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Microsoft not allowing Red Octane to produce wireless guitar
Red Octane, publisher of Guitar Hero, says not to hold your breath for a wireless Xbox 360 guitar controller, because the Microsoft wireless technology is "proprietary." Hopes for wireless 360 thrashing were dashed a little over a month ago after it was discovered that the Xbox 360 guitar was tethered, and following the announcement last week that Red Octane would produce a wireless guitar for the PS2, it seemed only natural that one would show up for the Xbox 360. eToyschest asked Red Octane if they were going to produce a wireless Xbox 360 guitar, "Well, that's a Microsoft issue. Their wireless technology is proprietary ... so they aren't allowing third party manufacturers to make anything at the moment ... so until they allow us to do so, we aren't able to." So, a last-gen system will have a wireless controller, made by a company that we've come to trust (especially if you're a Guitar Hero freak and put yours through its paces -- and had it survive), but a next-gen system will need to be wired? Awkward.
Incoming: official wireless Guitar Hero controllers
A technical marvel and a symbolic gesture of freedom shoved into the grimacing face of the everpresent Man, the wireless controller is practically indispensable in this day and age. As a company that's adequately adjusted to modern times, RedOctane has announced that official and, more importantly, wireless Guitar Hero controllers will be hitting store shelves next month. Eurogamer confirms that the gheetarz will be priced at $59.99 and be fully compatible with both heroic strum sims on the PS2. You can also expect RedOctane to not be sued for making these.Whether this announcement affects the currently tethered (or more "realistic," as the back of the box will point out) Xbox 360 version of the controller remains to be seen, though one can hope that RedOctane's designers are gnawing through prototype cables at this very moment. Incidentally, that suggestion leads to the visual image of their employees being gigantic rats wearing lab coats and wielding plastic guitars in an altogether frightening manner. We're not sure how we feel about that yet.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]See also: Wal-Mart selling Guitar Hero II early? Guitar Hero makes cameo in Veronica Mars The Ant Commandos counter RedOctane and Activision lawsuit
Dethklok, Trogdor on Guitar Hero II, that's metal
Metal fans rejoice, Dethklok, stars of [adult swim]'s Metalocalypse, will be featured in Guitar Hero II -- bringing them one step closer to world domination. Let us be the first to say, that's effing metal. The song to be featured in the game is called "Thunderhorse," and will be an unlockable bonus track.In other news, Guitar Hero II will also feature the Trogdor theme from Homestar Runner as a bonus track. If you're unfamiliar with Homestar Runner, you can check out the cartoon that inspired the song here. We've embedded videos of "Thunderhorse" and the Trogdor theme after the break. As if all that weren't enough, we also have the entire track list, bonus tracks and all, to share with you.
Full Guitar Hero II setlist with 24 bonus tracks
No sooner did we let y'all know that DethKlok, the fictional band in Adult Swim's Metalocalypse, would be making an appearance as an unlockable bonus track in Guitar Hero II, than we found out the entire bonus song list ... 24 tracks in total! It appears certain Wal-Marts, depending on how many copies of Guitar Hero they sold, have demo kiosks with the sequel set up and ready to rock! Twenty-four low-res pictures later, we know the entire list of unlockable songs. Combine those with the forty tracks already confirmed, and you've got yourself quite the rock feast.A notable addition: Popular Flash cartoon -- and Nintendo Tag Team Wrestling alum -- Strong Bad's metal/dragon opus Trogdor (The Burninator). Check out the video -- and the entire 64-track setlist -- after the break, then play the Trogdor game, to hone up on your burninating.[Thanks, notafan]
Guitar Hero II setlist speculation is over
Over the past several weeks, crafty netizens have managed to piece together an almost comprehensive account of Guitar Hero II's setlist, taking most of the wind out of IGN's big exclusive. Yesterday, IGN had the names of all forty songs delivered unto them on a silver platter -- or maybe it was a fax ... probably an email. The missing tracks: Living End's "Carry Me Home" and Suicidal Tendencies' "Institutionalized."Phew. It's over. Now we know all forty songs; all the names, artists, versions, everything. Except the fifteen unlockable bonus tracks that Red Octane claims are being kept under wraps until the game's November 7th release. Alright crafty internet sleuths, you know what you need to do.The rest of you can peep the entire confirmed list after the break.[Via videogamesblogger.com]
Guitar Hero II setlist finds hell with Danzig, et al
MTV Overdrive's video gaming show, The G-Hole, spent some time with Guitar Hero II at Harmonix's studios in Boston and accidentally let their nosy camera spy some of the title's top secret tracks. This isn't the first time MTV let something slip. Last month, MTV's GameTrailers property accidentally revealed Megadeath's "Hangar 18" and Aerosmith's "Last Child" before their video got pulled. Good thing MTV owns Harmonix now too, eh? The G-Hole episode is still online, but all of the unknown tracks have been blurred out ...... but not before one diligent forum-goer copied down the entire list. Included in the newly revealed tracks are Danzig's "Mother," Kansas' "Carry on My Wayward Son," The Stray Cats' "Rock this Town," and more. In total, 38 of the reported 40 licensed songs have been discovered, with 15 more bonus tracks to come.Check out the list, clipped after the break and -- before you have a temper tantrum 'cause your favorite face melter isn't on there -- tell us what's still missing? We'll take this opportunity to formally request some Tenacious D. Make it happen, Harmonix. [Thanks, Supa]More Guitar Hero:MTV snaps up Guitar Hero developerJoystiq interviews Rob Kay of HarmonixActivision paid nearly $100 million for RedOctaneSpotlight on Harmonix Music
X06: ...and the rest
Quick impressions and thoughts on some other noteworthy games shown on the X06 show floor. Guitar Hero II (360): Not playable, but demo'ed continuously by two rock gods with the stamina of heavyweight boxers (see picture). They confirmed that the final Xbox 360 guitar controller would look like a Gibson Explorer but refused to comment on wireless capabilities or the intriguing D-pad on the base. Game itself looked nice in hi-rez, but graphics lagged a bit with the music at this early stage. Viva Piñata: Playable tutorial walks you through building a house, attracting new piñatas and making baby eggs. Rare demo with ten hours of progress showed a thriving garden brimming with life and fully accessorized piñatas. Hired helpers prevent the game from becoming a micromanagement chore. Looks like it could be a hit with the Pokemon set. Forza Motorosport 2: Game had major frame rate issues, making it very difficult to play and/or judge. PR handlers say it's 60 percent complete... that last 40 will be an uphill battle. Halo 2 (PC): Game played great with the mouse and keyboard, and looked great on the decked out Dell Dimension 9150 with large widescreen monitor. Other than that, it's still Halo. Map editor was not available for demo. Crackdown: Grand Theft Auto meets Hulk: Ultimate Destruction in a mess of a game with rough graphics, sloppy controls and an awful camera system. Needs serious work to be a worthy contender. That about does it for X06 posts from Barcelona. Sorry if I didn't cover your favorite game, but there wasn't enough time to do justice to everything available on the show floor. If there's anything you're still wondering about that wasn't covered in our X06 posts, I'll do my best to answer specific questions in the below comment thread in the coming days.
Xbox 360 guitars tethered down by the man
The man, of course, being represented here by a wire. According to a posting on Major Nelson's blog, the Xbox 360 guitar controller (in its current state) is not wireless as many free souls had hoped. Given these wired confines, perhaps the guitar's name, X-plorer, wasn't the greatest of choices. Still, we got along just fine with the PS2 version, so this tidbit of news hardly represents the end of the world as we know it.If you're unwilling to let go of the wireless dream, perhaps you can read something into Major's final statement. "Not sure what the plans are for wireless and the people from Guitar Hero were not talking."
It's official: Guitar Hero II heading to Xbox 360
As rumored and expected, Guitar Hero II is officially making the jump to the Xbox 360. RedOctane and Activision announced today at X06 that the rumors were true -- the power of the guitar shall no longer be confined to a single console.With the newly announced X-plorer guitar controller designed for the 360 (we wanna know, is it wireless?), the hard drive and Xbox Live Marketplace, this game is a match made in heaven for this system. Future downloadable songs, new bass and rhythm tracks, the mind just reels.Will we be able to one day jam with Drum Hero, Guitar Hero, Microphone Hero, and Keyboard Hero, and everyone on their own wireless instrument? Dare to dream.
Guitar Hero coming to multiple new platforms
According to Eurogamer, Activision CEO Robert Kotick let it drop at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia XV Conference (that's a mouthful) that Guitar Hero would appear "on every significant new format." We can only guess this means whammy-barring on the Xbox 360 is pretty much confirmed, with Gamestation employees hearing earlier this week that they will be getting Guitar Hero II for that console in early 2007. With the Wii, DS, PSP and PS3 being significant new formats, chances are you might be able to jam just about anywhere.
Guitar Hero II's final boss revealed, all 11 solos of it
In the latest issue of EGM, Guitar Hero's resident axman, Marcus Henderson, revealed that we would know the identity of Guitar Hero II's final boss "when it arrives." He gushed, "This is a major, major guitar ass-kicker. It has no less then 11 guitar solos in it." Speculation led one poster on PlayStation Lounge to guess the killer track in question was Megadeth's eleven guitar solo-havin' "Hangar 18" (why not just make it eighteen guitar solos for consistency?).Guitar Hero II hasn't arrived yet, but we've gone the extra step of putting this two and that two together to get four, and we feel pretty comfortable saying that "Hangar 18" will indeed be the final boss in Guitar Hero II. You see, a now mysteriously absent GameTrailers video titled "Staying on Track" had Will Littlejohn, Senior Producer/Mixer at Wavegroup (he records all the songs), revealing that Aerosmith's "Last Child" and Megadeth's "Hangar 18" would be on the sequel, so it's pretty obvious. Of course, fans of the series will recall that Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction" was "actin' like a robot" on the first installment, so it'll be great to spend some more time with Dave Mustaine & friends. Eleven solos? Sheesh.Read on for the confirmed songs thus far, including Cheap Trick's "Surrender," accidentally left out of 1UP's list.[Thanks, monkeydog and Aaron]
Winner of strongest fall lineup is ... PS2?
Gameworld Network has pieced together an outline of 10 upcoming PlayStation 2 titles, tagging the list "10 Reasons Not to Sell Your PS2 Just Yet." With the exceptions of Dawn of Mana and God of War 2, all of these titles will hit US retailers by early November -- and seven are exclusive to PS2. Starting with Rule of Rose's release next week, there's practically a must-play title dropping for PS2 every week through November 7: Rule of Rose (September 12) Okami (September 19) God Hand (October 10) Bully (October 17) Final Fantasy XII (October 31) Rogue Galaxy (October) Guitar Hero II (November 7) Can anyone show us a console/handheld with a stronger fall lineup? Nope, we didn't think so ... Sony might have lost points because of a pair of disappointing PS3 announcements, but that's not gonna affect PS2's continued dominance leading up to the holiday season. [Thanks, Matt]
PAX: Tycho melts faces at Guitar Hero Omegathon challenge
Tycho and Penny Arcade's biz dude Robert Khoo started round four of the Omegathon correct with an intense round of STP's "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" in Guitar Hero II ... on Expert ... twice (it crashed half way through the first time). Then, 'cause he can, Tycho smashed his guitar. I wanted to yell out, say something about how starving kids in Africa don't even have guitar controllers at all, but the spirit of the evening washed over me, and my outrage morphed into delight.After their intro, the eight remaining Omeganauts took the stage for four rounds of one on one Guitar Hero II. Eight enter, but only four will leave. More pics and info after the break.
Free Bird in Guitar Hero II
In the original Guitar Hero, one of the loading screen tips warned potential rock gods, "They don't really want you to play Free Bird. They're just heckling you." I guess the guys at Harmonix didn't take the tip to heart, though, because a new video has surfaced showing that the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic "Free Bird" will be playable in Guitar Hero II.This comes on the heels of a recent revelation that Guns N' Roses' "Sweet Child of Mine" will be in the game and brings the number of songs confirmed for the game to 14. Can a full list of all 55 songs be far off? Check out the video after the jump.
Three new Guitar Hero II tracks announced
IGN has the news and video of three new songs that will be in everyone's favorite guitar sim, Guitar Hero II. Here are the tracks we're sure you all will want to start memorizing, ASAP: Stone Temple Pilots: "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" Anthrax: "Madhouse" Motley Crue: "Shout at the Devil" The song list now sits at 11 total with these already announced: "Reverend Horton Heat's 'Psychobilly Freakout', KISS' 'Strutter', Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', Butthole Surfers' 'Who Was in My Room Last Night?', Van Halen's 'You Really Got Me' and Rush's 'YYZ', along with the original master recordings of Primus' 'John the Fisherman' and 'Arterial Black' by Drist."What song, for you, just has to be in the new game?
Rumor: Guitar Hero II on Xbox 360
Get this, so, some anonymous source -- don't worry, this source is, like, totally "in the know" -- has tipped off a blog -- okay, not just any blog, but GamerAndy.com -- and ... you ready ... Red Octane & Harmonix are developing a version of Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360! Rock! On!Alright, so it's just a rumor without a credited source, but it's at least worth entertaining the possibilities: a wireless 'guitar' ... downloadable tracks ... Xbox Live battles! Please...Guitar Hero II is scheduled for release in November on PS2. Neither Red Octane, Harmonix, or Microsoft has confirmed -- or even hinted at -- a version for Xbox 360. As always, take any rumor with a grain of salt (but it doesn't hurt to keep your fingers crossed).
Video Games Live seats in Indy up for sale
Tickets are now on sale for the two Video Games Live shows planned in conjunction with Gen Con Indy Friday & Saturday, August 11-12.After a stop in Philly earlier this month, the VGL tour is moving on to Houston July 14th, Chicago August 5th, and then Indianapolis the weekend after that. More on reserving seats for the Hilbert Circle Theatre can be found on the official announcement page (via the pic to the right or the Read link below).Judging by the reviews of the Philly show so far, Video Games Live sounds like it could be a lot of fun. If they keep providing public access to Guitar Hero II, they may have sold this blogger on going already. We hope Midwestern gamers not attending the Chicago show can make a pitstop in Indy to keep Tommy's show on the road. So, yeah ... rock on.See also: Official VGL report from Philly (with some local links to boot) Video Games Live ticket purchases opened a bit early The official page for Gen Con Indy PS2 impressions: Guitar Hero II
Preview of new Guitar Hero II co-op mode
In case you missed it on Friday, IGN posted a pre-E3 hands-on preview of Guitar Hero II's new co-op mode. It's a departure from the first game's multiplayer mode in that the two players have to depend on each other a lot more to pass each song and thereby make beautiful music together.While the old multiplayer option will still be around in the sequel, the new mode mixes distinct lead guitar and bass or rhythm parts where each player affects the other in various ways, whether by failing if either performance slips (as in DDR), sharing the same Rock Meter (with mistakes from either player resetting the score multiplier), and needing to both go vertical at the same time to activate the shared Star Power. Thankfully, different difficulty levels can be assigned to each player.The Joystiq team out in L.A. will probably find something to do until they get their sweaty paws on a guitar controller or two on the E3 show floor (maybe one of those wacky press conferences will help pass the time), but we're sure the wait to try the latest build of this rockin' series will be worth it. The seven songs available at E3 are listed below.[Thanks, murph]
Guitar Hero II interview, dude
"Do you OD and die at the end of the game?"That's undoubtedly the best question that the IGN guys ask the creators of Guitar Hero in their interview on the subject of the sequel to the first game which is due this fall. The answer is "Yes and No", so we're thinking that the sequel can judge you as a good or bad rockstar by how crap your timings are (ie. how drunk you are). So what else did they have to say regarding the features of Guitar Hero II? Ability to play separate lead, rhythm and bass tracks in multi-player, but single-player will still only let you play as a drugged up lead guitarist. No specific details on new songs apart from that there'll be 55 songs. They're still in licensing talks apparently. Guitar Hero II won't screw people over when it comes to peripherals. The old guitar will work just fine. People have mastered the original Guitar Hero on expert mode, as this video suggests. Don't be surprised if the sequel's more challenging. In the meantime, check out a video of a Guitar Hero owning expert mode after the jump.
