I'll admit it, Geekologists: I'm a Rock Band kinda guy. I don't have anything against Guitar Hero--I'm usually down to play whatever plastic instrument is ready at hand. Heck, I attended the Guitar Hero II school of virtual rock! When it comes down to it, though, I just prefer the polish and shine of a good Rock Band title to the rough-and-rowdy vibe of a Guitar Hero game.
Still, I gotta say I'm pretty excited about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. I know most people don't necessarily care about having a storyline attached to their rhythm game goodness, but I'm a narrative junkie, and injecting some drama into the tried-and-true formula is the perfect way to get someone like me back into the groove. The Warriors of Rock plot isn't exactly Shakespeare--the titular warriors are the Guitar Hero characters you know and love, and they're fighting to release the "Demigod of Rock" from his imprisonment by "the Beast." But each character appears to have a unique role in the story, and it seems the final battle follows the arc of Rush's "2112," which rates pretty high on my awesome-meter.
Today, we got a better look at each of the characters in both their familiar, human forms and their enhanced Warrior forms. The video below unites all the Warriors and shows you each character's transformation sequence:
The voice-over is kinda lame, but the art direction is pretty sick. In case you're in need of a little roll call, that's Casey Lynch at the beginning, transforming into a wicked-looking medusa. The second Warrior you see is Austin, doing his Headless Horseman impression. Axel Steel, Guitar Hero's usual frontman, is leading the charge as a hard-rocking mummy. Johnny Napalm's next, teleporting around the underground music scene as a manic blue gremlin. That's Echo receiving the Frankenstein treatment in the next shot, eventually transforming into a creepy cyborg. Judy Nails follows up with a metamorphosis of her own and ends up a grinning succubus complete with weird glow-eyes and tiny wings. Lars turns into a war pig (Gamorrean?) and Pandora rounds out the crew as an angelic entity with awesome boots.
Way, way cool. The Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock release date is set for September 28th, so get your fingers ready!
