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Do you remember those days where everyone is playing Guitar Hero. Now it seems that its just a fun past time. Guitar Hero may be dead but it left a legend. It is, according to CNBC, the most revenue generating game.
"Well, dear friends and plastic peripheral obsessed gamers, it seems that the franchise that kick started the huge market of music games has finally decided to hang up its axe for good, as Activision today announced that their planned Guitar Hero for 2011 has ceased production, citing that the decline in sales in recent years has finally prompted them to call it a day. It's a sad day for the gaming franchise which kick started a musical game revolution, cluttering up our homes with plastic ins..."
"Nickelback represents the new face of modern rock, always pushing the envelope with their generally badass sound and gravelly vocals. They’re probably the only band around today that you’d never accuse of being unoriginal or formulaic, so their inclusion in Guitar Hero is practically destined. It’s also clear from looking at them that these dudes bag a lot of pelt."
"With more sequels to both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchise that we can shake a rusty spoon at, its time to take a long, hard look at these games and see where they are lacking. Both franchises are prone to releasing sequels which don’t introduce enough new features in them, but Guitar Hero in particular seems to churn out new games more often than most. Music games are becoming more and more like the FIFA music game, with a new iteration having to be released every year for seemingly l..."
Sleep usually helps humans do anything better, which is exactly what a recent study proved when linked to playing Guitar Hero 3. Gamers were tested on their responsiveness to the music videogame with different sleep patterns, and confirmed just how much sleep itself can really affect your game.
As inevitable as the sun rising tomorrow, a new Guitar Hero game has been announced. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will be the sixth iteration in the series, not counting band games and spin offs such as Band Hero and DJ Hero. A release date has also been placed at September 21st, and more information will presumably be released at E3.
To me, Guitar Hero is a guilty pleasure - I have five of them and I've rented/played two more. I'm not sure I'll get Warriors of Rock, but I'll keep an eye ...
"According to sources at both Activision and Neversoft, after the developer completes work on technically-unannounced-but-we-all-know-its-coming Guitar Hero 6, the publisher will hand the groundbreaking franchise over to Vicarious Visions. Vicarious Visions has some history with the Guitar Hero franchise, having worked on the Wii ports of every GH console game since Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. The studio works on the Nintendo DS Guitar Hero: On Tour series as well."
"The Guitar Hero music library continues to evolve and expand as November brings a great collection of new and classic tracks from some of rock’s best-loved artists. Fans can download tracks from artists including Lenny Kravitz and KISS and – for the first time - they can import tracks directly from Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero into their Guitar Hero music library."
Bobby Kotick's logic has spread to Daniel Rosensweig, CEO of Guitar Hero.
20% of households with consoles own the game. And the GH CEO wants to go after the remaining 80%? Truly it doesn't mean that 80% do not quite like rhythm games or don't have the coordination/rhythm needed.
Until we see a better game (singular here, not plural; as in ONE game, just like Rock band), Guitar Hero will always be seen as saturated.
Open the pool up for others while you're at it. Rhythm Heaven over...
"Looking at music games as part of our NPD analysis, Gamasutra has discovered that U.S. Guitar Hero/Rock Band revenues are down 49% year on year, as discounted hardware and over 20 SKUs flood the market.
June 2009 was the second consecutive month without a Rock Band or Guitar Hero title in the top 20 software titles. The last time the software charts went two months without one of these franchises was in September and October 2007, right before the launch of Guitar Hero II on the PlayStatio..."
James Walker has had it. This goes past Bobby Kotick's recent dropping Sony support threats. This has been a long time coming. Someone needs to call Bobby out on the things he is doing with what was a company we all could at the very least say used to be "better than EA"
"The new Guinness World Records set included the Longest Note Streak on Guitar Hero, with a score of 3,722 and 100% on the track Through the Fire and the Flames during which he also beat his previously held record for the Highest Score For a Single Track on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) with a score of 985,206."
"Following the introduction of the Logitech Wireless Guitar Controller, Premiere Edition (previously available only in select markets), the new black guitar controller is expected to be available worldwide later this month."
"The worldwide hit video game "Guitar Hero" could become a reality TV show and/or a real-life concert tour, people familiar with the discussions said Thursday.
"Hero" is from Activision Blizzard, a leading video game publisher that is looking to turn some of its games into TV and film properties.
Activision's cross-platform interests don't end at "Hero" either; discussions are under way to turn the "World of Warcraft" and "Call of Duty" video games into movies.
"They are being talked ..."
"According to our research, Super Smash Brothers Brawl is the Wii game that collects the least amount of dust. But two other games are surging toward top status.
Since September of last year I've been tracking the usage stats for top Wii games. Earlier reporters are at MTV Multiplayer. Today, I bring the concept to Kotaku, with some tweaks.
Where's all this from? (AKA an explanation of the above chart for stat junkies only): In a move somewhat surprising for the generally secretive compa..."
"Tavis: Thank you. What do you make of this Guitar Hero?
Prince: Oh. (Laughs.) Well, I ain't mad at them. I hear it made, like, $2 billion and they came to us and offered us a very small portion of that. But I just think it's more important that kids learn how to actually play the guitar. It's a tough instrument -- it's not easy. It took me a long time, and it was frustrating at first. And you just have to stick with it, and it's cool for people who don't have time to learn the chords or ai..."
The NPD Group has released the top twenty software and top ten software by platform lists for the recently unveiled February 2009 sales numbers yesterday, showing the top rankings in software sales for the month. The top ten rankings for accessory sales are also available.
Numbers inserted where known.
Top 20 Games of February 2009
01. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 644k
02. [360] Street Fighter IV* (Capcom) - 446k
03. [PS3] Street Fighter IV* (Capcom) - 403k
04. [WII] Wii Play (Nintend...
You know a company is milking a brand when they plan on something like this. Currently its mostly a rumor, but some of these games have been confirmed. The current list so far is:
1. Guitar Hero: Metallica (confirmed for March 29, 2009 on the PS3, 360 and PC)
2. Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits (confirmed for June on the PS3, 360 and PC)
3. Guitar Hero: Modern Hits (confirmed on the DS)
4. Hard Rock Van Halen (rumored to be coming in August)
5. Guitar Hero 5 (not the final title, we imagine--S...
"IGN had an interview with Paul Gadbois, producer on Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits, the upcoming compilation of what Activision has determined are the most popular songs from every console GH title to date. Canadian development studio and port-expert, Beenox, is putting together the disc, which hits 360, PS3, PS2 and Wii in June. (It's confirmed at $60 for the 360/PS3 release, $40 on Wii and $30 on PS2.)
According to Gadbois, this mix of previous Guitar Hero games will offer full band play on ..."
A blog from safetys-off.com detailing five video game series which have run their due course and should now "die". Some are currently very popular and others not, so head on over to read about why.
"Show notes:
This week we have been playing:
Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360), Katamari Damacy (PS2), Myst (PC), Super C (NES), Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Xbox 360), World of Goo (WiiWare), Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360), Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360), Empire Total War (PC), Fallout 3 (PS3), Quake Live (PC)
Not Likely: Zack & Wiki 2 and Left 4 Dead on PS3
Exclusive Xbox 360 DLC. Should we be angry at the developers/publishers, Microsoft, or Sony ?
Castle Crashers DLC is ALREADY ON YOUR HARD DRIVE.. enjoy p..."
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It seems that Nickelback and John Mayer's claims that Guitar Hero is preventing people from buying and learning to play real guitars is false. According to US retailer Guitar Center, real guitar sales have been up by 27% since the Guitar Hero franchise became popular.
This new peripheral from ezGear looks pretty darn sweet - it is called the You Rock Guitar and is part Guitar Hero/Rock Band controller and part real guitar to use on your PC as a MIDI instrument. It features a touch-sensitive full fret board and strings to strum. It is a pretty pricey instrument at $149, but that is cheaper than most real guitars.
"...Gene Simmons has a lot to say about it.
I never do anything half way. My AXE controller is the closest thing you can have to being onstage in KISS. I created and designed the Gene Simmons AXE bass guitar and I cant wait for the fans to experience it for themselves," said Gene Simmons. The Gene Simmons AXE guitar is such a recognizable symbol - people have been asking for a gaming replica ever since Guitar Hero was first introduced."
Do you fail at Guitar Hero? Can't beat TTFAF on expert? Perhaps you should get yourself a Cythbot and no, it doesn't use the force.
The Cythbot is comprised of a camera for vision pneumatic fingers for playing the popular video game series Guitar Hero.
So why make a perfect Guitar Hero player? To show off what the company is capable of doing.
So far the bot has managed to hit 98%, one percent higher than one of the best human players in the world. The problem is that the fingers are...
Chad Kroeger, guitarist and vocalist for Nickelback, wants to you stop playing Guitar Hero, because he feels not enough bands have "put a solid rock-and-roll package together", feeling they are one of the ones that have. As such, he advises you to stop playing the games and start playing instruments.
I could go on a very long rant here, but I'll just say this: yes, you certainly have put together such a package. It's all neat and tidy, that "rock-and-roll" band of yours. Sigh.
Everyone ...
"After making their entry in a Guitar Hero set list with When You Were Young on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, multi-platinum alternative rockers The Killers are playing a downloadable encore in Activision Publishing, Inc.s Guitar Hero World Tour, the company announced today..."
The Nintendo Wii has copped a lot for going with the whole "casual game" theme, though maybe some people enjoy it more than others.
Robin Yates of Patterson Mill Middle/High School has been letting her students who have autism play with a Nintendo Wii each day. There's been nothing but very positive feedback, with all the kids loving it. It allows the kids who have this condition be active when normally they wouldn't be. It offers easy play so anyone can have fun and it's been noted that i...
The lighter side to politics! The latest in cartoons, filibustercartoons.com has posted up a picture in relation to the latest in American Politics. We see Obama and McCain playing Guitar Hero! Ok, Obama is playing and McCain is seemingly on a ghost hunt.
Well the fact is he really is chasing ghosts. He's losing in nearly every poll and the media is predicting a large defeat! McCain seems to ignore this though, insisting it's still a close call. Maybe he should retire and enter Guitar Hero...
"To minimize button noise, Logitech uses rubber dome technology on the fret board controls, the same material used in its award-winning keyboards. The guitar controller also incorporates a New Touch-Sensitive Neck Slider, located so strumming is not always necessary to rack up the points. Additionally, the Neck Slider can be used in Guitar Hero World Tours new Music Studio to create an even wider away of sounds.
So youll be free to go where the music moves you, the Logitech Wireless Guita..."
"Thank you MaineRocker of YouTube for not hiding your rocking out to the world. Lord knows I don't have the huevos to pull this off myself (nor a program with the awesome video effects) even though I look the same in my room, minus any pants. I hope you make it on that new Rock Band Mtv show!"
Leave it to the guys over at SomethingAwful to find legitimate learning excercises in non-educcational video games.
On a recent installment of Photoshop Phriday the goons modified the box art in some of their favourite games to highlight the "valuable real world skills they learned"
Check out all of the images after the jump.
For those of you gamers lucky enough to have girlfriends (or wives respectively), and for the even luckier gamers to have girlfriends/wives that game (or at least don't complain about it) - King-Mag has run down a list of 5 games that even casual girl gamers can appreciate.
Hint- Get them hooked while they are young.
"1 Through the Fire and the Flames (The Tribute to Dragonforce)
2 Knights of Cydonia (The Tribute to Muse)
3 Prayer of the Refugee (The Tribute to Rise Against)
4 Cherub Rock (The Tribute to Smashing Pumpkins)
5 Woman (The Tribute to Wolfmother)
6 Black Magic Woman (The Tribute to Santana)
7 When You Were Young (The Tribute to The Killers)
8 Sweet Child of Mine (The Tribute to Guns n Roses)
9 Heart Shaped Box (The Tribute to Nirvana)
10 One (The Tribute to Metallica)
11 Raining Blood..."
UK Software sales currently for all consoles, the Wii and the Nintendo DS.
It's no surprise that Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has come out on top of the all consoles chart. Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii performed as expected, taking second and third on the all consoles chart along with first and second on the Wii chart. More surprising statistics include Imagine: Teacher achieving fourth on the DS chart!
The Frontman Guitar, reviewed by NintendoWorldReport on how Nyko could be in a position to make a lot of money off Guitar Hero 3.
It discusses how it's expensive to buy a second guitar for online gameplay but given the popularity of the game, pretty much every Guitar Hero gamer wants to. How can you resist a guitar which is half the price!? Well.... that's what Nyko is offering.
The review explains the functions it holds along with the fact that half the price doesn't mean half the qual...
"The many musings and rantings throughout forums and post comments alike surrounding Guitar Heros large downloadable content release of Metallicas latest album Death Magnetic can be sumed up in one question: Should I pay 18 dollars for it?"
"Metallica fans are pissed. The release of the metal outfit's latest album, Death Magnetic, isn't quite what they were expecting, at least from a sound quality standpoint. Metallica fans contend that the album is overly distorted, that clipping distortion from the album being mastered too loud, are making for bad impressions."
"Director Brett Ratner has been plenty vocal about wanting to develop a movie based on the game Guitar Hero. But Activision, the company that owns the franchise, isn't going for it. "I'd really like to do it, but they're not letting me," he tells EW.com. "I expressed my interest, but because it's such a success, it's like now there's no reason to make a movie about it." Ratner is a big fan of the game, incorporating it into videos he's directed for Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, and he envision..."
"It was announced at E3 last July that Metallica's new album, Death Magnetic, would make its way in full to Guitar Hero III as downloadable content, and now Activision Blizzard has released new details about pricing and availability: The DLC will be made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network concurrently with the release of the album this Friday, September 12, for $17.99 (1440 Microsoft Points).
In addition to the standard 10 songs on the album, the Guitar Hero III ..."
"With movies like Max Payne set for release this year and Street Fighter: Legend of Chun Li & Tekken next year along with talks of making a Gears of War movie and a Bioshock movie, it seems that Guitar Hero is the next game thats been thrown into the hat to be adapted to the big silver screen.
Producer/Director Brett Ratner has apparently asked Activision if he could make a movie based on the popular hit video game Guitar Hero. He did of course name the latest installment in the Guitar Her..."
Guitar Hero fanatics are finally stacking up the competition. One Guitar Hero fan will be able to duke it out with the guitarists of the band "Kutless". Is this worth it though? One fan dropped out of high school to follow his Guitar Hero dreams. Still, it was his decision to drop out...
Although, that person who gets to play with Kutless gets a sweet deal.
"Ah, the Rhythm Action genre. Bashing away on a fake, plastic instrument or leaping around like a loon on a bunch of arrows while a banging track plays in the background. Do it well and youre a rock god on stage in front of thousands or the very ghost of Timberlake himself, throwing down some awesome shapes. For some people, this is escapism at its height. For others, well, they just dont get it."
Another week has passed, which means it's time for some Australian game sales!
Mario Kart Wii has snatched the lead from the Wii Fit game, the Wii Play bundle is still selling steadily in third, followed by the oh-so-popular Super Smash Bros. Brawl and SingStar Amped.
Most of the games in the overall sales list are either the from the Wii or the DS. With all the success Nintendo has been having lately, I'm not surprised. To check out some console-specific sales, hit the source.
All...
In a surprise press release today, sales trackers NPD Group, Enterbrain and GfK Chart-Track Limited have announced that they will be collaborating on an all new Top Global Markets Report for video game sales, which will combine the trackers' US, Japan, and UK data, respectively, in a sales ranking chart to track the global sales of video games. They are currently working on incorporating the other countries they cover, namely Canada (NPD) and the rest of Europe (GfK). This is the one of the...
Eric Ruckman from over at hackaday has retrofitted a DS into a PS2 Guitar Hero Controller.
He wired the controller buttons from the DS fret attachment to the buttons on the actual guitar, and then even went a step further and hooked the sound to an FM Transmitter so he can play it externally and not just through the tiny DS speakers.
Rock on Eric. We salute you.
Seriously? Yes, unfortunately.
Blake Peebles, only 16 years old, convinced his parents to allow him to drop out of school and focus primarily on his professional gaming career, specifically geared towards Guitar Hero.
Blake's parents have hired in house tutors to help him keep up with his studies.
He has won only $1,000 in tournament prizes so far to date, and hopes on signing on with MLG in the future.
Chris Kluwe, the Minnesota Vikings punter, was at a restaurant in Mankato focusing in on the T.V. screen, playing Guitar Hero on the Xbox 360. Vikings executives Rob Brzezinski and Rick Spielman were amazed at how good Kluwe really was at the game.
Kluwe says that he is roughly one of the top 100 Guitar Hero players in the world, he has even beat the guy who holds the Guinness World Record! Kluwe was also able to play Activision's corporate sales meeting earlier this year. Kluwe really enj...
"Warner Music Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman says "The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small.""
"Playable Content
Add-on Content
Videos
"
The Interscope Pack will include the tracks Tina by Flyleaf, Carcinogen Crush by AFI and Putting Holes In Happiness [Remix] by Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The Track Pack will be available to both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.
Track Previews via Youtube: Tina, Carcinogen Crush and Putting Holes In Happiness.
"It means, first, that classic acts can make an easy paycheck licensing their back catalogs to rhythm games, although both publishers are becoming less willing to accept anything except master tapes. With both games shipping with an in-game music store that allows players to browse, listen to tracks, and purchase new songs for the games, the ability to make money pushing classic and up-coming bands is virtually limitless.(Right now the holy grail of music licensing seems to be the Beatles, and..."
The famous guitar amplification company Peavey is now selling custom-made Guitar Hero controllers. These controllers are essentially a real guitar. Made with wood, and complete with a pickup and all the circuitry required, it is possible to play this as a real guitar. Although, those 5 brightly-colored buttons and that strum bar may get in the way.
Not only is there a good amount of pre-made custom designs to choose from, you can even make your own.
"
We've seen a lot of Guitar Hero bots in our time, but we're pretty certain that Mechanized Rock's take on shredding automatons is something special. The system -- dubbed DeepNote -- actually watches the on-screen action with "eyes" that it uses to analyze notes, which the bot then plays in real-time. Using photodiodes aimed at the screen, the components pick up changes in light within eight nanoseconds, then convert that information to brazen, parent-shocking, full-throttle rock n' roll. ..."
Unfortunately for us all who grew up in the 70s and the 80s, as well as the few kids who actually have a decent taste in music - Led Zeppelin isn't all that keen on lisencing their songs for use in games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero. (I was pulling for Guitar Hero: Led Zeppelin too, shucks...) I guess when they said "No Stairway!" in Guitar Hero 2's loading screens, they weren't kidding.
In other news, Van Halen, Steely Dan, The Eagles, and Guns N' Roses are perfectly fine with it, and ha...
"Activision is releasing the Top Gun Anthem as free DLC to celebrate America's Independence Day on July 4th...
What better way is there to celebrate your nation's independence from tyrannical British rule than by releasing the Top Gun Anthem as DLC for Guitar Hero III? While some suggestions here at the TVG office would opt instead for Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, this might not go down quite so well with the ever patriotic American populace.
Instead, Activision ..."
Beatles representatives have had talks with Activision and MTV Games, who both make the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, to possibly make a Beatles-themed video game. According to a person close to the talks, the deal could be worth millions of dollars.
With the new wave of DLC for Guitar Hero 3 comes a pack of songs by Coldplay. It will include "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face", "Yellow", and from their new upcoming pack "Violet Hill". Hopefully they will be good, following the mass of DLC we've seen lately *glares at No Doubt*
The May 2008 NPD numbers have been recently released, and by the looks of it, the numbers overall were below people's expectations, with hardware and software numbers decreasing since last month. Many thanks for sonycowboy at NeoGAF and the NPD Group for making the numbers available. The tracking period was a four week period, from May 4th to May 31st.
May only saw one major release: the ever-popular Wii Fit from Nintendo. The focus this month came on Grand Theft Auto IV, Mario Kart W...
"The company recently decided to celebrate the fact that a couple of Guitar Hero performances would take place at this years Isle of Wight Festival, an event partly known for featuring one of Jimi Hendrixs last performances before his tragic death. So how does one celebrate a fake guitar performance? By vandalizing a tribute to a real guitar legend, it seems. Activision decided to deck out a bronze statue of Hendrix to make it look like he was holding a Guitar Hero controller instead of an a..."
A new pack of songs just became available for Guitar Hero 3 yesterday, but EA have taken a leaf out of Rock Band's book and announced they are going to release a new batch of songs every week this month. Next weeks pack has already been detailed.
Shoot the Runner by Kasabian
I Predict a Riot by Kaiser Chiefs
Problems by the Sex Pistols
"He tells Rolling Stone: "Guitar Hero was devised to bring the guitar-playing experience to the masses without them having to put anything into it.
And having done both, there's nothing like really playing guitar. I mean, what would you rather drive, a Ferrari or one of those amusement-park cars on a track?""
Well the article looks at music games from the start and how they have evolved over time. It all began when Otocky was released in 1987 but it was 4 years until the next one was released known as miracle Piano. Then things continued on and in 1999 we saw Guitar Freaks. Time continued and more were released and then we were given in 2005 Guitar Hero. Then time continues again with more games coming and the next one coming is Battle of the Bands this year.
Guitar Hero World Tour has finally been tagged with a price. There are product listings from Gamestop that contain loads of bundles for the game. If you want the complete package which contains the game, a mircophone, a guitar, and drums then it is $189.99, a few dollars less than Rock Band but keep in mind that the prices are not confirmed yet. You might have also seen the ads for Guitar Hero which featured the finalists from American Idol's season finale, David Archuleta and David Cook. Q...
"On June 5, 2008, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be receiving a free track exclusively for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of the game. That track, which will be available on the PLAYSTATION Store, is the God of War theme track, fully playable in Gutar Hero III. The news comes from the latest PlayStation Underground e-mail. We can't wait!"
The NPD Group recently released their tracked sales numbers for April 2008, for the four week tracking period that ends on May 3rd, 2008. Many thanks to sonycowboy at NeoGAF and the NPD Group for the numbers.
April saw the release of two major games: Grand Theft Auto IV, which shattered industry records, and Mario Kart Wii, the latest installment in Nintendo's Mario Kart franchise. You would think that there would be strong sales all around for the three current generation consoles, but ...
Game Informer recently reported that Guitar Hero 4 will be adding a drum set and now the first picture of the drum set has been released. Red Octane plans to overtake the competition with the help of an ex-MTV games employee. The person who designed the drums was John Devecha, who also helped create the drums for MTV's Drumescape game. The drums use three pads, two cymbals, and one foot petal. Also, Activision won't let players use the drums from Rock Band.
Well, this sounds interesting.
It appears the next 'true sequel' (read: not Guitar Hero: Aerosmith) of the Guitar Hero franchise will feature custom soundtracks. So, you and your band will be able to upload custom instrumental tracks that you created. Pretty rad, neh?
It isn't surprising that the vocal aspect would be excluded, since (as the article states) it would be hard to do voice (to text) recognition (even modern software is a bit iffy, especially considering different people h...
"Featuring the rousing hits Exo-Politics and Supermassive Black Hole from the bands critically acclaimed album Black Holes and Revelations, and Stockholm Syndrome from their multi-platinum record Absolution, the Muse track pack will be available for Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system on May 8, 2008."
"Finally Activision does something selfless. From May 2 to May 5, Guitar Hero III will host a charity challenge competition (on easy, medium and hard), benefiting the Starlight Starbright Childrens Foundation. Activision will donate $1 to the charity for every participant and $100 for every 1000 points of a challengers individual score. The Starlight Starbright Foundation helps sick kids and their families cope with the suffering of illness through family activities and entertainment (these ..."
"Have your PS2 guitar controller and want to rock out on the new PS3 console? TAC has a perfect solution for you. The PS2 to PS3 Converter will enable your old PS2 controller (guitar or non-guitar) to be used on PS3 for both Guitar Hero and Rock Band games*.
The converter has a USB connector on one end and PS2 connector on the other. Simply plug the converter into PS3, connect the PS2 controller, and set the switch to either Guitar Hero, Rock Band or Gamepad and you are ready to go."
"The trademark refers to "computer game software and related instruction manual sold together as a unit; interactive video game programs; computer game discs; downloadable software for use in connection with computer games; video game controllers; interactive video game comprised of a CD or DVD sold as a unit with a video game controller." It looks like your guitar is going to get a friend."
"Its been known for a while now that more instruments would eventually be incorporated into the Guitar Hero brand. The question is whether that means bringing drums into the mix and totally ripping off Rock Band, or creating a whole new game in the Guitar Hero universe with different toys to rock out with. The developers are currently figuring out how to move the series beyond the standard guitar and bass repertoire, as the CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick recently said, Well include a lot of..."
March's NPD numbers are in, and boy are they a shocker. As always, many thanks to the NPD Group and sonycowboy at NeoGAF for reporting and the actual numbers.
The numbers can be found in the quote.
In regards to hardware sales, the Wii sales are astounding, taking into account that there was only one blockbuster release in March, that being Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Looking at the February NPD, the DS and the Wii both shot up from the previous month. The other systems kept relatively ...
Activision's Guitar Hero III on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 will see the debut release of Def Leppard's new single "Nine Lives" one week before the official album release. It will however be part of a three track Def Leppard song pack which will also include Rock of Ages and Photograph.
This though will only be available on April 24th on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 for North America. Whilst the European Playstation 3 gamers having to wait until May 8th.
For a chance to listen to Nine...
Remember this? Oops, they've done it again! After being at the top for some time, Sonic and Mario have once again reclaimed the spot.
Here's the rest of the top chart :
- TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX: VEGAS 2
- PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008
- CONDEMNED 2
- GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK
- VIKING: BATTLE FOR ASGARD
- DARK SECTOR
- CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
- SEGA SUPERSTARS TENNIS
- FIFA 08
- COOKING MAMA 2
- THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD 2 & 3 RETURN
- ARMY OF TWO
- FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008
- NEW SUPER MARIO BROS...
ColorWare have set their sights on the strummers of Guitar Hero, providing a custom paint option for both new and existing owners of Guitar Hero III.
Trade-in prices start from $99, dependant on the level of customisation chosen. Wii owners also get the option of purchasing a customised Wii Remote available in a multitude of colours.
A must have accessory for the die hard Guitar Hero fan!
The Guitar Hero series was a hit, it's that simple. Recently Guitar Hero III sold over nine million copies. But a new musical video game has entered the picture: Rock Band. Though it was no where near as successful as Guitar Hero III it still sold roughly 1.5 million for it's first debut. As more Guitar Hero games and Rock Band Wii are released, who knows which brand will really come out on top?
Thats right, Activision are giving you the chance to fly out to California and become a character within the next Guitar Hero game. In order for a chance to be that lucky gamer all you have to do is create a video of yourself rocking out to a song of your choice and submitting it here (once logged in) to be within a chance of winning.
Terms and conditions apply.
Such inspiration and ideas can be found in this Youtube video they have offered, Enjoy and good luck if you enter.
Gibson is claiming that Guitar Hero games violate one of their patents from 1999 for a system and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience."
"The track pack includes such chart toppers as Dont Speak, Excuse Me Mr., and Sunday Morning. The track pack is currently offered on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and on PLAYSTATION Store.
No Doubt is a rock band from Anaheim, California, founded in 1986 which helped to launch the ska revival of the 1990s. "Don't Speak" set a record when it spent sixteen weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.
During its career, the band has won two Grammy Awards and sold 2..."
Activision has announced that Call of Duty 5 is in the works for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and PS2. We could also be seeing two new Guitar Hero titles this year, along with another title for Tony Hawks and a new James Bond game set to accompany the new movie coming out in Autumn. A sequel for Marvel Ultimate Alliance and a new Spider Man game have also been mentioned, although there aren't many details for these games yet.
"The new Classic Rock Track Pack for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 offers fret-busting fans a trio of master recordings to flex their gaming muscles on, with the pack consisting of Bostons Piece of Mind, Foreigners somewhat aptly titled Juke Box Hero, and Journeys Any Way You Want It."
""Guitar Hero is one of the biggest brands and one of the most powerful distribution platforms in all of entertainment today," said Michael Griffith, president and CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "Guitar Hero's popularity with broad audiences is a confirmation that video games have become a true mass medium."
But wait, there's one more feather for Activision to stick in their no-doubt very large and well ornamented hat: since Guitar Hero III's release in November, it has surpassed 5 mill..."
"The games that in large part made this possible for the company are Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. According to the NPD Group, Call of Duty 4 and Guitar Hero III were the number one and three best-selling titles across all platforms."
The supercharged American holiday shopping season has passed us by, and the NPD results all show great increases. With their December 2007 report, the NPD Group has also released their Annual 2007 numbers also. As always, many thanks to the NPD Group and sonycowboy at NeoGAF for reporting and the actual numbers.
As far as I know, it is a standard four-week tracking week, from December 5 to January 1.
Without further ado:
December 2007
Hardware Sales:
PlayStation 2 1.1 million
Play...
"Looking to bag goodies for free (you filthy spendthrift)? Then US honorary Scrooges can look forward to nabbing demos for Turok and FIFA Street 3 and trailers for Dynasty Warriors 6 and Syphon Filter: Combat Ops - while EU tight arses can slink off with an NBA 08 demo a trailer for Brothers In Arms: Hells Highway (also US).
Those willing to invest a few cents or pennies in Sonys online store can scoop a Motor storm Double Track Pack and a selection of songs for Rock Band, while EU mone..."
"This past holiday season Ive been shocked at how some games and game peripherals have been sold. Im looking straight at you Guitar Hero III, Time Crisis 4, and PlayStation 3.
The first culprit is Guitar Hero III. Guitars are not going to be sold separately for the PS3, Wii, or Xbox 360 until February. That makes it just that much harder to play this game multiplayer with your friend without having to buy another Guitar Hero Bundle, but then you have spent an extra thirty dollars for a ga..."
The Guinness Book of World Records for Gamers is being launched in February 2008. Guess what they are doing to commemorate the occasion! A Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Marathon. It is going to be the best record breaking event that happened in a while!
Go here for the Guinness Book of World Records for Gamers official site.
Earlier, we found out that Activision blocked the release of a patch by Harmonix that would allow PS3 Guitar Hero III controllers to be usable in Rock Band. The reason was not known until now. Answer: Activision is a money-grubbing corporation. It seems that Harmonix was not willing to pay them money for the compatibility, so they blocked the patch.
The November NPD numbers are out, and these are a doozy. Many thanks to the NPD Group and sonycowboy at NeoGAF for reporting and the actual numbers.
From what I know, it is a four-week tracking week, from November 6 to December 4.
Without further ado:
Hardware Sales:
PlayStation 2 496K
PlayStation 3 466K
PSP 567K
Xbox 360 770K
Wii 981K
Nintendo DS 1.53 million
Software Sales (Top 10 SKUs):
01. 360 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE ACTIVISION (CORP) 1.57 million - Release:...
"RedOctance have stated their stance on downloadable content for Guitar Hero III Wii.
An email response from RedOctane customer support gave the indication of their position as far as downloadable content on Wii:
Hello,
Thank you for writing us.
Downloadable content for the Wii is something we are working very hard on getting in place for the new year. There is no definite timetable in place but we are hoping it will be soon.
Regards,
RedOctane Customer Support
Downloadabl..."
"Activision and Vivendi, has revealed that it will be making new games in franchises like Call of Duty and Guitar Hero "on an annual basis".
It's a move that sounds a lot like rival publishing behemoth EA's strategy of pumping out new versions of its core titles every year. EA has been criticised by some gamers for focusing on this model of publishing over high quality new games.
Speaking in a conference call today, Robert Kotick, chairman and CEO of Activision, said: "You can expect vir..."
"In fact, the immense popularity of the hit Guitar Hero franchise--the third iteration of the game, Guitar Hero III, brought in $115 million during its first week on the market--may be the best thing that has happened to the instrument, to rock 'n' roll, and to guitar instructors, in a long time.
"I have an overwhelming feeling that my business is safe for years to come when I see kids playing Guitar Hero," said Dan Emery, owner of New York City Guitar School. "These kids are really enjoyin..."
What happens when Guitar Hero 3 doesn't feature the Beach Boys? Will It Blend is about to find out.
Spoiler alert: It always blends.
"Activision and Wavegroup Sound, the publisher and sound recorder for the massive hit game Guitar Hero, have been sued by The Romantics for a cover recording of the band's song.
The 1980s-era Detroit-based rock band claims the cover for "What I like About You" bears too much similarity to the original.
While the in-game usage was obtained by permission, the rock group has successfully sued over the song's use in television commercials in the past.
Band singer Wally Palmer pronounced h..."
"Halo and Guitar Hero fans are in for a treat today, with the release of the Halo theme Mjolnir Mix as a free download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
Once downloaded Guitar Hero III players will be able to rock out to the iconic theme tune by Martin O'Donnell & Michael Salvatori, with guitars performed by Steve Vai.
This is already the second free download for Guitar Hero III, the first giving players the ability to play the game's three boss battles as standard songs apart from within the ca..."
Well, October NPD numbers are out, after the fiasco that was later righted. Many thanks to the NPD Group and sonycowboy at NeoGAF for reporting and the actual numbers.
It's a standard four-week tracking period this month, from October 7 to November 5.
Without further ado:
Hardware Sales:
Wii 519K
Nintendo DS 458K
Xbox 360 366K
PSP 286K
PlayStation 2 184K
PlayStation 3 121K
Software Sales (Top 10 SKUs):
01. 360 HALO 3 * MICROSOFT (CORP) 433.8K - Release: 09/25/07
02. 360 GU...
"If it weren't bad enough that Activision shipped out Guitar Hero III with no offline co-op quickplay mode, a few careful listeners have noticed another thing they left out - a few channels of sound.
Audiophilic owners of Guitar Hero III for the Wii have noticed that not only does the game not support Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound systems (despite that feature being advertised), but it doesn't even output sound in stereo. As we all know, it's nearly impossible to pass "Cult of Personali..."
"Guitar Hero III is already a huge success, having sold over $100 million of product on Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and PS2 during its first week of release. Sales probably won't be too shabby when it releases on PC and Mac next either, either.
According to Jesse Divnich, analyst for The simExchange, the Nintendo Wii version is predicted to outsell the PlayStation 3 version by a two-to-one margin when all is said and done.
"The prediction markets expectations imply that Wii consumers prefer ori..."
South Park will air an episode on Wednesday night featuring a Guitar Hero-like game. It will be called "Guitar Queer O"
This will be similar to their World of Warcraft themed episode last year.
Games Releasing This Week: 10/29/07: Guitar Hero III, Battalion Wars 2, Manhunt 2, The Simpsons Game
As we continue on towards the holiday season, we see more and more games coming out trying to get a piece of the incredibly huge holiday pie.
Obviously, the highlight this week is Guitar Hero III, for Wii, PS3, PS2, 360.
Notables games this week:
Battalion Wars 2 (Wii)
Gears of War OSG (PC)
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (360, PS3, Wii, PS2)
Guitar Hero & Guitar Hero II Pack (PS2)
King of Fighters XI (PS2)
Hellgate: London (PC)
Manhunt 2 (Wii, PS2, PSP)
Naruto: Rise of a Ninj...
"Have you had enough Guitar Hero yet? The sales totaling into the millions and growing every day say you haven't. Activision agrees. In 2007 alone we've already seen Guitar Hero 2 release on Xbox 360 and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s on PS2, but that hasn't stopped the demand for more. Enter Guitar Hero 3, the first in the franchise made by development studio Neversoft after the former team, Harmonix, was snatched up by MTV Games. You can toss out any fears you might have had about a new ..."
So, Nintendo sent out new PR, detailing their new release schedule. Unfortunately, that includes Brawl on Feb. 10
However, there are some very amusing and hidden gems. Assassin's Creed apparently is set to be released February '08, and Advance Wars: Days of Ruin will be releasing on January 21st. There are some delays, including February 4th for Professor Layton (originally Dec. 3). It is shaping up to be a great end of '07/early '08.
Take note that this is a partial list. Most not...
"Activision has released a musical gameplay montage for Guitar Hero III, showing off a handful of popular songs for the upcoming game being played in both a single player and multiplayer environment."
Neversoft said the song was made to be "unbeatable". Eat your words, son.
Game Revolution's Nick Tan has beaten what has been billed as Guitar Hero III's hardest song, Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce on Expert. It's relative difficulty to the rest of the game similar to the difficulty jump for Jordan in Guitar Hero II. Tan becomes the first person in the world to have beaten the song.
His final stats? 311304, 3 Stars, 88% Notes Hit, 89 Note Streak. Bow to the man.
"While delivering more master tracks than ever before, strategic partnerships have been secured with all the major and independent record labels and publishers to allow unrivaled access to their vast catalogs of music, along with supplying artists' original recordings for even greater authenticity.
The additional tracks include:
* Same Old Song and Dance (by Aerosmith)
* Helicopter (by Bloc Party)
* Stricken (by Disturbed)
* Monsters (by Matchbook Romance)
*..."
With so many games to be released next month, it's about time we got a list of them all to help us plan how much money we will be spending over the next month or so on games for the PS3. Here's a quick list, but you can find a more detailed description for the games at the source, a long with trailers for most of the games.
Week 1
- NBA 08
- NBA 2K8
- NBA Live 08
- Folklore
- Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
- Clive Barker's Jericho
- Conan
- The Eye of Judgment
- Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruc...
Its just George, Paul and Stephen this week as we go through another week of gaming news and views. This week we talked about whether Halo 3 is reaching overhyped status among gamers. Also We hit on the Playstation Home beta that was extended into October. We have a small segment on the Microsoft Chatpad. We talk about how the hackers will take over the Guitar Hero 3 franchise when it hits the PC and Mac this fall. And we talk in depth about the Castlevania series.
"To be honest, some of the bands in the extras section are foreign to me beyond Dragonforce and Lacuna Coil. But the set list is solid top to bottom and I like the way the difficulty looks to escalate all the way to the top where we get probably the hardest song of the bunch in Metallica's "One" Hit the jump to see the full listing."
A couple days ago I posted an article regarding Konami wanting player feedback with their 360 DDR game DDR Universe. Earlier today, the subject of backwards compatibility was brought up and the person overlooking the feedback said that Microsoft now disallows sequels/future versions of games to pick up data from a previous game to be used.
In other words, those songpacks you bought on Guitar Hero 2 or DDR Universe? NOT PLAYABLE on Guitar Hero 3/DDR Universe 2.
The policy was changed f...
"Aspyr Media announced today that they are publishing and developing PC and Mac versions of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, set to be released this Fall. Might as well, since the game is coming out for everything else
The game will feature over 70 songs, unlockable content, and a head-to-head multiplayer mode. Youll also be able to play against other PC gamers online. It seems like a weird system to play the game on, but now itll definitely be easier to get your custom songs on there a..."
"We have yet to get Guitar Hero III into our hands and there are already rumors running around about Guitar Hero IV. Seems that Gamespot got ahold of a juicy rumor that says that the next Guitar Hero game will focus solely on Aerosmith and their entire back catalog. Seems a bit strange considering that the success of the game is its diversity of music from the strange to standard rock."
This is a video from Gametrailers.com that shows someone playing "Through the Fires and the Flames" by Dragonforce. The song looks like it will break every finger on my hand trying to beat it on Expert.
While everyone and their monkey is getting ready for the full interactive glory of Rock Band (is ANYONE not bubbling over at the prospect of getting their hands on the drum kit?), there's a certain Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock that's also on the musical menu.
Purist guitar fans faithful to the 'original' axe-grinding videogame phenomenon can now check out all of the game's Xbox 360 Achievements, courtesy of GamerSquad.
Who loves ya? No, not Kojak... GamerSquad. Sigh.
Activision has released information on another track for Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock during the Edinburgh Interavtive Festival. The track announced was The Stone Roses' hit song "She Bangs the Drums".
The Edinburgh Interactive Festival was open from the 12th till the 14th of August. I was lucky enough to see this particular exclusive event. Please see the source for a full track listing of the songs for GH3 as well as more information regarding the track release.
Today, X360 gamers who logged into their Xbox Live accounts were promoted to download a mandatory update, and with the hopes of new features, I'm certain that many people did so happily. Unfortunately your hope of getting new features will have to be broken and/or put on hold, as the update did nothing other than add support for the Guitar Hero III wireless guitar.
"Today, this intricately crafted LEGO Guitar Hero controller appeared on the internet, and GamerSquad's jaw duly dropped.
Obviously, constructing a replica of Guitar Heros Gibson Explorer-inspired controller using just LEGO is a feat worthy of applause on its own, but get this: it even works with the game."
"On Rock Band specifically, Janco sees the Guitar Hero competitor creating "a compelling option for the music oriented category beginning in holiday 07, which will pressure Guitar Heros growth."
"That said," says the group, "we expect Guitar Hero to follow a natural product evolution by adding additional music peripherals in CY08."
"Importantly," Janco adds, "the Guitar Hero franchise that is developed internally and owned, offers a meaningful operating margin expansion potential versu..."
"This past Monday, a group of ScoreHero members was flown out to visit Neversoft's Southern Calilfornia offices to play/test Guitar Hero III:
Legends Of Rock. Upon arriving, we were led to Neversoft's spacious mo-cap area, where we each had our own plasma screen and wireless Les Paul setup to demo as much of the x360 version as our hands could take over the span of about 5 hours. Now that we've returned to our respective homes, we're proud to bring back some exclusive info about the game, wh..."
What do you do if Guitar Hero II all-too easily hands you your gameplay ass, which you duly accept with teary eyes, bleeding fingers and sagging enthusiasm? Why, you promptly set about constructing a robotic player in order to thrash the Harmonix-developed devil child good and proper. Bearing that in mind, meet the "Guitar Heronoid" and be impressed.
Activision Inc. confirmed the company's E3 videogame line-up, which includes Bee Movie Game, based on the upcoming computer-animated comedy from DreamWorks Animation, Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare, id Software's Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Spider-Man: Friend or Foe and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.
"The competition between Guitar Hero 3 -- now dubbed Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock -- and Harmonix's Rock Band continues to heat up, with Activision and Red Octane announcing their new controllers, based on new Gibson Les Paul and Kramer designs, to go on sale alongside the latest installment. There's just some minor tweaks -- as with the last game, purchasing a whole new guitar isn't a requirement to rock with Guitar Hero 3 -- but it's interesting to see the Wii version have a convenient spo..."
Not that GamerSquad necessarily needs another reason to pull on its best rocker wig in order to shred moulded plastic notes on Guitar Hero. Awesome games don't need reasons. But if you're not sure about spending time with Guitar Hero III then allow the prospect of facing off against, and eventually playing as, SLASH (he of Buns & Toasties fame) draw you back to your replica Gibson SG.
The Final song list for Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's has finally been released !
The final nine tracks added to the initial list include:
Caught in a Mosh (Anthrax)
Balls to the Wall (Accept)
Electric Eye (Judas Priest)
Los Angeles (X)
Police Truck (Dead Kennedys)
We Got the Beat (Go Go's)
(I Think I'm) Turning Japanese (Vapors)
Seventeen (Winger)
Because, it's Midnite (by Limozeen)
Previously announced tracks include:
Hold On Loosely (.38 Special)
No One Like You (S...
"When the concept behind Guitar Hero was first revealed, there were many skeptics as to how such a game would perform in a highly-competitive market of games driven by gory graphics for the most part. The skeptics eventually turned into believers as the game spawned a franchise that rocked the gaming world across the platforms.
Guitar Hero III is the latest installment in the series and is anticipated by fans of the next-generation Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii ga..."
"Guitar Hero II's landing on Xbox 360 came with great fanfare, but it wasn't an entirely smooth ride. Microsoft wasn't too keen on sharing their proprietary wireless technology with RedOctane and the game ended up shipping with a wired axe. Everybody in their right mind knows that you can rock harder without a wire holding you down. Public outcry and internal dealings eventually did the trick and RedOctane has become the first 3rd Party to be given permission to make a wireless controller for ..."
"Everyones favorite FOX owned gaming site, IGN, has played Guitar Hero III, and has the first world premiere videos of the game in action for Guitar Hero fans to salivate over until the game launches this fall.
These 2 videos feature Slow Ride and My Name is Jonas, both of which we found out about a few days ago. Youll notice that Neversoft has totally redesigned the HUD, and Im not really sure if I like it yet, although I have a feeling itll probably grow on me. Another thing is th..."
Eleven songs have been listed for Harmonix upcoming Guitar Hero III. Tr track listing is as follows:
"Huang's comment also solidifies the fact that the Wii build of Guitar Hero III will feature a robust online mode and the option for gamers to download and play new songs from the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. There are, of course, some inherent hurdles the development studio will need to address if it's going to make the online experience as seamless as it might be. For starters, it needs to bypass the Wii Shop Channel altogether and keep gamers in the Guitar Hero III user interface when they pu..."
"Huang announced the game's platforms--as rumoured, it will indeed be coming to the Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2, arriving in stores just before the end of year holidays. There will also be a Nintendo DS version of the series, which will arrive "early next year."
Rock on!
The latest game will also boast new wireless controllers "so that fans can finally rock out in their living room and jump off their couches and do all that crazy rock star stuff." There will also be..."
"In an interview with IGN, RedOctane's co-founder and president Kai Huang has confirmed that the Wii version of Guitar Hero III uses a guitar peripheral and has online elements.
Guitar Hero III is scheduled to hit PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii in Autumn this year. However, many were left wondering whether the Wii version would require a guitar peripheral - like previous Guitar Hero titles - or utilise the console's Wiimote.
While the development team is still exploring i..."
![Box shot of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock [Europe]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvUGxheXN0YXRpb25fMi9SaHl0aG1fJl9NdXNpYw==/guitar_hero_iii_legends_of_rock_frontcover_small_s8Ke2VW58mhCAVG.jpg)