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DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock free DLC available now until Nov. 30
Looking to expand your DJ Hero 2 and/or Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock catalogues at a significant discount? Activision's offering of free DLC for each game seeks to solve your problem, adding a DJ Tiesto-mixed three-track pack to DJ Hero 2 and a My Chemical Romance pack to Warriors of Rock, each of which is free in the US "via redemption code while supplies last." The catch: each pack is free for this week only before becoming paid content on November 30 (also, the content for Warriors of Rock is only available to Xbox 360 owners). Details for both packs can be found after the break, including pricing for when they're no longer free next week. But hey, you're on top of things, so you're totally gonna get them while they're free. Head over to Activision and Coca-Cola's code generating website "while supplies last."
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock review: It's the same old song
Between its newfound focus on storytelling and its status as (gasp) the only Guitar Hero game out this calendar year, Warriors of Rock carried major promise to evolve the stubborn music franchise. Maybe you balked at the concept of a story-focused game featuring a cast of characters who have never spoken before, but at least storytelling represents a fairly unbeaten path in the increasingly beaten rhythm genre. (Well, fictional storytelling, anyway.) However, you don't have to spend much time with Warriors of Rock to realize that what sounded like evolutions are actually ancient gameplay mechanics -- only shrouded in a campy heavy metal veneer. %Gallery-98494%
Import GH: Metallica into Warriors of Rock for free during first week
Activision this morning revealed an incentive for Metallica slash Guitar Hero fans to pick up the forthcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock in the game's first week launch window: the ability to import 39 of the former game's 49 tracks into the latter game for free. Like Guitar Hero 5, Band Hero, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, some of the songs in Guitar Hero: Metallica will be importable into the forthcoming rhythm game release. After the week is up on October 5, the import will cost 480 MS Points / $4.99 / 600 Wii Points, tying it for first place with Guitar Hero 5 for most expensive import cost. We've broken down the track listing from GH: Metallica that will be available for import into Warriors of Rock (39 of 49 songs) after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock video highlights expanded DS/Wii connectivity
DS and Wii integration isn't new to the Guitar Hero series, but in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, roadies on the DS can greater affect what's going on in the Wii game. There are also expanded modes for budding roadies, which you can see for yourself by schlepping on past the break.
DJ Hero and Band Hero $50 off at Toys R Us
Some of you lucky jerks might be living near a Toys R Us that didn't immediately sell out of Band Hero and DJ Hero earlier today -- a side-effect of a two-day, $50 discount on the two titles. Not excited? Here, we'll help you out with a little equation: DJ Hero = $70 - $50 = $20 = TOTALLY INSANE.
Full Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock track list revealed
We've got to hand it to the recently revealed Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock setlist -- there are more than a few tasty tracks in the series' next installment. Still, as excited as we are to faux-pluck our way through Styx's "Renegade," we can't help but question a few of the songs therein. Not that they're bad songs, per se, but ... well, we can't really envision R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe as a "Warrior of Rock," you know? We imagine him wearing spiked pauldrons, and it just doesn't do anything for us. Check out the full 93-song setlist just past the jump.
Guitar Hero project director discusses aiming for the 'core' audience
For better or for worse, Neversoft has decided to go a very different direction with the Guitar Hero franchise from its competitor, Rock Band. In an interview with Develop, project director Brian Bright explained that the the stark difference between the two games is intentional. "Rather than go head-to-head with our own games and our competitors, we decided we wanted to make something different." Being tasked with developing three games in the Hero franchise simultaneously -- Band Hero, Guitar Hero Metallica and Guitar Hero 5 -- was a drain on the team's creativity, Bright admits. "We did make quite a few games last year ... But the release of all those games split the marketing team's focus, it split our studio's focus." The upcoming Warriors of Rock, however, represents a newfound yearning to go back to the franchise's origins, and deliver a game for "the core audience," the kind of gamer that loves guitar music, and has already mastered the plastic guitar. "The core has got to a pretty high level, so we really want to up the challenge." Developing a game that even franchise stalwarts would find difficult would set the game apart from the upcoming Rock Band 3. It's somewhat fitting that Neversoft is paying homage to the franchise's origins, considering Warriors of Rock is supposedly the last Neversoft-developed Guitar Hero game. But will it be the end of the franchise? No way. "I think it's a given that there will be a Guitar Hero game every year," Bright said, perhaps relieved that his studio won't be tasked with that burden. Who knows? We may even learn more about the team's new shooter before Guitar Hero 7 finds its way to store shelves.
Preview: Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock
It seems silly to describe the "new features" that have been added to Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock without acknowledging the basic stuff the franchise still doesn't get right. For example, do you want to see the difficulty of a song before jumping into it in campaign mode? Nope, you can't do that. Want to filter and sort songs by multiple criteria? Forget about it. Compared to Rock Band 3's feature set -- keyboard, vocal harmonies, "Pro" mode -- it's clear that Activision has been surpassed. But maybe all you want from Guitar Hero is a "story" and the ability to bust through the five-star ranking system. 32x multiplier and 60 stars, YEAH!!! You could argue that Warriors of Rock isn't regressive; it's an homage to the franchise's origins, a celebration of hardcore guitar music. The 90 songs included on the disc support drums and vocals, but it's clear what the focus of the game is: being a guitar hero. If the franchise's penchant for crazy note maps hasn't satiated your strumming skills, you'll be glad to know that Warriors of Rock ups the ante by including the entirety of Rush's "2112" -- as a boss, of course. Final boss? Yes, Warriors of Rock's big new feature is a Quest Mode, narrated by KISS' Gene Simmons. While I could rant about how it feels like it was written by (and for) twelve year old boys, I'll let Activision do the work. The fact sheet describes it as a "journey from the infamous stage of CBGBs to the molten lava fields of rock treachery ... to help the Demi-God of Rock take down 'The Beast' and save rock 'n roll." Tim Schafer would be rolling in his grave (if he were dead).
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock includes re-recorded Alice Cooper, The Runaways
It seems Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock will attempt to achieve its goal of keeping the classic rock hits alive in a fairly unorthodox manner -- by, well, redoing them. Activision has revealed another batch of the rhythm title's songs, which include two exclusive re-recordings of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and The Runaways' "Cherry Bomb," as performed by their original artists. Check out all the new additions -- including un-re-recorded fossils like Edgar Winter's "Free Ride" and Styx's "Renegade" -- just after the jump. Update: Check out a behind the scenes video about the re-recording process after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Geddy-ing a dose of Rush's '2112'
We'll be the first to say it: Rhythm games don't exactly seem like the best venue for playable versions of full-length concept albums. Yeah, that one breakout track is still really fun to play, but the 14-minute theremin solo that follows can't be too fun to wait through. That said, we can't help but applaud Activision's recent initiative to include Rush's 20-minute-long 7-part epic, "2112," in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Sure, there are a few parts of the prog-rock suite during which we might want to take brief naps, but the collection's more rocking moments more than make up for it. Here's hoping for an Achievement for playing the whole shebang front-to-back in one sitting -- an act which would cause lesser vocalists to burst into flames. %Gallery-97905%
Bang your head to the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock 'Act 1' set list
We get it. In this fast-paced world of ... stuff, you don't have time to scroll over a list of tracks in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Where text would've gotten the job done in the past, we recognize that nowadays you need something to match your speedy lifestyle. Therefore, we present the video past the break. It highlights the set list for the first act of the game, featuring standout tracks like Dire Straits' "Money for Nothing" and even a live rendition of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me." If you're looking for something a bit on the classier side, you'll be relieved to know that Activision has also included Kiss' "Love Gun." Nothing says class like a song that's about -- well, you know.
Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero: July DLC
This month, the Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero DLC party starts off with a high-pitched bang, with three solid Queen tracks hitting the storefront later today. That bang becomes a guttural scream the week after, when Avenged Sevenfold drops a few songs. That scream becomes an "eww-ah-ah-ah-ah" one more week later, when Disturbed throws its hat in the ring. Finally, Shinedown will have some songs added to the service. (We don't know enough about their musical offerings to continue the metaphor.) Click past the jump to see the full list of songs, release dates and prices.
Job listing says Neversoft working on 'new action shooter'
It would appear current go-to Guitar Hero dev Neversoft is working on a "new action shooter game," according to a Linkedin job listing. The listing calls for a mid-senior Level Builder with "a passion for design" who can "create realistic levels by bringing concept art to life." Is Neversoft working on Call of Duty? Is this an entirely new shooter? We've fired off some questions to Activision and will let you know what we hear back. At the least, we should know more come next week at E3. [Via superannuation] Update: After the break, see an ad from the July issue of Game Developer magazine in which Neversoft entreats potential applicants to "Shoot into the future..."
A closer look at the new Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock axe
Was your taste of the new peripherals in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock not enough? Well, the attached video should satiate your desires for now, as it actually shows you how the customization works -- sans hands! It's all very Transformers like. If all of the CGI wizardry in the video, found after the break, isn't your style, feel free to give our high-res images in the gallery below a looksee. Just don't look too closely -- we wouldn't want you transforming into a ManBearPig or something. %Gallery-94721%
Activision unveils gnarly new Guitar Hero axes for Warriors of Rock
Some of you might be surprised that a game as simple as Guitar Hero is on the precipice of its sixth iteration, and others still will just want to know what the latest axe is going to look like it. Well, behold! Today we're witnessing the debut of the new "shredding-friendly" design, replete with cutaway sections in the body and an aggressive, modern look. The cutaways are possible thanks to an internal redesign concentrating the electronics into the neck and fretboard, which will also allow you to swap different bodies around the controller parts. Yes, that does mean you'll be able to play without any body appendages at all, if you wanna be all contrarian about it. Another design, a GameStop exclusive, is also on show, and you can see it just after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock confirmed, detailed
And just like that, Nintendo Power has officially outed Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. According to Neversoft's Brian Bright, Warriors of Rock will retain "all the cool features" from Guitar Hero 5, including the ability to play with any combination of instruments. This time around, however, the team strove to "hand-pick" the songs, which will focus on "guitar-centric rock 'n' roll" as Bright explained that "so many more people play Guitar Hero on guitar than any other instrument." Picking up on the rock focus, the game's story and aesthetics revolve around heavy metal. Bright mentioned being inspired by heavy metal album covers "with rivers of chrome and guys on horses with bat wings and stuff." In fact, the game's quest mode is narrated by Gene Simmons (you don't say) and tells the story of the struggle between "the Beast" and "the demigod of rock." Said demigod is defeated, so it's up to players to find the demigod's legendary guitar and amass "an army of warriors to be able to defeat the beast." Boy, that sounds awfully familiar. The article also reveals that Vicarious Visions will once again develop the Wii version, and expanding the DS-based Roadie mode. You can read the full story in the latest Nintendo Power, on sale June 8.
Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero: June DLC
[flickr] June's shaping up to be quite a packed month for Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero DLC aficionados. On top of a free pack of national anthems for Xbox 360 and PS3 users -- you haven't lived until you've rocked out to Germany's national anthem, "Lied der Deutschen," by the way -- three separate band track packs will be available. These will feature Stone Temple Pilots, Alice Cooper and All Time Low. Head past the break to check out the full list of DLC. We have a feeling that Spanish foreign exchange student staying with your family this summer is going to be pumped to play some "Marcha Real."
Guitar Hero 6, another DJ Hero coming this fall
Activision has confirmed on an earnings call today that Guitar Hero 6 will be on store shelves sometime this fall, with a new DJ Hero game coming soon after. The music game market is a changing place, admitted CEO Bobby Kotick -- it will "continue to compress," with fewer titles and brands finding success. Activision has "moved from the sell-through of higher-priced peripherals," and its new plan is for "improved economics on a higher percentage of software sales." Kotick said that Guitar Hero "remains the leader in the category with more than 44 million games sold to date," and that both releases this year would be followed with "a full lineup of exciting downloadable content."
Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero: May DLC
It's the beginning of the month, which means it's time to run down the list of Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero DLC. In May, we're getting three separate track packs -- the last week of the month seems to be void of anything new, for some reason. Like alternative pop ensembles like Snow Patrol and Alpha Rev? How about classic rock troupes such as Steve Miller Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd? How about Love in an Elevator? No, we mean the Aerosmith song, not that time you were trapped and -- forget we said anything. Head past the break for the full list of DLC for May.
Guitar Hero 5 'Guitar Kit' and game on sale at Amazon today
Whether you're in the market for a new music-rhythm game or want to get into this whole Guitar Hero thing on the late-late, Amazon has a pretty sweet deal going on today. In the "Guitar Kit" bundle, you can snag a guitar controller and a copy of Guitar Hero 5 for $38, while a new copy of the game itself will only set you back $20. Becoming a faux-rocker has never been so cheap and just think about all of the DLC you'll be able to enjoy with that extra cash. Just saying! [Via Cheap College Gamers]
