GuitarHeroIi
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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
Guitar Zeros rock out with Guitar Hero axes
Making music with today's newfangled controllers is nothing new, but the Guitar Zeros are taking things a step further by actually forming a band that uses non-modified Guitar Hero controllers and a good bit of programming to please crowds. The San Francisco-based four-piece utilizes a standard drum kit and set of pipes, but opts for a much more digital approach to the guitar and bass. Both guitarists use Guitar Hero axes that are hooked up wirelessly to a Windows XP laptop, and thanks to some serious coding efforts within MAX/MSP, the controllers are able to emulate acoustic sounds, electric wailing, and mind-blowing lead lines without being plugged into a game console. Of course, the end result is purely a matter of taste, but the science behind the strumming is what's really impressive. So if you're interested in seeing a music video, just click right on through, and be sure to hit up CNET for a more technical look of how the magic happens.[Via CNET]
First tracks from Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80's revealed
An alarming abundance of outrageous attitudes? Check. Enormous shoulder pads and poor color coordination? Check. Extravagantly large hair and excessively shiny accessories? Check. With this Summer's upcoming Guitar Hero expansion, Rocks the 80's, publisher Activision is dangerously close to delivering their first Japanese RPG. Thankfully, Opposable Thumbs reminds us that it's all about the music and lists the first seven tracks from the game's 30-strong list. I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister) I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls) Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt) I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow) Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot) Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio) Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia) Given the lack of the "as made famous" bit, it seems original recordings are provided by everybody's favorite contorted siblings and maritime birds. Curiously, Opposable Thumbs notes that Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80's will be "exclusive" to the PlayStation 2. Does that imply exclusivity for the in-store version, with the Xbox 360 receiving the expansion in downloadable form? Why would Activision limit the game's reach? After all, the pricing of Guitar Hero's online tracks makes it pretty clear that the publisher enjoys making money.[Thanks, Jess]
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?
Guitar Hero II ad by Gorillaz animation director
You know that badass commercial for Guitar Hero II that we first showed you that later came to Marketplace? Yeah, the one that looks strikingly similar to Gorillaz music videos' artistic style? Well, evidently that comparison is with good reason, at it turns out that the credits to the animation go to Peter Candleland, the Gorillaz animation director from Passion Pictures had a hand in the style of the 360 rock title's TV spot, so the similarities are justified. We also hunted down the animator for the piece, Robert Valley, and a lot of his other work is consistent with the feel throughout. Still, the "Woman vs. Meteor" ad is right up there with Mad World in our books, what about you?
Guitar Hero II cardboard fret mod
Over at GrownUpGamers.com they've posted a helpful tutorial to fix those unreliable Guitar Hero II fret buttons on your X-plorer guitar. Their tutorial is for those of you who experience not so responsive fret buttons when rocking out to your favorite jam. This unresponsive fret button problem occurs when the fret buttons don't fully press down on the contact due to some shifting action. And all you need to fix those buttons is some confidence to open up your guitar, some cardboard, scissors, and tape. And voila! Fret buttons fixed. We're just wondering what type of cardboard would work best. Gushers, Pop-Tarts, Fruit By the Foot, or Cheerios ... oh the choices.[Via Digg]
Canadian and UK Guitar Hero II supply woes
Joystiq reports that Guitar Hero II supply problems are becoming prevalent to gamers in Canada and the UK. This has been confirmed by one of Joystiq's UK bloggers, who states, "I've tried about a dozen retail stores, [it's] harder to find than a Wii." Wow, that is hard to find. When reached for comment, Red Octane told Joystiq that the supply issues were purely a result of an "insane amount of demand" for the title. Furthermore, they note that there are still many retailers in the United States experiencing supply troubles as well.Red Octane's advice? Buy directly from the Red Octane store. If you just have to have Guitar Hero II (and honestly, you do), ordering from Red Octane may be your only hope. Be warned though, shipping costs are not cheap.
Xbox 360 Guitar Hero II supply issues in Canada and UK
RedOctane's Guitar Hero II has been such a success on the Xbox 360 there seems to be a little supply issue. Not so much in the US -- although it is tough to get in some cases -- but we know of supply issues in Canada and the UK. One of our own writers living in jolly ol' England told us, "I've tried about a dozen retail stores, [it's] harder to find than a Wii." Yeah, supply is that bad.Joystiq received comment about the supply issues form Red Octane, telling us, "We can confirm we definitely are selling Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360 in Canada. The issue of being sold out isn't just in Canada, as many other retailers in the US are experiencing the same situation as well, as there's just been an insane amount of demand for the game and can't stay on the shelves. The best tip we can provide is to either stay patient as more supply will be available to everyone shortly, or purchase from the RedOctane online store since it is still available there."We've been told that conspiracy theories in Canada about the supply issues revolve around a recall due to broken whammy bars and that RedOctane is trying to control Canadian supplies by milking them quietly by doubling shipping costs from $17 to $35 (we're guessing that's in Canadian dollars). Anyway, for those looking to rock out in the Great White North or Europe it may be time to bite the bullet and pony up the cash for shipping from RedOctane's store. Although supplies are tight at retail, their store seems capable of supplying the guitar faithful.[Thanks, Chris N.]
WRUP: beta late than neva edition
So, the weekend is officially upon us, and at least in the Great White North, the forecast is wet and gloomy, which pretty much means sitting back in a Sumo lounge chair and gaming away. We'll probably try to get some final matches of Shadowrun in before the beta ends Monday night, rock out to Guitar Hero II, or go back to old favorites like Oblivion and Gears of War. But that's us. What of you, fellow fanboy, what are you going to be playing?Leaderboards:Xbox 360 Fanboy LeaderboardXbox 360 Fanboy Leaderboard Mk. IIX360F Gamertags:Richard Mitchell -- SenseiRAMDustin Burg -- SuperDunnersDavid Dreger -- Knuckles Dawson
Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II axe: now shredding in OS X
Ah, the sequence of events is nearly complete. First, we get the Xbox 360 axe rockin' on the console itself, and then comes the inevitable hacks to get it rollin' on Windows, and without further adu, we present the ability to melt those plastic frets on OS X. Thanks to an impressive development from TattieBogle (v0.5), a USB driver which purportedly "allows the use of wired Xbox 360 controllers via USB" on your OS X-based machine is finally available. Apparently, it actually works fairly well to boot, so if you've been pouting over your Mac not being able to enjoy the same face melting Guitar Hero II niceties as the other guys, be sure to hit the read link and get your download on.[Via Joystiq]
Rumor: Are these the next Guitar Hero DLC packs?
We don't really know if the list of three new song packs for Guitar Hero II reported by HarmonixFans.com is on the level. They look logical enough to us, but we also don't have access to the mysterious "Microsoft certification documents" from which the information was reportedly taken. So, take it with a grain of cliché, but here's the list:Pack 1: "Cowboys From Hell," "I Love Rock & Roll," "Cochise" Pack 2: "Godzilla," "I Wanna Be Sedated," "Sharp Dressed Man" Pack 3: "Iron Man," "Take Me Out," "Smoke on the Water" The thing that makes this list harder to dismiss is that this same site had a list of the first packs of GH songs before they were released to the public, and HarmonixFans says this latest tidbit is from the same source. Of course, they also qualify that the last batch of songs was on PartnerNet when they reported it and this one isn't. So, feel free to discuss the relative merits of the songs, just don't go buy $24,000 of MS points (or whatever they cost) in anticipation.[via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
360's Guitar Hero II axe working in OS X, Frets on Fire
Though we managed to get Guitar Hero II's USB-enabled X-plorer controller working with Windows XP, we couldn't manage to get it rocking with Mac OS X. Lucky for us, our friends at TUAW wouldn't take no for an answer. They emailed the developer of the open source Xbox 360 controller driver for Mac OS X who was able to implement support for the X-plorer controller in the latest revision, version 0.05 released over the weekend. Of course, the first thing to test out? Frets on Fire which, they happily report, works great with the X-plorer. The best part: the white guitar no doubt matches your shiny white Mac. Now get some white leather pants, and you're in business.[Via TUAW]
Possible leak: New GH II downloadable tracks
The guys over at HarmonixFans received some special insider's information on the new Guitar Hero II downloadable content that will be coming to the XBLM. The information supposedly came from Microsoft certification documents that were obtained and detail three new track packs including songs from Pantera, The Ramones and ZZ Top. Complete listings of the rumored songs are posted after the break. And even if this information turns out to be false, we know more DLC is coming and pray to the gaming gods and executives at Red Octane that they listened to their fans and adjusted their prices. How can they deny our loud and abrasive fanboy whining?[Via Arrogantics]
RedOctane promises new Guitar Hero every year
Tina Turner be damned, you're getting a new Guitar Hero game every year. In a Eurogamer interview, RedOctane co-founder and president, Kai Huang, reveals that every guitar freak's favorite franchise will soon have something in common with large men tossing balls and slamming into each other. "I think that fans can definitely expect that we're going to have one major release a year," says Kai. Following that, the peripheral manufacturer plans to "release update packs and content packs so there's more songs." And what about the controversial pricing of already released song packs? The pricing's "competitive," says Huang, though his comment may have been slightly garbled due to the degradation of interplanetary transmissions. "We've done a lot of evaluation on the pricing and the costs for each of the songs and how they work for each of the packs, and we think that they're priced competitively, but certainly we listen to the fans and we take that feedback, and if that's something we'll need to evaluate we'll do that."An annual release of Guitar Hero is hardly something we'd consider to be terrible news, but one caveat certainly needs to be heard -- not many franchises keep their sparkle on a yearly release schedule. Even fellow music maniac, Dance Dance Revolution, has taken a few bad steps in its rapid-fire career. We cringe at the thought of seeing a great franchise doing a power slide... down a set of stairs.
Red Octane 'looking into' Guitar Hero II patch problems
"We're aware of the problem and we're looking into it." So says RedOctane in response to complaints of a Guitar Hero II patch leaving Xbox 360s paralyzed by the dreaded red ring of death. A string of users have posted their tales of woe on the official Xbox forums, noting post-patch game freezes, startup glitches and eventual system lockups. The patch was initially issued to correct unresponsive whammy bars in some guitar controllers.Though Red Octane doesn't divulge to Eurogamer just exactly what "we're looking into it" entails, there's little hope that a further software patch could repair completely inoperative consoles. There's also no direct evidence to suggest that the patch itself is causing the Xbox 360 hardware to malfunction. The operating system might be fooled into thinking there is, however, which isn't much better than a physical malfunction. This occurrence is awfully similar to what transpires whenever a new Xbox 360 game is released -- is software causing a new problem, or is it letting you know that you had a rotten system to begin with?We'll let you know as soon as RedOctane or Microsoft comment further.
Online multiplayer coming to Guitar Hero III
Recently announced Guitar Hero III will be sporting something we wish Guitar Hero II would have included ... online multiplayer. In an interview with Red Octane president Kai Huang, Pro-G confirmed that GH III would indeed include an online component. So fanboys, does this mean that a rumored future GH II update to include online multiplayer will never see the light of day? Well, it doesn't sound overly promising seeing that they'll probably use "Super Duper Online Multiplayer" as a new feature and bullet point for their third installment. Oh well, we still love you GH II and will wait to see if you'll grace us with online play later this year.[Via Joystiq]
Red Octane looses Guitar Hero II patch for Xbox 360
We're not quite ready to consider this a coincidence, but the hard-working souls over at Red Octane have officially unleashed a patch for the malfunctioning Guitar Hero II axes just in time for the weekend. Recently, it was claimed that axes sporting 95065 and 95055 model numbers could lose responsiveness in the whammy bar, but thanks to Xbox Live, users can download the patch and get back to unadulterated rockin' right away. So what are you waiting for? Finish up those finger exercises, fire up your console, and let us know if in fact the downloadable solution mends the problem.[Via Joystiq]
GH II updated, no more whammy problems
Red Octane, being very stealth like, released an auto update for Guitar Hero II early this morning fixing everyone's whammy bar woes. The other day, we learned that people's broken whammy bars weren't a result of malfunctioning hardware, but were software based. Red Octane said that whammy bar problems were being caused by a chunk of anti-cheating dev code that they added late in the development cycle. So, the newly released auto update fixes this code problem and whammy bars the world over can go back to whammying. Fire up your copy of Guitar Hero II, download the update, and whammy until your heart is content. Now, we just have to get Red Octane to acknowledge that they over priced GH II's DLC and fix that whole mess. But we'll deal with that next week.[Thanks, DeadPlasmaCell]
PSP Fanboy Theatre: Volume 15
PSP Fanboy offers the latest and greatest movie and game trailers, formatted for the PSP in this new weekly feature. Check it out every Saturday. PSP owners can download files wirelessly via m.pspfanboy.com.Instructions: Save all movie and thumbnail files to the VIDEO folder. These high resolution 480x272 videos require firmware 3.30 or above. (Note: OE custom firmware will also play these videos.) Manhunt 2Download MP4 (6.8MB) | Download JPG The following videos are featured after the break: Blue Dragon, Gene Simmons - Guitar Hero II Tournament, God of War II: Mythology, Guitar Hero II [360]
Red Octane says Xbox 360 guitars patched via Xbox Live
Apparently Red Octane discovered the problem in their guitars and fixed it with a software patch this morning. On Red Octane's website they're saying that as of 4 AM pacific today a patch is available via Xbox Live that "should resolve the situation where input from the whammy bar was not always recognized."Red Octane admitted a week ago that two models of their Xbox 360 guitars were "defective." This followed a week of wannabe guitar heroes discovering that their axes were having problems with their whammy bar, strangely the whammy defect seemed to have a higher prevalence in the first batch of guitars with a 95055 on the box. Red Octane says the situation is fixed now. This doesn't explain the sticky yellow fret button or the complaints of "shocks" by some people, but the original whammy bar issue seems resolved. People with "defective" guitars, after downloading the patch, is it fixed?[Thank you James]
