Guitar Hero: Aerosmith..meh...

[Cubsfan]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186099.html

I don't know if this is the right band choice to ease young buyers into the idea of buying an entire music game based around their favorite band. Yeah they're a good band and have some good tunes, but they haven't really been relevant in over a decade. Have they even put out a new album in the new millenium? How many young folks are going to buy this?

They had to have asked Metallica first followed by a couple of other bands before reaching Aerosmith.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

I think that it's obvious that they're not really looking to the kids for this one. Otherwise, they'd pick "Wham" or "Chumbawumba" or "Sugar Ray"...you know, the things that the youngsters are into these days.

[Zsofia]

Guitar Hero and Rock Band are for kids? Riiiiight.

Dude, they're totally for thirtysomethings.

[Raygun99]

Guitar Hero: Nickelback proved too tough to code, as they couldn't figure out how to make the note charts different for all the songs.

[PunditLisa]

My biggest gripe with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band is the lack of 70's and 80's music.

Aerosmith is the perfect band for this format. Now dad and mom can rock out and show those whippersnappers a thing or two.

[xnylder]

Guitar Hero: Nickelback proved too tough to code, as they couldn't figure out how to make the note charts different for all the songs.

And Guitar Hero: Pink Floyd didn't fit on one disk. Though rumor has it it could sync up beautifully with a game of Halo 3.

[Miller]

The majority of video game consumers are over thirty years old. This is aimed squarely at their biggest demographic.

[TripleTee]

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6186099.html

I don't know if this is the right band choice to ease young buyers into the idea of buying an entire music game based around their favorite band. Yeah they're a good band and have some good tunes, but they haven't really been relevant in over a decade. Have they even put out a new album in the new millenium? How many young folks are going to buy this?

They had to have asked Metallica first followed by a couple of other bands before reaching Aerosmith.

My response is there hasn't been any good bands in over a decade. I am buying this the second it is released. I love Guitar Hero 3 precisely because it has lots of older stuff that kicks ass. Now if they can just get AC/DC on board.

[Sam Stone]

I'm just having trouble finding 40 or 50 Aerosmith songs I'd want to play.

When I think Aerosmith, I can come up with maybe a dozen songs I like (14, actually):

Walk This Way
Dream On
Sweet Emotion
Janie's Got a Gun
Same old Song and Dance
Draw the Line
Rag Doll
Dude Looks Like a Lady
Love in an Elevator
Cryin'
Crazy
Living on the Edge
Pink
I Don't Want to Miss a Thing

That's a lot of good songs, but it's not enough to fill an entire game. So there will be lots of filler, I imagine.

I like that the music games are trying new things, but instead of a single band disc, I would rather see genre-specific titles. This should have been "Guitar Hero Rocks the Arenas" or something. Dedicate one tier to each band - Foreigner, Journey, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick, Boston, Kansas, Queen, Led Zeppelin, and AC/DC. Pick 6-7 of the best songs from each band.

Now that would be a great game.

Later, they could do "Guitar Hero - The British Invasion", "Guitar Hero - The South Rises Again", "Guitar Hero - Masters of Electric Blues" - that sort of thing.

[olivesmarch4th]

Well, I'm not a youngster anymore, but when I was in 6th grade (circa 1994-1995) I became pretty immediately aware that Aerosmith are gods of rock, even though one wouldn't really call them popular even then. I knew guys who were obsessed with AC/DC, and I discovered the awesome reality of Rush about 3 years ago. Young people know greatness when they hear it. With all the young kids I know who are into everything from Hendrix to The Smiths to Nirvana, I'm beginning to wonder if we're past the whole ''old music is lame'' trend. Rock music is pure rebellion no matter what decade it comes from.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Well, I'm not a youngster anymore, but when I was in 6th grade (circa 1994-1995) I became pretty immediately aware that Aerosmith are gods of rock, even though one wouldn't really call them popular even then. I knew guys who were obsessed with AC/DC, and I discovered the awesome reality of Rush about 3 years ago. Young people know greatness when they hear it. With all the young kids I know who are into everything from Hendrix to The Smiths to Nirvana, I'm beginning to wonder if we're past the whole ''old music is lame'' trend. Rock music is pure rebellion no matter what decade it comes from.


...Except when it's lame.

[SenorBeef]

I told my friends that a pre-1996 discography of Metallica would make the greatest rock band/guitar hero game ever. I bet Metallica wants to sell their songs one by one to different franchises to make the most possible money though.

Aerosmith, though? Eh.

[olivesmarch4th]

...Except when it's lame.

Aerosmith's current stuff might be lame, but their work from the 70s and 80s and even some stuff from the early 90s is kick-ass. That qualifies them for their own video game in my opinion.

[Eonwe]

What little experience I have with Rock Band is that there are many many 'new' songs that I know I've never heard before.

[some white dude]

In response to PunditLisa above, Rock Band has a pretty decent selection of 70s songs. A quick google turns up:

* Aerosmith "Train Kept a Rollin'"*
* The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
* Boston "Foreplay/Long Time"
* Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
* The Police "Next to You"
* David Bowie "Suffragette City"
* Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
* Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
* The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
* Deep Purple "Highway Star"
* KISS "Detroit Rock City"
* Molly Hatchet "Flirtin' With Disaster"
* The Outlaws "Green Grass & High Tides"*
* Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"*

They skimped a little bit on the 80s, however. I would kill to play some Talking Heads.

As you can see, "Train Kept a Rollin" made it into Rock Band. It just might be my least favorite song to play in the whole game. It's a dead heat between that one, Fallout Boy and Coheed & Cambria. Needless to say, I don't have much interest in an Aerosmith GH game.

[Ro Carter]

Um, I think you'll find that "young folks" are a lot more aware of classic rock than the OP seems to think. I'm not sure what age range you are defining as "young" but I'm 20 and I would not hesitate to say that more of my peers are aware of Aerosmith than Metallica.

I adore Aerosmith, but like Sam Stone, I think more genre based disks would be a good idea. Similar to Rocks the 80's I guess, but an actual full game. I would be all over a classic rock disc, where I wouldn't have to play all that new crap that always ends up on GH.

[Troy McClure SF]

I was obsessed with Aerosmith around '98-'03, and I'm currently 25. I have Rock Band, but I think I'm gonna have to get GH: Aerosmith. Train is hard on Rock Band (I prefer drums) but I think it's one of the more fun songs to play.

Here's to hoping the two companies can get over their gripes and allow their guitar controllers to work with the other's.

[Dangerosa]

One of the best things about Guitar Hero is watching my nine year old son say "that's a great song" to something that was popular when I was in Junior High.

In my experience, my son has eclectic musical tastes - at least when it comes to decade. If its a "cool song" it really doesn't matter if it comes from the 1970s.

[CaveMike]

It seems like bad timing considering the nation's 5 to 14 year olds have officially decided to skip over Aerosmith. It was just in the news (http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/next_generation_to_take_a) on Monday.

[CaveMike]

[url]They had to have asked Metallica first followed by a couple of other bands before reaching Aerosmith.I disagree; I suspect they were at the top of the list. I think Aerosmith has about the broadest appeal possible, especially as others have said, in the game's demographic. Add to that a long career which will be mapped out in the game. Aerosmith covered the 70's, 80's, and 90's and appeals to both men and women. Plus they manage to show up periodically.

What other bands would work that well? The Rolling Stones seem too old. The Who didn't have much after the 70's, right? Zeppelin stayed popular throughout the years; maybe they would work. ZZ Top is similar to Aerosmith, but I always think of them more as a guys band.

BTW, the article mentions that the game will include songs by bands that influenced Aerosmith. Maybe they'll show up early on, when the band was doing covers?

[cochrane]

Aerosmith did release a new album in 2001, called "Just Push Play." It had a pretty popular song, "Jaded," come out of it.

[Roland Orzabal]

I'm 24. Since the odds of a getting GH game that contains anything I actually like are slim to none, I'm grateful for this, if only because it means I won't have to play any more goddamned heavy metal.

1. CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG
2. Repeat 20x.
3. Ridiculous sequence of hammer-ons that seems far too complicated for the "SCREEE-EE-EEECH" noise that results.
4. Goto 1.

At least Aerosmith's songs occasionally do something interesting. Couldn't they have done Guitar Hero: Clapton or something? I'm still patiently awaiting Guitar Hero: Radiohead, but at this point I'd settle for GH: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Step up, Activision!

[Pithy Moniker]

I'm trying to get excited about it. Aerosmith is a great choice but.... damn, I still haven't forgiven Activision for what they did to the series. If I have to do lame guitar battles with Joe Perry to progress or watch Axe body spray commercials between the songs, I might just skip this installment.

[PunditLisa]

In response to PunditLisa above, Rock Band has a pretty decent selection of 70s songs. A quick google turns up:

* Aerosmith "Train Kept a Rollin'"*
* The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
* Boston "Foreplay/Long Time"
* Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
* The Police "Next to You"
* David Bowie "Suffragette City"
* Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
* Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
* The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
* Deep Purple "Highway Star"
* KISS "Detroit Rock City"
* Molly Hatchet "Flirtin' With Disaster"
* The Outlaws "Green Grass & High Tides"*
* Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"*



Trouble is, aside from the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", I'm not familiar with ANY of the others. Either I've lived under a rock (which is possible), they're too early in the decade to register with me, or they're "B" sides. Even the Aerosmith and Police selections are unfamiliar.

I have heard of "Dream On," however, and bet the majority of players of all ages will have heard of it, too. And I'm hoping that their arrangement with the company will open the door for other huge acts (The Beatles!) to follow suit.

Rock on.

[whitetho]

Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"Are you sure about this? One of the songs you don't recognize? If so, then I'm going to have to vote for "lived under a rock". Sorry...

[olivesmarch4th]

Trouble is, aside from the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", I'm not familiar with ANY of the others. Either I've lived under a rock (which is possible), they're too early in the decade to register with me, or they're "B" sides. Even the Aerosmith and Police selections are unfamiliar.

I have heard of "Dream On," however, and bet the majority of players of all ages will have heard of it, too. And I'm hoping that their arrangement with the company will open the door for other huge acts (The Beatles!) to follow suit.

Rock on.

Hell, not only have I heard ''Dream On,'' it was voted our class song when I graduated in 2001. That is a nearly 3-decades old song overwhelmingly elected by a bunch of punk kids 7 years ago. I am 24 and I own the albums Toys in the Attic, Pump, Permanent Vacation, and Get a Grip among others... I've had them since 6th grade. My 17-year-old SIL knows Aerosmith and it's not really her taste, but she's got the respect. She plays Guitar Hero, which rocks stuff like Pat Benetar, Heart, and KISS. If kids will play a game like that, it stands to reason they'll play this one.

Overall though, I agree that a genre game would make more sense.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Aerosmith's current stuff might be lame, but their work from the 70s and 80s and even some stuff from the early 90s is kick-ass. That qualifies them for their own video game in my opinion.


I know. I was going for the great literary hyperbole that some of the great writers call "being a pain in the ass".

[Sam Stone]

Trouble is, aside from the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", I'm not familiar with ANY of the others. Either I've lived under a rock (which is possible), they're too early in the decade to register with me, or they're "B" sides. Even the Aerosmith and Police selections are unfamiliar.

I have heard of "Dream On," however, and bet the majority of players of all ages will have heard of it, too. And I'm hoping that their arrangement with the company will open the door for other huge acts (The Beatles!) to follow suit.

Rock on.

I've gotta go with 'lived under a rock' as well. The only songs on that list that weren't mega-hits are Green Grass and High Tides and Next to You.

I'm guessing you'd recognize most of them if you heard them. They're great songs.

For example, here's a youtube video of Foreplay/Long Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URrJTSHkS1w) by Boston. I'll bet 10 bucks you'll recognize it once you hear it. Listen past the intro t be sure. If you don't recognize the intro, fast forward to 2:30.

I'm 24. Since the odds of a getting GH game that contains anything I actually like are slim to none, I'm grateful for this, if only because it means I won't have to play any more goddamned heavy metal.

1. CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG-CHUG
2. Repeat 20x.
3. Ridiculous sequence of hammer-ons that seems far too complicated for the "SCREEE-EE-EEECH" noise that results.
4. Goto 1.

At least Aerosmith's songs occasionally do something interesting. Couldn't they have done Guitar Hero: Clapton or something? I'm still patiently awaiting Guitar Hero: Radiohead, but at this point I'd settle for GH: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Step up, Activision!

I hear ya. That's why I play Rock Band and haven't fired up Guitar Hero since I got it. Rock Band is the game for people who appreciate the music. Rock Band is for the gamers who want to post high scores and shred madly. Guitar Hero on expert has far too many tracks that were made hard at the expense of realism, with insane three-button chord changes where the original song as a two-string power chord, or insane speed notes that in the origianl song were actually a synthesizer - that sort of thing. The Rock Band charts are designed to match the feel of the original song, and are much more enjoyable to play (with a few exceptions).

But mainly, the best thing about Rock Band is the downloadable content, and how much of it there is. I'm a classic rock guy - don't much care for the metal. I can play the song all night long without repeating a song and not have to play a single metal song.

[DeadlyAccurate]

Later, they could do "Guitar Hero - The British Invasion", "Guitar Hero - The South Rises Again", "Guitar Hero - Masters of Electric Blues" - that sort of thing.

I think this would be awesome.

"GH - Country" (I don't even like country, and I think this would be great.)

"GH - Folk" (my mom would like that one)

[Red Barchetta]

According to the product description for this game, such as on Best Buy and other sites, this game will support both drumming and singing -- woo.

Rock and had better be careful.

[SenorBeef]

That's a strange combination of features. If Guitar Hero is going to copy Rock Band by having the extra instruments - that, in itself, with a broad-appeal songlist would result in massive sales. Combining it with another gimmick (the single band version) seems like a strange mesh of ideas. There will be lots of people loyal to the guitar hero franchise that will be dying to try the extra instruments but aren't particularly into Aerosmith.

[PunditLisa]

For example, here's a youtube video of Foreplay/Long Time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URrJTSHkS1w) by Boston. I'll bet 10 bucks you'll recognize it once you hear it.

I guess I owe you $10.

But that Reaper song? Nope.

[Terminus Est]

I guess I owe you $10.

But that Reaper song? Nope.
Needs more cowbell.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

I've got a fever!

[WordMan]

I know a buncha teenage kids who play Aerosmith, Zep, The Who, Hendrix. This isn't a case of a generation looking back 15 years or so to what was hot then - especially since the music I am naming is from twice that long ago. Good rock is good rock - and Aerosmith's first 4 albums are rock solid.

Train Kept a Rollin' is an old standard first made famous by Johnny Burnette's Rock n' Roll Trio in the 50's. The Yardbirds - the UK band famous for having Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page in it - did a great cover of the song in the mid-60's. Aerosmith covered in on their 2nd album, Get Yer Wings in the mid 70's. Excellent stuff.

And if you haven't hear Mama Kin off of Aerosmith's first album (the one with Dream On on it) - oh, boy are you gonna thank me. An amazing, in the pocket, perfect rocker. Same with all of the album Rocks - if you haven't heard Back in the Saddle, Last Child and Rats in the Cellar, let alone the rest of the album you are in for a great time. Turn it up loud - the guitar sounds on that album are just about perfect for what they are trying to achieve...

So yeah - even though Aerosmith does (IMHO) bullshit power ballads written by Diane Warren now, back in the day? Amazing stuff...

PunditLisa - those songs from that list you haven't heard are all good, solid rockers...The Police song Next to You is the first song off their first CD, Outlandos D'Amour (with Roxanne on it). It is probably their most aggressive song - really good, and the whole CD is excellent...(well, Born in the 50's and Be My Girl Sally are goofs at best...)

[control-z]

I'm 37 and pretty much sick of Aerosmith. Sweet Emotion is a kick-ass song, but I'm very tired of it.

[tds1273]

Are there any Pink Floyd songs on any of the games?

If there is any band that can cross all generational gaps and have a catalog deep enough to warrant their own, exclusive game, I can think of none better than The Floyd. They seem like such an obvious choice, I wager that rights of the songs must be near impossible to get. I would love the chance to play the entirety of The Wall or Animals. Though my forearms do cramp at the mere thought of the task.

[RiverRunner]

I think this would be awesome.

"GH - Country" (I don't even like country, and I think this would be great.)

"GH - Folk" (my mom would like that one)

Sign me up! (And I don't like country, either.)

And signe me up for "GH: Bluegrass," too.

RR

[tds1273]

Ooh, just thought- how about a NorthWest Edition? Hendrix, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, PotUS, Mudhoney, Sleater-Kinney, Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Built to Spill, Minus the Bear, Black Mountain, etc... All have massive amounts of guitar ripping songs that would be absolutely perfect for these types of games.

You could also do a Texas or Southern addition. There are many bands to list here too, but some that I'd love to see/play are: At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta, The Toadies, and The Old 97's.

I remember reading that people were taking songs not available on the official games, porting them over to the GH/RB format, and making them available for download. Has anyone heard/played these? What's the quality of these bootlegs and what system are people making them for?

[SenorBeef]

I remember reading that people were taking songs not available on the official games, porting them over to the GH/RB format, and making them available for download. Has anyone heard/played these? What's the quality of these bootlegs and what system are people making them for?

There's a free PC game called Frets on fire (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frets_on_fire) that allows user-created songs. There are quite a few of them out there covering diverse ranges, but the quality varies quite a bit.

[Really Not All That Bright]

My biggest gripe with both Guitar Hero and Rock Band is the lack of 70's and 80's music.

Aerosmith is the perfect band for this format. Now dad and mom can rock out and show those whippersnappers a thing or two.

You must have missed this (http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Hero-Encore-Rocks-Bundle/dp/B000TD1T08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1203570180&sr=8-1), then. No worries - seems like everyone else did too.

[Glory]

You must have missed this (http://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Hero-Encore-Rocks-Bundle/dp/B000TD1T08/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1203570180&sr=8-1), then. No worries - seems like everyone else did too.

This kills me - I would love love love to play these songs. We do have a PS2, but we have guitars for the Xbox 360. I just can't see buying 2 more guitars so we can play this game collaboratively on the PS2, drives me crazy. I have my fingers crossed all the time they will release this game for the xbox 360 or have the songs be downloadable (like the way some GH1 PS2 songs are available for download for the Xbox 360).

I'm a huge 80s fan, I'll probably break down and buy this eventually.

[Troy McClure SF]

Aerosmith did release a new album in 2001, called "Just Push Play." It had a pretty popular song, "Jaded," come out of it.And a blues album in 2004 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honkin%27_on_Bobo).

It seems like bad timing considering the nation's 5 to 14 year olds have officially decided to skip over Aerosmith. It was just in the news on Monday.They're not that far off... Steven Tyler was Santa Claus in an episode of Lizzie McGuire.