After the deluge of rhythm games last year, it’s been a bit more peaceful up until now and all we’ve really seen in 2010 is the release of Green Day: Rock Band, but can the saturated market cope with one more glorious shred? Neversoft and Activision seem to think so, and with this being the last hurrah for the now dissolved Guitar Hero specific division, you’d hope that they would go out with a bang. Having said that, there is little doubt that the series will live on regardless.

After being given some hands-on time with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock at Gamescom this year, it is easy to get the basics out of the way – nothing here has changed. Ignoring the addition of an open-string bass note sustain, the rest of the game handles just as you have come to expect. Up to four players can take part using a mix of vocals, guitars and drums, so you pretty much know the drill. One thing I did notice is that the new guitar peripheral seems extremely small and light compared to recent years, heralding back to the popular Guitar Hero 2 instrument if anything. The idea behind this is the hope that players will create their own dream controller should they so wish, but it gives the guitar a very poor feel and the main fret button seems a tad sponge like to say the least.

So with no sweeping gameplay or peripheral changes, what exactly is going to draw players in? Well the awesome looking Quest mode of course. Narrated by none other than KISS Legend, Gene Simmons, this tells the tale of your quest to help out the Demigod of Rock in his eternal battle with the Beast. Obviously it sounds ridiculous, but it superbly draws upon practically every rock stereotype and album cover you can think of to create an epic journey. The whole thing is more story-based and more involving than a regular career mode would be and actually gives you something tangible to aim for rather than just the next gig.

 

Reach the end of the story and the true challenge awaits. Megadeth have written a new song for the game called Sudden Death, with the promise that it will provide the sternest challenge yet for any Expert strummers. Assuming your fingers aren’t already bleeding from that kind of abuse, you can then progress to the Demigod chapter and expect up to ten songs that are pretty much at the same level of Through the Fire and Flames – remember that walk in the park? The developers certainly want you to suffer for your art this time around.

The real key here is getting back to the hardcore audience and bringing the game back to its pure rock roots, as opposed to the more family friendly fare of recent times. As a result there are no pop style chart toppers in the 93 strong track list and the emphasis is clearly on players who prefer to rock out at a Hard or Expert level.

 

It is hard to get excited about a game that seems so familiar, but at least the new Quest mode offers a little something different. However, the real selling point here will be just how much added value the game has to draw back the hardcore crowd that became so disillusioned with the recent additions to the series. When the game lands in September, will it be with a bang or a whimper? Stay tuned to find out.

Guitar Hero is scheduled for a September 24th and September 28th release in Europe and North America respectively.