New chops for 'Guitar Hero 5'

0 Comments | USA TODAY, May, 2009 | by Mike Snider

There'll be more ways to rock out with Guitar Hero 5 this fall (Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, PS3, no price set). Up to four players can wail on any instrument -- all lead guitar, if they choose. A competitive Fest mode lets four at home and eight online battle for top scores, and when players miss notes, they lose momentum points that they must hit 20 straight notes to regain. "It becomes a little more competitive," says project director Brian Bright, who adds the biggest hit may be the party play mode that lets people join in and switch instruments midsong.

New artists include Tom Petty and the White Stripes (Blue Orchid); tunes, Sympathy for the Devil, All Along the Watchtower and Ring of Fire. For Superstition, designers tracked Stevie Wonder's electronic clavinet notes. "It...