Guitar Hero Now Has Drums

June 29, 2008 · Filed Under General, Videos, Gaming 

That’s right!

The soon-to-be-released Guitar Hero: World Tour has added a drum set, mic and a brand new spanking design to their guitar as part of an entirely package and experience. Obviously in an effort to pounce on Rock Band, the guys at Guitar Hero are at it to make both gameplay and gadgets shine with innovation and clever ideas (like the Music Creator) that I hope won’t disappoint.

What’s new with the GH drums? One word - cymbals! Check it out…

Before we get to the drums, let’s start off with the new addition to the guitar

According to IGN, the new guitar now has a touch pad;  ”The biggest addition to the new guitar is the touch pad located on the neck. While playing a song, this touch sensitive strip allows you to alter notes during sustains by sliding up and down the strip (giving more freedom and options than what you had before with just a whammy bar). It can also be used for tapping to play notes, particularly awesome if you want to mimic a slap bass. The real power of the touch pad comes in the music creator.”

The Drums

Three pads, two raised cymbals, and one bass pedal make up the action elements of this new drum peripheral. That equates to the basic setup of a snare, two toms, two cymbals and a bass drum. The two cymbals are raised above the three primary pads and, on the prototype set we got a look at, had hinges and swivels on them so that you could position them how you wanted. To activate star power with the kit you simply hit both cymbals at the same time.

The first thing you’ll notice when you see the kit in action is that it’s quieter than the Rock Band drums, which is great news for neighbors everywhere. Each drum head is eight inches in diameter, slightly larger than Rock Band’s kit, so you’ll be less likely to miss when things get heated. Like the guitar, this puppy is wireless. That won’t really aid you in your posturing, but it will keep your room less cluttered.

Music Creator

You don’t just create songs by laying out a note track. You can simply play and the game will do the rest for you. Or you can get technical and go deep into the editor. The only downside is that you can’t record a vocal track. Legal quashed that one and, when you think about what ugly doors vocal recordings could open, it makes sense. The music creator includes a wizard to help newbies hop into the process quickly and painlessly. Select a premade bassline and a drum loop, adjust the tempo between fast, medium or slow and you’ve got the basics laid out for you. Even if you don’t have a good sense of rhythm, you can make a song by telling the game to lock your notes to the beat.

Finally, I leave you with a demo video of the drums in action…
 

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Comments

2 Responses to “Guitar Hero Now Has Drums”

  1. issai on June 30th, 2008 1:37 pm

    too late for guitar hero… i already got rockband for the ps3, and rockband just released their game for the wii. it will be hard for guitar hero to catch up.

  2. 86 Songs Confirmed For Guitar Hero World Tour | gmtristan.com | Girls, Games, Gadgets. Pinoy Online Games and More on September 17th, 2008 7:25 am

    […] Here’s a list of 86 songs confirmed for the upcoming release of Guitar Hero World Tour. […]

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