Guitar Hero Live

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 198 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 100 out of 198
  2. Mixed: 42 out of 198
  3. Negative: 56 out of 198
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Half_Beast_333
    Oct 22, 2015
    2
    This is my first time I make a review, and I see this as public service.

    1-This game is a pay to play. 2-The new guitar is great 3-The games only comes with 42 songs. Out of those songs, you have to play some Eminem, Skrillex or Rihanna, which leaves you feeling like you are playing the keyboard part with your guitar. In fact, there must be 10 song that actually have an    This is my first time I make a review, and I see this as public service.

    1-This game is a pay to play.

    2-The new guitar is great

    3-The games only comes with 42 songs. Out of those songs, you have to play some Eminem, Skrillex or Rihanna, which leaves you feeling like you are playing the keyboard part with your guitar. In fact, there must be 10 song that actually have an interesting guitar part available.

    4-The other song are available through a a play mode where you actually have to wait for the songs you want to play to come on. The songs are organised by TV shows (The rock show, then the Pop show, then the metal show). So if you want to play the song in an order of your liking, you can't unless you pay. You want to play the metal songs? The metal show is at 8:30 tonight, well tough luck if you don't pay. And even then, you don't chose the songs, they are chosen for you.

    I used to play all song at expert in the old Guitar Hero. Me and my brother would grind Hangar 18 or free
    bird until we were beast at it. We would compare our score and practice. Now, it's not possible, it's not meant to be played that way unless you pay 5,99$ to unlock the right to chose your song for 24h.

    This is a steal, the game store won't buy my game back and I have to sell it on ebay myself.

    So in the end, if you only like 20% of the song list, don't buy, cause you'll have to pay every time you want to play your favorite song or wait for them to come up by looking at the tv show schedule.    … Expand
  2. prinny
    Oct 21, 2015
    5
    The big thing is the controller change - and I can't really find a way to put it as a pro or a con. It's different, and presents a new challenge; however the way you play now feels disjointed. I'm not sure whether to completely blame the syncronisation issues for this, but I believe the new row of buttons as well as the confusing highway UI have a lot to do with it. I really don't see theThe big thing is the controller change - and I can't really find a way to put it as a pro or a con. It's different, and presents a new challenge; however the way you play now feels disjointed. I'm not sure whether to completely blame the syncronisation issues for this, but I believe the new row of buttons as well as the confusing highway UI have a lot to do with it. I really don't see the point of the new style guitar overall, but glad it was only $109 AUD for the pack.

    Pros: Pretty good setlist. I like the idea of the GH online and so far haven't found it too grindy.
    Cons: Same as its competitor, it doesn't look like you can play head to head against a friend - extremely disappointing. Syncronisation for video and audio isn't separate - so while my audio is synced, the notes are out of sync. Feels more "jaggedy" than the smooth GH games of old, despite being on new hardware. Still requires a usb dongle.    … Expand
  3. Euknowia
    Oct 20, 2015
    5
    In all installments of Guitar Hero, the music set list has always baffled me to some extent, though with Guitar Hero Live I’m undoubtedly feeling mocked (as if a plastic toy guitar wasn’t goofy enough). Skrillexs’ “Bangarang” and Eminem’s “Berzerk?” Relative to all other possible songs, why choose an outlier so dissimilar and distinct from those that offer a more “relevant” Guitar HeroIn all installments of Guitar Hero, the music set list has always baffled me to some extent, though with Guitar Hero Live I’m undoubtedly feeling mocked (as if a plastic toy guitar wasn’t goofy enough). Skrillexs’ “Bangarang” and Eminem’s “Berzerk?” Relative to all other possible songs, why choose an outlier so dissimilar and distinct from those that offer a more “relevant” Guitar Hero experience? Perhaps still unused but classic, guitar focused songs are intentionally left out for micro-transaction purposes, or maybe these were selected based off a misconception of consumer taste (or what I hope is a misconception). I understand that something as subjective as music taste will inevitably raise my brow for some song choices, but does that ambiguity really mean there isn’t some pragmatic line to be drawn, especially given the near unfathomably large(and yet still growing) pool of music that illustrate the guitar much more prominently?

    There are certainly some calibration issues. I eventually became acclimated to the delay, but the system that “automatically corrects” latency and the like created more of a headache than help.

    The “Play” micro-transaction system is, well, concerning to say the least. You no longer permanently unlock DLC songs, you use a type of currency (which you can get more of by grinding or using real $$) to “play” them a select amount of times. Wondering whether a “Play” of a song is worth grind time felt revolting. Some may feel indifferent, but I hated it. Compared to how Rock Band 4 implemented their past DLC and, well, yeah… this method seems much worse. In the past, I often perceived DLC songs to be a bit overpriced, though it always seemed like a vague evaluation—but I certainly don’t have the faintest of ideas as to properly valuing a singular “Play” of a song. Also, pre-order song bonuses is, and will continue to be, disgusting.

    No real practice mode. Not a huge detriment since I usually played by trial and error, but still absent.

    GHTV 24/7 music playlist is neat. Channels play a variety of different music (including several familiar GH tracks) non-stop and allow you to jump in at your discretion. It desperately needs more music and channels, but it’s an interesting idea.

    The whole “Live” background thing was cringe, awkwardly disingenuous, and unnecessary. That said, I thought it was sort of hilarious and I kind of liked it for that reason. I don’t necessarily prefer it, but at least it was refreshingly different.

    New guitar was “Meh.” Not all that bad, but certainly not all that innovative. Re-instilled some difficulty which curtailed some interest, but only briefly. I would have been just as content with the old guitar to be honest. If you played on expert in the previous GH games like I have, I’m inclined to think you will be also be able to start on the highest difficulty and do fine (with some learning of new chords).

    Online multiplayer is score only (real-time and leaderboards). Not so different, but I appreciated the older matchmaking a bit better.

    Overall, GH Live is a presently mediocre game which has the potential to get better (increased GHTV channels and library), but not currently worth its price. Simply “throw away” any ideas of purchasing this game, as Activision Jackson so keenly recognizes as part of our modern societal nature- or at least until the growing pains have finished. Unless you actually like the music set list!! Then go get your ears checked...    … Expand
  4. brianbruns
    Nov 5, 2015
    0
    This game is horrible do not buy it. It is a total waste of money and a disgrace to all of the previous guitar hero games. The idea of being live on stage is cool but they totally missed their mark on this one. Every song is prerecorded so every time you play it the scene is exactly the same and trust me it gets old very fast. Also, you play in front of the most bipolar crowd I have everThis game is horrible do not buy it. It is a total waste of money and a disgrace to all of the previous guitar hero games. The idea of being live on stage is cool but they totally missed their mark on this one. Every song is prerecorded so every time you play it the scene is exactly the same and trust me it gets old very fast. Also, you play in front of the most bipolar crowd I have ever seen. One second they love you but miss a couple notes and they'll start throwing **** at you and then two seconds later when you hit a few notes they're back to jumping and screaming your name. It is so unrealistic and cheesy that you feel like a stranger on stage. The guitar is hands down the cheapest and poorly made guitar in the series to date. It feels more hollow than ever and you can hardly hear music because the strum bar is so loud. It honestly feels like a cheap third party controller. The gameplay is horrendous and notes are missed all the time either because the guitar is so ****ty or just because the game sucks, could be both. The song selection for the live mode is very scarce with very few actual rock songs or even songs with a notable guitar track. You'll find yourself playing skrillex and eminem on stage at a rock concert-it just makes no sense. Not saying that I don't like those artists because I do but I would rather play songs that actually have guitar in them. Putting these genres into the game was a good idea but it was made to be too big a part of the game. There are only 42 songs in the game and half of them don't even belong there. The guitar hero TV part is the only thing this game has going for it but you need a playstation plus account just play it and even then you have to pay to play the songs because you only have a certain amount of plays. There are some pretty good songs on this mode I'll admit but you can't even play them unless you pay or wait around for that song to be on one of the two free channels they so generously give you. If you are trying to decide whether to buy Guitar Hero Live or Rock Band 4 I beg you to buy Rock Band. It may be a bit more expensive but it will be worth it because guitar hero live is a piece of **** and the makers of this game obviously don't give two ****s about its users. Save yourself the $100+ and skip this game trust me. I find myself yelling at my tv about how much I hate this game more than I actually enjoy playing it. Congratulations Guitar Hero Live, you suck.… Expand
  5. thiago88
    Nov 5, 2015
    1
    Jogo tem um visual legal, mas as microtransações no jogo o tornaram demasiadamente chato, o obriga a tocar musicas que não gosta apenas para gerar moeda do jogo para play no GHTV. Poderiam ser comprado ou desbloqueadas as musicas apenas uma vez. Activison Anarchy
  6. norgalax
    Nov 3, 2015
    0
    No training mode. Forced to farm tokens playing crappy songs to unlock a cool song...and only for one play.
    If you like to make scores in guitar hero forget this game. You will waste your time to farm tokens and then you will waste your token trying to master a song with no possibility to slown down, pause etc.
    It cost 6 EUROS PER 24H to have unlimited access to all the songs!!! that's a shame.
  7. revisedcheese
    Nov 13, 2015
    0
    Every 9, 10, whatever rating you've read is a lie. The game is a mess. The guitar barely works. You need to pay extra to play more than a songlist of 30 songs, and even then you don't get anything permanently. They seem bent on destroying the guitar game genre for a second time. In short, everyone who worked on this game should be ashamed.
  8. Morjit
    Oct 26, 2015
    0
    I've been an avid, loyal, fan - no, advocate of Guitar Hero for the best part of a decade now. I have loved each and every iteration of the franchise. Do I love Guitar Hero Live? Absolutely not.

    Don't get me wrong - I welcome the new playstyle mechanics, with the 2-string 3-fret setup, as opposed to the 5 coloured buttons setup. It's new, intuitive, and a learning curve. Ticks all the    I've been an avid, loyal, fan - no, advocate of Guitar Hero for the best part of a decade now. I have loved each and every iteration of the franchise. Do I love Guitar Hero Live? Absolutely not.

    Don't get me wrong - I welcome the new playstyle mechanics, with the 2-string 3-fret setup, as opposed to the 5 coloured buttons setup. It's new, intuitive, and a learning curve. Ticks all the boxes for me.
    I love the live-action sets too. It adds depth and real glimpse into the life of being in a band.

    But that's where the good points end. Abruptly.

    The guitar itself feels incredibly cheap. I actually found the game nigh unplayable because 2 of my 6 fret buttons would stick and hold down after being pressed. After I tried to pull these back up, they both flew off the guitar. Not impressed.

    Then there's the connection. The bundle comes with a small wireless dongle that is plugged into the console (This is for Xbox One, not sure if it's the same for PS4/Other consoles). I don't understand? All other versions on previous console did not need this. With the Xbox One, developers actually have more access to the hardware of the console. So why hasn't this been integrated with the console? While this isn't a dealbreaker for me, the poor connection quality is. I often found I would miss entire sections of any song I was playing as the Guitar had decided it didn't want to connect to the console. Not a good impression.

    Then we come to Activision's finest talent; the Microtransaction. I've purchased many, many song packs in the past for Guitar Hero. So it firstly saddens me that I no longer have those songs available to me (Although I do understand, given the fact that the controller setup has changed). Secondly, I pre-ordered the game. That meant I have access to some exclusive content from my favourite band (Avenged Sevenfold!). This is literally the only reason I pre-ordered this game. So I fire up the game to find out I can't access it yet? I have to level up in GHTV first? Alright... I understand. Wait, I need to pay for a "Party Pass" in order to play these songs? The dealbreaker has been found.

    Overall, I'm not impressed at all by this. I have the full band set from Guitar Hero's biggest competitor, and I've had not a single issue, whatsoever. I even have access to all of the songs I have purchased over the years.

    It's safe to say my refund is currently being processed and this is being sent back.

    For anyone looking to buy this, please take heed. This game will eventually adopt the "Pay-to-win" economy, the hardware is very cheaply made, albeit the new mechanics are interesting at best.    … Expand
  9. Haube
    Oct 23, 2015
    0
    This has to be some sort of sick joke. No music game has ever made me think "this is a perfect zero" before. I managed to glean some fun, even, out of Rock Revolution. So why do I hate this so? Let me count the ways.

    1. The new guitar controller is unintuitive and painful for anyone who's either played an actual guitar or a previous game in the series (or, really, any game). They tried    This has to be some sort of sick joke. No music game has ever made me think "this is a perfect zero" before. I managed to glean some fun, even, out of Rock Revolution. So why do I hate this so? Let me count the ways.

    1. The new guitar controller is unintuitive and painful for anyone who's either played an actual guitar or a previous game in the series (or, really, any game). They tried to go closer to realism and ended up with a result that's neither realistic nor enjoyable. It always happens like this. (See: Rise Of The Six-String)
    2. The stunning lack of songlist. 42 songs in total on-disc, some of which are bizarre choices (Skrillex? Really?) and very few of which have vaguely interesting guitar parts. Those that do are completely ruined by the controls. Any decent songs are locked to GHTV which you have to pay extra per song for, and each song is only available at certain times of the day or you pay even more. It's just a soulless cash grab.
    3. The note highway is cluttered as anything, making charts unreadable even if it controlled any better and the HO/PO system is incredibly inconsistent with itself.
    4. The whole "crowd" thing feels uninspired and is distracting, if anything else.

    Overall, this is a huge middle finger to the developers of the previous Guitar Hero games, anyone who's ever played a Guitar Hero, or fans of music games in general. Do not buy this. Play any other game. At least you won't feel like you're being kicked in the face over and over.    … Expand
  10. squodge
    Nov 11, 2015
    6
    One thing the 10/10 ratings don't mention is micro-transactions. That's right - this game has them. You do not have to buy any micro-transactions, but not doing so means you have to grind something like 5-6 songs you might not like in order to play 1 song that you do.

    Also, the so-called live audience/crowd that's mentioned in the 10/10 ratings - the crowd is only there on Guitar Hero    One thing the 10/10 ratings don't mention is micro-transactions. That's right - this game has them. You do not have to buy any micro-transactions, but not doing so means you have to grind something like 5-6 songs you might not like in order to play 1 song that you do.

    Also, the so-called live audience/crowd that's mentioned in the 10/10 ratings - the crowd is only there on Guitar Hero Live mode (as opposed to Guitar Hero TV mode, or "GHTV"), which is the short campaign. You definitely will not be playing these songs all that often, as most of the songs available are in GHTV and will feature the original music video instead. For pre-HDTV songs, we're subjected to VHS-quality music videos.

    All in all, this game is solid. It's fun if you consider playing a music rhythm game by yourself as fun. If you prefer to play a music rhythm game with your mates, Rock Band 4 is a better option or any of the previous Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.

    No actual online playing, as in multiplayer (either co-op or competitive). There's a live score chart, but that's hardly the same as playing online.

    You can't buy any of the songs. You have to use play tokens, which you can either grind (about half an hour's grind per play token) or pay real money for. Or you can buy a 24-hour pass for £4, which is a rip-off. Basically, if you don't want to grind and you don't want to pay real money, you have the game's 42 built-in songs plus whatever songs GHTV decides to churn out for you.

    What bugs me more about this game is the inclusion of way too much pop music. Rihanna, One Direction, Ed Sheeran - these artists would never have graced previous Guitar Hero games. They might have made it on Band Hero... but this is Guitar Hero Live we're talking about. The game deserves more respect than these artists. Nothing against their music - they are just not what I would deem "Guitar Hero" type of artists. One does not think of guitars when Rihanna is mentioned.

    Overall, I rate the game 6/10 because I think it has a lot of promise. The distributor/developers need to change the format somewhat. It's a slap in the face to have to buy micro-transactions for a game that's already a premium price. I expect micro-transactions in a F2P game like Candy Crush, not this.    … Expand
  11. Shingekki21
    Nov 13, 2015
    0
    The thinking man's Guitar Hero... if that thinking man was thinking "I want to spend full price + new peripheral on a game that has all the decent music stuck behind microtransactions". Or maybe just "I want to hate everything about modern gaming". Absolutely unforgivable.
  12. EmoOutlaw
    Oct 20, 2015
    9
    This new instalment of Gutiar Hero is a breath of fresh air from the previous games of the series. Being a massive fan of rhythm games I have already gotten 12 hours put into the game and can't find myself getting off it. If you're up for getting into the new style of game I highly recommend you go out and get your hands on this. A massive streaming library of songs of almost every genreThis new instalment of Gutiar Hero is a breath of fresh air from the previous games of the series. Being a massive fan of rhythm games I have already gotten 12 hours put into the game and can't find myself getting off it. If you're up for getting into the new style of game I highly recommend you go out and get your hands on this. A massive streaming library of songs of almost every genre gives the chance for you and all your friends to enjoy a good night full of your favourite tunes.
    Career mode is the only lacking part of the game where it doesn't really give you any sort of achievement when finishing, yo just unlock a few songs for quickplay which is small in comparison to the online library of songs.    … Expand
  13. RedRice
    Oct 21, 2015
    10
    Ok you Luddites. It's time for a cool change. Stop complaining about the new button layout, the new way of song delivery, and whatever new thing that got you by surprise. It's a different, bold, new direction and the developers put a lot of work in reinventing the somewhat tired rhythm+music genre. This game is fun, and GH Live is such a wonderful bonus to have.
  14. neece35
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    I am a complete Guitar Hero fan. I play no other game. Truly disappointed when GH fell off the market. To hear it was making a comeback, the new GH Live was all I wanted for xmas and I got a new PS4 to go with. My high expectations for this turned out to be a punch in the gut. Whomever designed the new guitar and game needs to sit and revisit the crayon box because after 5 minutes of play,I am a complete Guitar Hero fan. I play no other game. Truly disappointed when GH fell off the market. To hear it was making a comeback, the new GH Live was all I wanted for xmas and I got a new PS4 to go with. My high expectations for this turned out to be a punch in the gut. Whomever designed the new guitar and game needs to sit and revisit the crayon box because after 5 minutes of play, not only does 3 top and bottom buttons become absolutely confusing but WTH happened to the color? The game becomes completely boring and mind numbing despite the challenges of music. Like riding a magic bus without the sparkle to it. The old GH was perfect! Why not improve upon that? They really should've kept the GH signature of the Colored buttons on both the guitar and in the game and I wouldnt've be so quick to get my money back. Total let down. Yay Ebay!… Expand
  15. CheerioCoil
    Oct 21, 2015
    9
    Not sure where hockeyguy9119 got his information from...I don't have a PS+ account but I'm playing the GHTV portion of the game no problem.

    Controls: The controller change is a refreshing welcome for this oversaturated genre. I've played for around 8 hours and am by no means an expert, but I have been able to slowly adjust to the new control scheme they use, and I have to admit, nailing    Not sure where hockeyguy9119 got his information from...I don't have a PS+ account but I'm playing the GHTV portion of the game no problem.

    Controls: The controller change is a refreshing welcome for this oversaturated genre. I've played for around 8 hours and am by no means an expert, but I have been able to slowly adjust to the new control scheme they use, and I have to admit, nailing some of the "chords" can be quite challenging, but satisfying once I do hit the notes. The downside is I have to overwrite some of my GH/RB muscle memory with the old 5-button controls. Advanced mode (one step lower from the highest difficulty setting of Expert), but again that's only after 8 hours of play.

    Gameplay: It's still a lot of fun. I think a lot of the negative reviews are a bit overcritical about what they expect in terms of the microtransactions. I can say that so far, I haven't felt too compelled to pay for anything yet. The game in no way forces you to pay for anything, and things you do pay for are all cosmetic.

    It's a bit pricey, especially since I picked up the two-guitar box, but I wanted something new. Not discrediting Rock Bands HUGE track list of past and present, but I feel that GH Live is a step in the right direction for the IP. GH Live is a reboot, after all, while RB draws upon its own success in the past. I'm having fun with the game, and that's what's important. The constantly changing tracklist online makes the game more dynamic, and imo gives the game a lot more replay value than a set list of songs you pay for.    … Expand
  16. Ireland914
    Oct 21, 2015
    9
    hockeyguy9119 has no idea what he's talking about. You do not need a PS+ account to play GHTV. Game is great. Controller is a nice change - something new to learn for veteran players and just as easy for a beginner to pick up and play on the easier levels. Solid set list with a TON of additional content online for free. This is truly a reboot for the series and a very good one.
  17. PL3
    Oct 27, 2015
    8
    EXPERT PLAYER REVIEW 20 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY COMPLETE

    The game is pretty nice. Actually retail 129,99$ in Canada, I was'nt sure I get enough for my money when I bought it. You know, real people work to pay game like this and it's kind of sad when you pay for something that does'nt worth it. I'm actually LVL 16 In GH live and I finish the campaing so I think my review's gonna be legit.    EXPERT PLAYER REVIEW 20 HOURS OF GAMEPLAY COMPLETE

    The game is pretty nice. Actually retail 129,99$ in Canada, I was'nt sure I get enough for my money when I bought it. You know, real people work to pay game like this and it's kind of sad when you pay for something that does'nt worth it. I'm actually LVL 16 In GH live and I finish the campaing so I think my review's gonna be legit.
    The campaing is short, but the first person view is kind of immersive. But there is only 2 layers in public like if you're good, people love you. If you're bad, then they throw stuff at your face. The acting of your band member is pretty bad. Still, this is a GH game so we dont really give a F about that stuff.

    I finir the campain in like 3 hours of play. There is no story line or anything, just some setlist to play. The setlist was okay, but when i found myself in front of a setlist compose of Rhianna, katy Perry and Avril lavigne I was like...fml.

    The guitar hero TV is sick. Dont listen to people saying it's a pay to play game. You actually does'nt have to pay for anything. Of course you can, but man, you really dont have to.

    The guitar hero streaming channel is pretty cool. Actually just sit and play. There is actually 2 channels at the moment. the 1 is kind of Rock/Metal and the second is more pop and folk.
    My only complain about this is there is not enough rotation in song at the moment. I found myself playing Cherry Pie from warrant like 11 times and there some song out there that I never try.

    Last week, i found myself in the GH Premium section. I though it was like a place to buy stuff with money. I see a Avenged thing so i select it and found myself in a Live Avenged Sevenfold concert where I was playing the guitar while I watch the show. That was awesome. I can see the future of this kind of gameplay.

    As a pretty hardcore GH fan in the past, At first I was not sure about the controller. I played a lot with the new one and it's pretty challenging.I was septical but I found Myself already in the top 10 on some song on the leaderboard. There is a lot more deep in the gameplay now. Solo is a lot more hard and there is a lot of chord shape now.

    I love the old GH when I was able to play the drum like a masterpiece. I'm kind of ad that they remove that because the rockband drum is not like a ''real drum'' configuration.

    Well, it's a pretty good game if you're a GH fans and a hardcore GH player like me, it's a must buy.

    Hope you guys like my review.    … Expand
  18. hockeyguy9119
    Oct 27, 2015
    9
    I previously submitted a comment/review based on information I received directly from the Guitar Hero Live website. I was told that to use GHTV, you needed a PS+ account. That information was wrong, and you, in fact, do NOT need a PS+ account to play GHTV. Having now played it, I have nothing bad to say about the game... except some of the live band and crowd videos and cut scenes areI previously submitted a comment/review based on information I received directly from the Guitar Hero Live website. I was told that to use GHTV, you needed a PS+ account. That information was wrong, and you, in fact, do NOT need a PS+ account to play GHTV. Having now played it, I have nothing bad to say about the game... except some of the live band and crowd videos and cut scenes are lame... and beware, there is a Hillary Duff song on GHTV lol… Expand
  19. SimpleReviewz
    Nov 4, 2015
    8
    I think it's safe to say that rhythm games that make you use a plastic guitar have had quite the hiatus. Well, wouldn't you know, both Rock Band and Guitar Hero have made a return in 2015. How does Guitar Hero Live fare? Well, it doesn't bring the rhythm game genre roaring back to life as much as it should, but it's good enough that it will attract old fans and some new ones, too.I think it's safe to say that rhythm games that make you use a plastic guitar have had quite the hiatus. Well, wouldn't you know, both Rock Band and Guitar Hero have made a return in 2015. How does Guitar Hero Live fare? Well, it doesn't bring the rhythm game genre roaring back to life as much as it should, but it's good enough that it will attract old fans and some new ones, too.

    Gameplay; Jamming Out!
    Of course, part of GH Live's gameplay is clearly familiar, but that's perfectly fine since it's things that should always be carried over. You'll still be strumming, pushing the correct guitar buttons, studying and getting ready for the highway's notes; you know what you're getting into-it's a Guitar Hero game. However, one thing in GH Live is completely different, and I applaud FreeStyle Games for making this brave change- the buttons on the guitar have been remapped entirely. Instead of the old style that had 5 big buttons across the middle of the guitar, now there are 6 somewhat small buttons at the end of the guitar that are 3 across and 2 down. I adore this change. It truly feels like a more realistic take to playing guitar, it's easier to access and learn, and it makes the game more challenging in many respects. The gameplay is fun fun fun.

    Song List and Quality of the "Live" Mode
    The song list varies in the 2 modes. 2 modes, 2 separate lists. The basic campaign is called Live. This mode is dominated with more popular songs from recent years. Most of the songs in this mode are very enjoyable to play. However, there are certainly some duds. Seriously, SKRILLEX?! WHY?! More on Live, though, the one thing it does that no GH game has done before is you are actually in front of a real audience and band in first-person, hence the name "Live". I have mixed opinions about this view. For one, it feels exhilarating when you're really rocking out, and the audience loves you. However, the bands you play with can feel really exaggerated and cheesy. Another flaw is when the audience is reacting to your performance, they either react like they adore you or they wanna kill you. There's no in-between reactions. It felt unrealistic and took me out of the experience numerous times.

    Song List and Quality of "TV" Mode
    Woo! Now we're getting to the BEST part of GH Live. TV is extremely fun and innovative. What it is is a 24hr music video channel where you play all kinds of different songs. You can level up, earn coins, get upgrades, and so on in this mode. The song list in this mode is generally great. It's got a good mix of the oldies and the newer tracks. It's quite addicting, too. I see myself playing this mode for months to come.

    Flaws That Have Not Been Stated
    This game can be quite a challenge at times. That's not at all the problem, though-in fact, the challenge felt great and rewarding-the problem is the jump from 1 difficulty to a higher one is a huge one. I had huge growing pains going to a higher difficultly. There's no practice mode to ease you into a higher difficultly and make you better. There always felt like there should have been a middle difficulty between every 2. It would've been awesome if I could tweak the difficulty to my complete liking. Also, there's no reason to return to the Live mode for replayability.

    Conclusion
    Overall, I've been having a blast with GH Live. It's not the vigorous comeback that should've happened, but it's definitely worth checking out if you've always thought GH was awesome. Final rating: 8.5    … Expand
  20. StarkWhite95
    Nov 4, 2015
    10
    I completely understand how fans of previous Guitar Heroes could be disappointed. I used to love GH3 but this one is honestly incredible. I truly love the live performances and i find its better than the animations from old. Its goofy and over the top on purpose. It makes you feel like more of a guitar hero so to speak. Once you play through the campaign (which I find to be very diverseI completely understand how fans of previous Guitar Heroes could be disappointed. I used to love GH3 but this one is honestly incredible. I truly love the live performances and i find its better than the animations from old. Its goofy and over the top on purpose. It makes you feel like more of a guitar hero so to speak. Once you play through the campaign (which I find to be very diverse and fun to play) you have GH TV. Its basically Pandora. Songs and genres change every so often and you get points for playing to buy power ups and such. Some might say, "I can't pick which songs I can play and it sucks!" But you already have access to 42 other songs that the campaign introduced. The button layout on the guitar is so fun and challenging I played through the entire campaign in one sitting. It took about 3 hours. Its hard to recommend to certain people, but I love the game and will probably play for many more hours… Expand
  21. Enforcer122
    Dec 26, 2015
    1
    So here's a good idea... Lets make an incredibly expensive guitar hero game that completely ignores out target demographic of rock/metal fans and instead caters towards pop and indie fans. Lets make the Live mode only 2 hours long so you're forced to play the TV mode that makes you spend actual money on micro transactions to play the very few actual good songs on the game.

    Awful from    So here's a good idea... Lets make an incredibly expensive guitar hero game that completely ignores out target demographic of rock/metal fans and instead caters towards pop and indie fans. Lets make the Live mode only 2 hours long so you're forced to play the TV mode that makes you spend actual money on micro transactions to play the very few actual good songs on the game.

    Awful from Activision, truly a money hungry evil corporation.    … Expand
  22. SweetLemonKing
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    Not as good as GH3 and GH4 but for trying to reboot the series they did a great job! It takes some time to get used to the new guitar but once you get the hang of it it's really nice.
    Great songs and great game.
    Overall I'm very happy for this game :)
  23. br3ndanp
    Nov 5, 2015
    9
    When I brought this home from the store, I was worried that I wasted my money. But when I plugged in the controller and booted the game, I was instantly hooked. I played some of the campaign, which puts you in different bands depending on the type of music. (Pop, rock, metal, indie, etc.) That's one of the things I didn't like. Since you're in different bands, you don't feel like your anWhen I brought this home from the store, I was worried that I wasted my money. But when I plugged in the controller and booted the game, I was instantly hooked. I played some of the campaign, which puts you in different bands depending on the type of music. (Pop, rock, metal, indie, etc.) That's one of the things I didn't like. Since you're in different bands, you don't feel like your an actual part of the band. After playing a bit of that I moved on to GH TV, which lets you choose from 2 channels and play along to music videos. You can also get access to the GH TV song library by using play tokens, which you get from either playing the game, or buying them. People are criticizing this element of the game, but it's like watching a movie. You can either wait for the movie to come on TV or go out and rent the movie. It would be cool if they had an option for a one time fee and you can add a song from GH TV to the GH Live setlist. Overall I enjoyed the game a lot, the new guitar was fun and challenging at the same time, and it makes it hard to go back to the 5 key layout of previous games.… Expand
  24. ABWCritic
    Nov 12, 2015
    8
    My first review was inexplicably removed, meh. So here's some bullet points.

    - Very good reboot.
    - New guitar sets it apart.
    - Doesn't require PSN sub.
    - Never have to D/L a thing.
    - Never have to pay a single dollar if you don't want to.
    - If you think it's a "grind" to listen to music and play along you probably don't enjoy a lot of things in life.
  25. harpwn
    Oct 24, 2015
    8
    New note system is much closer to actual guitar. Although difficult to grasp at first it only took me an hour to get back up to hard difficulty.

    The crowd is pretty cool and if you look closely you can see some pretty funny stuff like the signs changing or people who dont belong doing wierd things. When you are doing badly it can be genuinly distracting as they will throw things and    New note system is much closer to actual guitar. Although difficult to grasp at first it only took me an hour to get back up to hard difficulty.

    The crowd is pretty cool and if you look closely you can see some pretty funny stuff like the signs changing or people who dont belong doing wierd things. When you are doing badly it can be genuinly distracting as they will throw things and your bandmates get pissed off. I think thats pretty cool because its realistic and adds difficulty.

    GHTV is awesome but i wish you could perma-buy songs. There are some songs I would prefer to have in my collection. If it wasnt for that I would give 10/10    … Expand
  26. Dominix99
    Nov 6, 2015
    8
    The long awaited return of Guitar Hero is here and it's super fun and addictive! There is enough content in the game to keep you entertained for many hours at a time and it's great for parties. One thing I didn't like, specifically about GH live, is that the reactions seemed a little cheesy and overdone, but I guess that's just part of the charm. One last complaint is the strange trackThe long awaited return of Guitar Hero is here and it's super fun and addictive! There is enough content in the game to keep you entertained for many hours at a time and it's great for parties. One thing I didn't like, specifically about GH live, is that the reactions seemed a little cheesy and overdone, but I guess that's just part of the charm. One last complaint is the strange track list that contains songs from Skrillex, Calvin Harris and stuff like that, which doesn't feel right for a guitar. Not to mention that there is also a part of a song in GH live where a violin is playing, but you're strumming your guitar as if you were responsible for the violin solo. -_-
    Overall, I am happy with the way the game turned out, and it was an innovative and bold leap forward for the Guitar Hero franchise.    … Expand
  27. hheaton4
    Nov 10, 2015
    8
    I have been a devoted fan of the Guitar Hero franchise and was very excited when I heard the news that it was to be reimagined. So for that reason, I started the the Guitar Hero with a certain high expectation. To be honest, this expectation was met and I have played through majority of the game with thorough enjoyment.

    Pros . The new guitar layout is challenging compared to the last    I have been a devoted fan of the Guitar Hero franchise and was very excited when I heard the news that it was to be reimagined. So for that reason, I started the the Guitar Hero with a certain high expectation. To be honest, this expectation was met and I have played through majority of the game with thorough enjoyment.

    Pros
    . The new guitar layout is challenging compared to the last guitar design and so makes it a more interesting change from previous games.
    . The 'real life' graphics format is a fresh idea that actually works within the game.
    . The idea of playing a festival set is quite enjoyable and somewhat intense playing 5/6 songs without a break.
    . GHTV is a new concept within Guitar Hero where you can play songs using 'Plays' that you unlock by levelling up or purchasing with in game coins or real money. (Don't listen to other reviews saying that you can only play GHTV using real money - this is not true and I have played almost every song on the list without paying a penny).
    . The GHTV has a great idea of playing the songs music video behind the gameplay. This means that the franchise can continually bring out new songs (without going through the long process of the GH Live section with real life people).
    . Nice to see a mix of genres.

    Cons
    . Although the whole 'real life' graphics thing is great; the actors are almost cringey with their actions and various crowd signs saying 'Cool' and 'You Rock' (things that you would definitely not see at a concert) put you off the whole concept slightly.
    . The GH Live section is actually very short and I managed to complete in extremely good time (not even a day).
    . Although there are plenty of songs to play through on GH, the tracklisting is quite mediocre. Some great bands on there such as Soundgarden, RHCP, Pearl Jam, The Who, Arctic Monkeys etc. But including some pop songs like Charlie XCX's 'Famous' with the same chords repeated over and over again, is very boring and almost acts as a filler song to try and boost track numbers.
    . Like the previous con, the large amount of pop songs act actually quite boring where you almost play the keyboard/synth section instead of the guitar. Although I love MGMT, their song 'Time To Pretend' has little to no guitar section and should've been left out of the tracklisting (it's things like that).
    . Would be nice to see regular updates to the tracklisting in GH Live but am yet to see this.

    Overall, I would recommend Guitar Hero Live to most. It's range of genres keep everyone happy and it's more realistic guitar controller makes it an enjoyable experience. Although it may be hard to adjust if you have been playing previous GH games, it is still great fun.    … Expand
  28. daerethjane
    Nov 13, 2015
    8
    GH Live is cheesy and GHTV could be improved with a song-buying feature
    but they're both fun and different and TV is really weirdly addictive
    how "realistic" does a game need to be when you're standing in front of a TV with a plastic guitar in your hands? i love the reviews that are all like "GH has forgotten its ROCK N ROLL ROOTS!!" ... lol k buddies. if that's what rock and roll is    GH Live is cheesy and GHTV could be improved with a song-buying feature
    but they're both fun and different and TV is really weirdly addictive

    how "realistic" does a game need to be when you're standing in front of a TV with a plastic guitar in your hands? i love the reviews that are all like "GH has forgotten its ROCK N ROLL ROOTS!!" ... lol k buddies. if that's what rock and roll is to you, then maybe you don't deserve this game.
    also people fail to mention that the Skrillex song in the game is "Bangarang", which is perfect for the electro-rock set it's in and *GASP* is actually fun to play! and the eminem song was produced by Rick Rubin so whatevs menz    … Expand
  29. L4DLegend91
    Dec 2, 2015
    6
    Guitar Hero Live is weird, in more ways than one. On first impression, the guitar is confusing, with 6 buttons total, 3 buttons stacked over 3 more buttons, essentially using your index, middle and ring fingers and moving them from top to bottom. It is a challenge, and I'm fine with that, but I think the fun factor is taken out. I mastered the 5 button layout, but was always challengedGuitar Hero Live is weird, in more ways than one. On first impression, the guitar is confusing, with 6 buttons total, 3 buttons stacked over 3 more buttons, essentially using your index, middle and ring fingers and moving them from top to bottom. It is a challenge, and I'm fine with that, but I think the fun factor is taken out. I mastered the 5 button layout, but was always challenged with certain songs, and challenged by trying to get 100% on each song. So the challenge is there, but I feel like no matter how much practice I put into this, I may never get to the expert level of it.

    2nd point, the soundtrack isn't all that deep. A lot of the songs are from the last 10 years, and seem to cater to a more modern audience, which is OK and understandable. But, for a game called Guitar Hero, some better songs featuring heavier guitar would be nice, and something that spans a few decades would be nice.

    The hardware for the guitar is mostly nice. It's light, and easy to use, but the strum bar is loud when playing, almost to the point of annoyance. I think this has been a recurring theme for Guitar Hero guitars over Rock Band guitars, and it seems to be continuing.

    The 2 things I really like are the presentation of the songs, in music video form or in live crowd form, and the GHTV feature are really nice. The presentation gives a different feel that no GH or Rock Band game has given before, while the GHTV, in the same right, gives a feature that hasn't been done before either.

    All in all, it's hard to discredit Activision and all involved with GH Live for trying to make this different and unique, because they succeed in that respect. But, in doing so, the fun isn't there as it once was and because of it, I think Rock Band 4 may be the better game,    … Expand
  30. Larsiq
    Jan 5, 2016
    9
    Got as a xmas gift...and frankly, I would not be hapier more. I like new/revamped concept of guitar (three buttons, two rows = more "wannabe" real chords), I like a brand new concept of gaming - being online and consuming GHTV (MTV) and compete with the others. The touch and feel is great. A new There is a 150 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please checkGot as a xmas gift...and frankly, I would not be hapier more. I like new/revamped concept of guitar (three buttons, two rows = more "wannabe" real chords), I like a brand new concept of gaming - being online and consuming GHTV (MTV) and compete with the others. The touch and feel is great. A new There is a 150 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content.
    combination of chords makes you feel the power of (real) guitar.

    Indeed, I have some doubts regarding the song list being currently available within the game, nevertheless GHTV opportunity compensates these doubts completely. Looking forward to further enhancement of the game, especially channel 3. Multiplayer experience is also chalenging and you can compare yourself with the rest of the world and impove your guitar experience continuously. I like leveling-up, it is really working: after first day, I thhough I am never able to anyplay respective chords, but few more hours of training and I am ajusting my fingers accordingly with no explicit effort - this feels good:)

    The only thing I am worry about is the quality of guitar. The equipment looks good so far but only time shows whether buttons survive (as I am kind of powerfull player). Frankly, I do not fully understand negative review as this game is woth og buying and the time spent on (ofc this is valid for the fan GH serie).    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

62
#62 Best PS4 Game of 2015
60
#60 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2015
40
#40 Most Shared PS4 Game of 2015

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 69 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 69
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 69
  3. Negative: 0 out of 69
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2016
    75
    GHL is a great game if you’re playing it alone. I appreciate all the new ideas but I’m really disappointed that it is no longer a party game. [13/2015, p.62]
  2. Games Master UK
    Jan 3, 2016
    82
    GH Live brings plenty of fresh ideas, but a few annoyances stop it short of achieving true greatness. [Christmas 2015, p.]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Dec 16, 2015
    90
    One of 2015's biggest surprises. [Christmas 2015, p.74]
See all critic reviews »