for me. Of course, your mileage may vary. Both controllers are good and it will likely come down to personal preference on which one you go with.
Beyond hardware, GHWT extends the functionality of the game a bit. They've added open notes (represented the same way a kick drum hit would be shown on the drums: a horizontal purple line across the highway). These notes are strummed with no buttons held down. It gets really cool with open note pull offs and makes for some more intricate gameplay. With Rock Band 2 I always found myself holding down the lowest note I needed and just playing the upper ones over top, but with the introduction of open notes you've got to be able to lift all the way off and come back. It's really just another subtle step towards better emulation of real guitar techniques. We're still a long long way off on that, but every step in that direction is a good one.
Another really neat feature is that sustained notes can be sustained /through/ other notes. For example, let's say you play a green sustained note. In some songs, you can hold this down and keep playing other colored notes on top of it. It's actually pretty cool and well done in the songs where we've seen it. This and the other tweaks to the guitar really do make it so that GHWT comes out ahead in terms of a guitar and bass for music games. That's not to say that Rock Band 2 is way off, as you can see if you search youtube for head to head videos. But simply playing the guitar and bass on GHWT is more fun with the extras.
As for the mic, it's the same as the Rock Band mic. You have to tap it to activate star power, but this just does not work. It's way too difficult, and we've tried different types and styles of tapping and it's really hit or miss (pardon the pun). The better way to go is to hit any of the 4 main buttons on the XBox controller. This is even easier if you go with a 3rd party mic that doubles as a controller so you don't have to hold two things to sing.
The only other thing to mention about singing is that it is MUCH pickier about getting it right than Rock Band or Rock Band 2. Singing on hard is VERY hard. And that's not just cause I have a hard time with it. It's cause it's actually difficult. You've really got to nail the transitions between notes and words to get by in this game.
On to the drums.
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crash resistant - Monday, November 3, 2008 - link
Reply:1: You can hit both cymbals (can't believe I misspelled that 100 times) anytime and you will NOT lose your streak. It will automatically hit whatever notes were there. Try it. You need to try it before assuming you will lose your streak. Perhaps you are trying it at a bad time and not hitting them at the same time? I find this a fun and rewarding gameplay element. The only downside is that it is harder than the solo-session that RB provides. However the downside to RB is the solo-sections are not part of the original songs and, IMO, ruin the drumming in the song.
2: The kick will not slide if you don't push it away with your foot. You should practice going down with the foot instead of forward. As a novice drummer I found my leg to wear out faster and get knee pain after long sessions when I was carelessly kicking instead of bouncing or tapping.... Seriously- try aiming "further up" on the pedal instead of just applying random pressure on the entire thing.
In response to this article I had a friend play who I consider, well, an animal. His pedal moved about 6 inches by the end of Soul Doubt. This guy isn't a drummer or coordinated by any means- so it was the very best "worst case" scenario I could find.
In comparison, the RB2 pedal is crap because it feels like you have to travel twice the distance. I would prefer to hone my skills to use the GH pedal and have a much better experience than use the current RB2.
With that said, I can't wait for GH5 or RB3's kits- assuming they are even more tweaked.
3: The cymbals are not responsive in terms of "bounce"... I agree. They aren't brass or sheet metal... they are really thick pieces of crap. However they are 100x better than another drum to emulate a cymbal.
4: Oh yeah.. you can go progressive with cymbals with drums... true. However it's never going to appear or feel natural. It's relatively much harder and requires practice on different kits as they are all arranged differently.
E.g. I began drumming on a kit with a snare, two toms, and a floor tom. I got used to the 4. Then I played at a friend's house for several days and he had only 1 tom. It took some serious getting used to. Similar to having a splash cymbal front and center between your toms. It's awesome- but awkward at first.
5: The interface loads faster time-wise and feels better overall. Changing difficulty in the middle of a song with 4 players takes, at the most, 30 seconds. Try that on RB. (oh wait you can't) hehe
6: I was in line in front of Best Buy on Sunday morning. There were 24 people in line. After the store manager came out and asked to divide the line based on preorders, he asked for a raise of hands. I followed with this question: "HOW MANY OF US ARE BUYING THIS GAME BECAUSE THERE ARE 3 TOOL SONGS ON IT?"
I would say... all but 5-10 at the most didn't raise their hand. Proof that GH may just be a huge marketing game. (songs, cymbals, studio, etc)
I still love it and will buy both games until they merge or I die.
aGreenAgent - Saturday, November 1, 2008 - link
I couldn't disagree more with on the drum section of the review.First of all, the kick pedal is substantially better than Rock Band's. I've been playing drums for years, and this is much closer to the feel of a real kick pedal. I can't get the kick to move one bit. Once I set that kick pedal on the ground, it usually takes me a few seconds to peel it back off the ground. Enormous improvement over rock band. Also, double and triple kicks on the RB pedal are almost painfully difficult, but they're easy on the GHWT pedal. This pedal just feels much more like a real pedal.
Also, I've had no trouble playing anything, the layout of the drum kit in the game matches my real kit's almost exactly (except the ride is a little further to the left than it would be).
dblagent - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
Look on the GHWT forums and you will see a LOT of upset people with instrument problems. The drums have got some press now, and they say that new production is fixed, but it is not confirmed as of yet that is for sure.As for me, I purchased the guitar and game kit, and the down strum broke on the guitar after just three hours use on easy mode! This seems to be a common problem reported widely and as of yet there has been no reply from the company. I exchanged and got a new one, and it now has about 4 hours on it and the strum has started squeaking horribly on the up strums. I strum up, my wife strums down so it is getting equal wear, but now this one needs exchanged as it is too bad to play with that is for sure! This was also reported on the GHWT forums and I can now confirm it too. Moral is, maybe wait for them to sort the issues out before I can recommend purchasing.
Lastly, the manufacturer is telling people to send in the instruments for exchange or repair, but you have to pay for the shipping! When RB had trouble they helped the customers for free and footed the bill, GH is not going to apparently. Not very cool on their part, and it is angering the early adopters who are the biggest fans. Hope they can sort all this out.
Now to do my second exchange tomorrow. Do like the game itself though, it just works better with my old guitars! I also looked at the demo guitars on display at Best Buy and the strum is different than what you get in the retail box. It is better feeling, stronger spring and better click feedback and feels GREAT. The ones you get in the box are more mushy and feel different. The ones in the store are wired, but otherwise identical units. I assume they are wired so no batteries and no theft, but I want one of those! They actually work. Myself and two employees compared both the first bad one and the one I exchanged for and there we could all tell the difference in the strum. Strange.
djdjohnson - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
It's interesting that Rock Band is given the nod in this review. I own all of the RB and GH games, and I definitely prefer GH over RB.The main reason is that I find Rock Band not challenging enough. With most songs in RB, I 5-* the songs the first time through on Expert, and pass all of them on the first attempt (with a couple exceptions). In GH I 5-* a few at the beginning of a career, but by 1/3 into the career I'm barely passing the songs the first time through. Any farther and I usually have to play them a time or two before I can get it down.
I may be off base here, but if people are able to breeze through the hardest difficulty level in a game the first time through, doesn't that take some of the fun out of it?
My other big gripe with RB is the constant repetition of songs. When you pick the "random set list" option the game might pick a song, then that same song appears again on the next set list you have to play. If all of the songs were awesome, this wouldn't be such an annoyance, but it seems like most of the time it's the songs I don't like playing. It has made me turn off the game a few times because of it. Playing through a bad song once is frustrating enough, but to be asked to play it twice nearly in a row is enough to send me over the edge.
And contrary to the opinion of the author of this article, I actually like the layout of the GHWT drums. I did have to run their calibration utility to get mine to work properly, but once I did they are WAY better in every way than the RB version. And I actually like the pedal better too, despite its "wobbliness." It's a lot easier on the calf muscles than the Rock Band version. No more burning leg muscles for me.
Woodchuck2000 - Monday, November 3, 2008 - link
I'm with you on that one... The fundamental problem I found with RB is that all of the songs are just too easy. If I can sight-read my way through on Expert getting 5* all the way, then where's the challenge?I actually like the fact that I'm stuck on the last couple of songs for GH3 on expert - it's always good to have a challenge!
Does anyone know how guitar difficulty compares with RB1 and GH3?
crimson117 - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
Regarding paying for gigs, many bands have a choice:1. Get hired directly by the venue/event organizers and get paid a flat rate (like playing a wedding or cruise ship)
2. Agreeing to play at a venue for no fee and just splitting the ticket revenue with the venue
3. Pay to rent out the venue and sell your own tickets, provide your own security, etc, taking on the risk and keeping the profits yourself.
Phish actually got started that 3rd way. "On January 26, 1989, Phish played the Paradise Rock Club in Boston, Massachusetts. The owners of the club had never heard of Phish and refused to book them, so the band rented the club for the night. The show sold out due to the caravan of fans that had traveled to see the band."
DerekWilson - Monday, November 3, 2008 - link
i've done 1) and 2) but never 3) ...that's a very interesting point though ...
Myrandex - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
On the last page..."We prefer the non-cartoonish look over Rock Band, but that's just a preference issue really."I really think RB looks a lot less cartoonish than GHWT.
I think that I will rent this one to just play some of the cooler songs on here. I'm all about LP's "What I've Done" and the Tool songs look pretty sweet. There were some other ones on the list too that looked good, but of course there will always be some bad ones too.
Sanctusx2 - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
You mentioned that the RB2 instruments don't have XBL headset plugs. That's incorrect.I usually play guitar and drums with the headset plugged in and it works fine. Maybe you missed it? They are pretty small holes.
jnmfox - Friday, October 31, 2008 - link
That's what she said...