is the sixth main game in the Guitar Hero series, released by Activision to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii consoles in September 2010. The game was developed by Activision's subsidiary studios RedOctane, Neversoft, and Vicarious Visions; the latter provided support for additional features in the Wii version of the game. Following a decline in sales of music games in 2009, partially due to the large number of music games released that year, Activision scaled back their efforts in the Guitar Hero series. Warriors of Rock represents the final game developed by RedOctane and Neversoft. Both studios' respective Guitar Hero divisions were closed once the game was complete, with key personnel brought into Activision directly for future games. It was initially announced that Vicarious Visions would take over future game development of the Guitar Hero series, however due to declining music game sales, all further development of the Guitar Hero series was cancelled, until 2015 when Guitar Hero Live was released.[1] [2] [3]
As with previous games in the series, Warriors of Rock challenges one to four local or online players to use special instrument controllers based on guitar, bass, drums, and vocals to simulate the playing of rock music, matching notes as they scroll on-screen with specific actions of the controller to score points and successfully complete songs that are available on-disc, through imports of other Guitar Hero games, or purchasable as downloadable content. Players are awarded star ratings based on their performance; in Warriors of Rock, the typical limit of five stars can easily be surpassed through gameplay-changing powers possessed by the eight in-game characters when they are used. Players can opt to play songs on one of six difficulty levels, from Beginner to Expert (Expert+ on drums), that alter the number of notes and scrolling speed.
There are 93 songs by 85 artists on-disc for Warriors of Rock.[4] Recent games in the Guitar Hero series were found to have soundtracks that attempted to please several types of players, leading to dilution of the experience; Warriors of Rock was designed to follow the success of with a soundtrack that was more focused on the rock 'n roll genre, according to project director Brian Bright.[5] The game features songs primarily from the punk, alternative, and classic rock genres, and with heavy focus on lead guitar portions as this was found to be the most popular instrument to players. The game's on-disc setlist is also claimed to be more difficult than previous games, as Activision found most players would quickly progress to the highest difficulty, Expert, shortly after each game's release.[6] Bright noted that "there's still range and still a lot of variety in this game" to avoid too much alienating of long-time fans of the series in general.[7]
Warriors of Rocks primary gameplay mode is "Quest Mode", a story-driven campaign in which players recruit eight fictional characters to help rescue the Demigod of Rock from imprisonment by The Beast; the story is narrated by Gene Simmons. For each character, the player must earn a number of stars on a selection of songs tied to each character that represented the genre the character personifies; for example, the mohawk-wearing Johnny Napalm has songs primarily from the punk genre. After achieving the required number of stars, the character transforms into a more powerful character, and the player must complete one more song (the "encore") to recruit the character. That character will then join in the fight against the Beast, and the opportunity to recruit other characters become available. One highlight of Quest Mode's story involves finding the Demigod's guitar in a cave; this part of the story is set to match the lyrics of Rush's 7-part epic, "2112", with Rush members Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson narrating the story. Outside Quest Mode, on-disc songs can be played at any time in "Quickplay+ Mode", an expanded version of previous games' Quickplay modes featuring more challenges, and various competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. The parts of "2112" and many of the songs in the last part of the Quest progress are only available after being completed in Quest Mode.
All songs in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock are master recordings. Two songs, Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb", were specifically re-recorded by the original performers for use in Warriors of Rock.[8] The song "Black Rain" by Soundgarden represents the first single by the group since 1997, and the release of the game was planned in coordination with Soundgarden's Telephantasm compilation album that includes the single. Megadeth's "Sudden Death" was specifically written by Dave Mustaine as the final song within Warriors of Rocks setlist; its polyrhythms and difficult passes make it one of the toughest songs to beat.[9] [10]
Reviewers found the soundtrack to lack the focus that Activision claims it has, and that the series may have exhausted a number of good guitar songs in its previous iterations. Arthur Gies of IGN stated that the game soundtrack "may be the most uneven collection in any of the main Guitar Hero titles", citing problems with "a surplus of tracks that seem out of place", "too many songs that are just boring to play", and "a number of synth heavy songs that are nevertheless shoehorned" into the game.[11] Official Xbox Magazine UK stated that the setlist "feels at times uninspired, incongruous and uninteresting".[12] Game Informers Matt Helgeson felt that the setlist was "a mixed bag", with a strong and balanced set of songs in the early tiers of Quest Mode, while the latter, more difficult songs were "terrible and felt like a chore" to complete.[13] Roger Hargreaves of Metro commented that "with so many of the more iconic rock songs having already been used in previous Guitar Hero and Rock Band games developers are forced to use ever more obscure songs and/or acts".[14] On the other hand, USA Todays Mike Snider claimed that the game's soundtrack "gave [him] a reason to blast music on [his] stereo", and besides providing well-known songs and bands, introduced him to new bands.[15]
The on-disc songs are presented in the following table by their year of recording, song name and artist, their genre as defined in-game, and the set or tier within the Quest Mode where they appear.
| Year | Song | Artist(s) | Genre | Quest Mode setlist | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Again" | Modern Rock | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 1971 | "Aqualung" | Classic Rock | |||
| 2005 | "Bat Country" | Metal | 9. Axel Steel Encore | ||
| 1990 | "Been Caught Stealing" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails Encore | ||
| 2010 | "Black Rain" | Grunge | |||
| 2007 | "Black Widow of La Porte" | Speed Metal | |||
| 2007 | "Bleed It Out" | Rap Rock | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 2009 | "Bloodlines" | Death Metal | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 2001 | "Bodies" | Nu Metal | 6. Pandora Encore | ||
| 1975 | "Bohemian Rhapsody" | Classic Rock | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 1974 | "Burn" | Hard Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 1981 | "Burnin' for You" | Classic Rock | |||
| 1974 | "Call Me the Breeze" (Live) | Southern Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 2007 | "Calling" | Modern Rock | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 1984 | "Chemical Warfare" | Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Cherry Bomb" | Rock | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 1971 | "Children of the Grave" | Metal | 4. Austin Tejas Encore | ||
| 1993 | "Cryin'" | Blues Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 2005 | "Dance, Dance" | Pop Rock | 6. Pandora | ||
| 2003 | "Dancing Through Sunday" | Rock | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 1997 | "Deadfall" | Punk | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 1989 | "Fascination Street" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 2008 | Modern Rock | 6. Pandora | |||
| 1977 | "Feels Like the First Time" | Classic Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 1969 | "Fortunate Son" | Southern Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 1972 | "Free Ride" | Classic Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 2004 | "Fury of the Storm" | Speed Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 2002 | "Get Free" | Alternative | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 2010 | "Ghost" | Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 1997 | "Graduate" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 2009 | "Hard to See" | Hard Rock | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 1990 | "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" | Metal | 10. Battle With The Beast | ||
| 2001 | "How You Remind Me" | Hard Rock | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 2009 | "I Know What I Am" | Indie Rock | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 1994 | "I'm Broken" | Metal | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 2004 | "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)" | Pop Punk | 6. Pandora | ||
| 2005 | "If You Want Peace... Prepare for War" | Death Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 1987 | "Indians" | Speed Metal | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 1994 | "Interstate Love Song" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 2009 | "It's Only Another Parsec..." | Modern Rock | 6. Pandora | ||
| 1990 | "Jet City Woman" | Hard Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 2009 | "Lasso" | Alternative | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 1978 | "Listen to Her Heart" | Classic Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 1991 | "Losing My Religion" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 1977 | "Love Gun" | Glam Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 1981 | "Lunatic Fringe" | Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 1994 | "Machinehead" | Rock | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 1986 | "Modern Day Cowboy" | Classic Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing" | Pop Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 2001 | "Motivation" | Pop Punk | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 1978 | "Move It On Over" (Live) | Blues Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 2005 | "Nemesis" | Death Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 1973 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | Classic Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 2005 | "No Way Back" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 2003 | Alternative | 6. Pandora | |||
| 2009 | "Paranoid" (Live) | Metal | 7. Lars Ümlaüt Encore | ||
| 1987 | "Pour Some Sugar on Me" (Live) | Hard Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 2008 | "Psychosocial" | Metal | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 2009 | "Ravenous" | Metal | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 1987 | "Re-Ignition" (Live) | Punk | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 1978 | "Renegade" | Hard Rock | 8. Casey Lynch Encore | ||
| 1983 | "" | Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 1989 | "Rockin' in the Free World" | Classic Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 2008 | "Savior" | Modern Rock | 6. Pandora | ||
| 2009 | "Scumbag Blues" | Alternative | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 1994 | "Self Esteem" | Pop Punk | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 2004 | "Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants" | Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 2003 | "Seven Nation Army" | Blues Rock | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 1983 | "Sharp Dressed Man" (Live) | Blues Rock | 8. Casey Lynch | ||
| 2004 | "Slow Hands" | Alternative | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 2010 | "Speeding (Vault Version)" | Speed Metal | 11. Demigod of Rock | ||
| 1968 | "Stray Cat Blues" | Blues Rock | 4. Austin Tejas | ||
| 2010 | "Sudden Death" | Metal | 10. Battle With The Beast Final Encore | ||
| 2009 | "Suffocated" | Modern Rock | 6. Pandora | ||
| 1995 | "Theme from Spiderman" | Punk | 1. Johnny Napalm Encore | ||
| 2009 | "There's No Secrets This Year" | Indie Rock | 6. Pandora | ||
| 2009 | "This Day We Fight!" | Metal | 10. Battle With The Beast Battle Encore | ||
| 2007 | "Tick Tick Boom" | Alternative | 2. Echo Tesla | ||
| 2007 | "Ties That Bind" | Hard Rock | 7. Lars Umlaut | ||
| 1992 | "Tones of Home" | Alternative | 3. Judy Nails | ||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1976 | Prog Rock | 5. Legendary Guitar Stage | |||
| 1990 | "Unskinny Bop" | Glam Rock | 9. Axel Steel | ||
| 2009 | "Uprising" | Alternative | 2. Echo Tesla Encore | ||
| 2009 | "Waidmanns Heil" | Industrial | 7. Lars Ümlaüt | ||
| 1984 | "We're Not Gonna Take It" | Glam Rock | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 1978 | "What Do I Get?" | Punk | 1. Johnny Napalm | ||
| 1992 | "Wish" | Industrial | 2. Echo Tesla |
See also: List of songs in Guitar Hero World Tour, List of songs in Guitar Hero 5 and List of songs in Guitar Hero: Metallica. Warriors of Rock allows for importing a majority of songs from four previous Guitar Hero games into the game's Quickplay+ and other competitive modes; the import requires a one-time fee and includes necessary updates to previous songs to match new formats within Warriors of Rock.[16] Just prior to Warriors of Rocks release, it was announced that thirty-nine songs from would also be importable into the game, with the import fee waived during the first week of release.[17]
Warriors of Rock provides the capacity to purchase more songs that can be played in the game alongside the on-disc soundtrack through downloadable content for each console. All previous downloadable content that worked with Guitar Hero 5 can be played within Warriors of Rock. Following Activision's February 2011 decision to shutter their Guitar Hero development, no further downloadable content will be forthcoming for the title.[18] Due to "continued support" from their fanbase, Activision continued to release downloadable content for the game through March and April 2011 with packs that were in the works prior to this.[19] [20]
Initial shipments of the game in the United States are also bundled with Soundgarden's latest album, Telephantasm, which includes the new track "Black Rain" and other previous Soundgarden songs; "Black Rain" is available on the Warriors of Rock disc to play, while the remaining eleven tracks on the album, songs from previous Soundgarden albums, were available as downloadable content alongside release of the game.[21] [22] [23] Due to this bundling, Telephantasm became the first album to achieve "platinum" status from the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping over 1 million non-refunded albums due to the tie-in with a video-game product.[24]
| Year | Song title | Artist | Pack name | Genre | Release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | "Hunted Down" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1989 | "Hands All Over" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1991 | "Outshined" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1992 | "Rusty Cage" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1992 | "Birth Ritual" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1994 | "Black Hole Sun" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1994 | "Spoonman" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1994 | "My Wave" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1995 | "Fell on Black Days" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1996 | "Burden in My Hand" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 1996 | "Blow Up the Outside World" | Soundgarden | Telephantasm | Grunge | ||
| 2010 | "The Infection" | Disturbed | Rocktober Track Pack[25] | Metal | ||
| 2010 | "Na Na Na" | My Chemical Romance | Rocktober Track Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 2009 | "Resistance" | Muse | Rocktober Track Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "Blackout" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns[26] | Nu Metal | ||
| 2010 | "Burning in the Skies" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "The Catalyst" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "The Messenger" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "Waiting for the End" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns | Rap Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Wretches and Kings" | Linkin Park | A Thousand Suns | Rap Rock | ||
| 1975 | "Hot Patootie" | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Rocky Horror Picture Show Track Pack | Rock | ||
| 1975 | "Sweet Transvestite" | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Rocky Horror Picture Show Track Pack | Rock | ||
| 1975 | "Time Warp" | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Rocky Horror Picture Show Track Pack | Rock | ||
| 1981 | "Tom Sawyer" | Rush | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01[27] | Prog Rock | ||
| 1981 | "Red Barchetta" | Rush | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Prog Rock | ||
| 1981 | "Limelight" | Rush | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Prog Rock | ||
| 1989 | "Love Song" | Tesla | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Classic Rock | ||
| 1989 | "Poison" | Alice Cooper | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Classic Rock | ||
| 1973 | "Elected" | Alice Cooper | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Classic Rock | ||
| 2010 | "We're All Gonna Die" | Slash (With Iggy Pop) | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Hard Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Nothing to Say" | Slash (With M. Shadows) | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Hard Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Watch This" | Slash (With Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan) | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Hard Rock | ||
| 1986 | "Talk Dirty To Me" | Poison | Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock Pack 01 | Glam Rock | ||
| 2006 | "Teenagers" | My Chemical Romance | My Chemical Romance Track Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 2010 | "Bulletproof Heart" | My Chemical Romance | My Chemical Romance Track Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 2006 | "Welcome to the Black Parade" | My Chemical Romance | My Chemical Romance Track Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 2004 | "Helena" | My Chemical Romance | My Chemical Romance Track Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 1995 | "Name" | Goo Goo Dolls | 90s Track Pack[28] | Pop Rock | ||
| 1996 | "Real World" | Matchbox Twenty | 90s Track Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 1994 | "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" | R.E.M. | 90s Track Pack | Alternative | ||
| 1997 | "Sex and Candy" | Marcy Playground | 90s Track Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 1994 | "Plowed" | Sponge | 90s Track Pack | Alternative | ||
| 1976 | "Detroit Rock City" | KISS | KISS-mas Track Pack[29] | Glam Rock | ||
| 1976 | "Calling Dr. Love" | KISS | KISS-mas Track Pack | Glam Rock | ||
| 1975 | "Rock and Roll All Nite" | KISS | KISS-mas Track Pack | Glam Rock | ||
| 2010 | "We've Got a Situation Here" | The Damned Things | January Mega Pack[30] | Metal | [31] | |
| 2010 | "2nd Sucks" | A Day to Remember | January Mega Pack | Post-Hardcore | ||
| 2010 | "All I Want" | A Day to Remember | January Mega Pack | Post-Hardcore | ||
| 2009 | "Downfall of Us All" | A Day to Remember | January Mega Pack | Post-Hardcore | ||
| 1994 | "Closer" | Nine Inch Nails | January Mega Pack | Industrial | ||
| 2005 | "The Hand That Feeds" | Nine Inch Nails | January Mega Pack | Industrial | ||
| 2010 | "Head Like a Hole" | Nine Inch Nails | January Mega Pack | Industrial | ||
| 2002 | "Buried Myself Alive" | The Used | January Mega Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 2008 | "Rescue Me" | Hawthorne Heights | January Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2005 | "Wings of a Butterfly" | HIM | January Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "Parade of the Dead" | Black Label Society | February Mega Pack[32] | Metal | ||
| 2010 | "Crazy Horse" | Black Label Society | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 2010 | "Black Sunday" | Black Label Society | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 2008 | "Blooddrunk" | Children of Bodom | February Mega Pack | Death Metal | ||
| 2005 | "Living Dead Beat" | Children of Bodom | February Mega Pack | Death Metal | ||
| 2011 | "Was It Worth It?" | Children of Bodom | February Mega Pack | Death Metal | ||
| 2010 | "World on Fire" | Firewind | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 1994 | "Get Your Gunn" | Marilyn Manson | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 1998 | "Coma White" | Marilyn Manson | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 1996 | "Tourniquet" | Marilyn Manson | February Mega Pack | Metal | ||
| 2002 | "Always" | Saliva | Modern Rock Mega Pack[33] | Metal | ||
| 2005 | "Little Sister" | Queens of the Stone Age | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Hard Rock | ||
| 2007 | "Psycho" | Puddle of Mudd | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2003 | "Sic Transit Gloria... Glory Fades" | Brand New | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Pop Punk | ||
| 2002 | "Headstrong" | Trapt | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2009 | "She's a Genius" | Jet | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2006 | "Hands Open" | Snow Patrol | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 2002 | "Sorrow" | Bad Religion | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Punk | ||
| 2006 | "Supermassive Black Hole" | Muse | Modern Rock Mega Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "New Low" | Middle Class Rut | Middle Class Rut Track Pack[34] | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "Lifelong Dayshift" | Middle Class Rut | Middle Class Rut Track Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2010 | "Sad to Know" | Middle Class Rut | Middle Class Rut Track Pack | Alternative | ||
| 2009 | "Ignorance" | Paramore | Emo Edge Track Pack[35] | Pop Rock | ||
| 2007 | "That's What You Get" | Paramore | Emo Edge Track Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Across 5 Oceans" | Madina Lake | Emo Edge Track Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 2010 | "Hey Superstar" | Madina Lake | Emo Edge Track Pack | Pop Rock | ||
| 2011 | "Savor the Kill", | Darkest Hour | Darkest Hour Track Pack[36] | Metal | ||
| 2011 | "Beyond the Life You Know", | Darkest Hour | Darkest Hour Track Pack | Metal | ||
| 2007 | "Doomsayer", | Darkest Hour | Darkest Hour Track Pack | Metal |