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About the dumbest way to play Guitar Hero 3
That is, if you can call it playing. You see, using your feet to play a plastic mock-up of a real instrument is just what you'd expect it to be: pointless and unnecessarily difficult. We wonder why someone would even go through the bother of filming themselves while they do this. On top of that, wouldn't the person want to get a little better at playing monkey-style before they uploaded their video onto the internet for the whole 10 people that read Wii Fanboy every day to see?
Guitar Hero II gets Indie Label Pack
Odd as it may sound, there's new Guitar Hero II (yes, GHII) content on the Marketplace today and we guess we're going indie. The GHII "Indie Label Pack" features three songs for 500 Microsoft points including "State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphys, "You Should Be Ashamed of Myself" by The Bled and "Memories of the Grove" by Maylene & The Sons of Disaster. Again, this is new content for GHII and not GHIII which makes our head quirk to the side a bit, but we guess that's some hardcore product support. Or maybe the powers that be just want to milk us for every last dime we have. That has to be it, those dirty milkers![Thanks, Joe]
Download Guitar Hero tracks off of iTunes
Boy oh boy do we have a once in a lifetime music deal for you, one that'll change your life for the better and make your tummy rumble (but in a good way). Activision has just placed every single Guitar Hero track (from GH, GHII and GHIII) on iTunes for you to purchase dubbed Guitar Hero Essentials. Go ahead, try and tell yourself that you can live without the melodic sound of Metallica, RATM, Pearl Jam or Aerosmith. Try and tell yourself that you don't need to purchase these tracks for when you are away from your 360 and can't play Guitar Hero. Just try and tell yourself that you don't need any of the 1200+ master rock tracks over at the Essentials iTunes store. You can't, because you need this music. You need to purchase it and you need to browse the list. And for a limited time, iTunes will organize the tracks according to genre, theme and game they came from and we'll also throw in a FREE (yes, we said free) air guitar with any track purchase. Hurry, this offer is limited ... call now![Via Joystiq]
Canada: Get GHII free with Xbox 360 purchase
Fellow Canadians who don't own an Xbox 360 (or are looking for a second) and would like to jam to some Guitar Hero II before the sequel releases next week, please give us your complete and undivided attention. This week at Canadian electronics retailer Future Shop they are offering Guitar Hero II FREE with the purchase of a new Xbox 360 console. This is the same holiday 360 bundle that includes Forza Motorsport 2 and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, so it's like getting three games and a console for $399. It's not too shabby of a deal, so maybe you should jump in while the gettings are good.[Thanks, to everyone who sent this in]
GHII gets some heavy DLC tomorrow
Even with Guitar Hero III just month's away, it looks like Activision is still keen to milk its very lucrative downloadable content business. As such, the company has announced a new song pack for Guitar Hero II. Like the previous packs, the new song pack includes three new tracks for you to shred to your heart's content. The song pack includes the following tracks. Trivium - "Detonation" Atreyu - "Right Side of the Bed" Protest the Hero - "Bury the Hatchet" Lest you are unfamiliar with the new tracks, let's just say they're a bit on the hard side, especially compared to last month's DLC. According to ScoreHero, the new content will be available tomorrow at 2:00AM (PT) for the still onerous price of 500 MS Points. Now, if Activision would finally release some Fine Young Cannibals, we'd be in business.[Via Joystiq]
GH II downloadable tracks total 2 million
Today, Activision is touting the success of their Guitar Hero II downloadable content claiming to have sold 650,000 song packs via the XBLM, which totals over 2 million songs. Activision says that the "song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox Live and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream" and announced that their latest GH II My Chemical Romance song pack has been purchased over 55,000 times. Cha-ching!So, everything is peaches and fresh daisies over at the Activision camp as it pertains to the success of GH II's downloadable content, but we ask what happened to the community's complaints about the price? Back when the new tracks became available everyone was up in arms at the cost, refused to support the expensive content and even went as far as to create online petitions. But now it's looking like it was the vocal minority who were expressing their distaste or those who were complaining just gave in and purchased new tracks. We aren't sure if we should applaud the success of GH II's DLC or be somewhat sad that the "success" of it may just have solidified the high price point for the future. We guess we'll just have to see how it all works out when Rock Band puts its first round of content on the Marketplace.
X3F Achievements 101: Star Power, Summon, Strangle, & Sniping
While a little later than usual, there's another wonderful X3F Achievements 101 for you this week. A first for the column, a reader organized a gaming session in Shadowrun, and the latest downloadable content for Guitar Hero II threw some Achievements that are now easier to get, if you're willing to pay for the content. We're also testing out a new timeslot, posting the column at the tail end of the work week instead of at the beginning. So, continue on to another action packed Achievements 101.
Don't cut yourself just yet, MCR pack on Guitar Hero II
Major Nelson gives word that Guitar Hero II has another track pack available on Marketplace. This time, though, it's not a rehash of Guitar Hero I songs, but actually a band themed packed full of master tracks. Sounds too good to be true, right? Precisely, as it still costs 500 Microsoft Points, which is not as bad for fresh content, and the band in question is My Chemical Romance. Now, we've had a couple of rants about reader response to anything involving MCR and their 360, and expect to see more of the same here. In any case, the songs in the pack are "Famous Last Words," "This is How I Disappear," and "Teenagers." Now, remember that it's down the road, and not across the street.
Buy Guitar Hero II, get 1600 MSFT points free
From now through August 18th, when you purchase Guitar Hero II from Circuit City you'll get 1600 Microsoft points for free and free shipping on your online order. This offer is available online and in-store, but you'll have to send in a rebate form to get your money back. Check out the offer here.True, we have seen a similar free 1600 Microsoft points offer before when GH II released and there was no forms to send in. But if you're willing to send in a rebate and wait for your cash this is definitely a good deal. Or you could just wait for Guitar Hero III or the game X3F is in love with ... Rock Band. Decide and plan your purchase accordingly.
Activision sticking to GH II DLC pricing
The consumer versus Guitar Hero II downloadable content pricing war rages on with Activision taking the defensive on their pricing strategy. According to Dusty Welch, the head of Red Octane publishing, the downloadable track packs have been a "tremendous success" and that "demand seems to be insatiable" as they're reporting that 300,000 song packs have been purchased since April. Mr. Welch goes on to say that they have been listening to Guitar Hero II customers, but will still be "offering even better music at current price points" due to the success of the previous song packs.So guys, who's to blame? We know we didn't purchase those overpriced track packs, but know there are a bunch who did. This is just another case of the financial bottom line being more important than the vocal majority, so quit buying the songs already! .... now back to the corner to cry myself to sleep again.[Via Joystiq]
They didn't listen. New GH II tracks still 500 points
In a slap to their fans' faces, Activision released a new Guitar Hero II music pack to the Marketplace and it's still overpriced. Up for download is the Guitar Hero Track Pack 4 featuring three songs including "I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, and "You've Got Another Thing Coming" by Judas Priest for the ouch that hurts price of 500 Microsoft points.We really thought Harmonix and Activision were taking a while to release new content, because they were actively negotiated and reworking their pricing strategy seeing that fans have been very vocal about the pricing of the last three DLC offerings. But our extended wait was for no gain, because the pricing hasn't changed. Try and keep your anger civil fanboys ... or at least pointed towards the guilty parties.
Pink Spartans know how to rock
What's better than a pink Master Chief, a replica Guitar Hero II X-plorer guitar, and over 70 sparkly jewels? The answer: nothing! Girly Halo fan bs angel created a jewel encrusted X-plorer guitar for her pink Master Chief spartan to rock out with. The project took around two hours to complete with most of that time dedicated to attaching the little jewels. You can check out more pictures of this pink wonder after the break. Now only if bs angel can hook us up with a few tickets to the pink Master Chief rock concert that's going down this Summer ... our fingers are crossed.[Via HBO]
Red Octane: new GHII DLC in July
As the promises of loads of downloadable content echo through the empty halls of memory, Red Octane has let out a squeak, nay, the smallest chirp of information regarding the next batch of downloadable songs for Guitar Hero II. According to a forum post by a Red Octane admin by the name of rodth, new downloadable content for Guitar Hero II should drop sometime in July. Specifically, rodth noted, "While nothing's been formally announced, look for something to come down the pipeline around the July timeframe ...."If you've been keeping track, this would be the second batch of DLC we've seen since April. We're not experts, but we're not sure that qualifies as the most DLC for any 360 game evar.[Thanks, Aragorn]
GHII guitar gets peed on, Harmonix to the rescue!
Back in May, Rock Band forum member (and obsessed Guitar Hero II fan) Bloodlust told of his tragic GHII experience and asked Harmonix to include one of his favorite songs for all the pain he has gone through. You see, Bloodlust not only ended up with a broken 360, a scratched GHII disc, and heartache, but his X-plorer guitar ended up getting peed on. Yes, you read that correctly, his nephew urinated on his guitar controller. And Harmonix, being the kind developers that they are, kindly disregarded such song suggestion and sent him a brand new X-plorer controller signed by the entire team in urine colored yellow Sharpie. Those Harmonix guys are a funny bunch and are now officially included in our book of kickass developers.
GHII tourney at the Mall of America
You're a Guitar Hero II rockstar god, aren't you? Well, if you think you're good enough and are willing to travel, the Mall of America in the lovely state of Minnesota is holding a Guitar Hero II tournament this Saturday, June 9th. The guitar gaming fun will take place in the mall's rotunda from 10:00AM-4:00PM with prizes including a Guitar Hero II game pack, Fender Squier Strat Pack, and a pair of airline tickets. And if your dress up skills are better then your guitar playing, dress up like your favorite rocker and win prizes for your creativity. Practice a few expert songs, make a trip to the MOA and win a few prizes. Living the life of a rockstar is good.
For fanatics: custom GHII guitar on eBay
Thanks to seemingly never ending supply issues, finding a second guitar for Guitar Hero II can be quite a challenge. Now, if you want to spend a little extra scratch, you can find custom guitars on eBay. Put up for auction by sheppyboy2000, the guitar features an original black-on-red paint job. This is actually his second guitar (you can see the first one here). Apparently stickers weren't enough for sheppyboy2000. You'd better really want this puppy, though: the current high bid is $85 with $11 more for shipping. For that price, you could buy a brand new copy of Guitar Hero II and give it to a friend. Still, if you like custom gaming accessories, this one seems pretty nice. Oh, and sheppyboy2000 plans to make more, so keep your eyes peeled if you like what you see.[Thanks, Adam Wessel]
New Guitar Hero III tracks revealed, Les Paul guitar coming
As we're still struggling to crank out perfect scores on Hard difficulty in Guitar Hero II, Activision goes and announces a whole slew of new tracks coming to Guitar Hero III. Seriously, just look at all these damned tracks (which we have politely lifted from Joystiq)! "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 Foghat) "Cult of Personality" (by Living Colour) "Barracuda" (as made famous by Heart) First thing's first, please recognize the distinction between "by" and "as made famous by" in that list. You'll notice that a full 7 of those tracks appear to be recorded by the artist themselves. That's worth throwing up the horns right there. In some more exciting news, Activision has announced that Guitar Hero III's guitar controller will be modeled after the Gibson Les Paul, and will feature customizable faceplates. Furthermore, there will be wireless controllers available for the game, though it is unclear if said guitars will be included with the game or if they will be separate purchases. There is one troubling note in the press release, though: the new guitars will feature a new "button color design" in order to create a more authentic experience. Hopefully, this doesn't hinder the performance of the (very expensive) guitars we've all purchased for Guitar Hero II.So, what's your favorite song on the list?
Skid Row, Poison, Extreme in 80s Guitar Hero
Stock up on the Aqua Net, would-be rockers: It's "big hair" day at Joystiq. Why are we teasing out our locks? Why, to mark the release of seven more songs to be included on Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, of course. It's called synergy. Anyway, here are the songs: "18 and Life" (as made famous by Skid Row) "Bathroom Wall" (as made famous by Faster Pussycat) "Lonely is the Night" (as made famous by Billy Squier) "Nothing But a Good Time" (as made famous by Poison) "Play With Me" (as made famous by Extreme) "Shaken" (as made famous by Eddie Money) [We're assuming they mean "Shakin'"] "Synchronicity II" (as made famous by Police) In other brand synergy news, the game apparently has Encore in the title, which we bet will become a common way way to denote GHs that offer new songs without gameplay or graphical improvements. Look for Guitar Hero Encore: Looking to Pad Our Q3 Numbers, coming in late June ... or, you know, whenever Activision wants some money. If you've got a short memory, you can check out the previously announced seven songs after the break.
Star Power made easy: an X-plorer mod
You know the feeling. You're playing Guitar Hero II, you've got full Star Power and here comes that sweet string of notes that will send your score into the stratosphere. Only one thing to do: tilt that controller and rock like you mean it. But what's this? You tilt the control and nothing happens, or maybe it's a little delayed, or maybe the act of tilting screws up your fingering. Whatever happened, you're stuck with a piddly x2 multiplier and a lot of wasted Star Power. If this sounds familiar to you, you may want to check out the fancy Star Power button mod at GrownUpGamers. As is the case with most mods, this will require you to crack open your X-plorer and do some soldering, so it's not for the timid. The mod also instructs users how to install a "kill switch" which essentially gives you a second strum button, helping you land those wicked solos.If you're chops are righteous enough for this mod, click the "read" link and check it out.See Also:Guitar Hero II cardboard fret mod
Rock Band to feature Fender guitars and equipment
Harmonix and EA announced that their upcoming rhythm game, Rock Band, will feature a Fender Stratocaster guitar peripheral, and Fender guitars, basses, amps, and other equipment in game. Rock Band will also feature BOSS and Roland in game. CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Bill Mendello showed great interest and enthusiasm in Harmonix using Fender equipment in the game, commending the developer's ability to capture the essence of rock 'n' roll in digital entertainement. So, since the GH II Gibson X-plorer will play nice with Rock Band, which one are you going to side with? Fender or Gibson?
