guitarhero3
Latest
Poll: Rhythm game nation - Rock Band or Guitar Hero 3?
So last night at midnight Harmonix -- former developers of the Guitar Hero series -- and MTV's new rock and roll simulator, Rock Band, had its first ever gigs. Of course, Guitar Hero 3 fans have been shredding for weeks, and probably aren't about to sell one faux guitar for another (especially if it's not even guaranteed to work). So which are you buying (or asking for)? What's that, you want our take? Ok, well, since you asked, when the talent (Harmonix) left the Guitar Hero series, we thought the new game suffered big time. Plus we're WAY more into the tracks on Rock Band -- c'mon, they've got Bowie and The Clash! -- but we kind of think the Guitar Hero Les Paul is better than the Rock Band Fender. Vote below in the battle of the bands, and may the rockingest win. %Poll-6032%
Rock Band rejects PS3's Guitar Hero controller
Irritating instrument exclusion news now, with IGN revealing unpleasant information to those eager to start a fake band in presence of the PlayStation 3. The article notes that the PS3's Guitar Hero III controller, the Les Paul, does not currently function with Rock Band. The Red Octane peripheral is recognized as a controller and works for menu selections, but it does not register as an instrument. Well, that certainly sticks it to the man... where the man is Harmonix's touting of Rock Band as a music "platform."Giving the developer the benefit of the doubt, one could speculate that this inconsistency will be dealt with in a downloadable patch. After all, the Xbox 360's Les Paul works just fine with the Xbox 360 variant of Rock Band -- this lack of peripheral support would only be rendered worse if it wasn't even consistent across systems. With no standalone Rock Band instruments available until 2008, the only way of completing the PS3 experience as things stand would be to purchase the $180 bundle again (as if finding one wasn't hard enough). Between your best friends and Harmonix, someone's gonna have to do you a favor. We'll let you know when we hear more.[Thanks, M@]
October NPD: Wii, DS dethrone Xbox 360
After the NPD group's short-lived hesitation in providing monthly US console sales data spawned many an unhappy emoticon, it comes as a great relief to present October's magnificent results. This is especially true considering that all platforms have ducked out of last month's Halo effect and returned to their familiar positions -- the Wii and DS are back on top and the PlayStation 3 is, well, you know. GameDaily notes that the industry once again saw over $1 billion dollars leaving wallets at uncanny speeds, placing total sales for the year (through October) at $10.5 billion. At the same time last year, the amount had "just" reached $7 billion. Nintendo Wii: 519K (5 million total) Nintendo DS: 458K (13.6 million total) Microsoft Xbox 360: 366K (7.1 million total) Sony PSP: 286K (8.8 million total) Sony PlayStation 2: 184K (39.4 million total) Sony PlayStation 3: 121K (1.9 million total)
Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk getting in-game ad treatment
Anyone who's spent even a little time rocking out to Guitar Hero III has likely noticed the game's heavy-handed approach to product placement, with stages littered with cans of Red Bull and billboards hocking everything from Axe Body Spray to Pontiac. The whole thing feels oppressive and graceless as even the game's underground rock venues are reduced to feeling like props to corporate shilling. And things are likely to get worse before they get better, as Activision today announced that it has inked a deal with Microsoft-owned Massive to provide in-game ads in not only Guitar Hero III, but Tony Hawk's Proving Ground as well. The two titles have been added to the growing Massive Network advertising collective, which also includes Activision's Transformers adaptation, and will made to include "contextually relevant" dynamic ads. Interestingly, it's unclear if this partnership extends to all versions of the affected (afflicted?) games, or just those for Microsoft's console. What is clear, however, is that as games are now a big business, more and more companies are beginning to get in line for their slice of the money pie, and while game companies and advertisers reap the benefits of this arrangement, gamers are left holding the controller wondering just when their games became interactive commercials.
Wireless Guitar Hero 3 controller functions with PC version
First, the good news! The Xbox 360's sleek, wireless Gibson Les Paul controller that made its debut with Guitar Hero III has been confirmed by the wonderful folks at Shacknews to be fully compatible with the upcoming PC version of Activision's rhythmic rocker. It's not "officially" supported by develo-porter Aspyr, mind you, but you'll find it works just fine for setting those frets on fire -- all you need is the Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver.The bad news (don't be shocked, we alluded to this in the first paragraph!) is that Guitar Hero III's PC variant, which releases November 12th, already comes packaged with a guitar, namely the Gibson X-plorer which accompanied Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360. It's uglier, it's wired and simply won't let you play the game from ridiculous and impractical distances! It seems the Gibson Les Paul is only a worthwhile option if you desire a second controller or if you can track down a standalone version of the game. Can't you help out with this, Steam?
Wii owners are rocking Guitar Hero III online
If you've got time between jamming out to Metallica's "One" and Slayer's "Raining Blood," then you you might be interested in knowing that Guitar Hero III is quite the popular game with Wii owners. Never saw it coming, eh? Well, the game enjoyed 622,580 connections on Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service during the week ending November 4th, coming in second only to Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, which had 1,455,526 connections.Are you one of those 622,580 folks who took the game online?
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.
Software sales around the world
Sometimes, it's interesting to compare what's popular in different regions. Of course, release dates come into play, as various parts of the world get games at different times, but there's a surprising amount of crossover when we look at what's big among Wii owners around the world.Not everything is surprising: Guitar Hero III is shredding most of the competition in the US, Metroid Prime 3 is clinging to a top spot in the UK, and Super Mario Galaxy is muscling out other titles in Japan. But with the sales the various minigame collections are boasting, is it any wonder we've seen so many? Even the lackluster Carnival Games is raking in the money in multiple regions. Hit the jump for the top five sellers to see for yourself.
Rockers report Guitar Hero III Dolby Pro Logic II is missing
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Wii_version_of_Guitar_Hero_3_has_faulty_Dolby_Pro_Logic_II'; Wii owners likely heralded the coming of Guitar Hero III as a momentous event that demanded calendars be marked off and days away from work be cleared with bosses, where spiked leather bracelets were removed from hidden drawers and proudly displayed on wrists. It is likely a time when turning the volume up to 10 isn't enough. But, many might have found that the experience has been tainted by the lack of Dolby Pro Logic II.News first burst on the scene thanks to users over at the official forums for Guitar Hero, where the title's lack of compatibility with Dolby Pro Logic II was reported by several Wii owners. The official response from tech support has been "We are looking in to right now. The time frame is still unknown at the moment we are still looking in to the problem."Any of you out there experiencing the same issues? Care to chime in on any other issues with the game?[Thanks, Langst!]
Guitar Hero 3 goes on sale, gets unboxed, melts countless faces
Yep, Guitar Hero 3 is officially on sale and everyone and their tattoed mother's picked up a copy (along with the new axes that accompany it). Oh sure, GH2 players making the jump to 3 won't feel like any less like any less of a nerd trying to ape the genuinely cool (that is, if you actually still think The Scorpions are cool), but now your guitar is collapsible and, if you're lucky, wireless. Rock on, Bill, Ted. Video after the break.P.S. -By the way, if you're planning on picking yours up at your local Wally world, buyer beware: they're selling GH3 with the old school guitars from GH2. We're not sure if this is going on elsewhere, but you should definitely keep an eye out.
Study: Guitar Hero III has more groupies than Rock Band
Sure, we may go crazy over Harmonix and Electronic Arts' love child Rock Band, but data from IGN's GamerMetrics reminds us that the franchise has a ways to go if it wants to overtake its distant cousin Guitar Hero III. According to the statistics, there were 22 million page views on IGN for Guitar Hero III-related articles, vs. 10 million for Rock Band (a 120% increase). GHIII was also on almost twice as many wishlists (5,755 vs. 2,928) as its competitor and over six times as many message board posts (25,000 vs. 4,000).The Guitar Hero series has a lot more going for it right now, including a two-year history of commercially and critically successful titles. Commentary provided with the data notes that Rock Band has "experienced a noticeable surge in both awareness and purchase intent metrics" in the past three months, which bodes well for the game due out November 20. Guitar Hero III is coming next week.
Guitar Hero 3's PS3 Les Paul hits the FCC
If it's got a radio in it, the government's gonna want to poke at it, and the wireless Les Paul shipping with the PS3 version of Guitar Hero 3 is no exception, turning up in the FCC's database today. Just like the 360 version we saw hit the FCC a little while ago, there's nothing shocking to report -- the PS3 version will still (sadly) require a USB dongle, up to four controllers can be paired up, and the faceplates are interchangeable -- but it's nice to know we're getting ever close to melting our faces off with GH3.
Hear GH3's fiddle-free version of 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia'
Though we already knew "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" was going to be in Guitar Hero 3 we didn't realize it was going to be the final track (the end boss, if you will). A helpful press release just informed us of the distinction while pointing us to this MP3 file of the now fiddle-free version. Gone is the violin and in its stead is, of course, a guitar – a fast guitar – played by one Mr. Steve Ouimette who, when asked for comment said, "I told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been."Peep the entire track list to date after the break (with helpful YouTube links!).
Today's shredingest video: Guitar Hero III victor
Game Revolution's Nick Tan recently played Guitar Hero III song, Through the Fire and Flames by Dragonforce, on expert. That website describes it as the hardest in the game, designed to be "unbeatable." And Nick conquered it.Yes, weeks before you adoring, fake guitar fans get a chance to play, the hardest song has been bested by a player on his fourth attempt. The video of the event is mediocre, and the moment of triumph is anticlimactic. ("Go balloons, go balloons, we need more balloons. ...") But we were still floored watching this face-melting song --and player -- in action.Be amazed by the clip after the break.
Aerosmith, Disturbed, and others make it into Guitar Hero III
Word comes from our overlords at Joystiq that Guitar Hero III will include plenty more tracks, some from classic bands and some from newer musicians on the block. And we know how much you folks are looking forward to the franchise's first installment on the Wii, so we figured we'd let you know just exactly what these new tracks are. We're nice like that, Same Old Song and Dance (by Aerosmith) Helicopter (by Bloc Party) Stricken (by Disturbed) Monsters (by Matchbook Romance) Before I Forget (by Slipknot) Kool Thing (by Sonic Youth) When You Were Young (by The Killers) Devil Went Down to Georgia (as made famous by Charlie Daniels Band) Sunshine of Your Love (as made famous by Cream) Holiday in Cambodia (as made famous by Dead Kennedys) Cliffs of Dover (as made famous by Eric Johnson) Hit Me with Your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benetar) Black Magic Woman (as made famous by Santana) Story of My Life (as made famous by Social Distortion) Pride and Joy (as made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughn) The Seeker (as made famous by The Who) Black Sunshine (as made famous by White Zombie) If you've forgotten what previous songs were confirmed to be included in the game, then head past the break for a full list.
More new GHIII tracks revealed
Lacuna Coil and In Flames? Rock on! We couldn't be happier with the new tracks confirmed to be included in Guitar Hero III, to tell the truth. Along with yesterday's Guitar Hero III news, we'd say we're getting very excited for the third installment in the franchise. Not like we wouldn't of been excited for it, anyway.Your new tracks for rocking: "Minus Celsius," by Backyard Babies "Hier Kommt Alex," by Die Toten Hosen "In the Belly of a Shark," by Gallows "I'm in the Band," by The Hellacopters "Avalancha," by Heroes Del Silencio "Take This Life," by In Flames "Ruby," by Kaiser Chiefs "Closer," by Lacuna Coil "Generation Rock," by Revolverheld "Mauvais Garcon," by NAAST "Radio Song," by Superbus [Via Joystiq]
New Guitar Hero III tracks show international love
Electronic Art's Rock Band isn't the only music game to unveil songs today. Activision has announced (via press release) eleven new master tracks for the upcoming Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. American audiences may not recognize many of these songs and artists, as they are more international hits. New songs include: "Minus Celsius," by Backyard Babies "Hier Kommt Alex," by Die Toten Hosen "In the Belly of a Shark," by Gallows "I'm in the Band," by The Hellacopters "Avalancha," by Heroes Del Silencio "Take This Life," by In Flames "Ruby," by Kaiser Chiefs "Closer," by Lacuna Coil "Generation Rock," by Revolverheld "Mauvais Garcon," by NAAST "Radio Song," by Superbus This brings the total number of confirmed GHIII songs in the mid-thirties. Full list after the break.
2 new Guitar Hero III tracks revealed?
Click image to enlarge While navigating the pre-order boxes, one savvy investigator found the box for Guitar Hero III includes two as-of-yet unannounced songs. Introducing The Killers' "When You Were Young" and Santana's "Black Magic Woman," they join the already fairly large roster of songs for the game. While this could be a misprint, common sense argues that these two songs will most definitely be in the final version of the game.Of course, with the recent inclusion of Bret Michaels in the game, we wonder if Santana will also lend himself as a legend to play with. And, if you've not been paying attention, we've got a full breakdown of the confirmed songs past the break.
New Guitar Hero 3 track showed off in Edinburgh
At the Guitar Hero III screening at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival today a previously unannounced song was played to the crowd. "She Bangs the Drums" by the Stone Roses is the newest in a long list of excellent tracks featured in the game. According to NME, a very popular music magazine in the UK, the album that "She Bangs the Drums" hails from is consistently voted the number one British album ever. We're loving the track list for Guitar Hero 3 so far. There's a nice mix of eighties, geek rock and cult classics. All we need now are some decent British indie rock tunes. Click through for the known track list for the game.
Let the showdown begin: GHIII nabs Metallica
The gloves are off folks, after yesterday's revelation that Rock Band and Guitar Hero III would definitely be sharing songs, there was really only one other question that needed answering: what about Metallica? We know Metallica is in Rock Band, but what about Guitar Hero III? That question has been answered and answered well. As it turns out, Guitar Hero III will not only feature Metallica -- the news was slipped during an Activision conference call -- but the song to be featured is "One," and what's more, it's a master track. Metallica fans couldn't ask for much better than that. If the end result of having two competing music games is more awesome tracks for both of them, then we say bring on the competition.[Via Joystiq]
