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Games Entertainment

Seven Tracks for 80s Guitar Hero Announced 130

Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog has a partial track list for Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s , an upcoming expansion for the hit music game. Poster Ben Kuchera wonders aloud about the report that it will be 'exclusively for the PlayStation 2'; given the recent release of Guitar Hero on the 360 it makes little sense that we won't see the new tracks as downloadable content. The tracks announced so far: "I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister), I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls), Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt), I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow), Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot), Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio), Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)"
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Seven Tracks for 80s Guitar Hero Announced

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  • by morari ( 1080535 )
    ...can make up for the overwhelming load of crap that are the other tracks. I guess it's not inherently the game's fault though, the 80s wasn't a very good decade overall, popular music just happened to suffer the most.
    • by Pojut ( 1027544 )
      You honestly think that?

      Personally, I LOVE everything about the 80's. It's cheesyness was part of it's appeal.

      Go and watch Breakfast Club and just try to get through the whole movie without your foot tapping to the beat at least once.
    • by Quila ( 201335 )
      Bow wow wow's "I Want Candy" was a cover of the 60s song by the Strangeloves. It was better than any of the other covers.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by slim ( 1652 )

      ...can make up for the overwhelming load of crap that are the other tracks. I guess it's not inherently the game's fault though, the 80s wasn't a very good decade overall, popular music just happened to suffer the most.
      The 80s were a golden age for the sort of widdly hair metal that works well in Guitar Hero. I hope they're saving the best for later announcements though: some Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Europe...
      • I hope they're saving the best for later announcements though: some Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Europe...
        Absolutely. I don't own and haven't really played either of the GH games (other than at a demo), so I apologize if these have been done already, but if there was some Wanted, Dead or Alive or The Final Countdown I'd buy this game in a second.
      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        Blasphemy!!!! Even *naming* Def Leppard on the same sentence with Bon Jovi and Europe is insulting!! (for DL of course)
        • Thats kinda funny you say that .. Seeing as the last time I saw Europe in the 80's... They were opening for Def Leppard.

          Then again... Ratt/Poison was a good double bill... As was White Lion, Great White, and White Snake. (Who played in that order)

          I miss the days when any random person could camp out for 12 hours and come up with front row center seats for a concert that would sell out later that day. Now all the choice seats are snapped up by ticket brokers with automated ordering systems... and they resell
  • Uh ohs.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by rdforsyth ( 1039844 ) <rdforsyth@nOSpam.gmail.com> on Thursday May 10, 2007 @10:59AM (#19068819) Homepage Journal
    I don't know if the PS2 will have the definition needed to show Ronnie on the stage!
  • Frets on Fire! (Score:2, Informative)

    by Nosklo ( 815041 )
    I am just waiting for someone to convert them into Frets on Fire [sourceforge.net] format and post somewhere. If you know any links (torrent or not) please share!!
    • by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
      Someone has to fix that game first so it's possible to play using a GH controller correctly. I'd do it, but I can't get the damn thing to compile (and by "thing" I mean PyAmarinth; yes, a Python program).
  • Rock music (especially the "hair metal" that near-defines the decade) sucked in the 80s. Why would you make an entire game of those kinds of tracks? Especially given how diverse the playlists are in the regular GH games.
    • by Sciros ( 986030 )
      You're joking, right? Journey and Def Leppard sound familiar? How about Van Halen :-) The 80s had some AWESOME rock, at least if you like rock. And I'd think that folks who buy Guitar Hero should at least like the *good* 80s rock...

      I can't say I agree with Guitar Hero's selections, but then again I hate Guitar Hero anyway. I'd much rather rock out on my Ibanez than that thing that comes with the game. It seriously reminds me of a toddler toy :-/
      • by Auz ( 50055 )
        May I direct your attention this way [cad-comic.com]?
      • The 80s had awesome metal. Pop Rock sucked in the 80s. Def Leppard and Journey are probably not the best examples to defend 80s rock. Van Halen is maybe the only good "rock" band out of the 80s, but only because Eddie revolutionized tapping. Oh yeah, I thought of another - Aerosmith is definitely decent.

        But then look at metal bands: Rush (which paved the way for Dream Theater), Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Metallica (shudder), Motorhead, and even Priest.

        Anyhow, the real point of all this is that the only reason

        • by Sciros ( 986030 )
          Heh I like all those bands :-P

          Thanks for mentioning Steve Vai, that man is amazing. Though my all-time fav is probably still Malmsteen.

          I can see Guitar Hero's appeal in some ways, but I just can't play a music game of that sort without wanting to turn it off and go jam on an actual guitar or play around on a keyboard. But that's just me. Just like if there were a similar dancing game (DDR isn't really, not that I like it...) I'd want to just go out and dance for real instead.

          Now, luckily that doesn't carry
        • by 7Prime ( 871679 )
          It's all about Dream Theater, man. I'm hoping I can get some Metropolis action in the next guitar hero game. It's just shameful they haven't had any Petrucci-rippin' tunes in the series up until now. If it did, I'd probably actually buy the game. YYXs a good start, though.
    • Why bother? It may have sucked, but it was popular! I suspect there are a ton of us who were teens in the 80s who will eat this stuff up. Sure looking back now a lot of the music had a pretty low level of artistic merit, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to hit the nostalgia strings of a pretty huge audience. I do think they'd be better off focusing on the Rock/Metal scene of the 80s which was more guitar focused than the New Wave scene which had a big synth/keyboard influence but I liked a little bi
    • Not *everything* sucked. What about old *real* rockers, like Judas Priest? KK Downing and Glenn Tipton are guitars KINGS, and would have all the pretty-hair "rockers" for breakfast. What about early Maiden? AC/DC? Van Halen?
      • by WMD_88 ( 843388 )

        What about old *real* rockers, like Judas Priest? KK Downing and Glenn Tipton are guitars KINGS, and would have all the pretty-hair "rockers" for breakfast.

        Oh, indeed. Thing is, I don't see them on the list. ;) Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be among the ones not known to the public yet.
        And yes, early Iron Maiden and AC/DC were good too. :) But they haven't shown up for this game either (and I figure that the announcement would list off the biggest names in the playlist).

    • I'm thinking the same thing. There are some notable exceptions like van halen and some metal bands, but I wouldnt pay much for this. This would make a nice free (or very cheap) expansion disk or downloadable xbox live content. As another 60 dollar game just, meh. They can add a few token 80s songs to GH III and be done with it.
    • I love these discussions. Apparently it's just not cool to like some bands (if only we could all agree on which ones weren't cool), and god forbid you actually enjoy playing a video game instead of a real guitar. Also, don't fret guys - they are just publishing a "teaser" list and I'd say everyone should save the REAL bitching until the final list is out.
  • I don't really recall any shredding Guitar Solos in most of those songs, except for maybe "I Wanna Rock". Now, if "Take It On The Run" by REO Speedwagon was on the list, I'd so be there.
  • do I need to mention the lack of dire straights on the list??
    • Right? Where is the sultans of swing, one of the greatest guitar solos ever. And one of the only 80s hits that comes to mind that didn't suck shit through a straw.
      • Where is the sultans of swing, one of the greatest guitar solos ever. And one of the only 80s hits that comes to mind that didn't suck shit through a straw.
        Sultans of Swing originally came out in 1978.

    • Actually, Sultans of Swing was released in 1978.

      Still, it would rock to have this, and some other (better) guitar work to play with.
    • Money for Nothing would be outstanding. One of the great 80s rock songs, with an excellent guitar riff. Makes me think of the (now cheesy) video. Who wouldn't want to play that on Guitar Hero?
      • by MS-06FZ ( 832329 )

        Money for Nothing would be outstanding. One of the great 80s rock songs, with an excellent guitar riff. Makes me think of the (now cheesy) video. Who wouldn't want to play that on Guitar Hero?
        That video was always cheesy. Cheesiness isn't measured on an inverse relative scale of technical merit, it's based on effect...

        'Would be cool to have that big dude from the video as an unlockable character, though, for sure - all 20 polygons of him.
  • Dueling Banjos (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Grayden ( 137336 ) on Thursday May 10, 2007 @11:24AM (#19069271) Homepage
    Some day, on SOME edition of Guitar Hero, I want Dueling Banjos to be available in multiplayer mode.
  • Real Guitar (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ptelligence ( 685287 ) on Thursday May 10, 2007 @11:28AM (#19069377)
    It would be cool if there were a cheap analog to digital converter that you could plug into your console and play the notes on an actual electric guitar. Of course you'd have to tune it first, and start out simple. But the software could recognize tones and keep score based on your accuracy. Could also pipe your own sound through the system so you could hear yourself play. I already own a bass, so I think something like this would be pretty cool.
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      I've seen something similar for the pc. Don't know if I could find it via google. it would increase the difficulty level 100%, but it would finally remove my objection to the game.
      • Actually, especially on Amazing difficulty, some songs are actually quite a bit easier to play on an actual guitar. The fretting patterns are just more natural.
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by DemiKnute ( 237008 )
        Do you object to baseball games because you don't use a baseball bat to play? Will you only play play Wii Sports when they come out with a baseball bat cover for the remote?

        Do you object to racing games because the steering wheel is smaller than in real life?

        Do you object to FPS's because you're playing with a mouse and not a real gun?

        It's a game, dude. An analogue to real life. The controller is an analogue as well. If you want to play real guitar, play real guitar. If you want to have fun pretending to pl
        • I object to guitar hero, because it makes something that is fun for me ( playing the guitar) into something that is not fun (pressing big bright shiny buttons on a toy guitar).

          Id rather play baseball or race a real car than the video equivalents. However, playing a baseball game is easier to arrange on short notice than calling up 17 other people to play baseball with me. I actually *don't* like racing games. FPS are fun, but I'd rather play laser tag.

          but GH doesn't make anything playing a guitar easi
    • by BobMcD ( 601576 )
      This device would seem to be amazingly simple. Tuning would have to happen on the device, which would probably wind up being an amp-like box with a game controller cord coming out of it. You'd map the sound waves to electrical signals and go.

      You could even feed the console's audio (and for ease of cabling, video, even though you'd just be coupling it) through the amp-like box and add your sound to the output.

      The biggest problem, that I can see. Is that the game is expecting input that's not all that simil
      • Why not just convert a digital tuner to report on the notes played to the console via USB? You could use another of the info lines to carry a digitally converted sound. The game would listen to you play or just play what you play. I don't play guitar and I suck at GH, but I have friends who have some pretty nice tuners that seem like they can easily handle this.
        • by BobMcD ( 601576 )
          Yeah, but if you sent it via USB, wouldn't you need to make the game accept that input? I'm assuming that the game only takes input via controller port...
          • I was under the impression that all game systems the the Guitar Hero series appears on has USB input (even the original XBox uses modified USB for its controller ports).
    • It would be cool if there were a cheap analog to digital converter that you could plug into your console and play the notes on an actual electric guitar.

      They used to make MIDI pickups. Clip it right above your bridge, and you get a MIDI interface on your guitar. I saw a local band use one before.. the guitarist was playing drum patches.. it was surreal.

      Google for Roland Gk-2. I've been thinking about getting one and writing a guitar hero ripoff that uses tabs.

  • I guess the long intro will give people time to stand there stupidly and finish their beers before the actual song starts.
  • by Anonymous Coward
    The problem with that period is the sound. Exactly in mid-80s digital effects became widely available and thus were heavily used (mostly abused) for at least 4-5 years before people got bored of them. There are some good tracks from that era almost completely destroyed by too much chorus and reverberation on everything, from voices to drums: you can listen the first 5 seconds of a track and guess that it was recorded between 1984 and 1988 from the sound. That's very bad.
    I'd rather love a list from the late
  • they re-released GH1 with GH2's engine... would be nice to have HO/PO working in GH1 the same way...
  • Where's VanHalen?

  • We all knew there would be hair bands (and I'm pleasantly surprised to see "I Ran"), but how about bands like Dramarama, The Replacements, The Smiths? They're probably not known for blistering solos, but certainly for playable riffs and generally good songs. "Anything Anything" by Dramarama is the epitome of a great one-hit wonder (I know they had other songs, but nothing as big as this). Gary's Got A Boner or Bastards of Young by The Replacements would also be good choices. Johnny Marr is an excellent
  • No Pink Floyd or Rush? Both have had godlike guitar solos like you'd never believe.
  • South Park! (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Heat of the Moment? I hope they use Cartman's version!!

GREAT MOMENTS IN HISTORY (#7): April 2, 1751 Issac Newton becomes discouraged when he falls up a flight of stairs.

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