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Anthrax, Judas Priest, Winger join 80's Guitar Hero track list
As is the case with all ancient evils, 80's rock music was never sealed away in a very permanent fashion. The horrors of big hair and even bigger shoulder pads may have been dulled by the passage of time, but the cheesy tunes that went with them are creeping back to life in the form of optical discs, half-forgotten memories and rhythmically rocking video games. Activision has announced that Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s has gone gold and will unleash its insidious compositions via your PlayStation 2 on July 24th. The final eight songs from the 30-strong(ish) track list are presented below, with previously announced tracks found after the break. "Caught in a Mosh" (as made famous by Anthrax) "Balls to the Wall" (as made famous by Accept) "Electric Eye" (by Judas Priest) "Los Angeles" (as made famous by X) "Police Truck" (as made famous by Dead Kennedys) "We Got the Beat" (as made famous by The Go Go's) "(I Think I'm) Turning Japanese" (as made famous by Vapors) "Seventeen" (as made famous by Winger) "Because, it's Midnite" (by Limozeen)
Jam out with more Rock Band instruments
More Rock Band instruments have crept onto the internet this week. Found in the latest Game Informer, we now have our first glimpse of the drums and microphone. The microphone has a very polished and professional look to it. What's more, it looks like it can stand up to some punishment, which is good since it's going to double as a tambourine. The drums (currently a prototype model) take a step back towards a more toy-like appearance, which is unfortunate in light of the authenticity of the guitar. Each drum pad is surrounded by the corresponding color, which we definitely prefer to coloring the pads themselves. There is also what appears to be a pedal for the bass drum as well.So, which instrument will you "play" when Rock Band makes its debut?[Via Engadget]
Rock Band's microphone, prototype drum set unveiled
Hot on the heels of Rock Band's Stratocaster (which we've now learned will act as the guitar and bass) being unveiled, a scan from Game Informer has blessed us with shots of the game's (apparently) wireless microphone and drum set. The mic, which appears to be standard fare, could potential come bundled with the game, and it is even noted that Harmonix may support "other USB microphones as well." The real standout here, however, is the prototype drum set, which reportedly "won't change much" from the picture you see above. Notably, the game will also include a "real pair of wooden sticks," and those who have fallen head over heels for their current Guitar Hero II controller will appreciate the ability to use it with Rock Band. Click on through to see the page scan in its entirety.
Rock Band Stratocaster controller revealed
It's always comforting to put a face to a name, and for those who have been raucously awaiting more details on the elusive Rock Band controller, dig in. According to a purported GameStop newsletter, the ten-button axe does indeed favor a Fender Stratocaster, and while the frets appear fairly subtle head-on, those looking down on the device will notice the colorful labels (shown after the jump) that they've grown used to. Additionally, the tidbit also divulged that the instrument "would allow players to manipulate sound through reverb, flange, wah, delay and more," but there was no mention of the presumably lofty pricetag that this thing would eventually sport. Looks like the Fender fanboys will soon be able to really duel it out with the Gibson purists, eh?
Red Octane: new GHII DLC in July
As the promises of loads of downloadable content echo through the empty halls of memory, Red Octane has let out a squeak, nay, the smallest chirp of information regarding the next batch of downloadable songs for Guitar Hero II. According to a forum post by a Red Octane admin by the name of rodth, new downloadable content for Guitar Hero II should drop sometime in July. Specifically, rodth noted, "While nothing's been formally announced, look for something to come down the pipeline around the July timeframe ...."If you've been keeping track, this would be the second batch of DLC we've seen since April. We're not experts, but we're not sure that qualifies as the most DLC for any 360 game evar.[Thanks, Aragorn]
Behold, the Rock Band guitar!
In the latest GameStop newsletter, we get our first glimpse of the Rock Band Fender Stratocaster guitar. It's clear that Harmonix, EA, and MTV are aiming for an authentic music experience, as the controller appears to be a genuine guitar at first glance. As we've revealed before, the controller features 10 buttons, five at the top of the neck and five at the bottom. The button colors are cleverly positioned on both sides of the neck, effectively ditching the toy-like design of previous Guitar Hero controllers. The newsletter also reveals that players will have many effects, including, "reverb, flange, wah, delay and more." We have to agree with Joystiq though, it's high time we started hearing about how much Rock Band is going to cost.See a close-up of the buttons after the break.
First glimpse at ten-button Rock Band guitar controller
Harmonix was just getting us warmed up, it seems. Instead of the five fret buttons we've grown accustomed to on the past Guitar Hero series, the Rock Band official Stratocaster-based guitar controller displays ten fret buttons. On the second pic embedded below, you'll notice the five new buttons down at the base of the neck. We can only imagine what kind of sick guitar solo action Harmonix has in store for us with these.The pics arrive courtesy of a Gamestop newsletter, which also details the new features embedded into the guitar controller. As we reported earlier, guitar effects will play a large role, allowing the player to flange, wah, reverb and delay their way into guitar gaming bliss. No official pricing was included at this time, though we wouldn't be surprised to see something closer to $79.99 or thereabouts for the controller alone. Price be damned, we're still going to have to give this bad boy a spin. Anyone else?
Rock Band guitar shown in latest GameStop newsletter
We knew the Rock Band guitar was going to be based on the Fender Stratocaster and now, thanks to a GameStop newsletter, we get the clear internet-ready picture of what it'll actually look like. The ten button controller (you read that right, check out another pic after the break) has five frets at the top and another five frets of the same color below. Considering we haven't seen the in-game interface, we assume these are for the designated solo sections mentioned in the Game Informer info released last week. The button colors can not be seen from the front, but are viewable from the player's perspective when they're rocking out.The GameStop blurb also says that the guitar will allow players to manipulate sound through "reverb, flange, wah, delay and more." This thing looks great, but there is still absolutely no word yet on official pricing. It's time to talk cheddar and unless EA/MTV/Harmonix got some insane deals in manufacturing, we're starting to be just a tad concerned about the matter. Let's hope we can put a price on this music soon.Update: Just to be clear about pricing, it's still up in the air. We contacted Harmonix and were told, "We have not finalized any pricing or packaging details for Rock Band at this point. Any speculation at this point is just that -- speculation."[Thanks Chris]
It came from the internets: Rock Band info from Game Informer
A member of the NeoGAF forums has posted information on Harmonix's Rock Band that purportedly came from the latest issue of Game Informer. The article goes into some detail about the instrument controllers, including the guitar, drums and microphone.According to the post, the guitar/bass controller in Rock Band will feature ten buttons -- five at the top of the neck and five near the body. The new buttons will be used during designated solo sections using only hammer-ons and pull-offs (i.e. no strumming). A five-way switch will let you switch between special effects that you can purchase in-game. The Xplorer 360 guitars will still reportedly work with the game, however.The microphone is said to work as a tambourine for parts of a song where no vocals are present, and a phoneme detector is meant to judge whether or not you're singing close to the right words. The drums are described as a set of four colored pads with a stand and a kick pedal, ready to be struck with real drum sticks. Also listed in the NeoGAF post are details on how multiplayer will work and descriptions of the in-progress visuals. If that's music to your ears, you might want to go and suggest some songs to be included in the final game at Rock Band's website.
Fresh Rockband details simply rock
Over at NeoGAF, Sallokin posted brand new Rockband details that come from next month's issue of Game Informer. Highlights from the article include descriptions of all the instrument peripherals (sorry, no pictures), confirmation that the microphone doubles as a tambourine during longer guitar solos, extensive character customization, and the idea that the whole band doesn't fail when one member doesn't live up to their rockstar status. Also interesting to note is that Rockband branded guitars will include five additional fret buttons (ten total) for special solo sections. The article also confirms four songs from the game (all master tracks) including Weezer's "Say It Ain't So", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", and Nirvana's "In Bloom". Make the jump for random tidbits of Rockband info that may make you say "Guitar Hero III who?".
A deluge of Rock Band details courtesy of Game Informer
For a game which we've known very little about since it was announced, having so many Rock Band details elucidated so suddenly is like Christmas come early. Except, if that were the case, we'd have the game by now. There's too much for us to discuss fully, so we'll focus on the points we find most interesting. Emphasis is on the online play, with a strong community based system (read: Myspace clone) for finding other bandmates, the ability to create a band logo and to customise your avatar. There is no clarification of whether PS3 and 360 users will be able to play together. We strongly hope they will. Due to Microsoft requiring special circuit boards for their peripherals, the controllers will be console specific. The guitars will have ten frets. The normal five near the top of the neck and an extra five near the bottom, used exclusively for solos. There is also a five-way effects switch, with purchasable effects such as Flange and Wah. We've always wanted to fit those words into a post. USB microphones will be supported, giving us another reason to pick up Singstar when it's released. The drum controller promises to be a "TV dinner tray stand, only cooler," which could go either way, really. We hope it'll be a decent sized piece of equipment. It will come with wooden drum sticks and have four pads to hit with them. Check out the rest of the details at NeoGAF and, if you want to see the accompanying images, pick up the latest issue of Game Informer. We certainly will.[Via CVG]
GHII guitar gets peed on, Harmonix to the rescue!
Back in May, Rock Band forum member (and obsessed Guitar Hero II fan) Bloodlust told of his tragic GHII experience and asked Harmonix to include one of his favorite songs for all the pain he has gone through. You see, Bloodlust not only ended up with a broken 360, a scratched GHII disc, and heartache, but his X-plorer guitar ended up getting peed on. Yes, you read that correctly, his nephew urinated on his guitar controller. And Harmonix, being the kind developers that they are, kindly disregarded such song suggestion and sent him a brand new X-plorer controller signed by the entire team in urine colored yellow Sharpie. Those Harmonix guys are a funny bunch and are now officially included in our book of kickass developers.
Eight more tracks from Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s
Activision has trickled out a handful of additional tracks from the upcoming Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s but, before we share them with you, you should be warned. Singing along to any of these tracks -- especially "Hold On Loosely" -- may seriously jeopardize your good social standing and evergreen high school popularity, but that doesn't bother us one bit. Just hold on loosely, but don't let go-woah-woah ... "Hold On Loosely" (as made famous by .38 Special) "No One Like You" (as made famous by Scorpions) "Only a Lad" (as made famous by Oingo Boingo) "Radar Love" (as made famous by White Lion) "Ballroom Blitz" (as made famous by Krokus) "The Warrior" (by Scandal) "What I Like About You" (as made famous by The Romantics) "Wrath Child" (as made famous by Iron Maiden) The rest of the crew (or is that crüe?) announced so far are pasted after the break for your edification. %Gallery-3887%
Excited about Rock Band? You will be after reading this interview
In an interview with IGN, Alex Rigopulos (CEO of Harmonix) revealed some details about the development process of Rock Band. Despite remaining tight lipped regarding actual specifics of controller set-ups, pricing, songs or gamplay he still managed to say enough of the right things to get us sufficiently excited for the game. Again. Sounds impossible, right? Read on. When asked whether Rock Band would feature strong single player gameplay for each instrument Rigopulos responded, saying "I can't speak to what Activision has planned for future versions of Guitar Hero, but what I can say is that Rock Band's guitar game alone will be more substantial than any of the prior Guitar Hero releases." He then goes on to remind us that there will be a singing section, a drum section and a co-operative band section on top of the guitar portion of the game. If each of these four game modes are as big as he is indicating then Rock Band is going to be truly immense. I can already hear RedOctane quaking in their boots.As for those potentially bank-breaking controllers, Rigopulos says that making a game like Rock Band requires good quality peripherals to enhance the gameplay experience. As a development team full of musicians, Harmonix is determined to make the controllers for Rock Band feel more authentic than any instrument peripheral we've seen before. As a drummer himself, Rigopulos has seen to it that the new drum controller is "a real piece of hardware."Read the rest of the interview for more info. Also, don't forget to suggest which songs you'd like to see in the game on the official website. Our excitement for Rock Band is peaked (until Harmonix throws some gameplay info our way, at least), how about you?
Harmonix needs Rock Band song suggestions
Harmonix needs your help. With their wannabe Guitar Hero killer Rock Band releasing later this year, Harmonix is looking to the community for songs to include in the game. To tell them about a song/band, head on over to Rock Band's official website and suggest up to four rocking songs that you feel would be a great fit for the game. MTV and Harmonix will then look at all the suggestions, tally up the most popular, and try their darnedest to include the top songs in the game. It's kind of like a musical democracy.We just have to ask, what songs will you be requesting to be included in Rock Band?[Via IGN]
Tell Harmonix how to Rock with your Rock Band song suggestions
Those of you who are keeping an eye on the official Rock Band website will notice something new today. Harmonix is requesting that their fans, fervent and obsessive as we are about our virtual music playing tastes, send them song suggestions for their upcoming title. We hope Harmonix is ready for what will no doubt be an unyileding barrage of track names crammed into their inbox. This is a great opportunity for us who found the Guitar Hero II tracklist lacking to make the songs available for Rock Band really stand out. So do your part and submit some classic tunes for us to rock out to when the game is released at Christmas. Once you've done that, post a comment and let us know what it was you suggested. We're curious.If you feel like suggesting some songs by Jimmy Eat World, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Snow Patrol or Something Corporate then go for it. Transparent? Maybe. An opportunity we'd be silly to pass up? Definitely.[Via Joystiq]
Harmonix wants to know what you'd Rock Band to
Harmonix has posted an open letter to future rockers asking what they'd like to see in their upcoming title Rock Band. Other than letting us know that the Rock Band guitar will be modeled after the Fender Stratocaster, we really don't know much more about the title. Obviously, the song list isn't complete yet and they need our help. We'll give them song ideas as long as they promise to keep the peripheral prices in check.Now remember, as much as Harmonix might read our comments to see what people suggest, it's probably best to officially submit them directly. Things we'd like to see are contemporary, but a little off the beaten path. The fear with Rock Band is that because MTV and EA are involved, it's going to be all, like, Total Request Live (is that show still on?). How about some Cake, Beck and Scissor Sisters? Thankfully, Harmonix has always been good about including local Boston bands (their offices are in Cambridge, Ma) in their games to keep some true indie flavor in the mix. We're sure you all have suggestions -- let em rip! But remember, submit them on the official Rock Band site to have some chance of making it count.
Guitar Hero III videos return for second look
Last week IGN posted some videos of Guitar Hero 3 -- and then unceremoniously pulled them. But, the internet never forgets, and the videos were disseminated anyway. Well, Red Octane now informs us that IGN has the proper videos and you can view them in "HD" above and after the break. The two videos are Slow Ride and Weezer's My Name is Jonas.Even with the clearer videos, it's quite obvious that Harmonix is no longer in charge and Neversoft is putting this one together. It just looks ... different, kind of like Tony Hawk characters in Guitar Hero. Although, we'll see how much the look contributes to the "feel" of the game when the title releases this fall. So far, we're excited about the track list featuring Heart's Barracuda and the Rolling Stone's Paint It Black. What we do know is we're keeping an eye on the incoming rhythm game war between Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. It's poetic in its father vs. son drama. Analyst Michael Pachter is starting to waffle on who he thinks is going to come out on top, after his firm belief that Activision was right to buy Red Octane (who owns the rights to Guitar Hero) instead of GH's original developer Harmonix (who was purchased by MTV). We're waiting to see some videos from Rock Band, hopefully by next month's E3, to get an idea of how this rock opera is going to play out.
For fanatics: custom GHII guitar on eBay
Thanks to seemingly never ending supply issues, finding a second guitar for Guitar Hero II can be quite a challenge. Now, if you want to spend a little extra scratch, you can find custom guitars on eBay. Put up for auction by sheppyboy2000, the guitar features an original black-on-red paint job. This is actually his second guitar (you can see the first one here). Apparently stickers weren't enough for sheppyboy2000. You'd better really want this puppy, though: the current high bid is $85 with $11 more for shipping. For that price, you could buy a brand new copy of Guitar Hero II and give it to a friend. Still, if you like custom gaming accessories, this one seems pretty nice. Oh, and sheppyboy2000 plans to make more, so keep your eyes peeled if you like what you see.[Thanks, Adam Wessel]
Activision shoots first against Harmonix in rhythm game war
In a conference call with investors, Activision, who received Guitar Hero as part of their acquisition of Red Octane, threw the first grenade against Harmonix's upcoming Rock Band saying that it "wasn't surprising that [Guitar Hero] has attracted imitators." Activision is essentially saying that Harmonix was imitating Guitar Hero by creating Rock Band. The humor here being that Harmonix actually created Guitar Hero for publisher Red Octane before the Activision buyout. If Activision wants to get technical, their Guitar Hero is an imitator of Konami's Guitar Freaks ... but that's getting nitpicky. We can only imagine the Activision execs didn't take their modern gaming history, because without Harmonix they wouldn't be bathing in their Guitar Hero money in the first place. In the call to the investors the Activision execs say they do have a competitive advantage against Rock Band due to Guitar Hero's significant brand recognition. They also said they've done well in the downloadable sales department with 200,000 takers of the Guitar Hero II song packs on the Xbox 360's marketplace. And those song packs were from the original Guitar Hero, which was done by what company again? Oh, that's right -- Harmonix.
