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Posts with tag guitar-hero

Survey says: Rock Band 2 headed Wii-ward

Rock Band is a sore subject among Wii owners, since we'll be getting the gimped version of the game. Even so, that won't stop a Rock Band 2 from landing on Nintendo's console. At least, that's what a recent survey conducted by Listen Research for EA hints at, which has been asking gamers some questions about the pending sequel.

Most of the things that EA wants to know have to do with the player's likelihood of purchasing things. The survey includes (paraphrased) questions like: Would you buy the Special Edition set for Rock Band 2 (i.e., the version that includes all the instruments)? And: How many Rock Band Track Packs for the Wii would you purchase within six months? The inquiry we found to be the most interesting, though, asked whether consumers would be more inclined to buy Rock Band or Guitar Hero, which will also utilize multiple instruments soon.

While some people may be more invested in one franchise over the other (depending on which game and instruments they already own), we think that gaining the loyalty of Wii owners is relatively simple. Easily enough, the company who issues the least broken game for Nintendo's console will win this guitar and drums arms race on the Wii.

Continue reading Survey says: Rock Band 2 headed Wii-ward

Game Informer reveals Guitar Hero IV drum kit [update]

Well now, it looks like the June 2008 issue of Game Informer has a little surprise up its sleeve. You got it, this is none other than the drum kit that will be utilized in Guitar Hero IV. Looks kind of weird, if you ask us. But, hey, maybe the thing looks goofy, yet has a great feel to it? We'll have to wait and see.

As you can tell, it's different from the Rock Band drum kit in several ways. For one, it would appear the kit only has 3 face drums, with two weird high hat-looking things above the main drums, along with the requisite bass pedal. Will this be an easier drum kit to manage than the one bundled with Rock Band?

Update: Whoops, fixed some oversight on our part. Sorry for the mistake.

[Via Joystiq]

Guitar Hero 4 adds new instruments, turns features up to eleven



The June edition of Game Informer features a lengthy preview of Guitar Hero 4, and one thing is immediately clear: Activision is desperate to out-Rock Band Rock Band. This is most obvious in Guitar Hero 4's adoption of other instruments; as recent rumors suggested, the next installment of Activision's faux-guitar extravaganza will include drums, bass, and vocals.

As well as this expanded line-up, you'll be able to create your own tracks (though this doesn't extend to vocals, reportedly due to storage and copyright issues) and design album art. The game will let you upload five of your tracks to 'GH Tunes' (and ten when you achieve certain grades), and it will be possible to share songs in the Wii version. If you're horribly uncreative like us, you'll be able to strum your axe to one of the game's licensed songs, all of which are master tracks, and include the likes of Van Halen, The Eagles, Sublime and angst-mongers Linkin Park.

Some big changes, then, but there is a hint dropped by Game Informer that sharing songs in the Wii version of Guitar Hero 4 is "unlikely to be as robust as the PS3 and 360 versions." The magazine doesn't expand on this comment, but it's enough to set alarm bells off in our heads, especially after the gimped Rock Band fiasco.

UK duo get world record playing Guitar Hero III in UK


And here we thought getting a handful of people to watch you play Guitar Hero III was a pretty big feat. Turns out, in Earls Court, London, over 9,000 people turned out to watch two teenagers tear it up in the game. The two young lads introduced band 30 Seconds to Mars by laying down some hot licks on their fake guitars in Guitar Hero III.

This makes them Guiness Record holders now, something that we're quite jealous of, to be honest. Why? Well, because we've got ten years on them and have zero world records. Basically, it feels like we have wasted our lives.

Another Week in Europe

Wii Fit is selling like gangbusters in Britain, where it accounts for half of all Wii software sold in the last week, and has given Nintendo its first one-two finish in the All Formats Chart since 2003. And guess what? It's more or less the same story throughout the rest of Europe.

The Irish are shedding the Guinness pounds, the Germans are working off those brätwurst, and Sweden ... well, we don't really have a lazy, go-to food stereotype for the Swedes. Anyhow, the point is: they're all loving it, and if Wii Fit doesn't appear in a chart (see: Spain, Denmark), it's probably because a country hasn't got it yet, or the charts have fallen behind.

Mind you, don't expect any of this Nintendo dominance to last: next week's charts are guaranteed to be all about one game (yet we suspect Wii Fit might give you have better legs than GTA IV in the long-term). Lean past the break for this week's European charts.

Continue reading Another Week in Europe

Necktie Hero

If you love Guitar Hero so much that you can feel it like it's right in your neck, be sure to check out this geektastic tie. Since your boss will likely have absolutely no idea what this represents (unless he's so hip that he can't see over his pelvis), you can probably get away with showing your video game pride at work in this instance.

Are you ready to rock this tie? Then go buy it at Zazzle for $29.95.

[Via Technabob]

Guitar Hero rumored to add peripherals

There are rumors abound that Activision will be adding new instrument peripherals and a microphone to Guitar Hero IV, because of statements made by Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick in a recent interview with Conde Nast Portfolio. Should these bode true, though, we think this is a questionable move by the company. Although Rock Band is widely hailed as the better game, it seems lazy for Activision to turn its franchise into exactly (or at least, almost exactly) the same thing.

Let's think of the other negatives. Since Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars are incompatible with the competing game (thanks to Activision), we can assume that if drums become a part of the GHIV experience, they will be, too. This means that people who want to own both will not only have to deal with a mountain of guitars (supposing they enjoy a good bout of local multiplayer), but also two drum sets cluttering up their homes. Moreover, this blogger has come to think of Guitar Hero as "the poor man's Rock Band," meaning that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg (just an arm) to get it. It's not cheap, but it's cheaper. Should the series turn into Rock Band, however, that will take away its economic edge.

Now, there could be good things about this rumored change. If Activision added some unique instruments (maybe a keyboard?), the game could offer something that Rock Band can't. Should it turn into nothing but a clone, though, we can't say we support that.

Kotick also mentioned that the game will include a feature that utilizes local bands, but what the CEO meant by this has yet to be clarified.

[Via Joystiq]

GHSkinz adds style to your fake instruments

Folks looking to jazz up their plastic Les Pauls for Guitar Hero or instruments they'll be jamming with in Rock Band, take note. Website GHSkinz is looking to offer you skins and other accessories for your fake instruments.

The skins themselves look like they're high quality, but with that comes the problem of price. It won't be cheap to outfit your instruments. But, then again, when your guitar looks as badass as this, we're not sure you're going to care about how much you spent to make sure it looks this way.

See also: Give your Rock Band drums some extra lives

Guitar Hero III still on sale at Amazon

You may have missed out on Amazon's Gold Box deals, but the online retailer is still selling Guitar Hero III for cheap. Sure, it's not as cheap, but it's $15 off the MSRP, nonetheless.

Since the Les Paul guitar will cost you $59.99 alone, buying the set for $74.99 isn't too bad of a deal. Also, it seems that Amazon is selling the fixed edition of the game, so you won't have to worry about mono sound issues or future disc swapping with your purchase.

[Thanks, David!]

Guitar Hero III replacement process begins in Europe

Folks in Europe no longer have to be the only Guitar Hero III owners suffering through the game in mono sound, as Activision has finally started the replacement process in the neglected continent.

In order to register for your replacement discs, just go to this site, enter the appropriate information, and print out the shipping label. Then, you just send out your glitched version and wait for your new disc to arrive.

Better late than never, we suppose.

[Thanks, Ashlee and Locke2007!]

Activision settles Guitar Hero III class action suit

Activision has been dealing with the anger of Guitar Hero III owners, which culminated four months ago in a class action lawsuit. The plaintiff, Sam Livingston, filed the suit against Activision because of the company's "deceptive" conduct regarding the lack of Dolby Pro Logic II.

Instead of letting the case get to court, though, Activision decided to offer a settlement. The amount of cash that exchanged hands in the deal was not made public, but we bet a check will be more satisfying than a complimentary faceplate. Oh, and speaking of those? They were actually less of an act of kindness on Activision's part, and more of a required legal stipulation from the settlement.

Even though Activision probably lost a whole lot of pennies in order to settle, we're sure the company is happy that there's now one less lawsuit to worry about this year.

[Via Game|Life]

Charlie Daniels: Guitar Hero 'perverted' my song

While a lot of people here may have spent hours rawking out and pulling buffoonish poses to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, it's safe to say that country rock musician Charlie Daniels wasn't quite as enthusiastic. Firstly, the guy is 71, and if performing high kicks and the splits is beyond us flexible twenty-somethings, it's probably going to be unrealistic for anyone who qualifies for a free bus pass. Secondly (and a lot more relevantly), he's not too chuffed about how one of his songs, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," has been presented by Legends of Rock.

According to an entry by the musician on his blog, the song in question is "a lighthearted novelty about a fiddling contest between a country boy and the devil and the devil always loses," but try telling that to Guitar Hero III. Instead, the game has players competing on the song with old Beelzebub himself, in a face-off which the devil can win. Insert outraged gasps here!

Anyway, this is the main sticking point for Daniels, who accuses developer Neversoft of "perverting my song," and huffs that he's "disgusted with the result." He also describes the game as having "a dark side, complete with grotesque monsters on stage with the band, strange, eerie lighting effects and all manner of weird things popping up on the stage," and reckons it's "not the healthiest thing in the world for young, impressionable minds to be exposed to."

As it happens, Daniels' complaints look set to fall on deaf ears, because he sold off the publishing rights to the track. Nevertheless, his diatribe is worth a read, if only for a chuckle.

[Via Kotaku]

Another Week in Europe

Featuring charts from across the region, Another Week in Europe documents the buying habits and quirky tastes of a whole continent of Wii lovers.

Unlike reigning full beard freestyle world champion Elmar Weisser of Germany (who we admire fiercely), we have mixed feelings about this week's European sales charts.

For example, while we're heartened by the success of debutant Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (5th in the UK, and the Wii edition supplemented sales of other versions across Europe -- not bad for a game that appeared on every other console last October), we're irked by the flat performance of House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return (15th in Britain, and nowhere to be seen in the charts of mainland Europe).

Europe, if you're reading, stop buying Game Party (7th in UK), Smarty Pants (10th in Spain), and Mario & bleeding Sonic (high everywhere) and let's get something half-decent up there for a change. Sega Bass Fishing should make next week's chart, so that'd be a good place to start -- let's have that top ten somewhere, please. Sigh. At least Elmar will never fail to impress us. Click on for the charts.

Continue reading Another Week in Europe

Les Paul costs less money


Those of you in the market for another guitar for Guitar Hero III will be happy to know that RedOctane has dropped the cost of the wireless Les Paul guitar. Originally fetching a price of $69.99, it is now $10 cheaper.

Have you been holding off on picking up an extra guitar until the price dropped? Have you been waiting to get one but just can't find one? Want a free one? Or do you go from hotel to hotel enjoying the Guitar Hero III they have to offer?

[Thanks, Eric!]

Come for the soft beds, stay for the Wii Sports



What's a good way to get folks into your hotel? We have no clue, what with being a game blog and all, but it looks like some hotels might have found a good way to get folks in their doors: gaming. We imagine if you have something the people like and want, they'll flock to you. That must be the thinking behind some hotels in the U.S. incorporating some of the most popular games into their repertoire of activities available to patrons. Games such as Wii Sports and Guitar Hero III.

While we can't comment on whether this is a good decision from a business perspective, we can comment that this is a good decision from a customer service perspective. Now top Wii Sports bowlers and fast-fingered freaks in Guitar Hero III need not worry about getting rusty while they're attending that convention in Tuscaloosa.

[Via Joystiq]

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