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Guitar Hero

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Guitar Hero is a famous series of rhythm games that makes you feel like a rock star.

Guitar Hero series controllers
Guitar Hero series controllers

Instead of a standard controller, you use a special device shaped like a guitar. You watch colored notes scroll across your screen. To play, you press the matching colored buttons on the neck of the controller. You also strum the device in time with the music to earn points. This helps you keep a virtual audience excited.

Guitarhero-screen
Guitarhero-screen

Some games even let you try real guitar moves. You can use a whammy bar to change the pitch of a note. You can also practice fast finger movements called hammer-ons and pull-offs.

Playing the games can be done alone or with many friends. Most games include a Career mode where you play through every song. You can also play in competitive modes or work together in cooperative modes. In 2008, the game expanded with Guitar Hero World Tour.

Guitar-hero-world-tour-20080715103139463
Guitar-hero-world-tour-20080715103139463

This version allowed for a full four-player band. Players could use instruments for vocals and drums. Early games used cover versions of songs made by WaveGroup Sound. Newer games use the real master recordings of famous songs.

The story of the series began in 2005. A company named RedOctane wanted to bring a popular Japanese arcade game called GuitarFreaks to the West.

Guitar Hero Arcade
Guitar Hero Arcade

They teamed up with a developer called Harmonix to create the game. The very first game was made with a budget of US$1 million. RedOctane built the first controllers with help from the Honeybee Corporation of China. Later, the company RedOctane was bought by Activision in 2007 for US$100 million. This led to many more games being made by different studios.

Many different companies helped build the franchise over the years. Activision brought in a studio called Neversoft, which was famous for the Tony Hawk series.

Guitar Hero series controllers
Guitar Hero series controllers

Other companies like Budcat Creations and Vicarious Visions helped make versions for different systems. The series has released twenty-five different titles. This includes spin-off games like DJ Hero and Band Hero. The series became a huge success around the world. It has sold more than 25 million units and earned US$2 billion at retail.

Guitar Hero helped make rhythm games a major part of culture in North America. It was even used as a tool for learning and medical development. The games also changed how they looked over time. The first logo had sharp, pointed letters to match heavy metal music.

Guitar hero new logo
Guitar hero new logo

Later, a new logo was made by a studio called Pentagram. This new design was smoother to show that the music was now much broader. Even though the series faced hard times and a hiatus, it remains a very influential part of video game history.

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🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Guitar_hero_logo.png
Guitar_hero_logo.png
File:Guitar hero new logo.svg
Guitar hero new logo.svg
File:Guitar Hero series controllers.jpg
Guitar Hero series controllers.jpg
File:Gibson Les Paul Xbox 360 controller.jpg
Gibson Les Paul Xbox 360 controller.jpg
File:Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Controller PS3.png
Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Controller PS3.png
File:GuitarHero DSInterface.jpg
GuitarHero DSInterface.jpg
File:Guitar Hero Arcade.jpg
Guitar Hero Arcade.jpg
File:Guitarhero-screen.jpg
Guitarhero-screen.jpg
File:Guitar-hero-world-tour-20080715103139463.PNG
Guitar-hero-world-tour-20080715103139463.PNG
File:Guitar-hero-3-gameplay.jpg
Guitar-hero-3-gameplay.jpg
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