In December 2007, Activision and Vivendi Games announced it would take a stab at a “Guitar Hero” game for the whole band. In May of this year, it released previews for “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” and the gaming world hasn’t been the same since.

People were expecting “Guitar Hero: World Tour” to add the use of drums and vocals, but they didn’t expect Activision to make a new feature that will allow players to create original pieces of music.

The game’s “Advanced Studio” mode will work much like Apple’s GarageBand software. Players will be able to construct tracks one note at a time, or, for all those sloppy musicians out there who can’t keep a beat, create tracks by playing in real or slowed time with the game aligning offbeat notes to the nearest beat set by the player. Also, guitar and drum effects can be changed through the song.

“People will love it,” says Michael Nielson, an employee of Game X Change in St. Joseph. “It will easily be the biggest thing on (the game).”

Another major aspect of the “Advanced Studio” mode is that the players can upload their songs to Xbox Live, the Playstation Network and Nintendo Wi-Fi. This will allow players to share their original songs with the online community.

The game’s instruments are undergoing a makeover as well. Activision has modified the drum kit that will come with the game. It will feature a bass drum pedal, a snare pad and two tom pads, like “Rock Band,” but will also introduce two elevated cymbal pads. All of the pads will be touch-sensitive and will respond in the gameplay to how hard each pad is hit. These modifications are intended to make for a more realistic drumming experience.

Also, development is underway for a new guitar controller for the game. It will feature a touchpad next to the normal five fret buttons on the neck of the guitar. This will allow players to alter the tone of sustained notes and mimic slapping a bass guitar. Oh, and all of the instruments will be wireless.

“I like the adjustments they made to the instruments,” says Jonah Domann, 13, a student at Atchison Middle School. “They’re making them more realistic.”

Only five tracks have been confirmed to be part of the game’s playlist: “Santeria” by Sublime, “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol, “One Armed Scissor” by At the Drive-In, and “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz. Van Halen, The Eagles and Linkin Park will also be featured in the game. The game will have the largest song list of any music-oriented game made to date.

“I like that they’re putting on more music because “Guitar Hero 3” and “Rock Band” didn’t have enough,” says Brett Huffmaster, 15.

“Guitar Hero: World Tour” will be released for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony Playstation 3, and Playstation 2. The tentative release date for the game is Oct. 21.

Lifestyles reporter Shea Conner can be reached at sheaconner@npgco.com.