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Face-melting deal: GHWT guitar and mic for $50, today only
Everyone's favorite plastic peripheral purveyor, Red Octane, is having a bit of a deal today. The normally $60 wireless guitar and $20 wired microphone for Guitar Hero World Tour (across all platforms) are being offered together in a $50 package -- today only! If you're less than impressed by the GHWT deal from today, why not get into your fancy schmancy time machine and head back to yesterday when you could've gotten an even better deal? Oh, what's that -- you don't have a time machine? Guess you're stuck with the $50 dollar deal over at Red Octane's website then, fancy pants.
Amazon has full Guitar Hero World Tour kit for $120 today
Yeah, yeah, it's a little late in the day to be mentioning Amazon's Deal of the Day, but the online retailer is currently vending the full Guitar Hero World Tour bundle on current-gen consoles for $120 -- that's $70 off. The pack includes the game, mic, guitar and drums. If you were considering picking up the GHWT drums as a standalone package, this might actually be a solid alternative deal, as the drums alone retail for $100 (with free shipping and likely tax free). If you have any questions about the game's peripherals working with your other rhythm titles, be sure to check out our Instrument Compatibility Matrix. [Via 1UP]%Gallery-23477%
Guitar Hero World Tour standalone drums, guitar available now
Releasing right on schedule, standalone versions of Guitar Hero World Tour's drums and guitar are now available at retail. The percussion set and the axe have a suggested retail price of $100 and $70, respectively. The Guitar Hero community site notes the items are available at Best Buy and Gamestop, but we've also seen them available online at Amazon.The standalone plastic peripherals are currently available only in North America. Europe and Australia will receive the items at "a later date." If you have any questions regarding the compatibility of the items across rhythm games, please check out our "Instrument Compatibility Matrix" for a complete rundown.
Guitar Hero World Tour Monthly: Wings, Bob Seger, Shins, Incubus, Ryan Adams
Much like it did last month, Activision Blizzard has announced three new DLC packs for Guitar Hero World Tour due out in February. Let's hope this remains a dodeca-annual affair.Acoustic Track Pack (440 / $5.49) "Drive" - Incubus (160 / $2) "New Slang' - The Shins (160 / $2) "Wonderwall (Oasis cover)" - Ryan Adams (160 / $2) Wings Track Pack (440 / $5.49) "Junior's Farm" (160 / $2) "Hi Hi Hi" (160 / $2) "Jet" (160 / $2) Bob Seger Track Pack (440 / $5.49) "Old Time Rock and Roll" (160 / $2) "Her Strut" (160 / $2) "Get out of Denver (live)" (160 / $2) The Acoustic Track Pack is coming Thursday, February 12, followed by Wings and Seger on the two Thursdays after that, respectively, for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Check out videos for the first trio after the break.
Guitar Hero World Tour DLC tracks for January
Unlike the gradual weekly announcements of Rock Band, Activision Blizzard is just dropping the bomb of all the tracks it plans to release for Guitar Hero World Tour over the next month. Track pack pricing is listed below, and all songs can be purchased individually for 160, 200 Wii Points or $2. There's a lot here, so let's get to it. Dec. 23 - Track Pack (440 / $5.50) "Use Me" - Hinder "Because of You" - Nickelback "Light it Up." - Rev Theory Jan. 8 - Country Rock Track Pack (440 / $5.50) "Me and My Gang" - Rascal Flatts "Ticks" - Brad Paisley "Hillbilly Deluxe" - Brooks & Dunn Jan. 15 - Travis Barker Track Pack (440 / $5.50) "What's My Age Again" - blink-182 "Lycanthrope" - +44 "Low" - Travis Barker Jan. 22 - Track Pack (440 / $5.50) "Tomorrow" - Silverchair "Dimension" - Wolfmother "Outtathaway!" - The Vines Jan. 29 - Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul Album for (1520 / $19)
The Eagles take flight as GH: World Tour DLC
Guitar Hero: World Tour players listen up. You've got some brand new DLC to download today, and it comes in the form of an Eagles track pack. Yes, you can finally play something other than "Hotel California." That's right. Just sit back and let the relief wash over you. Feels good, doesn't it? You can pick up all three tracks for 440 ($5.50) or download individual tracks for 160 ($2.00) each. The tracks available are: Eagles Track Pack (Download from Marketplace) "One of These Nights" (Download from Marketplace) "Life in the Fast Lane" (Download from Marketplace) "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture" (Download from Marketplace)
GHWT for Wii instruments compatible with Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 for the Wii looks to be doing so many things right, especially when compared to the original's more lackluster release. The best news we got from IGN's preview is that the game is compatible with all the instrument peripherals on the system to date -- Guitar Hero 3, GH World Tour and the original RB (natch). The Official Joystiq Instrument Compatibility Matrix has been updated.On a related note, we've heard your thoughts and suggestions for how we can make the ICM (as we affectionately call it) better, and we promise more update are on the way soon.
The Killers DLC hitting GHWT on Nov. 25
Actilizzard announced today that three songs from The Killers will be available on Guitar Hero World Tour starting Tuesday, Nov. 25. Two of the tracks are from the group's upcoming album, Day & Age: "Human" and "Losing Touch." The third song is "Mr. Brightside" from their breakout album, Hot Fuss. The tracks can be purchased as a pack for $5.50 (440) or individually at $2 (160).The PSN update will occur on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, so that's why the tracks will be available for the PS3 on Nov. 25. Typically, the store updates on Thursdays.
New Killers album tracks headed to GH World Tour
Activision announced today that a new Guitar Hero: World Tour track pack from The Killers will release simultaneously with their new album Day & Age. The two new tracks included in the pack are "Human" and "Losing Touch." The third song in the pack is the band's original hit "Mr. Brightside." The track pack will be released alongside Day & Age on November 25. Those looking to pick up the new tracks can expect to plunk down 440 Microsoft Points, otherwise known as $5.50.
Guitar Hero World Tour Hendrix Pack now live
The Guitar Hero World Tour Hendrix pack is now on Xbox Live -- so sayeth Major Nelson. As it turns out, the Hendrix pack has nothing to do with an Ultor security technician from Red Faction nor a town in Bryan County, Oklahoma. Bummer. But hey, if you're into this guitar playing guy from the 60s, you might enjoy this track pack. Hendrix Track Pack (440 / $5.50) "If 6 Was 9" "Little Wing" "Fire" (Live from Woodstock) No word on its availability for PlayStation 3 or Wii. We've embedded videos of the songs after the break.
Nintendo songs removed from GH: World Tour store
We hope you already managed to download your favorite Nintendo songs from the Guitar Hero: World Tour music sharing service, as MTV reports that they are being removed. Multiplayer guesses (as do we) that recreations of popular Nintendo themes from games like Zelda and Super Mario Bros are being removed for copyright violation. Of course, there are still plenty of other game tunes out there, including songs from Doom, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Bubble Bobble (does that one just loop forever?). You can even still download Portal's now famous "Still Alive," though multiplayer notes that it suffers from the lack of lyrics. Of course, you can always get your "Still Alive" fix on Rock Band, so it's all good.If you've already downloaded any of these songs, fear not: Activision can't remove them from your hard drive. Just make sure you think about it before deleting one. Also, you should check out this Brinstar track from Metroid. It's sweet. That is all.
Guitar Hero World Tour bundle 'virtually' sold out, holiday demand may not be met
Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick revealed in a conference call yesterday, following the company's Q2 results, that he's "been surprised" by Guitar Hero World Tour's sales. The company's publishing boss, Mike Griffith, says that GHWT's band kit is "virtually sold out across the channel" and the company is "not likely" to meet holiday demand.Activision revealed over 24 million units have been sold in the Guitar Hero franchise to date, with the series rockin' the sales charts in '08. The company states it is outselling Rock Band 2 by a "very wide margin," but for actual data regarding the claim's validity, it appears we'll have to wait until the NPD sales numbers are released in a couple weeks.
GHWT drum tuning app coming soon, ION Drum Rocker patch now live
In addition to announcing new track packs, Neversoft has issued a trio of updates concerning the Guitar Hero World Tour drumset. First off, those who have been experiencing sensitivity issues with the set will be happy to know that the developer will be releasing a drum controller tuning kit for Windows "very soon," so users can self-tune their skins at home. Neversoft also recommends that if you're currently having issues, you should contact Activision customer support. For Xbox 360 owners, the ION Drum Rocker compatibility patch should now be available for download. As for PlayStation 3 owners still waiting on the promised GHWT drum compatibility with Rock Band 2, Neversoft said it's all up to Harmonix to release an update for the game. We'll poke them again to see if we can get an ETA on that patch.
Raconteurs, more Hendrix coming to Guitar Hero World Tour next month
Activision has created a virtual guitar contest so blistering it would melt not only faces, but the very fabric of space-time. The publisher has announced that dueling track packs from Jack White-fronted The Raconteurs and Jimi Hendrix are coming to Guitar Hero World Tour next month. Here's how they stack up:The Raconteurs pack: "Salute Your Solution" "Hold Up" "Consoler of the Lonely" Jimi Hendrix pack: "If 6 Was 9" "Little Wing" "Fire" (Live version) Both will be available for around $5.50. Raconteurs tracks will be available for $1.99 by their lonesome, but it looks like you can only get Jimi in bulk. Which one will you grab?
Metareview: Guitar Hero: World Tour
This week marked the debut of a second contender in the full-band-simulator genre. It's hard to find a review for Guitar Hero: World Tour that utters Rock Band less than a half dozen times. Comparatively, the 87 mean score for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions are 5 points lower than Rock Band 2's average. Of course, for the European gamers and PS2 / Wii owners worldwide who still don't have Rock Band 2, you're not left with much choice. 1UP (A-): "Maybe if I squeeze my Rock Band and Guitar Hero together and leave them overnight in the same case, I can come back the next morning to find that they made an über-game that combines the best of both. But until then, Guitar Hero delivers exactly the things I want out of a rhythm game: great peripherals and fun-to-play music. It's not perfect, but I have a great time whenever I turn it on -- and that's what's most important." EuroGamer (90/100): "Were Rock Band 2 on the market today, the decision would be more difficult, as the gap between instrument quality would be reduced and the software battle would go in Rock Band 2's favour. But it isn't on the market, we don't know when it will be, and its new guitars and drums aren't so wildly different or superior to justify waiting. And by the time it is available, Harmonix may discover that the tables have turned, and that Rock Band 2 is competing for money "As spent happily on" this instead." Official Xbox Magazine (85/100): "World Tour is a big leap in content and polish over last year's game, but we're disappointed by a few unsatisfying creative calls. The extended song endings aren't always enhancements, the unlockable gear doesn't match the effort put forth to earn it, and we prefer Rock Band 2's looser career-unlock structure. Most of all, Rock Band 2 simply feels more musical and organic; we get the suspicion that some World Tour songs had notes added to their charts simply to make them trickier, and not because the music suggested it." IGN (79/100): "Guitar Hero World Tour is a fun title, to be sure, but it's also a disappointment in a lot of respects. A number of things it tries to accomplish were already done better in Rock Band, which you might figure would have provided a simple blueprint to be followed and expanded upon, but that's not the case. The music creation tools are a great idea in theory, but the end result isn't as robust as I would have hoped it would be, both in terms of abilities as well as the songs that come out the other end." %Gallery-23477%
Rock Band 2, GH:World Tour's shared tracks compared
If you're interested to see how Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero: World Tour's 16 shared songs match up to one another, look no further than YouTube. While there are certainly others (and undoubtedly more to follow suit), user Gurra100 has a playlist of comparison videos (embedded after the break). Everything we've seen so far looks unsurprisingly identical (update: scratch that, we just watched "Go Your Own Way" -- not so identical at all).Take note how GH:WT handles a Rock Band 2 set -- namely, it's scaled down to a 4-pad note chart. According to some on the Rock Band forums, trying to play the 5-pad variant with a RB2 set plus cymbal pack leads to glitches.Meanwhile, our Instrument Compatibility Matrix has been updated to version 3.33 and we're still working to fill in all the missing pieces; we've reached out to Activision and Harmonix for help.
Guitar Hero: World Tour drums not recognized by PS3 Rock Band 2
Despite promises to the contrary, the PlayStation 3 Guitar Hero: World Tour drum set doesn't seem to be working with Rock Band 1 or 2. Many users on the RB forums have noticed that the game is recognizing the wireless set as a microphone, and unfortunately, the mic isn't being recognized as a beat box receptor. A Harmonix developer has chimed in to say, "We are definitely looking into this. We'll keep you posted on updates as soon as more info is available." Sony had previously said there would be universal instrument-rhythm game compatibility. The Xbox 360 drum sets seem to work with each respective game. We're working to independently confirm compatibility as we fill in the blanks to our Instrument Compatibility Matrix.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Joystiq at the Guitar Hero World Tour Launch Party
... or, more aptly titled, the Guitar Hero World Tour Launch Party sponsored by Best Buy, Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola. If that's not the longest-titled event we've attended, then we're not sure what is. (Although you're in trouble, Guitar Hero, if the Japanese game Tohoku Daigaku Mirai-Kagaku-Gijutsu-Kyodo-Kenkyu-Center Kawashima Ryuta Kyoju Kanshu: Motto Nou wo Kitaeru Otona no DS Training ever has a launch party.)We were inside the midnight sale / launch party at Best Buy in West Hollywood last night, where DJ Jazzy Jeff opened for the Smashing Pumpkins. Several bands were in attendance, along with the requisite roundup of actors and actresses from the Hollywood alphabet list. Head after the break for highlights and a full rundown.%Gallery-35402%
Amoeba Music venue featured in GH World Tour
Amoeba Music, for those who haven't been there, is a cool place. The gigantic stores are filled wall to wall with CDs of every genre, vinyl, posters, pretty much everything a music fan could want. The stores also host live music performed by local groups and nationally known musicians. Imagine our pleasant surprise, then, when Amoeba informed us that an Amoeba Music venue would be featured in Guitar Hero: World Tour. Imagine our even greater surprise when we realized the email wasn't yet another Activision press release, telling us about yet another past-his-prime musician making an appearance in World Tour. Amoeba will be taking pre-orders for the game (in-store pick up only) and handing out Amoeba T-shirts when pre-orders are picked up next month. Also featured in the game will be the House of Blues on Sunset Strip.The next logical step: Amoeba Music hosts Ted Nugent playing Ted Nugent on the Amoeba stage in Guitar Hero: World Tour. Make it happen.
MIDI sequencer is GH World Tour 'secret instrument'
After debunking the rumor that a keyboard peripheral was headed to Guitar Hero: World Tour, Neversoft has revealed to Shacknews that the secret is actually a feature -- not a peripheral -- that will allow users to transfer MIDI data to the game using a MIDI sequencer. So, in a manner of speaking, the new peripheral is whatever instrument you want. At least, that's the case for the PS3 version of World Tour, which will allow users to transfer MIDI data to the drum, guitar, keyboard, bass, or drum tracks. The 360 version, unfortunately, will be limited to the drum track thanks to "hardware issues." Well crap.Still, Neversoft's Brian Bright informs Shacknews that the feature isn't something that most World Tour players will utilize, saying, "it's going to take an FAQ on the Guitar Hero site--it's not something that your average user is gonna do." Geez, you'd think composing music on a PC and transferring it to a game console via a MIDI sequencer would be a snap.[Via Joystiq]
