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Aussie Guitar Hero III replacement process begins
Guitar Hero III owners is Australia can soon join their North American brethren in getting replacement discs from Activision. In case you've somehow missed the Guitar Hero Wii saga, copies of the game have been found to lack Dolby Pro Logic II, meaning that it won't play in stereo or surround sound.If you folks in Australia are tired of having your game sound like crap, though, you'll finally have a chance to get your new disc. Taking a different approach than what we've seen here in the U.S., you won't even have to send in your glitched disc; just report your troubles by phone to Activision's tech support and they'll send you an improved copy, with no swap necessary. There is a slight catch, though (isn't there always?). Calling Activision to claim your new disc will cost you an irritating $2.95 Australian dollars per minute. NextGEN Gamers, however, was nice enough to post the company's LAN line in Sydney, which is (02) 9869 0955.As for you European folks afflicted by the same Guitar Hero woes, you're unfortunately still stuck with mono sound for now. We'll be sure to let you know, though, when Europe gets on the replacement disc bandwagon.[Via GoNintendo]
Rock out at the Apple Store with Guitar Hero III
Macworld is reporting that Aspyr is planning to hold Guitar Hero III tournaments at various Apple retail stores around the country. It looks like they'll be awarding iTunes gift cards to the winners, but surely that pales in comparison to the chance to become not just a Guitar Hero, but a Mac Guitar Hero in front of throngs of cheering Apple Store patrons!Some of the stores participating "include locations in Bloomington, Minn., San Francisco, Stockton, Pasadena and Santa Monica, Calif., Tampa, Fla., Albany, NY, Peabody, Mass., Houston, Texas, Chicago, Ill., and New York, NY." If you want to know if your local store is on the list you should check its specific website at Apple Retail. Perhaps if Mike S. ever gets over his feud with Aspyr, you can challenge our resident Mac game master at the Chicago store.
Wii Warm Up: How badly do you want another guitar?
We're sure that many of you have been disappointed by your inability to buy a second guitar for Guitar Hero III, which has already had enough issues as it is. Fortunately, it seems like that will start to change, as Red Octane is taking orders for Les Pauls on its website, with a TBA date of March 2008. (Note: We're currently in March 2008).Unfortunately, however, the price of the Les Paul is a whopping $69.99. Keep in mind, that's the official price listed at Red Octane's site.After some searching, the only place we came across a standalone Les Paul was Toys "R" Us, which is selling the guitar for ten dollars less than Red Octane. Of course, that's before the $9 shipping and handling fees, meaning that there's probably no way out of a $69 price for the official guitar.If you want to go third party, you can wait for Nyko's option (Amazon lists the item at $49.99, to be released on March 15th, although Nyko's website says May). There's also CTA's Shred Axe, but we have no idea when that's coming out or what it will cost.So, when it comes to getting another Guitar Hero III controller, how much is too much?
Guitar Hero replacement discs come rolling in
Many of you have been letting us know that you've received your Guitar Hero III replacement discs already, which is good news. The discs completely fix any sound issues, as promised, and only take about one to two weeks to arrive after sending in the claim form.Some readers have noted a difference in Star Power and missed note sounds, too. Is that the case for all of you?Activision is also offering full refunds for discs without Dolby Pro Logic II, if you'd rather have cash than a replacement. We're not sure when the fixed copies will end up in stores (or, if they already are), but we'll let you know as soon as we find out.If you have any comments to make about your new discs, or are still waiting on yours, feel free to let us know what's on your mind here.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Red Octane lets loose separate Wii Guitar Hero III controller
It looks like Wii users wanting to expand their Guitar Hero arsenal (or replace an axe after they got a little too into things) won't have to wait much longer, as Red Octane is now set to let loose a separate wireless Les Paul controller for the system. It doesn't exactly come cheap, however, with the company listing the controller at $70 on its own website, although Toys R Us is now taking pre-orders for $60 (Best Buy and others don't seem to be offering it just yet). What's more, while Red Octane only goes so far as say "ETA: March 2008," Toys R Us is giving a ship date of March 4th, so it looks like this one should be landing in your capable hands in no time.Read - Red OctaneRead - Toys R Us[Thanks, Nic]
No Doubt now available on Guitar Hero III
It seems that Aerosmith isn't the only band staking their rhythm game claim with Guitar Hero III: Gwen Stefani's semi-ska/pop outfit No Doubt is set to hit the game ... well, today. It should be available on Xbox Live now as a matter of fact, and on PSN later today.500 points will net you three songs from the band's Tragic Kingdom album, "Don't Speak", "Excuse Me Mr" and "Sunday Morning." Admittedly we're not hardcore fans, but these seem like weird choices. No "Just A Girl"? No "Spiderwebs"? Oh well, at least they're master tracks. Song choice aside, is this something you'll be picking up?
No Doubt about it, GHIII gets new track pack
A new track pack for Guitar Hero III has been released, and this time it's all about No Doubt. Yes, the same No Doubt featuring Gwen Stefani, the woman who stole Gavin Rossdale and crushed the dreams of thousands of women everywhere. The track pack includes the following songs for the price of 500 MS Points: "Don't Speak" "Sunday Morning" "Excuse Me Mr" Fans will be happy to know that all three songs are master tracks, so no one will have to suffer through someone attempting to sing like Gwen Stefani (really dodged a bullet there, seriously). So, when do we get a Bush track pack, hmmm?[Thanks, DeadPlasmaCell]
Activision offering refunds for Wii version of Guitar Hero III
As our bat-eared readers discovered when the game was first released, the Wii edition of Guitar Hero III, though advertised as possessing Dolby Surround Sound capabilities, could only duplicate one channel of audio through multiple speakers (a.k.a. mono sound). Incensed, Nintendo's virtual troubadours demanded action -- Activision responded with a somewhat less-than-timely disc replacement program. Now, four months after the game was released, Activision has announced another method of atonement for their single-channel sins.Instead of replacing your half-mute disc with a standard one (though this option is still available), you can now replace said disc with cold, hard cash (or warm, soft cash, depending on your local climate and the weariness of the bills you receive). While we're sure this policy will be exploited by those who tire of faux rocking and simply want the cash, it's refreshing to see Actie-V face their shortcomings so directly -- if not a tad unpunctually.[Via Evil Avatar]
Activision trademarks DJ Hero
Hot off the heels of the success of Guitar Hero III, a filing from February 8, found by Trademork reveals Activision may be adding to the Hero franchise with DJ Hero. Activision hasn't dropped any hints to what it means but we assume that it will be in line with Beatmania, another Konami idea that didn't get the right push Stateside. We're completely optimistic for new rhythm games and we hope this one pans out. How else will be get to play the ninth annual release of DJ Hero titled, DJ Hero IX: Oakenfold - and if other ideas sell we just might see that happen. Now, we don't know what the controller would look like but Activision had better give Aaron Stillman a call for a few tips.[via Eurogamer]
Reminder: Download free GHIII "Dream On" DLC
Even if aren't a supporter or the least bit excited about the recently announced Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, that doesn't mean you shouldn't take advantage of Acti's Guitar Hero III offer where you can download Aerosmith's "Dream On" for teh free. But you must hurry fellow fanboys, because the free "Dream On" download will evaporate into nothingness (much like Steven Tyler's music career) in just a few hours. You have until 5:00AM eastern to make your way to the XBLM to claim your free GHIII DLC. So get to it and after you complete your download feel free to go back to your GH bashing ways.
Activision cranks up Wii Guitar Hero III disc replacement program
Select owners of Guitar Hero III for Wii have been moshing uncontrollably as best they can in mono for months on end, but it seems as if Activision has finally got its interconnects sorted and will start issuing replacement discs. According to direct end-user reports and the (admittedly blurry) shots in the gallery below, the firm is now dishing out pre-paid envelopes in which customers have to ship back their faulty GH III disc and wait "3 to 4 weeks" before getting a new, stereo-enabled one free of charge. Live sans your favorite game for a month, or keep rockin' in the monaural world? Tough call, indeed.[Thanks, Sam K. and Michael S.] %Gallery-16203%
Guitar Hero: Aerosmith announced and a free GHIII DLC download
Activision just made it official today that the next Guitar Hero incarnation will in fact be called Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and will feature songs exclusively from ... well, the band Aerosmith.GHAero (that's the official X3F abbreviation from now on) is scheduled for a June release when gamers will be able to play alongside Steven Tyler and truly embrace their inner Aerosmith fanboy. The number of tracks, what sort of bundle, pricing information and word about whether or not the GH franchise has been whored out have yet to be confirmed, but one could expect all the specifics to be in line with previous Guitar Hero releases. Yah dig?Activision also revealed that in celebration of their "groundbreaking" GHAero (man are we love that abbreviation) announcement, they will be releasing Aerosmith's "Dream On" to the XBLM as a free GHIII download. The free DLC will be available from February 16th through the 18th, so be sure to gobble that up before it disappears.[Via ScoreHero, Thanks Elliott]
Reminder: Win Guitar Hero III on your platform of choice (now with more platforms)
All this week, we're giving away copies of Guitar Hero III on all sorts of platforms, from the now-gen (Wii, Xbox 360, PS3) to the last-gen (PS2). But what if you were looking for a copy for that other platform? You know the one ... the "computer." The well-mannered folks at Aspyr offered us a copy of their PC and Mac hybrid release of Guitar Hero III, complete with USB X-plorer guitar, to round out our platform offerings. So, this is your reminder to enter today and a note that you've got another platform choice to consider. Thanks, Aspyr.
A sign of guitars to come?
When it comes to Guitar Hero III, we don't know what's worse -- not being able to hear the game in stereo and surround sound, or not being able to buy another guitar. Yes, the lack of Dolby Pro Logic II just downright sucks. But, we'd still be having a lot more fun with the game if we were able to rock out with our friends locally. Activision has let us know when replacement discs for Guitar Hero will be available, but what about the guitars? All we've heard is "early 2008," which seems to be the company motto. Still, there is hope.Toys "R" Us is now letting shoppers preorder the Les Paul online, listing the peripheral as having a February 26th release date. Since we have no official word from Activision, of course, this can't be taken too seriously. We do see it as a good sign, however, and will let you know as we hear more. [Via GoNintendo]
Guitar Hero III: Now featuring Classic Rock DLC
Last week we predicted it and now this week we've got it. A brand new Guitar Hero III Classic Rock Pack of downloadable content has made its way to the XBLM, featuring some of rock's most classic tracks. Tracks including the Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero," Journey's "Any Way You Want It" and Boston's "Peace of Mind". But remember kids, we're dealing with GHIII, so that means this three song pack will cost you 500 Microsoft points. Don't complain either. This is the first GHIII DLC we've had since Christmas, so you'll respect it if you ever want to see anymore ever again. You do want new GHIII DLC ... don't you?
Guitar Hero III 'Classic Rock' pack now live
Last week, we told you of the rumor that Guitar Hero III would be getting a handful of new classic rock tunes. This morning has proven it to be true, with Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero," Journey's "Any Way You Want It" and Boston's "Peace of Mind" all landing on Xbox Live for 500 points, or $6.25 in Earth dollars.What we don't know is if these songs will be appearing on PSN later in the day, but since this is Thursday, we're thinking it's likely. If you're unfamiliar with any of the new tracks (for shame!) we've put samples of them after the break.
Guitar Hero replacement discs ship next month
Well, just a few days after we received word you could register online for your new Dolby Pro Logic II-enabled version of Guitar Hero III, we finally get confirmation as to when you can expect your disc to arrive. Our previous placeholder date of "early 2008" now becomes "next month," as Activision confirms. Seeing as now we know just how much money the Guitar Hero name is worth, we wonder what kind of financial detriment this whole debacle has been for the company? How much money is Activision going to lose in shipping out these replacement discs to gamers?
Guitar Hero III Wii replacement discs shipping next month
Just four short months after a faulty version of Guitar Hero III was released on Wii, Activision will be ready to start shipping out replacement copies in February. Though Wii owners will have been toiling with mono sound until that point, they'll finally be able to experience the bone-crunching intensity of two separate channels of audio slamming into them at whatever volume level their moms have deemed acceptable.The happy news was apparently related to customers in an email Activision recently sent out to affected customers, in which it said it "expected" to have new discs ready next month. If you still haven't readied yourself for the stereo onslaught, you can still register for your own replacement copy of the game right here.
Guitar Hero makes a billion
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/WOW_Guitar_Hero_makes_a_billion'; While we're not sure how big a slice of the Guitar Hero pie the Wii version has taken, the franchise has generated some serious revenue. In North America alone, the series of games has earned over $1 billion. In fact, the third title even did so well as to be the top title in 2007.Other data regarding downloaded content is also provided. However, that doesn't really apply to us, as we've been waiting for downloadable content for some time now.
GHIII to get Foreigner, Journey and Boston DLC
Lagging a bit (just a bit) behind rival Rock Band's massive downloadable content library, Guitar Hero III will be offering up three new tracks to their DLC offerings and it's about time.Shacknews noticed that GHIII's online leaderboards list three yet to be available and announced musical tracks. Tracks that include the Foreigner's "Juke Box Hero" (which is the most popular DLC download on Rock Band), Journey's "Any Way You Want It" and Boston's "Peace of Mind". Since Activision has yet to officially announce the new DLC, we have yet to receive any pricing information or a release schedule, but it would be a safe bet to say that all three tracks will be on the XBLM "soonish". That's it kids, brand new GHIII DLC inbound and now maybe they can work on the issue of DLC frequency. Maybe?[Via Joystiq]
