A little less than a decade ago Guitar Hero was born, a rhythm based music game with plastic guitars. By the second iteration it could be argued that it was one of the most popular peripheral based games ever made. Nearly everyone I knew who owned a console also owned at least one plastic guitar and a copy of Guitar Hero 1, 2, or 3, or one of the many spin-off titles featuring one band only. If you went to a party there was likely always a crowd of people playing in a room, generally led by those who could impress by playing the more difficult songs on expert. For a few years the public was enamoured with such a simple concept before it all came crashing down in one fell swoop. What happened?
Two years after the original Guitar Hero released Rock Band was born and all of a sudden there was some real competition on the scene that was arguably better. As soon as this war started, it was clear there could be no winner. With both series combined there were over 12 versions of these games released in under ten years. It seemed that these companies thought they could cash in and make game after game, even modelling certain versions after single bands instead of offering a wide variety of music. They shot themselves in the foot. The world had become incredibly saturated; too much of a good thing can definitely be a bad thing. In 2010, the last AAA Rock Band title, Rock Band 3, was released, and by 2011 Activision was finished with Guitar Hero. It seemed the world had had enough.
Craigslist and Ebay were full of ads listing Rock Band and Guitar Hero peripherals and there were tons of copies of the games in bargain bins across the country. People weren’t playing at parties anymore. I remember staying at my cousin’s house and spotting the familiar Les Paul guitar hero peripheral and a copy of Guitar Hero 3. I booted it up, played three songs I enjoyed, and put it down. The phenomenon was over. Nobody cared anymore, including myself.
These games inspired me though. I realized that all my time spent playing them could have actually been spent learning to play a real instrument. They taught me that no matter how horrible I am to start, I can always improve. I’ve since bought a real guitar and a copy of Rocksmith, and while I’m not that great it’s certainly much more challenging and I get better and better every week. Guitar Hero showed people that with practice, anyone can become a rock star, or at least learn how to play like one virtually. No, not everyone went out and took the next steps that I did, but I’m sure that many have. Honestly though, sometimes I really do miss picking up that plastic axe offered with Guitar Hero or Rock Band and feeling like a legend.
As much satisfaction as I get from learning a real instrument and improving my skill-set, it’s just not quite the same feeling. Even with Rocksmith, you don’t get that feedback of feeling like a true rock star. I’m never playing for a giant audience of several thousand people, real or virtual, and I likely never will. Going through the set lists and being rated at the end, playing at cool venues, and busting out star power to save your ass or rack up points is a completely different sense of satisfaction than when I finally manage to remember every note from The Distance or Heart Shaped Box. Those personal milestones feel fantastic, but let’s face it: just about everyone likes feeling like a guitar hero.
Fortunately, we all might get that opportunity again soon. Harmonix recently stated that there will be a Rock Band 4 this year, even offering up a PAX East exclusive guitar peripheral, and there are rumours that Activision is releasing a new Guitar Hero as well. I have high hopes, particularly that they’ve learned their lesson this time around and that don’t plan on flying too close to the sun releasing a ridiculous amount of content in a short span of time. I think if both companies can learn from their mistakes, and focus on making themselves stand out and apart from each other, there is room for everyone in the rhythm-based music game scene.
So now, we wait and see. Will there be guitar and game bundles again? Will old models work? Am I going to have to learn something totally new, like when Rock Band introduced more frets? I have no idea, but I’m actually pretty excited to find out. I never thought I’d say this again, but both companies have me sold. Now the question isn’t whether or not I get one of these games in 2015, it’s which one do I buy?