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Guitar Hero III demo disc online, magically works on any 360
We're but simple bloggers, unfamiliar with the illicit, seedy underbelly of pirating video games, so we won't pretend to understand how all of this works. What we do know is that the demo for Guitar Hero III – which came bundled in with Tony Hawk Proving Ground and the December issue of OXM – isn't on the Xbox Live Marketplace but if you burn this magical disc you can play it on your regular old 360. No soldering, no flashing ROMs, or any of that other stuff we're vaguely familiar with from peeking around inappropriate internet sites. Just burn and shred. Now that we've got your attention, here's the track list for the curious amongst you. "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
PS3's Guitar Hero III dongle explained, leading to more questions [update]
Answers are slowly starting to emerge about the mysterious dongle the PS3 uses for wireless guitar capabilities in Guitar Hero III. The over-simplified version is that even though PS3 and Wii both use Bluetooth, the Wii guitar plugs directly into the Wiimote hijacking the signal, while the Sixaxis doesn't plug into the guitar -- hence the USB wired dongle as a wireless bridge.Before we go any further, this isn't just a GH III problem. Rock Band will also use some sort of PS3 dongle. This might also explain a lot about why there isn't a Wii version of Rock Band announced yet. Although it's completely disputable, here's our basic idea: Two USB ports on the back of the Wii for the drum and mic (which are wired on every console), then if Harmonix wants the guitars to be wireless they need to design a guitar modeled around the Wiimote to plug into so that Rock Band does the same signal hijack that GH III accomplishes.Apparently Sony doesn't feel up to talking about why these dongles are necessary as they stonewalled 1UP when the site went looking for answers. Maybe Sony will give Red Octane and Harmonix the tools to make their guitars work dongle-less one day, but to get things done for this holiday season this was the only (or most cost effective) solution available.Update: We were trying to avoid bringing the Xbox 360 into this, but considering there is some confusion, the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero III is "dongle-less." Meaning a direct connection is made between the guitar and Xbox 360. Regarding Guitar Hero I & II support on PS3, Red Octane wrote us: "In regards to your other question about GH and GHII (on PS2), they do work on PS3 (w/ both SG and Kramer), though they will require an appropriate adapter for the guitar controller."
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.
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, Cream, Disturbed, many others added to Guitar Hero III
Activision released a ton of Guitar Hero III (due out on Oct. 28) tracks this morning, some you've probably heard rumored before, some of which are likely surprises to you. Either way, we've provided a ridiculously clickable list that may or may not include a little profanity. We apologize in advance. 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) What's that? You've already forgotten the previously announced songs? There's a big list after the break.
New Guitar Hero 3 guitar skins look like guitars
After we said, uh, things about some of HeroGear's Wii Guitar Hero controller skins, we weren't sure we wanted to open the email we received from them. But rather than scream at us, they took the high road and sent us some more images of new controller skins. They did an even better job of shutting us up than any threat would have; the skins look great and entirely guitar-like!Red Burst up there looks like something we'd expect to see on a fancy PRS guitar, for example. The rest of them are all delightfully classic, with the exception of Diamond Plate, which is totally metal. Jem from HeroGear promises that their full line of "50+ designs" will be available for the Wii guitar soon after launch. So if you want to put a thin, clingy sheet of stuff over your controller, this is an option. It'll look cooler than Saran Wrap, anyway.%Gallery-7825%
Sex Pistols reunite for Guitar Hero III
While we were busy covering the frenzy of the Halo 3 launch yesterday, it seems some other game news was also being covered. Yeah, we're as surprised as you. But lo and behold, it looks like Guitar Hero III is pulling out the big guns for its impending battle with Rock Band. Activision revealed yesterday that the remaining members of the Sex Pistols will reunite to rerecord "Anarchy in the UK" for Guitar Hero III. The master tapes of the original recording have been lost, thus necessitating the need to rerecord the tracks. We have to admit, with so many great tracks heading to Guitar Hero III, the decision between Rock Band and GHIII is getting more difficult every day.[Via Joystiq]Read -- Video interview with the Sex Pistols about Guitar Hero IIIRead -- Sex Pistols join Guitar Hero III
DS Daily: Guitar Hero DS
Most people seem to love Guitar Hero. If you're one of the few who have managed to escape the dastardly clutches of the franchise, please, feel free to tell us all about it. But if you're one of those who are totally addicted to getting your thrash on, we've got a question for you: what do you think of the franchise heading to the DS? With a peripheral, even? Does it appeal to you or not?
GHII gets some heavy DLC tomorrow
Even with Guitar Hero III just month's away, it looks like Activision is still keen to milk its very lucrative downloadable content business. As such, the company has announced a new song pack for Guitar Hero II. Like the previous packs, the new song pack includes three new tracks for you to shred to your heart's content. The song pack includes the following tracks. Trivium - "Detonation" Atreyu - "Right Side of the Bed" Protest the Hero - "Bury the Hatchet" Lest you are unfamiliar with the new tracks, let's just say they're a bit on the hard side, especially compared to last month's DLC. According to ScoreHero, the new content will be available tomorrow at 2:00AM (PT) for the still onerous price of 500 MS Points. Now, if Activision would finally release some Fine Young Cannibals, we'd be in business.[Via Joystiq]
GH II downloadable tracks total 2 million
Today, Activision is touting the success of their Guitar Hero II downloadable content claiming to have sold 650,000 song packs via the XBLM, which totals over 2 million songs. Activision says that the "song packs are some of the most popular content on Xbox Live and are quickly becoming a very lucrative revenue stream" and announced that their latest GH II My Chemical Romance song pack has been purchased over 55,000 times. Cha-ching!So, everything is peaches and fresh daisies over at the Activision camp as it pertains to the success of GH II's downloadable content, but we ask what happened to the community's complaints about the price? Back when the new tracks became available everyone was up in arms at the cost, refused to support the expensive content and even went as far as to create online petitions. But now it's looking like it was the vocal minority who were expressing their distaste or those who were complaining just gave in and purchased new tracks. We aren't sure if we should applaud the success of GH II's DLC or be somewhat sad that the "success" of it may just have solidified the high price point for the future. We guess we'll just have to see how it all works out when Rock Band puts its first round of content on the Marketplace.
HeroGear.net may not have ever seen a real guitar
Guitar Hero "skin" purveyor HeroGear.net has released images of their skins for Guitar Hero III controllers, including two made for the Wii guitar. The first, seen above, doesn't do a lot to aid the illusion that the squeaky plastic controller is a real guitar, since guitars tend to have paint jobs that look like they could be made of paint (and usually only on the body.) The pattern is called "Neon Blocks" and we have no idea what the idea is there.The other Wii skin, Neon Rebel, is ideal for either Lynyrd Skynyrd superfans or people who love uncomfortable conversations. Really, it's best for people who fall into both categories.
Guitar Hero DS details surface at Austin GDC
We haven't heard much about Guitar Hero DS since it was confirmed, but Adrian Earle of Vicarious Visions let a few tiny tidbits slip at the Austin Game Developers Conference. The first is really no surprise: the peripheral that was being considered is a go, though the design is not yet completed. Earle only promised that we would "absolutely love it." Perhaps his Magic 8-ball told him so? Or maybe the peripheral is closer to completion than he wants us to think. The second bit is the one we found more interesting, and potentially either horrifying or fantastic. Graphically, they're planning on keeping the DS installment as true to the look of the Guitar Hero franchise as possible. The series has a pretty distinct look that has grown more and more detailed over time, and we can't wait to get a glimpse of how they plan to translate that to the dual screen experience. It sounds like they've set themselves quite a challenge here, and we hope they can pull it off. After all, DS gamers already have some of the best rhythm games ever made ... our standards are high. But the Guitar Hero series is all about fun, so if done well here, it should fit right in.
RedOctane confirms online multiplayer for Guitar Hero III
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo_wii/Red_Octane_confirms_online_play_for_Guitar_Hero_III_on_the_Wii'; Kai Huang just wanted to make you guys sweat in his recent interview with Pro-G when he said Guitar Hero III wouldn't have online multiplayer "initially for the Wii, but we are working with Nintendo to see how we can get those features in." Looks like it's actually downloadable content that's on the negotiating table, with nothing confirmed for now. Pro-G has corrected their original interview to reflect the clarification from RedOctane's Jordan Dodge. With the lack of a hard drive for the Wii, this is really no surprise -- but that's something we've long hoped will change in the Wii's future. Even if it doesn't, perhaps we'll see some downloadable content via Wii Ware.
Video: DragonForce will own you in GHIII
Not too long ago, it was revealed that DragonForce would finally be gracing Guitar Hero for it's third outing. The song chose for the game: the incredibly difficult "Through the Fire and Flames." But hey, don't take our word for it, just check out the video above. The amount of skill and practice required to nail this song borders on lunacy. Wherever the song isn't a maelstrom of hammer-ons and pull-offs, it is filled with machine gun strumming on multiple frets. It is both a nightmare and a beauty to behold, and we bet your little brother will master it in a week.
RedOctane president hints at Guitar Hero III online while denying it
Kai Huang is either working hard to satisfy Wii gamers, or just kind of mean. In an interview with Pro-G, when he was asked about the possibility of online features in the Wii version of Guitar Hero III, he gave an answer that managed to be both negative and hopeful."There won't be online initially for the Wii, but we are working with Nintendo to see how we can get those features in." This opens the door to all kinds of possibilities, some of them exciting. Maybe the game will be patched with online play when Activision and RedOctane get it figured out! Maybe the addition of online play via update will portend more updates, such as downloadable music through the Wii Shop!To take a more cynical view, it seems likely that we'll have to pay for the online capability as a sort of "expansion pack." To take an even more cynical view, we may not want to get our hopes up about online Guitar Hero on the Wii. We're trying not to occupy the cynical extremes, ourselves, because we'd be very happy about online play or content downloads.[Via GoNintendo]
The Guitar Hero III controller broken down (literally)
Many of our commenters have wondered how the Wiimote fits into the Guitar Hero III controller, and, more generally, what the benefit is of sticking the Wiimote in there. IGN has answered the questions in their latest Guitar Hero III writeup, which includes pictures detailing the guitar's design. The most obvious new feature in the guitar is its portability. The controller's neck can be removed, making it much easier to fit into a backpack or suitcase. The other noticeable feature, the Wiimote-shaped hole, is actually not the point of access for the remote. Instead, a removable door on the back of the guitar allows you to plug in your Wiimote, with a little indentation provided for balling up and stuffing the wrist strap.The Wiimote actually does more in the guitar than just broadcast your Nintendo fandom: it provides the wireless connection capability and motion-sensing Star Power activation for which the other GH guitars have their own hardware. Exclusive to the Wii version, powered by the Wiimote, is force feedback-- the guitar rumbles along to the beat, just like a real guitar.The Wii game, developed by Vicarious Visions, will have all the same songs as the next-gen versions, and will run in widescreen at 480p. It looks fine, and graphics really don't matter in Guitar Hero (who has time to look at them?) Apparently it'll have some kind of online mode, but the exact implementation has yet to be revealed.The Wii version of Guitar Hero III actually looks like it might end up being a solid purchase-- if the rumored Wii Rock Band release doesn't happen.[Via NeoGAF]
GH III demo on Tony Hawk for Xbox 360 and XBM, where's PS3?
Guitar Hero fans rejoice, the demo for Guitar Hero III will be available on the Xbox 360 version of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground releasing October 9. Two weeks after that it will be available to download on Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo will feature: Lay Down (by Priestess) Even Flow (by Pearl Jam) The Metal (by Tenacious D) Hit Me with your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benatar) Rock You like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions) We had a positive experience with Guitar Hero III during E3, despite its different look and feel, the gameplay is exactly what you expect from the series. What about the PS3 version of Tony Hawk's Proving Ground having the GH III demo or release on PSN for those with the adapter? That's a very good question and one we made sure to ask Activision. Well, they told us to go ask Red Octane. We've sent emails to Red Octane and will update as soon as we get responses.
Rockin' some Guitar Hero III achievements
Even though you are still diligently strumming away at Guitar Hero II, working on that "Start a Real Band Already Award" achievement, now you have a new set of achievements to look forward to with the release of Guitar Hero III. Over at Xbox360Achievements they've discovered and posted all 59 achievements for upcoming rocking game GH III and there are some doozies. A few notable achievements that stand out would be "Buy a Guitar Already", "Tone Deaf" and "Meet Your Maker" where you have to (somehow) beat one of the creators of GH III. It'll be another nearly impossible 1000 gamerscore coming from this third installment, but really ... would you have it any other way?[Thanks, SpaceGhostFlyer]
GH III pre-order box reveals Killers and Santana
Adding to the ever expanding list of Guitar Hero III tracks comes two new songs via a pre-order box. The fuzzy image you see above (bigger one after the jump) was taken from the back of a retail pre-order box for GH III and lists two yet to be announced songs. The two newly new songs listed are The Killers' "When You Were Young" and Santana's "Black Magic Woman". So, adding these two new tracks to the previously listed ones we're at a comfortable 33 musical tracks-o-greatness. And since we're all about stealing Joystiq's recap idea we've posted all 33 confirmed Guitar Hero III songs after the break. So go ahead, look at 'em all in their rockin' glory.[Via Joystiq]
