Guitar Hero World Tour Arrives With A Party

The new version of the Guitar Hero franchise boasts some changes and was launched with — what else? — a rock'n'roll party.

Guitar Hero World Tour, the fourth part of the successful Guitar Hero franchise, went on sale in the UK on Friday, heralded by a launch party with music by metalcore band Bullet for My Valentine, while attendees could pretend to be rock stars by performing for the crowd.

Neversoft’s Guitar Hero World Tour boasts some changes from its predecessors. The look of the guitar has been changed, and it now has a touch-sensitive panel for those especially fancy fretboard flourishes. But now there’s also a drum kit and microphone, in a move reminiscent of Rock Band, and more than 80 new tracks from major bands like Korn (and even Fleetwood Mac for the nostalgia factor).

So what was the initial verdict? Fred Dutton of Official Nintendo Magazine told the BBC:

"It’s a big step forward from the last game, it’s got something for everyone. It makes you feel like you’re actually playing the instrument. The game’s competing with Rock Band and they’re both doing similar things. But I think Guitar Hero does it slightly better."