Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Where to Play

Screenwise Verdict

Guitar Hero Live tried to breathe new life into a dying franchise with real innovation—the FMV concert footage and redesigned guitar were legitimately cool in 2015. The problem? It's 2025 now, and half the game (Guitar Hero TV) was shut down in 2018, making it a partial corpse. The proprietary guitar controllers are increasingly rare and pricey on eBay.

For families who already own the hardware or can find it cheap, the on-disc setlist still works and can be fun for music-loving tweens and teens. The live-action crowds and band reactions create real stakes, though the booing mechanic can be brutal for sensitive kids. Song lyrics skew toward mainstream rock and pop with occasional profanity and mature themes—nothing shocking, but worth a preview.

Bottom line: This is a museum piece now. If your kid is genuinely curious about rhythm games, Rock Band 4 has better ongoing support, or just point them toward actual guitar lessons. Guitar Hero Live had its moment, but that moment has passed.

Age Fit

Best for kids 10+ who can handle the performance pressure and occasional mature lyrics. Teens who remember the Guitar Hero glory days will get the most out of it, though the shutdown of half the game and aging hardware make it a tough sell in 2025.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

68

Live-action concert footage creates an authentic performance experience with real crowds cheering or booing based on your skill. The cooperative band dynamic models teamwork, though the booing mechanic can feel harsh for sensitive kids. Song lyrics include occasional profanity and references to drugs/alcohol, typical of mainstream rock and pop music. The crowd/band reactions add social pressure that some kids find motivating, others find stressful.

Imaginative

62

The 6-button guitar redesign and FMV concert perspective were genuinely innovative for 2015, breaking from the franchise's formula. Guitar Hero TV's curated playlist approach mimicked music television in an interesting way. However, the core gameplay is still pattern-matching button presses—it's engaging but not particularly creative or exploratory. It teaches musical rhythm and timing but doesn't invite composition or experimentation.

Safe

72

ESRB rated T for Teens with Lyrics descriptor. Song content includes some profanity and mature themes (drugs, alcohol) but nothing extreme—it's mainstream radio fare. The booing/negative feedback mechanic can sting emotionally but isn't toxic. Users can interact online but there's no chat system. The major safety issue: Guitar Hero TV required always-online connectivity and was shut down in 2018, rendering half the game unplayable. No predatory monetization in the base experience, though GHTV had microtransactions for song plays before shutdown.

Enriching

58

Builds hand-eye coordination, rhythm recognition, and fine motor skills. Exposes players to diverse music genres and can spark genuine interest in learning real guitar. The performance pressure teaches resilience and persistence. However, it's fundamentally an entertainment experience rather than educational—you're not learning actual music theory or guitar technique. The skill ceiling is high enough to be satisfying but the takeaways are mostly recreational.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Live-action concert footage puts you on stage with real crowds and bands—genuinely immersive when you're nailing it
The 6-button guitar layout feels fresh and more challenging than the classic 5-button design
Exposes kids to diverse music and can inspire real interest in learning actual guitar
Builds rhythm, timing, hand-eye coordination, and teaches persistence through failure (those boos sting but you learn to bounce back)

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What to Watch For

Guitar Hero TV mode was permanently shut down in 2018—half the game is now a digital graveyard
Song lyrics include occasional swearing and references to drugs/alcohol (standard rock/pop fare but worth previewing)
The booing crowds and bandmates giving you stink-eye can be rough on sensitive kids
Proprietary guitar controllers are increasingly hard to find and expensive on the secondhand market

Conversation Starters

"How does it feel when the crowd boos you? Does that make you want to quit or try harder?"
"Which songs are you discovering that you actually like? Want to look up the real bands?"
"Do you think playing this is anything like playing a real guitar? What do you think is different?"
"When you mess up, how do you stay focused and get back on track?"

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