After a five-year hiatus, Guitar Hero is returning to game consoles with a new installment of the jam session video game, Guitar Hero Live. The first 24 songs have been revealed from its extensive setlist, spanning from the Rolling Stones and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Ed Sheeran and Pantera.
Both My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, who also hold a spot on the setlist, attended the Guitar Hero Live launch party. The assorted lineup is further extended to newer artists like The War on Drugs and Alt-J, heavy metal staples like Megadeth, alternative favorite Rage Against the Machine and current radio artists including Skrillex and The Lumineers.
"This is something we gave a load of thought to. Guitar Hero — by its name alone — has always been associated with classic rock tracks. And we know fans really love that type of music. So we wanted to make sure those fans weren't disappointed," Jamie Jackson, FreeStyle creative director and studio head told Rolling Stone. "But it's been 10 years since the first Guitar Hero game came out. When you think of it like that, and think about how much the musical landscape has changed since then — that's where we've been able to explore some new types of musical style as well. Guitar music is broader than it's ever been — so we're reflecting that in the range of music on offer."
Guitar Hero Live will bring a first-person perspective, a more realistic guitar controller and GHTV, a 24-hour "playable music video network." Game co-creators from Activision explain that the channel allows partakers to play along to the song's official video as well as challenge players of the same skill level online, notes Pitchfork.
"The great thing about GHTV mode, which is the world's first playable music video network, is it gives us even more scope to broaden the songs on offer," Jackson said. "There are going to be Rock channels, so if that's your bag you can spend hours competing with people to your favorite tracks. But if you fancy mixing it up, or want to play something else than you can just flick channels and find something else to play."
The game will be available across multiple consoles including Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation 3 and 4 as well as Xbox One and 360 and mobile devices for the first time ever. The setlist below gathers the first 24 songs made public from Guitar Hero Live, which is scheduled to release in the fall.
Guitar Hero Live Initial Set List
The Black Keys - "Gold on the Ceiling"
Blitz Kids - "Sometimes"
Ed Sheeran - "Sing"
Fall Out Boy - "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)"
Gary Clark, Jr. - "Don't Owe You a Thang"
Green Day - "Nuclear Family"
The Killers - "When You Were Young"
The Lumineers - "Ho Hey"
My Chemical Romance - "Na Na Na"
Pierce the Veil - "King for a Day (feat. Kellin Quinn)"
The Rolling Stones - "Paint it Black"
Skrillex - "Bangarang"
The War on Drugs - "Under the Pressure"
Black Veil Brides - "In The End"
Rage Against the Machine - "Guerrilla Radio"
Judas Priest - "Breaking the Law"
Pantera - "Cowboys From Hell"
Sleigh Bells - "Bitter Rivals"
System of a Down - "Chop Suey!"
Alter Bridge - "Cry of Achilles"
Alt-J - "Left Hand Free"
Broken Bells - "Leave It Alone"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Higher Ground"
The Pretty Reckless - "Going to Hell"
