Machine Guides

Game History

Guitar Hero Arcade is a music/rhythm arcade game developed by Raw Thrills and published by Activision with assistance from Konami, distributed to arcades in early 2009. The game was a collaborative effort between Activision and Konami to address patenting and licensing issues related to music games, particularly Konami's GuitarFreaks which had inspired the original Guitar Hero series.

The arcade version was primarily based on the gameplay and theming of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, though it reduced some features such as the use of the whammy bar and star power button (star power could only be activated by lifting the guitar). The game was a commercial success, selling over 2,000 arcade units in just three months after release.

Guitar Hero Arcade featured 50 songs, mostly from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and its DLC, with the available setlist per machine depending on what songs the operator enabled or disabled. Most songs required one credit to play, while "premium songs" required an additional credit. The game faced some scrutiny from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), who believed the use of the game in arcades constituted "public performances" and sought additional fees from operators.

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of Guitar Hero Arcade is to play along with various songs by hitting the corresponding colored notes as they scroll down the screen. You must achieve the highest accuracy possible by hitting notes correctly to earn points and progress through songs. The game simulates the experience of playing guitar in a band, with the ultimate objective of mastering each song and achieving the highest score possible.

Controls

• Guitar Controller: The primary input device is a guitar-shaped controller
• Fret Buttons: Press the corresponding colored buttons as notes scroll down the screen
• Strum Bar: Use the strum bar to play the notes by strumming up or down when notes reach the target line
• Star Power: Lift the guitar vertically to activate Star Power when the meter is full

Gameplay

• Starting the Game: Press start and select your song from the available options.

• Note Playing: Hit the corresponding fret buttons and strum the bar at the same time when notes reach the target line at the bottom of the screen.

• Accuracy System: Earn points based on your timing accuracy, with ratings ranging from "Perfect" to "Miss" for each note.

• Combo System: Build combos by hitting consecutive notes correctly. Missing notes breaks your combo and reduces your score.

• Star Power: Fill your Star Power meter by hitting special star-shaped note sequences, then activate it by lifting the guitar vertically to double your score multiplier.

• Song Progression: Complete songs to unlock additional content and progress through the game's difficulty levels.

• Performance Evaluation: At the end of each song, receive a grade based on your accuracy, combo, and overall performance.

• Multiplayer Connection: Connect with other Guitar Hero cabinets for simulated band gameplay with other players.