We would have been a bit daft to think that Guitar Hero Live wouldn't be bringing back Star Power in some way or another. For those not fully up to snuff on the Guitar Hero lingo that would be the extra boost you get when you tilt the guitar during gameplay. Of course it is making a comeback but it looks like FreeStyleGames is bringing something new into the mix for it in Guitar Hero Live. So not only is Activision pushing a new controller on us but it looks like more new gameplay as well. These new Hero Powers for Guitar Hero Live are just the nice little bonus we could all be looking for though.
So what are Hero Powers in Guitar Hero Live? They are little extras that you activate before a song that completely change up the way "Star Power" works during the gameplay. Not only does activating Star Power give you a small boost to a score in Guitar Hero Live but as of right now we have seven different bonuses that can go above and beyond just that. In fact, some of them can completely bolster your score insanely or help you get through a particularly difficult part of a song. Of course the usual Invincibility is always the option still in Guitar Hero Live but there are some other really cool perks that you can have active from the beginning to the end of a song.
Here is a quick list of all the Hero Powers available for Guitar Hero Live at launch. Of course I say at launch because this is the list that we have from FreeStyleGames and we all know how the DLC world can work. None the less here is that list of bonuses that can be fired off during Guitar Hero Live.
- Clear Highway — Removes all immediate notes from your note highway instantly. The notes are counted as hits, which adds to your score, score streak and score multiplier.
- Double Multiplier — Your score multiplier will double for the duration of the Hero Power.
- Dial Down — Temporarily reduces the frequency of notes that appear in the note highway. This is especially effective during difficult portions of the song to maintain a big score multiplier.
- Dial Up — Temporarily increases the frequency of notes that appear in the note highway, therefore giving you a chance to increase your score.
- Score Chaser — Maximum score multiplier is temporarily doubled.
- Safety Net — Holds your multiplier and score streak at its current value.
- Invincibility — Temporarily hits all notes, and missing notes do not register.
So we will be able to double our multiplier and throw in more notes to hit in Guitar Hero Live songs by rocking back on the controller? I am in. I am so in that I am completely overlooking the one that will auto hit all of the notes in a song moving forward from the Star Power activation until it runs out. No longer do we just get the perk of just not failing, and most likely bringing failed buddies back into the game, but a real new change to the core of Guitar Hero. I guess Activision has a new way to innovate the rhythm genre just a bit further than just a new controller and a live music video service for Guitar Hero Live.
What do you think about these Hero Powers for Guitar Hero Live though? Are you looking forward to the new gameplay mix up or are you going to keep it traditional and stick with what we know is tried and true? Give us those thoughts down in the comments so we know. Also, hopefully we will be able to get hands on with these new powers at SDCC here so keep checking in for more updates on all things Guitar Hero Live until the game launches on October 20th.