Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition

Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition is a musical and freestyle video game. It is said to be the final game of the Guitar Hero series.
==Gameplay==
The game and guitar controller are bundled within for a retail purchase worth $119.99. Players use the guitar controller by holding down five different colored fret buttons, using a strum bar, and a whammy bar to build the star power meter more while playing lengthier notes or chords. Players can tilt the guitar controller or hit a specific button to trigger the star power, which will earn double points for a short while.
==History==
The first Guitar Hero game was developed by Harmonix and published by Red Octane, released solely for the PlayStation 2 on November 8, 2005. The first installment included 47 tracks, but 30 of those tracks in career mode were not the original recordings. The guitar controller resembled a Gibson SG model. Sales for the first installment became somewhat dominant as amateur players felt that it was something worth trying out.
The second installment, Guitar Hero II, was released for the PlayStation 2 on November 7, 2006 and for the Xbox 360 on April 3, 2007. The PS2 version was published by Red Octane while the 360 version was published by Activision. The PS2 guitar controller had a red Gibson SG model while the 360 guitar controller resembled a Gibson Explorer. The PS2 version had 64 tracks while the 360 version had 74 tracks. Most of those tracks were not the original master recordings, as they were re-recorded via WaveGroup Sound. In the 360 version, 24 tracks were downloadable content, but 50% of them were not original master recordings. They could no longer be obtained retroactive April 1, 2014 as the Xbox Live Marketplace closed.
On July 24, 2007, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s was released only for the PlayStation 2 as a standalone software with no guitar included. The game was published by Activision. The game included 30 tracks, but only five of those tracks were master recordings.
The next installment, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, was released on October 28, 2007. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. Neversoft was selected to develop the game because Harmonix was in the works for a new title called Rock Band. Budcat Creations LLC helped out with the PS2 port while Vicarious Visions helped out with the Wii port. All versions except for the PC version had a bundle with a wireless guitar. The PS2 port had a guitar controller resemble a Kramer Striker guitar, the PC version had a wired Gibson Explorer, while the PS3, 360, and Wii versions had their guitar controllers resemble a Gibson Les Paul. Legends of Rock contained 73 tracks, while 53 of those were master recordings. 42 of the tracks were featured in Campaign Mode. The PS3 and 360 versions had downloadable content with 59 tracks, all of which were master recordings, but could not be salvaged due to both marketplaces closing retroactive April 1, 2014. The game also featured guest stars Slash and Tom Morello. Sales for the game were mightily impressive, especially for the Wii. The Wii port had more sales while the PC port had the fewest. Those who owned a Wii were somewhat upbeat and vigilant about the game, feeling that something in a piece of music was worth trying out.
Harmonix developed Rock Band, which released on November 20, 2007 for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It featured a bundle with the game, guitar controller, drum controller, and USB microphone. The game reused various elements from Guitar Hero while adding additional instruments such as the drums and vocals, turning the game into a full-fledged multiplayer band game. The game included 58 tracks. Rock Band was released for the PlayStation 2 on December 17, 2007, having the same band bundle. On June 22, 2008, Rock Band was released for the Nintendo Wii, which featured five additional tracks. However, no online play (Nintendo WiFi Connection) was featured.
On June 29, 2008, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was released, developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. The game featured the whole entire band of Aerosmith as guest stars in the game. The soundtrack contained 41 songs, while 25 of those tracks were by Aerosmith. The gameplay elements were similar to those in Legends of Rock. The sales options included standalone software or a guitar bundle with a limited edition Aerosmith plate on the Les Paul controller.
On September 14, 2008, Rock Band 2 was released for the Xbox 360. It was also released for the PlayStation 3 on October 19, 2008 and for the Nintendo Wii on December 18, 2008. All versions had sales that had choices with standalone software or the band bundle. For the band bundle, a newly revamped drum set controller had a metal foot pedal, quieter beat pads, and was wireless. The guitar controller, resembling a Fender Stratocaster just like the previous installment, was revamped with a brown neck and a sunburst color. The Wii version finally had online play as its previous installment did not. All three console ports featured downloadable songs from the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Nintendo WiFi Connection Pay & Play respectively until support ended retroactive April 1, 2014. The game included 84 tracks.
Guitar Hero: World Tour was released on October 26, 2008 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and PC. Options included standalone software, a guitar bundle, and a band bundle. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. The newly revamped wireless guitar was 25% larger than the previous guitar controller, making it almost like a full-sized real guitar. The controller also had a neck slider for those tap with bass lines or practice for fairly harsh guitar solos. The strum bar was also quieter and the whammy bar was slightly longer. The drum controller was different than the one for Rock Band as it had five zones to hit instead of four. The yellow and orange zones closely resembled to the cymbals of drums. All previous guitar and drum controllers were compatible for the game. There were also various guest stars, including Hayley Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, Billy Corgan, Sting, Ted Nugent, and Travis Barker. World Tour included 86 tracks. For all ports except for the PS2, there were downloadable songs until support ended on April 1, 2014.
On March 29, 2009, Guitar Hero: Metallica was released, again developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It was released for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. The game featured guest stars, including the whole band of Metallica, King Diamond, and Lemmy Kilmister. It included 49 tracks, while 28 of them were by Metallica. Full band support was also featured. Those who pre-ordered the game from GameStop received a foot pedal for their drum controller as the game introduced a new difficulty exclusively playing drums called Expert+, where some tracks had fast-paced double-bass pedal beating. The game was only released as a standalone software.
On June 16, 2009, Guitar Hero Smash Hits was released. It was developed by Beenox and published by Activision. The title was intended to be Guitar Hero Greatest Hits, but decided to favor Smash Hits, somewhat suspected to be a pun on the Super Smash Bros. series. It was released as a standalone software for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. The game included 48 tracks, all of which were master recordings. The tracks were taken from the five past Guitar Hero titles as select tracks to make this title a compilation. Full band support was also featured.
On September 1, 2009, Guitar Hero 5 was released, once again being developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. The platforms were PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. A new guitar controller was introduced with a crimson burst on the body and a revamped neck slider. Guest stars featured Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Carlos Santana, Shirley Manson, and Matthew Bellamy. The game included 85 tracks. Some of the downloadable tracks were cross-compatible via World Tour while some were not.
On September 9, 2009, The Beatles: Rock Band was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. It was developed by Harmonix while Pi Studios helped out with the Wii port. Options included the standalone software and a limited edition premium bundle that contained the game, a special controller resembling the Höfner 500/1 Violin Bass, and a Ludwig drum controller coated with pearl armor. Other instruments were guitar controllers that resembled a Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet, both of which were sold separately. The game contained 45 tracks along with 29 downloadable tracks until support ended on April 1, 2014 for all online parties.
Band Hero was released for the PS2, PS3, 360, Wii and Nintendo DS on November 3, 2009. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. The game was only released as standalone software, while the DS version had a drum bundle. Guest stars featured Adam Levine and Taylor Swift. The game included 65 tracks.
The same day Band Hero was released, Lego Rock Band was released, developed by TT Fusion and Harmonix. Platforms were the PS3, 360, Wii, and DS. It is officially a spin-off from the main series, and contained 45 tracks. The DS version was developed by Backbone Entertainment.
On December 22, 2009, Guitar Hero: Van Halen was released for the PS3, 360, and Wii. It was developed by Underground Development, the only game it completed after its company renamed from Z-Axis Games and dissolved a year later. It was released only as a standalone software. It contained 44 tracks, with 25 of those by Van Halen. Guest stars included the whole band of Van Halen.
On June 8, 2010, Green Day: Rock Band was released for the PS3, 360, and Wii. The game was co-developed by Demiurge Studios. 47 tracks were included, spanning the band's career at the time.
On September 24, 2010, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock was released for the PS3, 360, and Wii. This would be the last installment to be developed by Neversoft. The graphics featured characters transforming into warrior-like zombies, somewhat similar to the races as depicted in the Warcraft games. Sales options include the standalone software, guitar bundle, and band bundle. The guitar and drum controllers were revamped for better looks. For those who pre-ordered the game, those received a special guitar controller with swappable designs. The game included 93 tracks plus downloadable content swappable through World Tour and GH5, while some tracks are not swappable.
On October 26, 2010, Rock Band 3 was released, developed by Harmonix once more. Platforms were the PS3, 360, Wii, and DS. New features included a keyboard, which was bundled with the game itself. The game introduced the Pro difficulty, where players can play songs as if it was a real instrument. The pro guitar controllers resembled a Squier Stratocaster and a Fender Mustang, each sold separately. The color cymbals for the drum controller were also sold separately. The game included 83 songs. Some DLC songs were Pro compatible as well.
Despite the success of both franchises, sales at the beginning of 2010 were on the verge of a serious decline, mainly due to a national recession, oversaturation, and copyright issues. Despite the decline, both franchises continued to release songs as DLC online, which failed to garner much attention or company revenue. Even so on, as pop music grew more popular throughout the 2010s decade, new rhythm games such as Just Dance hit the market. Unwilling to let their efforts fall through, both franchises sought on making a comeback, but with limited choices.
On October 6, 2015, Rock Band 4 was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It was developed and published solely by Harmonix as all other side companies dropped contracts within the passing years. The main soundtrack contained 65 tracks. The game and instruments were bundled with the Fender Stratocaster controller having a new cobalt blue body color and the drum controller retaining its same look as from RB2. Downloadable content also returned, but would be short lived.
On October 20, 2015, two weeks after the release of Rock Band 4, Guitar Hero Live was released. It was developed by FreeStyleGames (now rebranded as Ubisoft Leamington) and published by Activision. Console platforms were the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Wii U. The new guitar controller featured a 2 x 3 fret button system, which somewhat made gamers disapprove of. The game included 42 tracks.
Despite projections that newer games regarding both franchises would come about, nothing has happened ever since. However, Harmonix planned to release just one last title, which was originally going to be Guitar Hero: The Top 100 with just the guitar. However, the company decided to rename it to Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition, featuring 100 tracks from the past Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles plus DLC.
==Songs==
* See also: Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition/List of songs
The Definitive Edition includes 100 songs from 100 different artists taken from various Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles in the past. "The Sound of Silence" by Disturbed was a DLC song for Rock Band 4 and is the last track to make the cut for the roster, making it the first and only song not to be in the original copies of any past title.
==Language selection==
For the first time in franchise history, you can choose your own language in the game. Unlike the past Guitar Hero titles, the Definitive Edition has a language selection in the options menu. Languages include English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Dutch, and Arabic.
==Accessories==
The guitar controller is somewhat the same shape as the one that was introduced since the release of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. It uses the same five-color fret button layout along with a neck slider for bass tapping and solo shredding.
==Names in other languages==
Language 	Name 	Meaning
Japanese 	ギターヒーロー：トップ100 	Guitar Hero: The Top 100
Korean 	기타 히어로 : 탑 100 	Guitar Hero: The Top 100
Simplified Chinese 	吉他英雄：权威版 	Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition
Traditional Chinese	吉他英雄：權威版 	Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition
Russian 	Гитарный герой: Окончательное издание	Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition
Arabic 	جيتار هيرو: طبعة نهائية 	Guitar Hero: Definitive Edition
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