Friday, February 11, 2011

Guitar Hero: The Death of a Rock Star

So who didn't see this one coming from a mile away?  Or in my case, from all the way back in July of 2008 when I did my review of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith?  If you haven't heard, this week during their annual earning's call, Activision announced the closing of their Guitar Hero facilities, cancelling the planned 2011 Guitar Hero and basically killing the franchise.  The reason they gave was because of the over saturation of the music genre of video games. 

...this is my surprised face...

Actually, as I thought about my time with Guitar Hero, it dawned on my that it's life cycle was exactly the same as a one-hit wonder, and this week that artist was just dropped from their label.  So I guess this is the E! True Hollywood Story of Guitar Hero. 



I first played the game way back in 2007 with Guitar Hero 2 on the XBox 360.  I'll never forget how completely lost I felt as I tried to play the game the first time.  Sitting there on my couch, alone, pressing the buttons like some drunk monkey and hearing "clang" after "clang" ring from my TV before I eventually failed at the song.  Realizing I was doing something terribly wrong, I stood up, cleared away my coffee table, and got ready to rock.  The next couple hours was one of the best video game experiences ever.  By the time my roommate got home, I was exhausted, sweating, and having the time of my life.

Two years and approximately 27 versions of the game later, we reached the pinnacle of the genre.  In the summer of 2009 at the opening of a new movie theater in Hoboken, NJ, they set up a Beatles Rock Band and were giving away free copies.  The set up was a huge stage, with flat screen TVs, lights, amps, and a full Beatles Rock Band set and they were asking for volunteers to play the drums, which I was more than happy to do.  As I sat up there, getting ready to play, with The30yoWife on the bass, and a crowd of about 20 people watching, I thought, we've certainly come a long way from my couch in my living room.

We rocked it out that night to "Eight Days a Week" and to this day, we still talk about how awesome an experience it was.  I don't think I'll ever forget the smattering of applause our "tribute band" got when we finished and the smile on my wife's face when it was over. It was simply put the closest we will ever be to feeling like rock stars, and when you think about it, that was what the game was all about.  It was awesome.

That was the peak of my Guitar Hero career.  I guess it followed the same pattern of any one hit wonder.  At first, not a lot of people heard about it.  Then it became bigger than they could handle, faster than they could handle.  Before you know it, it's being played in every bar across the nation.  And just like that, when they can't produce enough of them, the audience turns and no one wants it anymore.  From "Nobody", to "Superstar", to "Has Been" in a matter of a couple years. 

And this is completely Activision's fault.  They were producing on average 4 Guitar Hero games a year and each one of them had a ton of downloadable content.  It was just way too much.  I like playing Guitar Hero, but I don't need every single song I've ever heard to be in a Guitar Hero game.  It kinda defeats the purpose.  Then you combine that with all of the Rock Band and DJ Hero games and you've got a complete over saturation of the market and everyone is tired of it.  The last game they released which was Guitar Hero 5 last year was a complete failure and it costs them too much to license all of the songs for no one buying the game. 

That's the life of a rock star I guess.  And the same can be said for a rock star video game.  Years from now when I tell my kids about these games, the story will end like every E! True Hollywood Story:  It was fun while it lasted.

Until next time,

 - The 30 Year-old Gamer

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