Character-specific fun

Aug 4, 2009 18:51 GMT  ·  By

Activision has announced that one of the new features for its upcoming music simulation Guitar Hero 5 will be full integration of the Avatars that users have been able to create for Xbox Live. Basically, instead of using the in-game characters to rock out, players can import their Xbox 360-based creation and see how it moves to the music.

The Avatars can be used to create a whole new band and players will also be able to employ them alongside characters like Judy Nails, Axel Steel and Lars Umlaut.

Activision is also saying that there's a Create-A-Rocker mode that imports the Avatar in its rather bland Xbox Live look and allows the player to make them more rock worthy by adding clothing and accessories. Then, they can be used to play the 85 songs offered in Guitar Hero 5.

The newest incarnation of the successful series, which is set to arrive at the beginning of September, will not be a revolution on the same level that its predecessor was but the gameplay enhancements are nothing to snicker about. All the tracks offered by the game will be unlocked from the start and such great bands like The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Vampire Weekend will be present.

Gamers can now choose to play with more than one vocalist or more than one guitarist in a band, enhancing the social aspect of Guitar Hero and there is seamless drop in and drop out from multiplayer sessions, which makes the experience more fluid than in previous installments.

Guitar Hero 5 is arriving just before the release of The Beatles Rock Band from Harmonix and MTV Games (September 9). It will be interesting to see whether the star power of The Beatles attracts more gamers than the new features of Guitar Hero 5, including Avatar integration.