Skip to main content

Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

First details of Guitar Hero 5 emerge

Play with any combo of instruments you like.

Activision has said Guitar Hero 5 will let players use any combination of instruments, be it three guitars and a microphone, two guitars and two drums or four microphones.

The new instalment will be out in the autumn on PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360, although whether that will be with fresh instruments is still "TBC", a spokesperson for the publisher told us this afternoon.

Guitar Hero 5 aims to be a bit more accessible to remove the faffing when friends are over for a quick play. To that end, developer Neversoft has added Party Play, where people can drop in and out of songs freely.

Competitive multiplayer has been spruced up with the RockFest mode, too, where players can battle across five different modes and over an entire set list if needs be.

World Tour's debut music creation studio will be reworked, and groups can now trigger Band Moments when they nail passages simultaneously. There are even song challenges where players must tackle tracks in certain ways.

And, of course, there are the songs. We're told to expect "the strongest, most varied set list to-date", which will be taken from over 85 bands including Kings of Leon, Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan.

All of the downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour will be compatible, and Activision will even upgrade the old game to support the upgrades and enhancements in Guitar Hero 5.

Head over to our Guitar Hero 5 gallery to see three drummers in action, or a lone ranger wailing to the crowd.