We are officially entering a new era of Guitar Hero

I’m all about video games. Growing up, I secretly fostered a love for them, though I tried to downplay it in an attempt to not make myself seem too geeky. Fortunately for me, I was able to grow my obsession by the time I got to college — and it was all thanks to a little game called Guitar Hero.

It was the game everyone was playing, even if you didn’t consider yourself a gamer. Pairing hand-eye coordination along with a sense of rhythm, Guitar Hero provided all of us with the opportunity to perform those epic solos we’d only been playing with an air guitar before. I played it with friends, I played it with family. It gave me the chance to jam out with friends while accessing my inner video game fanatic.

Which is why I’m super excited about the news that Guitar Hero is getting a much-deserved facelift. The team behind the successful franchise, Activision Publishing, Inc., has just announced the arrival of “Guitar Hero Live,” a first-person gameplay experience that is unlike anything ever seen before.

You’ll be on the stage, alright, but you’ll also be having to perform for real actors instead of a simulated audience — and if you start to sound lousy, they’ll definitely let you know. One of the biggest changes is how the new guitar controller looks. Rather than a colored five-button format, the new Guitar will have two rows of three buttons which come a bit closer to imitating how a real guitar is played. Unfortunately, old controllers will no longer be compatible with the new game.

The other neat thing about “Guitar Hero Live” is the accompanying music network called GHTV, which is an online counterpart that will allow users to play along with different music playlists that run 24 hours a day. Players will also be able to compete with their friends or against users from all over the world. It’s basically the equivalent of a multiplayer experience from the comfort of your couch.

So, what kinds of venues can we expect to see pop up in “Guitar Hero Live”? Will players get the opportunity to rock out at Coachella? That’s still on the down-low, but there’s a pretty awesome group of names who will be appearing on the set list, including artists such as Ed Sheeran, The Black Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Lumineers, The Rolling Stones and Green Day — as well as many more who have yet to be announced.

“Guitar Hero Live” will be popping up on a major console near you this fall — that’s Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PS3 and Nintendo WiiU, for the curious — as well as select mobile devices. So while you’re waiting at the doctor’s office or the DMV, you could totally be slaying a guitar solo for your adoring fans. Sounds like a pretty great time to me.

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