guitarhero
Latest
Guitar Hero II to have Original's tracks on Marketplace
Gamespot held an interview with RedOctane's Dusty Welch about the much anticipated Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360. One question came up that is probably on the minds of many fans of the series: Will Guitar Hero's tracks be available for download over Marketplace? Welch didn't outright spill the beans that all of the tracks would be there for the taking on launch day, as no specifics on the content has been confirmed yet. What he did say, however, was that fan feedback had high demand for the original's set list, and it would be a safe bet to see a good portion of the songs.So, should Guitar Hero's tracks be available for download to play on GHII, how would you want the content organized? One big 47 song download featuring all the tracks, broken up into the same sets as the first game, genre based, or even single song downloads of the "fan favorites"? We'll be satisfied as long as "More Than A Feeling", "Killer Queen", "Sharp Dressed Man", and all the other top-notch tunes are confirmed.
Rhythm rumor: Activision trademarks 'Guitar Villain', 'Drum Villain'
According to CVG, two trademarks filed by Guitar Hero publisher, Activision, have recently popped up on the US Patent and Trademark office website. The two names, Guitar Villain and Drum Villain, are linked to "computer game software" and "games sold with electronic guitars," both apt descriptors of everyone's favorite couch-jumping rock sim franchise.Though these trademarks could simply represent a move by Activision to protect their brand from similarly titled knock-offs (eg. Instrument Protagonist), a diversification of the brand seems more likely, especially with Neversoft getting involved with the main series. There's still that mysterious port on the Xbox 360's X-plorer guitar to consider, not to mention the possibilities (and dire need) of a drumming game on the Wii. Keep your eyes and ears open.
Neversoft to develop Guitar Hero sequel
Activision looks to be taking full advantage of the Red Octane acquisition as Neversoft is gearing up to take on the illustrious Guitar Hero franchise. While there was a small blurb in the latest issue of EGM concerning this very arrangement, Neversoft has updated their website tonight in hopes of bringing some new talent to the board specifically to rock. GameDaily seems confident that Neversoft will take over the franchise beginning with Guitar Hero III, but this is only one possibility. Other current Guitar Hero rumors (again, perpetuating from EGM) include an 80's version of the series to see release this year, which Neversoft could be working on, leaving the brand name sequels to Harmonix.And where does this leave Harmonix? While one would assume they'll still be involved with the series, they could very well be off starting up a new franchise, or perhaps working on one of those rumored Amplitude sequels. Regardless, they've laid out the foundation for an extremely popular and established series. Hopefully this changing of the guard will be more like a Sammy Hagar and less like a Gary Cherone.
Today's action figuriest video: GH2 Toys - Thunderhorse
Imagine, if you will, Toy Story meets Robot Chicken meets YouTube ... and you'd have nothing like this video. Still, it's funny and features some pretty well-done impressions and Guitar Hero gaming. Thunderhorse on expert is one bitch of a song, and if the combined likes of Darth Vader, Arnold Schwarzenegger and others can't help you through it, then nothing will.Although a four-armed character like Goro sure would help. While we're at it, we'd also like to be imbued with the power of Steve Vai and have the ability to slow down time. You know, just as an edge.
Eight-year-old is better than you at Guitar Hero
We here at Joystiq have posted a lot of insane videos of people playing Guitar Hero and other rhythm games, even going so far as to declare one pizza-fueled shredfest as the best GH vid ever. Well we were wrong. This video of an eight-year old getting five stars on Guitar Hero II's Psychobilly Freakout on expert difficulty is, in fact, the best Guitar Hero video we've ever seen. While we can't confirm for sure that this performance isn't faked somehow, the video's frequent close-ups on the frets and consistent, unbroken point-of-view make it seem unlikely. The best part of the video is the way this kid disdainfully turns away from the screen during some of the hardest sections, essentially playing blind just because he can. Now that's rock and roll. So, to the anonymous little guitar god in this video, we salute you with the new title of best Guitar Hero video ever. Until the next one comes along, that is.
Guitar Hero II: online play? Maybe
GameSpy has posted a new preview of Guitar Hero II that answers some of our most burning questions. Of course, no GHII interview would be complete without asking about a wireless guitar. The answer, unfortunately, is the same as always: Microsoft still isn't allowing 3rd party wireless peripherals. Bummer. What about online play? Right now, the game will be limited to leaderboards, but Red Octane is considering adding real online multiplayer via an update in the future. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Finally, the cost of downloadable songs is expected to be on par with other music download services. In other words, it should be something to the tune of $1 a song (get it, tune? Get it? Oh, never mind.).This game cannot come out fast enough.[Thanks, Jonah Falcon]
Video: 360 exclusive GHII song
We are mucho excited for Guitar Hero II to finally make its debut on 360. We're just dying to live out all of our broken dreams. Recently we've been lucky enough to learn about the impending bundle as well as the 360 exclusive songs. Today, we bring you a video of one of those songs, "Possum Kingdom" by the Toadies -- oh, those middle school memories. It's a good song and a great addition to Guitar Hero II. Check it out after the break.
Guitar Hero: distortion pedals on the way?
Game Informer has posted a pretty straightforward preview of the Xbox 360's version of Guitar Hero II, listing the ten exclusive tracks and some of the achievements waiting to be unlocked (both lists after the break). Things get a little more interesting, however, when the focus shifts to a mysterious port situated on the X-plorer controller."While RedOctane wouldn't elaborate on that port's function other than saying it will be 'gnarly,' it's the same port that's used to connect the pedals to the base station on Microsoft's steering wheel. Let's just call that a coincidence for now..." The folks at BBPS stomp the subtlety out of the article and venture that distortion pedals might be due for the next Guitar Hero installment. We don't use the word much, but that really does sound gnarly.[Via BBPS]
GTR interviews Red Octane [update 1]
Godfree of Gamertag Radio had a chance to sit down with Red Octane and discuss Guitar Hero II. He discusses the leaderboards, plans for tournaments, what sorts of downloadable content we can expect (hint: songs), and what's in store for Guitar Hero III. Also, a wireless guitar is in the works but right now it's not even close to official. If you have an idea for songs you'd like to see available for download, head over to the Guitar Hero forums and let your voice be heard.GTR also got a chance to chat with Old Grandma Hardcore, so be sure to check it out.Update: Clarified the wording regarding the wireless guitar.
RedOctane dropping new Xbox 360 Guitar Hero II info tomorrow
RedOctane will be rockin' the Xbox 360 world tomorrow when they make their announcement regarding the upcoming release of Guitar Hero II for that console. They are expected to confirm the March release date, and to cover the new songs this version will have. TeamXbox has the scoop on almost all of the ten new tracks that 360 players will get, which is ten more than the PS2 version for a total of 74. Additionally, Xbox Live will let rockers download songs from the original Guitar Hero (hope that includes the ones you can buy, like The Slip's "Even Rats"), as well as the ability to purchase new songs in the future.Check out their complete coverage, and stay tuned (get it? tuned? Okay, slap us) tomorrow for more after the word hits the show floor.
Sony hates music games: no Traxion or Frequency?
IGN's David Doel recently had a conversation with Harmonix, the development team behind games like Frequency and Guitar Hero. The team proposed a sequel to the fan-favorite Frequency and Amplitude for the PSP, however Sony declined their request. The music game would've been well suited for the PSP, as the excellent gameplay of other music games, like Gitaroo-Man, show.However, to add insult to injury, it appears that the other music game heading to the PSP, Traxion, has also been canned. This music game from LucasArts was supposed to allow players to import their own songs into the game, a "Frequency-killer," as reported by IGN's nixice. He didn't give a reason, but it's sad to see that the music genre seems to be so neglected on our handheld.
Guitar Hero-esque Frets on Fire working on Mac OS X
Our Mac-obsessed brothers at TUAW pointed out that Frets on Fire -- the free, open-source music game that's more than a little bit like Guitar Hero (let's say it was heavily influenced by) -- is now available for Mac OS X. Before you all scream, "Who plays games on Mac OS anyways? LAWL!" we'd like to point out that the game was previously released for Mac OS ... it just didn't work. Now it's been updated and should be working. We've gotten some random crashes on a MacBook Pro, but otherwise it works great. [Note: Interested gamers should use the Sourceforge mirror; we had some trouble with the download linked in their post.][Via TUAW]
Frets on Fire - OSS Guitar Hero Clone
Guitar Hero was a huge hit for the PlayStation 2 console. Using a special guitar shaped controller you could "play" a variety of rock hits, hitting the fret buttons in time to on-screen cues. Well now there's an Open Source cross platform clone of Guitar Hero called Frets on Fire which includes support for OS X. The program was originally designed to be played with a keyboard, but at least with the Windows version, you can use the actual Guitar Hero controller (along with a PlayStation 2 to USB adapter) to play Frets on Fire on the computer. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to determine if the controller also works with the Mac. So anybody out there "jamming" on the Mac with the Guitar controller?[Edit: those of you having trouble on PPC check out this forum thread]Thanks, Carlo.
PS2 controller on Xbox 360, keyboard n' mouse too
At $79.99, TeamXtender's XFPS 360, a keyboard and mouse adapter that also sports a PlayStation 2 device port, is no impulse buy. But, aside from being an obvious investment for PC-trained gamers, XFPS 360 promises some bizarre possibilities by way of its PS2 port. Never mind that wielding your Dual Shock 2 to rip apart the Locust is so inappropriately rad, dude, try pluggin' in your (Guitar Hero) guitar and thrashing RAAM to death!The XFPS 360 is scheduled to ship in early January via Video Game Advantage (official retailer of TeamXtender products).[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Tigers pitcher sidelined by too much Guitar Hero
While the Wii may be getting most of the attention for video game-related injuries, it's not the only non-conventional controller capable of causing some serious bodily harm -- and as this latest incident shows, not even professional athletes are safe. When Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya was sidelined for the first three games of the American League Championship Series earlier this year, the cause of his bad arm was kept under wraps. But now the source of his ailment has finally been revealed, with team president and general manager Dave Dombrowski telling WXYT-AM that too much Guitar Hero was to blame -- after Zumaya gave up the game, his arm improved enough to pitch in the World Series. Of course, this all could have been avoided if he'd rigged up a full-size guitar for Guitar Hero instead of rocking out for hours on end with the bundled pint-sized piece of plastic that dares call itself an axe.[Via PC World]
Guitar Hero benches big leaguer
When Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya was benched during October's American League Championship series with inflammation in his right arm, Tigers Athletic Director Kevin Rand theorized it was because the pitcher was "playing in different times now, different weather." Turns out the actual problem was not different weather but a different game -- specifically, Guitar Hero.The Detroit Free Press is reporting that Tigers manager Dave Dombrowski told WXYT-AM yesterday that Zumaya's injury recurrence came from excessive virtual guitar shredding, not from excessive baseball throwing. Once the Tigers training staff realized the injuries were "more consistent with the action of a guitar player than a baseball pitcher," Zumaya stopped playing the game and recovered in time to pitch in three World Series games.We can't help but question Zumaya's priorities here. While pitching in the World Series is important, think of the damage done to Zumaya's Guitar Hero career during this hiatus. We can only hope practice and hard work during the off-season will bring him back to top shredding form.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
DIY Guitar Hero controller
Toolmonger is offering up a how-to guide for building a custom Guitar Hero controller -- using a real guitar! Be warned, it's a difficult task, as the original modders can attest. It took Toolmonger a full 75 hours of dirty work (read: deconstruction, cutting, and mangling). Thankfully, the site documented the process down to the minutest detail. Did you know that cat-5 networking cable is the ideal wire to run inside the neck?Alternatively, you can try your luck at winning the modded guitar during "Funde Razor II," an event to raise money for Child's Play.[Via Hack A Day]
NES Paul, the Gibson for gamers
Guitars plus game consoles equals Guitar Hero, right? Wrong, at least if the person behind the NES Paul project has anything to say about it. No, your eyes are not deceiving you: what you're looking at here is really one man's original Nintendo console modded into a working electric guitar. Strangely, you sometimes have to blow into the cartridge bay to get it working, but we'd still take it over a Fender any day -- sharp NES-edges be damned![Via MAKE]
Play Guitar Hero with your shirt (on)
Australian scientists have sewn together a shirt capable of transforming your air guitar techniques into real music. Both elbows are equipped with motion sensors that detect chord picking and strumming movements. The data is then sent wirelessly to a computer, which outputs your fevered thrashing into sweet riffs.The applications for this new technology are practically limitless, but we'd be satisfied if it made its way into the next Guitar Hero. Did we mention there are tambourine and percussion shirts too?[Thanks, Jose]
Play what in 2007?
With the recent release of Gears of War you may be asking yourself, "man this game roxorz, but what other games can I look forward to in 2007?" It's okay my friend we're here to enlighten you, because About.com compiled a nice list of the most anticipated Xbox 360 games dropping in 2007. I'm already saving up for games like BioShock, Lost Planet, Halo 3 (duh), Alan Wake, Too Human, Assassin's Creed, and Guitar Hero II. I'm going to shed a tear ... just look at what we'll be playing in 2007.[Via, Digg]
