Some owners of previous Guitar Hero games will be disappointed to hear that the songs and peripherals they already own do not work with Guitar Hero Live. This makes sense, when you consider the gameplay and guitar controller have been re-jigged. And let's remember that Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is five years old now. But given Rock Band 4 developer Harmonix is working to let players transfer their DLC over and use the old peripherals, Guitar Hero Live feels a tad stingy.
"It's not 2010 any more," Jackson said. "There are not many other games that let you use stuff you bought back then in their games now. The difference with this is, it's completely different gameplay. So, quite simply, the DLC you bought just won't work. The guitar is different. The way we've presented it is different.
"Guitar Hero Live is a completely new game. We wanted to make sure we gave you something new to learn and enjoy. It's got new gameplay. You're going to be starting with a new game, basically.
"Reboot's an interesting word, but I guess it is. It's a fresh start. It's been away for five years. We always said, when we come back, it needs to be something unique and new. If we'd just come back with the same gameplay and the same look and feel, no-one at Freestyle would have felt like we tried hard enough."
Somewhat improbably, Guitar Hero Live goes up against Rock Band 4 this Christmas in the battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of music rhythm video game fans old and new. These games are expensive, so most of us must decide between the two. Rock Band 4, with its (fingers crossed) backwards compatibility, feels like the safer, more familiar choice. Guitar Hero Live, with its new gameplay and redesigned controller, feels like a clean break.
And a risky one.
