"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 you’re 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 don’t ‘get’ it."

"Blake Peebles, a 16-year-old in Raleigh, N.C., whose parents have let him drop out of school so that he can focus on a professional gaming career via Guitar Hero.

Blake convinced his folks (that is, "We couldn't take the complaining anymore," said his mom) to let him drop out last September. They hired in-home tutors to continue his education there, at least, but there's no doubt priority number one is Guitar Hero. There's a vaguely defined goal of Blake playing it professionally, either t..."

"MANKATO, Minn. — Chris Kluwe stood there with his lips pursed, focusing, sweat building on his forehead.

The crowd watching him chanted, "Kluwe! Kluwe!" as Vikings executives Rob Brzezinski and Rick Spielman watched him perform, their jaws open in amazement.

No, Kluwe wasn't punting in a pressure situation. Holding a plastic guitar inside a Mankato restaurant as people cheered, Kluwe was engrossed in his other passion, the video game Guitar Hero on Xbox 360.

Kluwe estimates that he i..."

"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

• Secret Agent Clank demo for PSP (free)

Add-on Content

• Civilization Revolution "The Mythic" Wonders and Artefact pack (£0.69/€0.99)
• Guitar Hero III "Interscope" Track pack (£3.99/€5.99)

Videos

• Dead Space "Local Ones" trailer
• Movement Episode 3, part 2 "Milan" (8 videos)

"

"Guitar Hero III is about to be graced with an Interscope track pack featuring three artists from that respected rock and/or roll label. Here's what's on tap for next week:

* Flyleaf’s "Tina"
* AFI: "Carcinogen Crush"
* A remix of Marilyn Manson’s "Putting Holes In Happiness" by Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Interesting selection, eh? The Interscope Track Pack, will be available on August 7 for download on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation 3."

"Tired of plastic toys? The Peavey® AG RiffMaster™ Guitar Controller is a real Peavey Guitar that’s sure to quench your thirst for the authentic rock star feeling.

LIMITED EDITION! If you want the prestige of owning this piece of gaming history, you better hurry and get your hands on some real wood! With hot designs from legendary bands such as Kiss and Pantera, your Peavey AG RiffMaster™ Guitar Controller will impress all who set foot on your rock stage.

Controllers are currently availa..."

"There's little doubt that the artist line-up for Rock Band 2 is shaping up nicely. Guitar Hero is getting some nice exclusives as well. With Journey, Boston, Metallica, The Who and other top tier acts lending their tunes to the dominant rhythm games, there aren't many superstars left to cross off the list.

One of the artists that continues to elude both Activision and Harmonix is Led Zeppelin. It's been chalked up to a lengthy licensing process, but a recent write-up from the Wall Street J..."

"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 are in talks with two companies to create a Beatles-themed video game in a move that could pave the way for a broader licensing of the Fab Four’s catalogue.

The representatives have held discussions with both Activision and MTV Games, the respective makers of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, in which players strum along to favourite songs or form virtual bands.

A final deal would be worth several million dollars, according to a person familiar with the talks..."

"Coldplay are set to release a three song pack on Guitar Hero III next week

The Coldplay track pack will be available on June 19, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360 from Microsoft and in the PLAYSTATION Store for the PLAYSTATION 3"

"The company recently decided to celebrate the fact that a couple of Guitar Hero performances would take place at this year’s Isle of Wight Festival, an event partly known for featuring one of Jimi Hendrix’s 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..."

"The Motörhead Track Pack that released yesterday for Guitar Hero III won’t be the last one to spice up the gameplay experience this month. Taking a page from Electronic Arts’ Rock Band, Activision has announced that we’ll see new downloadable content hit the Marketplace each week throughout the month of June."

"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!"

"Activision has revealed that the next true sequel in the Guitar Hero franchise will introduce new instruments. A preview of Guitar Hero 4 in the latest issue of GameInformer has now shed some light on that and revealed that GH4 will introduce drums, bass, and vocals.

The preview also reveals a new gameplay element. Apparently, Guitar Hero 4 will feature custom made tracks. Players will be able to create tracks, name them, create cover art, and upload it all online for others to enjoy. Due ..."

"Featuring the rousing hits “Exo-Politics” and “Supermassive Black Hole” from the band’s 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 Children’s Foundation. Activision will donate $1 to the charity for every participant and $100 for every 1000 points of a challenger’s 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."

"It’s 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, “We’ll include a lot of..."

"Song pack available on April 24 to feature new single Nine Lives.

Players of Activision's Guitar Hero III on Xbox 360 and PS3 are to have access to Def Leppard's new singe Nine Lives a week before it is released at retail and Online.

The song will form part of a three track Def Leppard song pack, which will also include Rock of Ages and Photograph.

"Being involved with Guitar Hero is very exciting for us and adds a whole new layer of appreciation," said Def Leppard lead singer Joe E..."

"Their unholy alliance seems to be paying off as everyone’s favourite Plumber and Hedgehog have topped the UK’s all format charts again this week. This game is proving to be a beast that will not be slain, consistently rising and falling in the charts just to climb to the top spot again. Not only is the game number one overall but first on the Wii and second on the DS charts, cementing the fact that I am the only one who finds the premise of a stunted overweight Italian posing anything that ev..."

"The company famous for making gadgetry of all kinds look its best has turned its talents on the iconic Guitar Hero axe, and we must say, we're infatuated. Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 thrashers are all invited, and while users can join the revolution for as little as $198 (that includes the title and a painted instrument), current slingers can send their guitar in and get it colorized for as little as $99"

"When Guitar Hero 3 launched last year it was an immediate success, selling out at a fairly quick pace throughout the holiday season. Following just behind it was Rock Band, selling very well, but not nearly as quickly as Guitar Hero. So far, all versions of Guitar Hero III have sold about 9.1M copies, versus just roughly 1.5M for Rock Band. Of course, part of the discrepancy lies in the fact that Rock Band launched on two platforms while Guitar Hero 3 launched on four, but that is about to be..."

"Hey fellow rock fan!

What would you give to be a rock star? It’s ok, we don’t need your soul, we just want to find someone who has the moves and attitude to embody what Guitar Hero is all about.

Simply grab a tennis racket, the dog, or whatever you have lying around and video yourself rocking out to the track of your choice and upload it for a shot at glory in our weekly video montage. We want fearless guitar-slingers and we don’t care about your looks, size or style. If you have rock ..."

"It seems to me like Gibson is just trying to make some easy money off of an established franchise."

"The track pack includes such chart toppers as “Don’t 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..."

"Given the huge success of the Call of Duty, Guitar Hero and Spider-Man games it's no shock to hear Activision discussing new titles in each franchise.

There's no game specific info right now, but a new Call of Duty title is currently in development for Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii and PS2 - presumably Call of Duty 5 developed by Treyarch for a winter 2008 release.

Although outsold by Call of Duty 4, Guitar Hero III generated more money and perhaps as a result of this will see two titles relea..."

"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 Boston’s ‘Piece of Mind,’ Foreigner’s somewhat aptly titled ‘Juke Box Hero,’ and Journey’s ‘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."

"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: Hell’s Highway (also US).

Those willing to invest a few cents or pennies in Sony’s 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 I’ve been shocked at how some games and game peripherals have been sold. I’m 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..."

"This event will take place at set venues in the UK, the U.S., Canada, Australia and France. Quoting the official site on what you can expect to happen at this massive gathering:



You will have the chance to rock with Guitar Hero for one song before passing on to the next player for the most exciting record breaking event of the year! Those of you brave enough to dress as your favourite Guitar Hero are especially welcome!


The site's also sent out a general invite to all the gamers o..."

"Activision spokesperson Maryanne Lataif was quoted in saying, 'Unfortunately for Rock Band users, Harmonix has been unwilling to discuss an agreement that will allow us to provide that option in a manner that maintains the high standards people have come to expect from Activision'. Basically, Harmonix hasn't been willing to discuss paying us an extremely large amount of money (rough translation)."

"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..."

"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 market’s expectations imply that Wii consumers prefer ori..."

"This episode follows the last year's hugely popular "Make Love, Not Warcraft" episode, which helped garner the long-running animated show an Emmy."

"Xbox 360:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Bee Movie

Cars: Mater-National

Naruto: Rise of a Ninja

Chessmaster Grandmaster Edition

Timeshift

The Simpsons Game

Virtua Fighter 5

Viva Pinata: Party Animals

Xbox Live Arcade:

Mutant Storm Empire

PS3:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Stranglehold

Cars: Mater-National

The Simpsons Game

Wii:

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Battalion Wars 2

Manhunt 2

Bee Movie

Barbie Island Princess

Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey

The ...

"

"The First Person In The World To Beat Guitar Hero III
Posted on Friday, October 5 @ 16:23:17 Eastern by Duke_Ferris

When he's not flipping out and killing people, GR's Nick Tan likes to apply his ninja skills to Guitar Hero. He rocks so hard you simply cannot handle it. Seriously.

And the other day at a Guitar Hero III party in San Francisco, he rocked so hard Activision could not handle it. The unlockable song Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce is designed to be the hardest ..."

"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."

"As per Download content from Microsoft, each title is only allowed to have it's own DLC. So, unfortunately, all the DLC for Universe 1 will only be compatible for Universe 1. Same thing goes for 2 when it comes out. DLC for Universe 2 will only work for Universe 2."

"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. You’ll also be able to play against other PC gamers online. It seems like a weird system to play the game on, but now it’ll 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."

"Remember Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock? Y’know, the music game due out later this year that isn’t Rock Band? Well, a list of 59 achievements for the Xbox 360 version just popped up on the official Achievements site, revealing which obstacles virtual axe-wielders will have to overcome to earn all of the 1,000 Achievement Points on offer in the fourth Guitar Hero title.

There’s some real toughies there as well, with points on offer for playing 20 of the game’s songs on Expert without drop..."

"Activision, Inc. premiered a new track from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock game during its exclusive hour-long screening at Edinburgh Interactive Festival today.

"She Bangs the Drums," as made legendary by The Stone Roses, was played for the very first time, underscoring the company's promise that the track list for the next instalment in the Guitar Hero franchise will draw inspiration from all eras and genres of guitar music, ensuring a soundtrack with truly global appeal.

The Guitar..."

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 Hero’s 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 Hero’s 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..."

"Readers, say "hello" to the Guitar Heronoid, a creation brought to you by robotics enthusiast Rafael Mizrahi and the letters ‘W’, ‘T’ and ‘F’. The purpose of Mizrahi’s bizarre invention? Simple - to play the PlayStation 2 version of Guitar Hero II more perfectly than any human being ever could."

"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..."

"If the wait for Guitar Hero III isn't already unbearable enough, rumour has it that legendary Velvet Revolver and Guns 'N' Roses guitarist, SLASH, will be available as a playable character."

"Activision, Inc. today announced that Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s has gone gold and will be available on July 24 exclusively for the Playstation 2 computer entertainment system. The company also announced nine additional songs to be included in the latest installment of the critically acclaimed franchise.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s will feature visually stunning retro rock venues and hipster characters, unlockable guitars, intense game play modes, and 30 awesome new songs to e..."

"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 ..."

Eleven songs have been listed for Harmonix upcoming Guitar Hero III. Tr track listing is as follows:

Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)

Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)

Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)

The Metal (by Tenacious D)

My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)

Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)

Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)

School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)

Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)

Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)

Barracuda (as made famous ...

"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..."