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Rock out with your Guitar Grip out
Considering Guitar Hero: On Tour's required accessory, pirates without access to the Guitar Grip shouldn't be able to play the game, right? Incorrect! As they did with the Nintendo DS Browser and its Memory Expansion Pak, hackers have developed a workaround making the game playable even without the extra hardware. If you skip to the 1:30 minute mark in the above clip, you'll see Youtube user tinymonkeyt demonstrating his patched copy of On Tour -- instead of using the four-fret controller to hit notes, you can use the directional pad or ABXY buttons. Of course, it's possible for people who legally own the game to apply the patch enabling button controls, but it looks much more awkward than using the Guitar Grip. In other related news, according to the video, tinymonkeyt's mom isn't letting him buy Guitar Hero: On Tour. He is considering purchasing it anyway, however, and will probably "just hide it from her or something." We'll make sure to update you on any new information that comes up for this developing story. %Gallery-19362%[Via GBAtemp]
GH: Aerosmith compatibility poll results are ... inconclusive
Well, now what? After finding plenty of conflicting information as to whether or not the Rock Band Stratocaster works on the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (including a direct capture of it not working) we decided to ask you directly in the hopes we could arrive at some sort of answer. Instead, we've got this: 4.7% say it works while 5.6% say it doesn't (89.7% just wanted to play along at home).Now, considering how unscientific this methodology is, we're pretty sure our margin of error is in excess of 5%. Even if we were to consider the information accurate, we're still at a deadlock. Activision isn't talking (really, we've asked for a comment several times), so we're going to go with this: there are multiple versions of the Rock Band Stratocaster and some will work with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and some won't. Really, that's the best we can come up with. Of course, this would be a whole lot easier if Activision would just agree to play nicely.
Activision and MTV Games in talks for Beatles catalog
While we may find ourselves favoring Rock Band's a la carte offerings far more than Activision's band-themed bundles, we're not sure whose model will win in the long run. Take the Beatles for example: getting the notoriously protective (note: they're not even on iTunes) band's tracks onto either offering (or both!) would be a huge coup, to be sure, but wouldn't Guitar Hero: Beatles be more attractive to the license holder than some downloadable tracks for Rock Band?FT.com revisits the pursuit and reports that, perhaps unsurprisingly, Beatles "representatives have held discussions with both Activision and MTV Games" in pursuit of a "final deal [that] would be worth several million dollars" and "could be reached in a matter of weeks." Well, we'll be here in a matter of weeks ... say, E3 would be a really nice time to announce something. We're just sayin' ...
The Beatles in licensing talks with MTV & Activision
Rumors about a possible licensing agreement that would see The Beatles join the music game revolution have been swirling and according to the Financial Times, MTV and Activision are in talks to bring the fab-four to their respective music platforms.Citing a source familiar with the ongoing talks with representatives from The Beatles, the two rival publishers are currently attempting to woo the classic back catalog into their respective music games; Rock Band or Guitar Hero. A final deal could be "reached in a matter of weeks," believes the Financial Times. The deal, expectedly worth millions, is complicated by the fact that two different organizations own stock in The Beatles-- record label EMI owns the master recordings while Apple Corps supervises the band's business interests.If the report is accurate, we may learn more information regarding possible Beatles music around the time E3 goes live this July.[via GameSpot]
Checking out Guitar Hero Aerosmith in action
We're interested in the above video of Guitar Hero Aerosmith because it shows what the game will be like when playing with other listed musicians. Unfortunately, it looks like you still have to look at Steven Tyler's scary avatar during songs featuring Aerosmith, like Run D.M.C.'s version of "Walk This Way."You'll also get a glimpse of three of the revealed tracks, which we've heard are easier than their Guitar Hero III counterparts. What say you, Guitar Hero experts? Does the game look less difficult, or is it too hard to tell without knowing more setting details? Gallery: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (Wii)
Joystiq pushes play with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith
Want to know what songs to expect in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith? Thanks to our useless hard-working friends at Joystiq, we can give you an idea of what to expect -- at least partially. Our favorite all-encompassing video game blog also got its hands on the upcoming game, essentially describing it as Guitar Hero III, only with more Aerosmith. So, if you liked the third game or just enjoy songs like "Sweet Emotion," there's a good chance that you'll be swayed to pick this one up.As promised, there are also some non-Aerosmith songs to look forward to, although Steven Tyler and company dominate the playlist. To give you an idea of what to expect, fourteen of the twenty-five revealed tracks are Aerosmith songs.Click on past the break to see the partial list in its entirety, or just head on over to Joystiq. Gallery: Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (Wii)
Joystiq gets some hands on time with Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Joystiq have posted their hands-on impressions with the latest in the Guitar Zero franchise. From what they're saying, it seems peoples expectations might've been right on the money. Guitar Hero Aerosmith is Guitar Hero III, but with more Aerosmith. A lot more. Fourteen of the twenty-five tracks are by the eponymous band, with groups such as Joan Jett, Run DMC and The Clash making up the rest.The overarching question, when it comes to GH: A, is "why isn't this a DLC pack?" There's no real reason, other than Activision trying to stick their fingers where they're not wanted. Namely, inside your wallet. With standalone copies retailing between $50 and $60, not to mention the $99 peripheral bundle (same guitar as GHIII, with an Aerosmith faceplate) Activision will be raking in a lot more than they would from a DLC pack. Even with their famously high DLC prices.Check out the full hands-on article for more info, including a full track list for the game.
Vicarious Visions confirms DLC for Guitar Hero World Tour
We can't help but be skeptical about the DLC in Guitar Hero World Tour. As Wii owners, we're used to being burned when it comes to this kind of thing, and we hate getting our hopes up. "Fool me once ..." and so on, right?Vicarious Visions is trying to assuage our fears, though, confirming to MTV Multiplayer that Wii version will have downloadable content. According to Karthik Bala, CEO of the company, the DLC will even be actual songs (as opposed to the user-created content that's also a feature in Guitar Hero World Tour).Bala didn't elaborate on that last feature (called GH Tunes), so we're not sure if it will make an appearance on the Wii; the CEO says that more details on GH Tunes are still to come. We do feel better about the downloadable content though -- at least a little bit (old habits die hard). Gallery: Guitar Hero World Tour
Guitar Hero: On Tour video of genius
Our two immediate thoughts upon loading up this Guitar Hero: On Tour "How To Rock Out" video: Pshaw, like we really need anyone telling us how to rock out Ugh, not this Patrick Fugit wannabe from the first trailer again As it turns out, despite the almost Almost Famous kid, it's a hilarious video very reminiscent of Budweiser's "Real Men of Genius" campaign! And, even when the accompanying singer gets annoying towards the end, the video stays informative with previews of multiplayer attacks -- like swapping their screens or sending shirts for your opponents to autograph. "Now, who do I make it out to? To your mama?"%Gallery-19362%
DS Daily: The importance of a track list
When Guitar Hero: On Tour was announced, this blogger was completely on board (assuming, of course, that it would be lefty-friendly). After a partial track list was revealed, though, all interest faded away faster than you could say, "Ick."If you like the track list for the game, that's all well and good, but such things can't ever suit everyone's tastes. That got us to wondering, though, how important track lists are when it comes to purchasing rhythm games. Would you turn down the next Guitar Hero or Rock Band just because the songs weren't up to par, even if you love the gameplay? Or does gameplay trump even the most annoying of tunes? Also, do standards differ for games like EBA and Ouendan?
Guitar Hero set to make 'significant leap' this year
Did somebody say instruments? Actually, no, no they didn't. Still, it's hard to imagine what else could be in store for Guitar Hero. According to Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith, the series is set to make a "significant leap forward in innovation." The information was revealed in a conference call yesterday, and while no more details were given, Griffith did note that more info would be released "in the coming weeks." Honestly though, what would it be other than more instruments? Maybe you can also tilt the guitar down now? Real strings instead of buttons? Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments as we wait for the official answer.[Via Joystiq]
Guitar Hero III getting triple-pack of Muse on May 8
It seems that Activision has stumbled across the correct formula for getting us to drop our drumsticks and don our trusty, dusty Les Paul peripherals -- a three-song DLC pack for Guitar Hero III featuring the music of the epic British prog-rock trio, Muse. As of May 8, "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Exo-Politics" from their 2006 album Black Holes and Revelations as well as the fan-favorite "Stockholm Syndrome" from 2003's Absolution will be available to download for a heretofore unannounced price (we're assuming it will match the $6.25 price of former GHIII packs). We've got videos for all three tunes after the jump -- go decide which ones are purchase-worthy! (Hint: All of them.)
Rumor: Guitar Hero IV adding vocals, drums, regular DLC
IGN reports that the May issue of Conde Nast Portfolio magazine sees Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealing a future direction that would put his company's Guitar Hero franchise on equal footing to last year's newcomer, Rock Band. Upgrades include additional instruments (including vocals and, we hear separately, drums), as well as "local content" from "local bands." This corresponds with information Joystiq has received from a source close to the company, who tells us that multiple instruments – including a microphone and drumkit – will be a part of the next Guitar Hero game, likely to be called Guitar Hero IV despite its focus on multiple instruments (other potential names: Band Hero and Rockstar Hero). Also, our source reports that Activision insiders are proud enough of their drum peripheral to say that it will be "superior" to Rock Band's (we know, shocking).Perhaps just as importantly, Activision's weakness in downloadable content could be resolved as early as the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith this June, when content is expected to be released regularly, perhaps "even weekly." Also contributing to the company's positive outlook on DLC is the pending merger with Vivendi, potentially giving it unparalleled access to that company's Universal Music Group, the largest family of record labels in the music industry.We've asked Activision to comment on this story. If anyone close to the story has any additional information to share, you know where to find us.
Point: Why Guitar Hero: On Tour could rock out
Guitar Hero: On Tour is a weird product. The guitar controller, which would seem to be Guitar Hero's greatest strength, is pretty much absent from the DS game, replaced with a vestigial controller that retains the basic gameplay motion but removes the rock-star fantasy. For some, the loss of the guitar shape may remove the primary source of fun from the game (lookin' like C.C. DeVille); for me, it enhances the fun. Is it possible for a music game to be fun without simulating an instrument? Historically, yes. Guitar Hero may have roots in the instrument-based Guitar Freaks and other Bemani-series games, all of which use specialized controllers, but its immediate predecessors were Harmonix's Frequency and Amplitude for the Playstation 2. These two games featured the same visualization method and gameplay as Guitar Hero -- notes as icons, moving toward the screen Klax-style -- but used the PlayStation 2's stock controller. These two games were, in fact, more complex than Guitar Hero, requiring players to move between musical tracks. The Guitar Hero controller doesn't allow for this feature (and, of course, there'd be no reason to move over to the drum or vocal track with a guitar controller), so, in a way, the guitar controller hampered the game design.PaRappa the Rapper used the PlayStation controller to control the main character's speech. That's about as far from representative as a controller could be, and PaRappa was well-received enough for the genre to advance. Now, just because NaNaOn-Sha, Harmonix, and other companies could make great music games without representative controllers doesn't mean that Vicarious Visions can, or will -- but it does mean that we shouldn't summarily dismiss Guitar Hero: On Tour for not having a sufficiently guitar-like controller.From the looks of it, the Guitar Grip peripheral will provide a mechanically similar gameplay experience to the full-size controller anyway. With the exception of the fifth fret button, of course, the base game of holding one or more of a line of buttons and strumming on time is unchanged. So it's still Guitar Hero -- it just doesn't look like it. This should really only dissuade people who play Guitar Hero in order to pretend like they're playing guitars. People who like Guitar Hero as a game will only benefit from a smaller version.Portability is especially novel for something like Guitar Hero, whose normal controller is freaking huge. Sometimes you don't have space for a bunch of big controllers! You may be dissuaded from bringing your Guitar Hero setup to your small dorm room, for example, while you could easily play On Tour in the back of a Volkswagen. The added value of portability, with a smaller price tag? Rokken. placeholdertext Back A different tune
New Guitar Hero: Aerosmith video (Looks Like a Cash-in)
Okay, so that title is (possibly) the last time we're going to be snide about Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The band might not be our cup of tea, but heck, Guitar Hero is fun, and the not-Aerosmith tracks are actually showing real promise for non-Aerosmith fans.However, just in case you forgot who the real headline act is, Activision cooked up a video of the title in action, and it oozes Aerosmith. There's plenty of bragging about the band's (admittedly very impressive) achievements, before we cut to 3D models of Stephen Tyler and his fellow grandfathers bouncing about the stage to "Sweet Emotion." Actually, the rubber-lipped, leathery-skinned Tyler proves to be perfect fodder for a caricature -- visually at least, he and Joe Perry seem to be a good fit for a Guitar Hero game. Gameplay-wise -- and we barely need to mention this, but we shall -- it looks identical. And why not? It's a winning formula.%Gallery-19372%
Counting Rupees: Battle of the brands
Each week Jeff Engel and Geoff Brooks contribute Counting Rupees, a column on the business behind gaming: When Guitar Hero 3 launched last year it was an immediate success, selling out at a fairly quick pace throughout the holiday season. Following just behind it was Rock Band, selling very well, but not nearly as quickly as Guitar Hero. So far, all versions of Guitar Hero III have sold about 9.1M copies, versus just roughly 1.5M for Rock Band. Of course, part of the discrepancy lies in the fact that Rock Band launched on two platforms while Guitar Hero 3 launched on four, but that is about to be remedied with Harmonix's recent announcement of Rock Band for Wii. While Rock Band was a more ambitious game and representative of an evolution of the music game, it did seem like Activision may have made the right choice in buying the Guitar Hero publisher (and thus the Guitar Hero brand), but not the developer. With so much brand awareness already built into Guitar Hero, was there any way that Harmonix could possibly top the original creation that it no longer owned the rights to?
Activision and RedOctane send guitar faceplates to Guitar Hero III owners
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Activision_says_it_s_sorry_to_GH3_Wii_owners'; Activision has made some mistakes with the Wii edition of Guitar Hero III, and it probably wasn't all too much fun for game owners to send in their discs and await fixed copies. The company, along with RedOctane, are trying to get back into people's good graces, though, by sending a free guitar faceplate to people who've replaced their discs.We think this is a great move on Activision's part, especially since they didn't announce their good will publicly. It's nice that they're trying to compensate gamers for the inconvenience they've caused, considering they could have done nothing but fix the problem at hand -- that's what we call good customer service. From what we understand, the faceplates will arrive a few weeks after customers get their fixed editions.So, what do you say, Guitar Hero owners? Will you forgive Activision, or will the company still be sleeping on the couch tonight?To see Activision and RedOctane's love note to customers, check past the break.
DS Daily: A less-than-perfect solution?
For so long, the prospect of a Guitar Hero game on the DS was a source of intrigue to this blogger. During long, sleepless nights, I would ponder how such a game could reproduce the magic of the home console versions with just two screens, the DS's tinny speakers, and no guitar peripheral.Yesterday, Activision revealed its solution to these conundrums: the "Guitar Grip." The idea seems straightforward enough: plug the above accessory into the GBA slot of your DS, grab your guitar pick stylus, and strum away on your touchscreen while pressing buttons to coincide with cascading on-screen notes. Fair enough. Considering the limitations of the DS, this isn't a terrible idea.But here's what irks me: a considerable -- no, a huge -- part of Guitar Hero's appeal is the guitar controller itself. When I'm (cough) "rocking out" on one of the home console versions of Guitar Hero, I'm Brian May on stage at Live Aid, at least in my head. In reality, of course, I'm a deluded cretin, but the point still stands: Guitar Hero is at its best when it's letting us live out our rock star fantasies, and that's fun. Yours truly is going to struggle to get the same sensation of being a total rock god just by plugging in the Guitar Grip. I hate to say this but ... perhaps Guitar Hero should have stayed on home consoles, if the Guitar Grip truly is the best solution. Is that too harsh?
Harmonix sues Activision over royalties, withdraws
It looks like the rhythm game battle between Activision and Harmonix extends beyond the sales gap between Guitar Hero III and Rock Band, as Harmonix sued Activision on Monday. The suit was withdrawn on Tuesday as the threat of a legal battle was apparently enough to make Activision talk with the company. According to the lawsuit, Harmonix asserts that it is owed $14.5 million in unpaid royalties for the use of its technology in Guitar Hero III and further asserts that the company has not received any money for song downloads, in-game ads, and related products. Variety reports that the lawsuit was "clearly intended" to lay down a precedent for future iterations of the Guitar Hero series (of which there are many, many planned). Activision, for its part, claims that it has paid Harmonix "sufficient" royalties.[Via Joystiq]
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?
