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Rock the Halo theme free for Guitar Hero III tomorrow
var digg_url = 'digg.com/xbox_360/Rock_the_Halo_theme_free_for_Guitar_Hero_III'; Like the Pilgrims and Native Americans breaking bread together, Microsoft and Activision are giving Xbox 360 owners something to truly be thankful for tomorrow: the Halo theme (MJOLNIR Mix edition, featuring fretwork by none other than Steve Vai) is coming to Guitar Hero III. Though the track was rumored to be included in Guitar Hero II (it wasn't) and fans took the situation into their own hands, making custom tracks (as evidenced by the video above), we have to admit we were more than a little disappointed learning it wasn't in the GH3 retail package. But now, thanks to the miracle of downloadable content, that wrong will be most certainly righted. How much will the privilege of playing one of gaming's most beloved (not to mention most rocking) scores in Guitar Hero III cost you? How does 0 Microsoft Points sound to you? Download the track here and brush up before tomorrow.
Guitar Hero III gets free Boss Battle Pack
To be honest, this new pack for Guitar Hero III is kind of a snooze-a-roo. It's the three Boss Battle songs (Tom Morello and Slash's tunes and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"), now playable in the game outside of career mode. So, yes, boring. But it's free, so all is forgiven. On the downside, the pack is only for 360 so far, with no similar announcement on PS3 or Wii. We'll see what PSN Thursday brings.What's more interesting is that it's been exactly one calendar week since we got the last chunk of DLC for the game. Does this mean that we can expect the same weekly schedule that Rock Band is sporting? If Activision hopes to keep their series competitive with the oncoming juggernaut, it wouldn't be the worst idea.
Guitar Hero III PC/Mac hybrid 'later this year'
While it may seem like everyone and their roadie already picked up a copy of Guitar Hero III earlier this month – what with $115 million in sales in the first week alone – Red Octane and Activision aren't even through with their brutal march towards total platform saturation. Though the peripheral-laden DS version is still undated, the PC version was released on Tuesday; unfortunately, the Mac version – now revealed to be a magical PC/Mac hybrid disc – won't be available until "later this year" according to Aspyr, the developer porting the game.When asked what will happen to the current PC-only SKU when the hybrid variant is unleashed, Aspyr told Joystiq "the hybrid PC/Mac version will eventually replace the PC-only SKU." Aspyr is aiming to have that version on shelves this year (we assume bundled with the PC version's wired X-plorer guitar and priced at the same $79.99) but we also worry the veteran Mac developers have their hands full with their just announced Xbox 360 port of Supreme Commander.
Wii's Guitar Hero III not down with surround sound?
We don't know who thought it'd be smart to mess with the gods of rock, but choosing not to include surround sound support for Guitar Hero III just doesn't sound like an intelligent move. Nevertheless, a assemblage of Wii gamers are reporting that the game is outputting audio in mono, despite the packaging advertising that Dolby Pro Logic II is supported. We've even seen users with Pro Logic II-capable decoders explain that while other Wii titles sound fine, GHIII in particular refuses to cooperate. Supposedly, Activision is busy looking into the problem, but there doesn't seem to be a definitive time frame for when we can expect a fix. So, any of you shredders out there experiencing something similar, or have we only heard one channel, er, side of the story?[Via Joystiq]
Wii Guitar Hero III outputs only mono sound
If it weren't bad enough that Activision shipped out Guitar Hero III with no offline co-op quickplay mode, a few careful listeners have noticed another thing they left out - a few channels of sound. Audiophilic owners of Guitar Hero III for the Wii have noticed that not only does the game not support Dolby Pro Logic II surround sound systems (despite that feature being advertised), but it doesn't even output sound in stereo. As we all know, it's nearly impossible to pass "Cult of Personality" on Expert unless the manic shredding of Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid washes over you from six different angles.Apparently, Activision is looking into the problem, though they said in regards to a fix, "the time frame is still unknown." For the time being, we're afraid you're going to have to learn to rock out monaurally.
Velvet Revolver, Foo Fighters Guitar Hero III track packs hit Xbox Live
We think the signs are pretty clear now that Activision isn't taking the threat from Rock Band lying down. Just a bit more than a week after Guitar Hero III was released, we already have two meaty song packs to download through Xbox Live and enjoy.For 500 points ($6.25) you can get either a Foo Fighters pack that includes "The Pretender" from the new album "Echoes Silence Patience & Grace", "All My Life" and "This Is A Call" or the Velvet Revolver pack, with "She Builds Quick Machines","Slither" and "Messages". Each of the packs are by the original artists. With a nice boost like this to the track listing before the old songs have even gone stale, it's clear Red Octane is playing for keeps. ... You may not want to count Guitar Hero out just yet.Update: Activision has also announced that boss battle anthems and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" will be downloadable (for free!) later this month for play outside the game's Career mode.
Guitar Hero III tournament has big prizes, a bigger catch
OK, so there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that the Guitar Hero III skills that you've worked so hard to cultivate could actually nab you a big prize: A 2008 Pontiac G5. The bad news: All of the stops in the Pontiac Garage Guitar Hero III tournament will be held ... inside Hot Topics.Although GHIII is fine and you could probably survive being in Hot Topic, playing Guitar Hero III within the walls of a Hot Topic actual conscripts you into an emo band. It's true: A spectral version of Morrissey appears and eats all but .5 percent of your body fat, tears pre-caked in eyeliner spurt from your eyes and members of Jimmy Eat World chloroform you and force you to play bass. It's a nightmare. If it's worth the risk to you you can see all the details here. But we think we'll stay at home and put our eyeliner on by ourselves, thank you very much.
You don't say: Guitar Hero III bringing in the big bucks
Earlier today, Activision announced Q2 revenues of $318 million, a 69% increase on the same period last year.Now, those figures alone are worthy of applause, if that kind of thing floats your boat. However, the recent release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on the Wii (and, y'know, some other consoles you may have heard of) is tipped to boost Q3 earnings to unprecedented levels, with many expecting Activision to shatter the $1 billion mark in net revenue. And sure enough, despite the odd issue, the game has made a fine start in the US, with Activision crowing today about first week revenues of $115m.Of course, it's not exclusively the Wii version of Guitar Hero III that will have contributed to that mind-boggling number, but you can bet your bottom dollar it will have played its part, thanks to the sheer ubiquity of the Wii, not to mention its popularity at social occasions. So "yay" for the Wii, "yay" for Guitar Hero, and "yay" for capitalism. A winning combination.Incidentally, don't forget that Legends of Rock headbangs its way into Australasia tomorrow, while Europeans will be rocking out from November 23.[Via Joystiq]
GHIII makes $115 million in first week
If anyone, anywhere had doubts about the monstrous success of Guitar Hero III, said doubts can officially be put to rest. Activision has announced that Guitar Hero III has made over $115 million dollars in its first seven days of availability. This makes Guitar Hero III the biggest launch in Activision's history, and they are pleased to note that Guitar Hero is the number one selling franchise in North America through September (really? bigger than the Halo franchise?). The press release also notes that three more downloadable song packs should be available this month. To put it succinctly, we're betting the execs at Activision are congratulating themselves for acquiring Red Octane (and thus the Guitar Hero name) right about now.As for Rock Band, well, it's got some mighty big shoes to fill.[Via GameStooge]
Guitar Hero III could be in short supply
Following EA's news that they will only be manufacturing six total copies of Rock Band for the entire planet to share, Activision says that their VirtuaRocker Guitar Hero III could be in short supply, too. We already know that they made a few more than six copies, but that doesn't mean it's just going to be on every street corner, mister!During Activision's quarterly earnings call, company CEO Robert Kotick said "there's a probability that this holiday we won't be able to supply all the demand for every platform." While "a probability" isn't quite on par with EA's assertion that you'd have better luck catching a yeti this holiday season, we doubt Activison's losing too much sleep over it on their bed made of money.
High-fi fix for malfunctioning Guitar Hero III Les Paul
Hey, you -- busy rigging up your malfunctioning Guitar Hero III Les Paul using the low-fi method we showed you earlier this week? If you're just getting started, we'd recommend putting the rubber bands back in the package and taking a look at this. Granted, it seems a bit silly that we're figuring out ways to repair instruments, er, controllers that should have been solid right out of the box, but we digress. This entirely more technical (but equally painless) fix involves a Torx driver, a bit of PCB rearranging and a triple check to make sure the wiring within wasn't installed haphazardly to begin with. If done properly, the contacts should have a much better connection once the axe is reassembled, and if you're still left with nonfunctional frets after all of this, you've certainly got our permission to go all Jimi Hendrix / Pete Townshend / etc. on it.[Thanks, Kyle]
Low-fi fix for malfunctioning Guitar Hero III Les Paul
We're not exactly sure if this problem is widespread, but for those currently dealing with malfunctioning frets on the new Guitar Hero III Les Paul, you should certainly give this a once over. An incredibly industrious gamer went out of his way to show us all what a few rubber bands and a 3M Utility Hook can do to solve your Guitar Hero blues, and if you haven't already slammed your axe into the floor, lit it on fire, or ceremoniously bludgeoned your Xbox 360 in frustration, there's hope for you still. This low-fi fix reportedly holds the connector plate in the neck and the pins in the body together more securely, enabling users to resume shredding sans trouble. Granted, this may not cure every single faulty axe out there, but it's certainly worth a try. Go on, roll up your sleeves and hit the read link for an (immensely easy) walkthrough.
X3F Achievements 101: All Hallow's Achieve
Welcome to another wonderful edition of X3F Achievements 101. Today's topics of discussion include Major Nelson's warning about gamesaving, sludging through the online multiplayer Achievements of Fuzion Frenzy 2, my experience thus far with Project Gotham Racing 4, and the rather annoying list of Achievements found in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Anyway, all the goodness that you've come to expect is included after the break.
Guitar Hero III gets offline mode with patch on 360
Those who fired up their new copies of Guitar Hero III yesterday might have been disheartened to find that the game lacked the offline co-op quickplay mode. Luckily (for a portion of you, at least) that's going to be addressed with a quickness, thanks to a patch that 1UP says is coming this Tuesday to Xbox Live.The bad news is that there's no word of similar treatment on the Wii or PS3 versions so far, but hopefully it's not too far off. We're not sure what's so difficult about offline co-op quickplay that it had to be addressed with a patch, but we're happy that Activision seems concerned enough about it to act on it so quickly. Of course, that's not much comfort to those without internet or (we're looking at you new Arcade owners) a hard drive to save the patch on.
New games this week: Guitar Hero III edition
What a nice change of pace. Normally, the game we feature in this weekly segment is something you won't be able to get your hands on until later in the week. But, thanks to its crazy Sunday release, you can go get Guitar Hero III right now. Come to think of it, you probably should ... unless you hate rocking. In non-console news, PC is having one of its best weeks in recent memory with the release of Hellgate: London. Whether you love rock 'n' roll or battling hell, it's a totally metal week. Check the full list after the break.%Gallery-4675%
Guitar Hero III's wireless guitar battery pack costs you more moolah
For all the innovation that the "new-gen" of consoles have brought us, there's one thing that will apparently never change: ridiculously over-priced accessories. Giving the wireless Guitar Hero III controller a feature it should have had from the get go is the $19.99 single recharge kit, which removes the need to use and dispose of single-use batteries. This continues on from the precedent that Microsoft set with its wireless controller, which only comes bundled with a case to stick a couple of AA batteries inside. You can grudgingly pick up this necessary but over-priced accessory on October 31st from Red Octane's store.
For those about to rock: GHIII demo on XBLM
Well whaddaya know? A Guitar Hero III demo was promised by Activision yesterday and there it is, sitting pretty on Xbox Live Marketplace. Honestly, now that it's downloaded, it looks kind of strange sitting next to its evil twin. We can imagine the dramatic film conclusion right now: "Come on, I'm the real Guitar Hero III demo! You know your own game, don't you?" "Don't listen to him! He's lying!" Of course, actually figuring it out is as easy as removing that (perfectly legal) burned CD from your DVD tray. As you might expect, the demos are exactly the same, so don't expect anything new (aside from a faster load time anyway).So, if you just had to wait for the legit option, or find yourself lacking a CD burner, go forth and download. And then rock, or something.
Guitar Hero III demo coming tomorrow
If you were too afraid to burn a copy of the Guitar Hero III demo or were too uncoordinated to buy Tony Hawk Proving Ground, a third way of getting "your shred on" will emerge tomorrow with a five-song demo for the game hitting Xbox Live. If you're still cautious about the whole "Internet Craze" you can also get the demo with the December issue of OXM.For the forgetful among you, here are the songs you'll be rocking: "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Pat Benetar "Lay Down" – Priestess "Even Flow" – Pearl Jam "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions "The Metal" by Tenacious D
Guitar Hero III apparently awesome (who knew?)
Boy, that Guitar Hero franchise really sucks, huh? If there were ever a set of games that were a complete and utter waste of time, it's these. Luckily, Guitar Hero III changes everything.No, wait. We have that all wrong. Guitar Hero is unconditionally awesome, and we can expect nothing less from the latest and soon to be greatest version -- especially when we're playing it on the Wii. 1UP recently took a look at all three next-gen versions of Guitar Hero III and reported back improvements across the board, particularly in regard to the guitar peripheral. From buttons to accelerometer, the guitars seem to have gotten a major overhaul, and longtime fans of the series will find their frustrations with past versions fading away. The Wii controller offers up a tiny bonus, as well; the Wii remote speaker outputs, as as 1UP's Garnett Lee accurately puts it, "the ugly guitar string twang" that sounds when players miss a note. Not only is that more accurate -- such sounds should come from your guitar, after all -- but in multiplayer situations, when you're strumming along with no problems and your buddy can't seem to find his butt from the strum bar, you're less likely to be distracted by his mistakes. All in all, it seems that Guitar Hero III is taking the franchise to a whole new level and getting closer to simulating actual guitar play without involving actual guitars.
Quick Amazon lesson on GH III supply and customer service
This isn't a story we get to tell very often, but it's certainly an interesting one for gamers to keep in mind when shopping at online retailer Amazon.com. Last night we were tipped that Amazon.com's prices on Guitar Hero III inflated significantly from the $99 we had adjusted to over the last couple months. We checked with GH III publisher Red Octane, who told us that the prices hadn't changed. In truth, Amazon was no longer offering GH III directly from "Amazon actual" and their system defaulted to a third-party retailer who had included shipping into their price -- that explained the new, higher price. So, why did Amazon decide to stop offering GH III directly? They weren't sure anymore that they could guarantee supply on future pre-orders (because that's technically all you can do at this point), so rather than disappoint customers with possible delays they pulled the pre-order offer.A representative for Amazon tells Joystiq, "Our third party vendors control their own list prices, which can factor in shipping and sales tax costs. Ultimately, the choice lies with the customer to decide who they want to purchase from so that they get the best shopping experience on Amazon.com." For the best example of how things can go when Amazon isn't the direct seller, a "new" Wii is currently on Amazon for $370. That is currently the cheapest you can get it from an authorized third-party retailer. When it becomes "in stock" again for "Amazon actual" it'll be the normal $250. Just a little something to be aware of when shopping from one of the top retailers on these intertubes.
