Guitar Hero World Tour Impressions

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 1:47 pm

While there will naturally be some comparisons to Rock Band, GHWT shoudl have it's own thread.

7.9 from IGN: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/923/923873p6.html

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 1:49 pm

I'm seeing a lot of posts about problems with the drum sets, so new buyers, be careful!

Also, if you are PS3, apparently the GHWT drums DO NOT WORK with Rock Band, so if you are thinking of one set for both games, beware. Hopefully a patch may take care of that, though.

I've played a few songs on (RB1)drums so far, and it's fun. MUCH easier timing window than the RBs, though, allowing you to play pretty sloppy at times without penalty. You'll see what I mean on 'On the Road Again.'

I'm not a fan of how you have to activate Star Power, either, but I'm used to the fill sections of RB right now. You have to hit Blue and Yellow at the same time, which can be quite annoying depending on the song. You might have to really force it in in some places, and it can easily mess up your streak if you are not careful.

They did a good job of picking well-known songs in the earlier career tiers.

Song select interface in quickplay is pretty poor, IMO. No way to see stars here without scrolling over the names, and career mode doesn't have them easily displayed in one place either.

I really thought GH would do this better than RB.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:07 pm

Before purchase, I thought the track lists on disk between GHWT and RB were about equal, but having played some now, I think GWHT's songs make a better first impression, and may be better overall. Of course, GHWT will have a long way to go to match RB's DLC.

That said, on drums VERY EARLY into the game, I think RB's charts were more interesting on lower-tiered songs. This could change quickly, however. I also wonder if some of it is due to GH's mapping of five drum gems down to four for RB. I'm guessing the GH drums themselves probably make for a more compelling experience on GH.

But kudos to Neversoft for doing that mapping. Though the charts may seem a bit less interesting, by no means do they feel gimped, and I'm having a good time playing. (and I wouldn't have even purchased the game if I needed to buy a second drum set!)

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 3:40 pm

The 1UpYours guys loved the GHWT drums and were positive about the game overall. They talk about it about 90 minutes into their latest podcast.

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 4:13 pm

webdanzer wrote:I also wonder if some of it is due to GH's mapping of five drum gems down to four for RB. I'm guessing the GH drums themselves probably make for a more compelling experience on GH.

But kudos to Neversoft for doing that mapping. Though the charts may seem a bit less interesting, by no means do they feel gimped, and I'm having a good time playing. (and I wouldn't have even purchased the game if I needed to buy a second drum set!)

That's impressive to re-map everything to be played on RB drums. I guess they felt you gotta do what you gotta do to eat into RB's market share.

There are some songs on GH:WT that I really wish were in RB, but I'm not sure if that's enough to get me to purchase the GH:WT software.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 5:30 pm

So far I am enjoying the game. Drums are excellent with the BIG exception of the kick pedal not being secured.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 7:30 pm

Spooky wrote:So far I am enjoying the game. Drums are excellent with the BIG exception of the kick pedal not being secured.

After a couple more hours of play, the kick pedal design choice is UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Almost a game killer for me. The pedal itself feels even cheaper than the 1st Rock Band one and the lack of any type of brace is horrible.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:20 pm

Despite GHWT having better songs for groups (IMO) I actually think Rock Band is quite a bit better for group play. The house band (me, wife, son) did a few songs together tonight, and GHWT lags behind RB in many ways here.

The UI is pretty rough when playing with multiple people. You'll find your eyes roaming here and there and off the charts to see your multiplier, star power, instrument performance level, etc. One fail-out kills everyone (no saves), and IMO it's very hard to tell exactly how well you are doing on a song until it's over, good or bad. It seems you are less in touch with your performance. Very different from Rock Band in that regard.

Vocals seem to come through a bit better, though, which is good, but the overall mix seems a little more muffled to me. I don't quite 'get' star power yet. The band shares it, but again, you don't really feel connected to it. You can use it over and over again, after it runs out at (I think) pre-set times, rather than when your meter depletes.

Those of you who don't have experience with Rock Band may not notice some of these criticisms, I'm sure, but right now I'd definitely recommend RB2 over GHWT if someone was only buying one.

However, it's getting to be too late for drums for me tonight, so I'll be switching to guitar later on. I expect this is where GHWT will shine.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 8:26 pm

Spooky wrote:
Spooky wrote:So far I am enjoying the game. Drums are excellent with the BIG exception of the kick pedal not being secured.
After a couple more hours of play, the kick pedal design choice is UNACCEPTABLE!!!! Almost a game killer for me. The pedal itself feels even cheaper than the 1st Rock Band one and the lack of any type of brace is horrible.

No homebrew solutions out there yet, Spook? Rubber feet and rubber bands or something? Expect to see enterprising MacGuyver types jump all over this like with the metal plates for RB.

I read a post where someone described their pedal flipping completely over and landing upside-down in the middle of a song!

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:16 pm

I don't know what kind of maniac you have to be to do some of the reported damage to the drums, but I can't imagine wailing away with that much vigor. I've given the drums a good beating, and they've held up fine. I suck, suck, suck at the drums, but I'll get there. Can't seem to make my foot and my hands do different things...

I love the whole set. I may have the advantage of never playing the RB drums, but I love the drum set. My wife and both boys took their shots with them tonight, and they all had a blast. They really seem to be made well, and I can't get over how much more 'real world' they feel even compared to the guitars.

Ah, the guitar. I love this instrument. Love it. Never had much affinity for the RB guitars-they just felt fragile to me. Not this bad boy-it's solid. The new slide bar looks to be lots of fun, and will only add to the feeling of actually playing a guitar.

The kick pedal-don't have the slightest problem with it-I've got it sitting on a rug, and it has NOT moved. Not once. Again, if you're playing with enough gusto to break it or flip it over, you're going at it much harder than I am. If it starts to slip, I'll just purchase a couple of heavy duty rubber bands and affix it to one of the base feet. No biggie.

Overall, I'm having exactly the blast I thought I would be having. I've got the RB2 game, as well, and I'll be happy as a pig in slop for quite some time on the music game front. Can't wait for the AC/DC expansion for RB2, can't wait to dig into the career of GHWT. Having a blast.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:23 pm

So not only do they put out new games every year, they put out new instruments?

And they said annual releases of sports games are a scam.

Feanor · Post by **Feanor** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:49 pm

Music games are the new sports games:

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/ar ... ?id=199818

Now we just needs pages and pages of sliders in RB and GH that don't really do anything.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 11:50 pm

Teal wrote:
The kick pedal-don't have the slightest problem with it-I've got it sitting on a rug, and it has NOT moved. Not once. Again, if you're playing with enough gusto to break it or flip it over, you're going at it much harder than I am. If it starts to slip, I'll just purchase a couple of heavy duty rubber bands and affix it to one of the base feet. No biggie.

No offensive Teal, but just wait until you get a bit better and start having to play some of the tougher songs on Expert. MUCH different story then.

Yeah, if I were playing on an easier level and doing basic 'boom-tap-boom, boom-tap' beats, no problem. The second you throw in anything that requires you to repeatedly play 'heel-up' because it's so fast, forget it. The thing starts moving every which way.

Who the f*ck tested this thing and thought, "yeah...that'll work just fine!" ?????

Leadfoot5 · Post by **Leadfoot5** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 12:27 am

Super Quick Review of the full band bundle after a couple hours of play.

Based on some negative experiences from random people on the net regarding the hardware, I was hesitant to open the box today, but I'm glad I did. The drum set is even better than I imagined, and I'm not having any of the problems that others have talked about on the net. The pads are quiet and have a great bounce to them. Having the separate symbol pads is so much more fun than the RB set as well. As for the kick pedal, it is much more comfortable than the RB pedal, and I've had no problems with it moving around playing on Medium and Hard. It's resting on an area rug, so that could have something to do with it.

The music had me grinning from ear to ear as well. I'm turning 40 this week, so I was LOVING the Wings, Creedence, & Eagles.

Anyway, just wanted to pass on some positive feedback after all of the negative stuff on the net today.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:12 am

Spooky wrote:
Teal wrote:
The kick pedal-don't have the slightest problem with it-I've got it sitting on a rug, and it has NOT moved. Not once. Again, if you're playing with enough gusto to break it or flip it over, you're going at it much harder than I am. If it starts to slip, I'll just purchase a couple of heavy duty rubber bands and affix it to one of the base feet. No biggie.
No offensive Teal, but just wait until you get a bit better and start having to play some of the tougher songs on Expert. MUCH different story then.

Yeah, if I were playing on an easier level and doing basic 'boom-tap-boom, boom-tap' beats, no problem. The second you throw in anything that requires you to repeatedly play 'heel-up' because it's so fast, forget it. The thing starts moving every which way.

Who the f*ck tested this thing and thought, "yeah...that'll work just fine!" ?????

Well, Spook...you don't have to worry about me playing anything on expert-guitar or otherwise...so I guess I'm golden. I just recently got to where I could halfway function on hard with the guitar, but no Metallica yet-that has to still be on medium. I'm just not interested in getting my ass handed to me...

If you don't mind having the pedal off to one side or the other, I'd try the rubber band idea and see how that works. I'll study it a little and see what I might can think of-who knows?

I played the guitar for awhile tonight (awhile...heh, I'm just now quitting!), and I gotta say, 'Joker' with that slide bar was fun as hell!

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:14 am

Leadfoot5 wrote:Super Quick Review of the full band bundle after a couple hours of play.

Based on some negative experiences from random people on the net regarding the hardware, I was hesitant to open the box today, but I'm glad I did. The drum set is even better than I imagined, and I'm not having any of the problems that others have talked about on the net. The pads are quiet and have a great bounce to them. Having the separate symbol pads is so much more fun than the RB set as well. As for the kick pedal, it is much more comfortable than the RB pedal, and I've had no problems with it moving around playing on Medium and Hard. It's resting on an area rug, so that could have something to do with it.

The music had me grinning from ear to ear as well. I'm turning 40 this week, so I was LOVING the Wings, Creedence, & Eagles.

Anyway, just wanted to pass on some positive feedback after all of the negative stuff on the net today.

I think you and I must've been separated at birth, Lead. Couldn't have said most of that better myself.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 3:25 am

I have discovered one problem with the drums...

...I have nowhere to store them. Other than that...no problem. I've got them kinda shoved into my entertainment center, but it's not the best fit. The damned main section is bulky!

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:25 am

Really looking forward to renting this game. It sounds like there are a bunch of songs that I'd be interested in playing.

Nice impressions so far on the game and instruments. It sounds like both games have their pros and cons. I will say I am so unbelieveably satisfied right now with RB2. I'm pretty sure I would have enjoyed GH:WT as well.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:47 am

How does GHWT compare to Rock Band just for playing drums alone?
The drums are so much fun in Rock Band that I don't bother with any other parts of the game.

So what's my best choice just for drums only? I still have GH3 for my Guitar Hero fix. Are the guitar parts in GHWT similar to GH3 or are they easier, like Rock Band's Guitar parts?

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:52 am

Don't get me wrong, I love everything about these drums except for that damn pedal. That's what makes it all the more frustrating. The design on everything else is top notch.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:53 am

Is that right that I can use my RB1 drums with GHWT?

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:05 am

JackB1 wrote:Is that right that I can use my RB1 drums with GHWT?

2nd post of the one-page thread.

webdanzer wrote:
I've played a few songs on (RB1)drums so far, and it's fun.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:11 am

JackB1 wrote:How does GHWT compare to Rock Band just for playing drums alone?
The drums are so much fun in Rock Band that I don't bother with any other parts of the game.

So what's my best choice just for drums only? I still have GH3 for my Guitar Hero fix. Are the guitar parts in GHWT similar to GH3 or are they easier, like Rock Band's Guitar parts?

Right now I like RB2's drum charting better, but again, I'm not playing with the GHWT drums. I think the design of the GHWT drums themselves (elevation change for cymbals) probably adds quite a bit of entertainment. Still enjoying GHWT's drums with the rb1 set, though.

The guitar parts are not as hard as GH3, but they still feel more like GH charts than RB charts. There are still lots of multifinger chords, but the timing is far easier. RB charts have (generally) less fingers, more movement.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 10:59 am

Which game would you say does the better job of translating the guitar parts from what you would expect to play on a real guitar to the game? I know that 5 buttons can't accurately replace six strngs and frets, but in general I felt that the charts in GH3 made sense to what you would expect on a real guitar, other than the limited number of chords.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Oct 27, 2008 11:14 am

webdanzer wrote:
JackB1 wrote:Is that right that I can use my RB1 drums with GHWT?
2nd post of the one-page thread.

webdanzer wrote:

That post was regarding the PS3 version. My question was regarding the 360 version.