Though it has been the best part of a decade since the most recent release of a new game in the Guitar Hero series, rumors have emerged that a Guitar Hero reboot may be in development as part of Microsoft and Activision's new partnership. Though a new game hasn't been officially revealed, the mere prospect of it has fans of the once-popular rhythm music game franchise incredibly excited. While the most recent Guitar Hero release, 2015's Guitar Hero Live, was generally underwhelming, with seven mainline entries and approximately 3000 songs, the franchise has retained a loyal fanbase of dedicated players.
The latest in a series of rumors regarding the Guitar Hero franchise's future was ignited by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick (via WindowsCentral), who during a meeting praised Microsoft's technological capabilities and speculated that the company's advancements in fields such as AI could conceivably make "the re-emergence of Guitar Hero" possible. Though Kotick's comment on the series may be innoxious, many have taken them to be a subtle hint at the pending return of one of gaming's most iconic and innovative franchises. An additional factor of interest concerns the music. Would a rebooted Guitar Hero return to classic tracks that are widely associated with the franchise, or would it greatly expand its repertoire?
10 Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out
An excellent candidate for inclusion as a track in a Guitar Hero reboot would be the alternative hip-hop meets alternative rock classic, "Stressed Out," from Twenty One Pilots' fourth studio album, Blurryface. This song has all the factors that make a great low-difficulty Guitar Hero song, but beyond this, it is simply a great and enduringly popular song with wide-reaching appeal - both to rock and hip-hop fans.
Though it would never reach the legendary status of a track like "Through the Fire and Flames," "Stressed Out" would be a welcome, and likely well received, addition to a new Guitar Hero.
9 Arctic Monkeys - Arabella
One of the most popular indie alternative rock songs of the 2010s and debatably one of the Arctic Monkey's best-ever tracks, "Arabella" could be the ultimate easy to medium-difficulty song in a rebooted Guitar Hero game.
Though "R U Mine?" was featured in Guitar Hero Live, other tracks from the 2013 album AM were not so lucky; although the Arctic Monkey's has released new musical material since AM, nothing has come close to the quality or critical and commercial success of the album that features classics like "Do I Wanna Know?" and "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?"
8 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dark Necessities
"Dark Necessities," the first single from Red Hot Chili Pepper's eleventh studio album, The Getaway, is perhaps the greatest example of funk rock to be released by the band since their earliest albums.
Although "Dark Necessities" is not a blisteringly fast shred or an excessively heavy metal song, the track does have an incredible groove and feel, two components that many Guitar Hero songs lack. Including it, therefore, in a rebooted Guitar Hero game would offer an excellent alternative to the often homogenous tracklist.
7 Imagine Dragons - Believer
Though the band Imagine Dragons is not unfamiliar with inclusion in previous Guitar Hero games, the vast majority of their oeuvre has failed to make it in the past. Imagine Dragons has only grown in popularity since 2015, and as a result, it seems incredibly likely that at least one of their songs would make the cut in a reboot.
A perfect candidate would be 2017's hard-hitting "Believer." Although best known for its vocal line, the song's instrumentation, particularly its percussion, is powerful in its rhythm - this is perfectly juxtaposed by the intricate and deceptively complex guitar parts, a fact that could make it a challenging track in Guitar Hero.
6 Olivia Rodrigo - Good 4 U
The third single from Olivia Rodrigo's 2021 debut album, Sour, "Good 4 U," would make for a perfect track on any future Guitar Hero. The song is an excellent amalgamation of the pop-rock, emo, and punk genres, and although simple in orchestration the track is laden with emotion and aggression and would, consequently, be a deeply satisfying song to play on a rebooted version of Guitar Hero.
5 Royal Blood - Lights Out
Although originally played on a bass guitar, Royal Blood's "Lights Out" would be a great inclusion in a rebooted Guitar Hero. The song, although not quite metal, has a hard rock edge that manifests in exceptional vocals and instrumentation.
"Lights Out" is a track with a great deal of intensity and power, and would be fun to perform. Beyond this, each section of the song is fairly unique and well-demarcated, so it would withstand falling into the category of repetitive and monotonous.
4 Måneskin - Beggin
Released in 2017, the Italian rock band, Måneskin's, cover of the Four Seasons' 1967 Northern soul track, "Beggin'" would be a perfect song for a rebooted Guitar Hero. It is immensely popular, easily recognized by even those with no knowledge of the group, and features funk and glam rock guitar elements.
The quick tempo, combined with the unusual strumming pattern would make "Beggin'" a potentially easy song to learn but a difficult track to master.
3 Highly Suspect - Lydia
American alternative rock band, Highly Suspect's debut album, Mister Asylum, contains a number of songs that would be at home in a Guitar Hero game. That being said, the track "Lydia" would, without question, be a perfect inclusion.
Released in 2015, "Lydia," although simple, is a brutally powerful song with poetic lyrics and some of the finest and simplest hard rock rhythm guitar parts in recent memory. Beyond its rhythm parts, the track also features a brief and technically simple solo that, whilst not unduly challenging, would put some players to the test.
2 Greta Van Fleet - Highway Tune
Often compared with rock legends Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet is one of the preeminent young blues and hard rock bands. Released in 2017, the band's track "Highway Tune" gives off strong Led Zeppelin, Cream, and AC/DC vibes, it would, therefore, be right at home in a rebooted Guitar Hero, especially one with a focus on newer releases.
The track would likely be on the harder end of the difficulty scale, primarily due to the mixture of complex picking, strumming patterns, and the moderately fast tempo - all of which are factors that make some of the Guitar Hero franchise's most iconic tracks difficult.
1 Bring Me The Horizon - Drown
Released in late 2015, Bring Me The Horizon's song "Drown" would be an almost essential addition to a rebooted Guitar Hero game. This hybrid of emo, metal, pop-punk, and classic rock is a phenomenal song with the potential to be one of the best medium-difficulty tracks in the series' history.
"Drown" is an excellently composed track, and although it is without an archetypical Guitar Hero blisteringly fast solo, it makes up for this with the sheer intensity and power of its instrumentation and vocal line. If the Guitar Hero franchise is to make a triumphant comeback, Bring Me The Horizon's "Drown" is a song that undoubtedly must make an appearance.
Source: WindowsCentral, YouTube (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)