RipTen Videogame Blog » Guitar-Hero

New Guitar Hero Games Aren’t Canceled, Just “On Hiatus”

Dave Ernst — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:57:11 +0000

Activision has come out with an official statement on the further development of Guitar Hero games. In February, Activision shared its plans to cancel a few games and came out to say that there were no plas to release games in the “Hero” franchise (Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, Band Hero) in 2011. The Internet exploded in mixed feelings (mostly pro-cancelation) and most took the extreme route in reporting that Guitar Hero was dead.

Activision’s Dan Winters went on record to clear everything up:

“Actually, just to clarify, we’re just putting Guitar Hero on hiatus, we’re not ending it. We’re releasing products out of the vault — we’ll continue to sustain the channel, the brand won’t go away. We’re just not making a new one for next year, that’s all.”

For now Activision is putting its money into products that are guaranteed to sell, Call of Duty, Bungie’s next title and… Spyro the Dragon. Winters goes on to say that the games they canceled in February will stay canceled as the company would like to focus on higher profiting titles.

“That would have been, and still might end up being, a very successful mid-tier opportunity for someone. But, as I said, we changed our business model to where we were going to change our business model to focus disproportionately on three big, huge monsters. Those three monsters are the Bungie, Call of Duty and Spyro titles.”

Source: GameIndustry.Biz

Ubisoft Unveils New Music Game Rocksmith That Uses Real Guitars (Trailer)

Matthew Sims — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:45:30 +0000

Rhythm and music games are a dime-a-dozen; in fact, Activision pushed the genre so hard that it caused the demise of its once unstoppable Guitar Hero franchise. Ubisoft is well aware of the stagnation and is taking a stab at taking music games to the next level.

Ubisoft’s Rocksmith will be the first music game that easily connects a real guitar to either your Xbox 360 or PS3. This does sound like a little bit of a rip-off of Rockband, but their are a few minor differences in this title. For instance, you must own a guitar to play this game at all, there are no cheap, plastic guitars here, and the difficulty adjusts automatically to the skill of the player requiring no guesswork by the player. It sounds like a fantastic idea, but if the difficulty doesn’t adjust correctly, this could be just another rhythm title sitting in the bargain bin at Gamestop.

Rocksmith will feature artists from David Bowie and The Animals to artists like Nirvana and Interpol. The game is currently set to release in Fall of 2011. Check out the trailer below and find yourself a solid guitar.

Activision May Release “Dance Hero” Title

Matthew Sims — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:38:50 +0000

You would think Activision would be content to let the rhythm game genre air out from the stagnation that the company subjected it to, but alas, we may see yet another title in the “Hero” series.

Way back in the archaic time of 2008, Activision registered a trademark for the title “Dance Hero”. This was quickly forgotten and people moved on to games without the word “Hero” in the title. It seems that since the death of the Guitar Hero franchise, Activision is intent on releasing at least one music title according to Kotaku.

These are some of the songs that will (reportedly) be in the title:

“2012″ by Jay Sean (feat Nicki Minaj)
“Out Of Space” by The Prodigy.
“The Way I Are” by Timbaland (feat Keri Hilson and D.O.E.)
“Take Over Control” by Afrojack (feat Evan Simon)

There’s no report on the consoles it will appear on, or even the method of control. Either way, you can be Activision will attempt to ride this trend into the ground. I have a feeling it won’t be long until we’re discussing the over-saturation of dance games and their inevitable demise.

Activision Axes Guitar Hero and True Crime: Hong Kong

Garrett Hartman — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:38:05 +0000

Activision has just announced it will axe development on True Crime: Hong Kong as well as “disband” Guitar Hero. In their latest financial release for full-year fiscal 2011 they stated,

“Due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing’s Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011.”

In mentioning True Crime: Hong Kong it was stated they would,

“stop development on True Crime: Hong Kong. These decisions are based on the desire to focus on the greatest opportunities that the company currently has to create the world’s best interactive entertainment experiences.”

Tony Hawk and DJ Hero fans also have something to lament. Activision COO Thomas Tippl has also stated that no Tony Hawk games or music titles will be released in 2011.

Game Informer concludes that this was done so Activision can focus on it’s three top brands: Call of Duty, StarCraft and World of Warcraft.

Well keep you informed as more develops.

Source: GI via VG247

Beenox Named Lead Developer on Upcoming Spider-man Games

Matthew Sims — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:56:05 +0000

Activision has officially announced today that it has named internal studio Beenox as the official developer of all new Spider-Man titles. Beenox had developed the generally well-regarded Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions that released last year.

“Beenox’s creative vision reinvigorated the Spider-Man gaming experience among critics and fans in Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions,” said Patrick Kelly, Senior Vice President, Activision Studios. “We can’t wait to see where this talented studio will take this franchise in the future.”

Before Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions, Beenox had been toiling in relative obscurity since their inception in 2000. Mostly working on ports, the developer didn’t hit the big time until it developed Guitar Hero: Smash Hits in 2009. While generally panned by critics by being a repacking of the same songs, Beenox really got their name out there and managed the snag the development of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions and the rest is web-slinging history.

Activision has done generally well with the Spider-Man franchise since it acquired Neversoft, and thus the rights, in 1999. The series has had its share of ups and downs, but hopefully Beenox can put together a title that will propel the webhead to unheard of heights.

Axl Rose Sues Activision For $20 Million Over Guns ‘N’ Roses Licensing Violation

Chad Lakkis — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 03:53:57 +0000

Guns ‘N’ Roses front man, Axl Rose, prepares to welcome Activision to the court room, bring them to their knees, and watch their wallet bleed … to the tune of 20 million dollars in damages.

What’s got Mr. Rose so upset with Activision you ask? Well, according to Reuters, in addition to using the track “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” to promote an unlicensed installment of the game, he claims that the publisher also violated the terms of their licensing agreement for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

According to Rose, he allowed Activision to use the GNR hit track “Welcome To The Jungle” in the aforementioned Guitar Hero release with a few contingencies — the biggest of which revolved around the band’s former lead guitarist Saul Hudson (aka Slash). Rose states that the publisher agreed to not reference Slash or his current band Velvet Revolver in the game in any way.

Axl later realized that Slash not only had an animated likeness in the game, but also appeared on the final box art. At that point Activision might as well have been the guy in the front row of the 1991 GNR concert (shown below at the 1:15 mark) that refused to stop snapping his picture. And as you’ll see, when Axl wants something done, he has no problem getting his hands dirty and doing it himself. If Rose has documentation to back his claims, Activision may want to consider hiring a few lawyers with mosh pit experience. Enjoy the video flash back.

Axl Rose artwork created by Jason Seiler

DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Demos Available Now on XBLA

Sam Naylor — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:58:27 +0000

The demos for DJ Hero 2 and Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock have arrived on Xbox Live Arcade today, giving you a chance to sample them before they release this autumn.

The demo for DJ Hero 2 will feature the following tracks:

Pussycat Dolls Featuring Busta Rhymes “Don’t Cha” Mixed With Pitbull ”I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)”
Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis “Just Dance” Mixed With Deadmau5 “Ghosts N Stuff”
MSTRKRFT Featuring N.O.R.E. “Bounce” (Battle Mix)
Estelle Featuring Kanye West “American Boy” Mixed With Chic “Good Times”

The demo for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock features these tracks:

Black Sabbath “Children of the Grave”
Foo Fighters “No Way Back”
Slash featuring Ian Astbury “Ghosts”
Dethklok “Bloodlines”

A good selection, and a decent chance to see what the fuss is about, but if you already own a Guitar or DJ Controller you may as well just play the full game you’ve already got. The only thing that matters is the songs in these games- although perhaps with DJ Hero 2 you’ll be able to hear how good the mashups are.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock releases 24th September and DJ Hero 2 on 22nd October.

90 Track Strong Song List Announced for Latest Guitar Hero Game

Bryce Wilson — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:31:41 +0000

As our very own Sam Naylor put it: “it’s the only thing about these sorts of games that really matters.” and ever right he was. Activision has announced the track list for the latest installment in the now pop culture hit: Guitar Hero. If you’re like me you think these games should just be jam packed with Metal and that’s it.

They’ve kind of delivered this time however there’s still some questionable content. I just welcome the huge set list in terms of longevity but I hope there’s an “Instant Unlock” cheat for when you want to hit the piss with mates and jam out to your hearts content. Get ready for a long read..

A Perfect Circle – “The Outsider”

Aerosmith – “Cryin’”

AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”

Alice Cooper – “No More Mr. Nice Guy”

Alter Bridge – “Ties That Bind”

Anberlin – “The Feel Good Drag”

Anthrax – “Indians”

Arch Enemy – “Nemesis”

Atreyu – “Ravenous”

Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”

Bad Brains – “Re-Ignition (Live)”

Band Of Skulls – “I Know What I Am”

Black Sabbath – “Children Of The Grave”

Blind Melon – “Tones Of Home”

Blue Oyster Cult – “Burnin’ For You”

Bush – “Machinehead”

Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”

Children Of Bodom – “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War”

Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Fortunate Son”

The Cure – “Fascination Street”

Deep Purple – “Burn”

Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”

Dethklok – “Bloodlines”

The Dillinger Escape Plan – “Setting Fire To Sleeping Giants”

Dire Straits – “Money For Nothing”

DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”

Drowning Pool – “Bodies”

Edgar Winter- “Free Ride”

Fall Out Boy – “Dance, Dance”

Five Finger Death Punch – “Hard To See”

Flyleaf – “Again”

Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”

Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”

George Thorogood and The Destroyers – “Move It On Over (Live)”

The Hives – “Tick Tick Boom”

Interpol – “Slow Hands”

Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”

Jethro Tull – “Aqualung”

John 5 – “Black Widow Of La Porte”

KISS – “Love Gun”

Linkin Park – “Bleed It Out”

Lynyrd Skynyrd – “Call Me The Breeze (Live)”

Megadeth – “Sudden Death”

Megadeth – “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”

Megadeth – “This Day We Fight!”

Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”

Muse – “Uprising”

My Chemical Romance – “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”

Neil Young – “Rockin’ In The Free World”

Nickelback – “How You Remind Me”

Night Ranger – “(You Can Still) Rock In America”

Nine Inch Nails – “Wish”

The Offspring – “Self Esteem”

Orianthi – “Suffocated”

Pantera – “I’m Broken”

Phoenix – “Lasso”

Poison – “Unskinny Bop”

Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Queensryche – “Jet City Woman”

Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”

The Ramones – “Theme From Spiderman”

Red Rider – “Lunatic Fringe”

R.E.M. – “Losing My Religion”

Rise Against – “Savior”

The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”

The Runaways – “Cherry Bomb”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 1 – Overture”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 2 – The Temples Of Syrinx”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 3 – Discovery”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 4 – Presentation”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 5 – Oracle: The Dream”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 6 – Soliloquy”

Rush – “2112 Pt. 7 – Grand Finale”

RX Bandits – “It’s Only Another Parsec…”

Silversun Pickups – “There’s No Secrets This Year”

Slash featuring Ian Astbury – “Ghost”

Slayer – “Chemical Warfare”

Slipknot – “Psychosocial”

Snot – “Deadfall”

Soundgarden – “Black Rain”

Steve Vai – “Speeding” (Vault Version)

Stone Temple Pilots – “Interstate Love Song”

Strung Out – “Calling”

Styx – “Renegade”

Sum 41 – “Motivation”

Tesla – “Modern Day Cowboy”

Them Crooked Vultures – “Scumbag Blues”

Third Eye Blind – “Graduate”

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “Listen To Her Heart”

Twisted Sister – “We’re Not Gonna Take It”

The Vines – “Get Free”

The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”

ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”

Phew, glad that’s over. What are you excited about out of the tracks? My personal favorite is Bloodlines (by Dethklok) although I am looking forward to jamming out to some motherfuckin’ RUSH!

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Coming September 28

Sam Naylor — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:26:32 +0000

Activision have announced today that the latest edition of the massive Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, will be released on September 28 in the USA, with a UK release date being set at the 24th, four days earlier.

As the true home of Rock, it’s good to see the UK getting some love in terms of the release date. The game also happens to feature one of the most epic songs ever performed: Rush’s 2112. Thanks to the addition of that one song, the game has actually gotten me interested, even though Rock Band 3 will most likely be way better. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

Daily Deal: Rock Band Portable Drum Kit

Brandon Fenty — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:45:42 +0000

I’m a sucker for good deals on great games, which is probably why I never have any money. When I find a good deal, I try to pass it on to you guys.

Today’s deal is from Amazon.com, who are offering a Rock Band Portable Drum Kit for $9.99, which is $30 off the normal price. It’s a great way to get a cheap drum set for your system, and should also work with Guitar Hero. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Will Feature Rush’s 2112

Sam Naylor — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:27:16 +0000

Activision has announced today that as part of a “Story-Based Quest Mode,” the full 20-minute version of 2112 by Canadian rock band Rush will be playable in the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson will also be included in the game as narrators, telling the overarching story of the epic song.

“The music, the story and the journey of 2112 lends itself perfectly to the quest in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock,” said Geddy Lee of Rush. “In our story, the caves of 2112 are where our hero finds the lost guitar and this rediscovery of music is much like the Guitar Hero warriors’ journey to find the Demi-God of Rock’s Legendary guitar, which has been trapped in a cavern.”

“I love the idea of Guitar Hero; they have combined two great things – music and fun,” said Alex Lifeson of Rush. “I think it’s a great way to introduce people of all ages to music of various styles by all kinds of different bands, while providing a launching pad for kids who want to get into playing music.”

The song will feature in full:

“2112 Pt. 1 – Overture”
“2112 Pt. 2 – The Temples Of Syrinx”
“2112 Pt. 3 – Discovery”
“2112 Pt. 4 – Presentation”
“2112 Pt. 5 – Oracle: The Dream”
“2112 Pt. 6 – Soliloquy”
“2112 Pt. 7 – Grand Finale”

I’ve been waiting for this since I first picked up that plastic guitar; I have the 2112 album in at least 4 different formats. Some people don’t like Rush. I say that those people don’t like music. This is probably the best song to ever be released on a music game.

Hang on, this is in Guitar Hero? Not Rock Band? For shame- unless the quality of gameplay, note charts, presentation, and everything else is massively improved in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. I’ll still be getting it, though- just for this. A cunning plan indeed, Activision.

4th of July Music Game Sale on Xbox Live

Brandon Fenty — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 18:15:34 +0000

Been eying a track for your favorite music game, but thought the price was a little steep? Now’s your chance to get a big price break on tons of tracks for Rock Band 1&2, Guitar Hero, and Lips on Xbox Live! After all, what better way to celebrate independence than to play a fake guitar?

More than 200 tracks are part of the price drop, many of which are discounted over fifty percent. The sale is running July 6-12, so there’s only a few days to take advantage of this offer. Full track list and discounts below.



*Rock Band and Rock Band 2*

Artists/Song	Normal Price (MS Points)	Discount Price (MS Points)
AFI Pack 1	680	440
Blink 182 Pack 2	440	240
Boston Pack 1	800	440
Disturbed Pack 1	440	240
Foo Fighters The Colour and the Shape (Album)	1600	800
Going Country Pack 1	680	440
Green Day Pack 1	440	240
The Killers Pack 1	440	240
Megadeth Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? (Album)	880	440
Metallica Pack 1	440	240
Nirvana Pack 1	880	440
Oasis “Wonderwall”	160	80
Pearl Jam Backspacer (Album)	1440	800
Pearl Jam Ten (Album)	1440	800
Red Hot Chili Peppers Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Album)	1600	800
Slipknot Pack 1	440	240
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live Anthology Pack 1	800	440
Weezer “Buddy Holly”	160	80
The Best of The Who Rock Band Edition	1600	800
Wolfmother Pack 01	680	440
**Guitar Hero 5 and Guitar Hero: World Tour**

Artists/Song	Normal Price (MS Points)	Discount Price (MS Points)
“Another Way To Die” by Jack White & Alicia Keys	160	80
“California Queen” by Wolfmother	160	80
Classic Rock 2 Track Pack	440	240
“Cut Your Hair” by Pavement	160	80
“Drive” by Incubus	160	80
The Eagles Track Pack	440	240
“Life In The Fast Lane” by The Eagles	160	80
Metallica “Death Magnetic” Full Album	1440	960
Motorhead Track Pack	440	240
“Monkey Gone to Heaven” by The Pixies	160	80
“Negative Creep” by Nirvana	160	80
“New Slang” by The Shins	160	80
“New Wave” by Against Me!	160	80
“No Rain” by Blind Melon	160	80
The Killers Track Pack	440	240
The Rolling Stones Live Track Pack	720	400
The Silversun Pickups Track Pack	440	240
Vagrant Records Track Pack	440	240
Vampire Weekend Track Pack	440	240
Victory Records Track Pack	440	240
*Lips*
Artists/Song	Normal Price (MS Points)	Discount Price (MS Points)
“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus	160	80
The Cardigans Song Pack	440	240
Colbie Caillat Song Pack	440	240
Coldplay Song Pack	440	240
Creedence Clearwater Revival Song Pack	440	240
“Fallin’” by Alicia Keys	180	80
“Give A Little Bit” by Supertramp	160	80
“Linger” by The Cranberries	160	80
Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell Song Pack	440	240
New Edition Song Pack	440	240
Paula Abdul Song Pack	440	240
“Shake It” by Metro Station	160	80
Snow Patrol Song Pack	440	240
“So What” by P!nk	160	80
The Supremes Song Pack	440	240
The Temptations Song Pack	440	240
“You Get What You Give” by The New Radicals	160	80
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers	180	80

Activision Celebrate’s the 4th of July with New Jams for DJ Hero and Guitar Hero

Rangebar Merani — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 19:43:22 +0000

DJ Hero and Guitar Hero fans planning to rock out this weekend for the 4th of July are in for a treat as Activision has announced the release of two new track packs for the games with songs from Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Maroon 5 and more.

The DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack contains three new mixes to add to your music library including Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face” mixed with “Girls On Film” by Duran Duran, Pussycat Dolls’ “Buttons” beat juggle and Rihanna’s “S.O.S.” beat juggle. The DJ Hero Dance Party Mix Pack will be available on Xbox 360 for 640 Microsoft Points and the PS3 for $7.99. All mixes will be released as downloadable singles for Wii for 300 Wii Points each.

The Guitar Hero Pop 1 Track Pack also features three new songs from hit pop artists including Lady Gaga’s club anthem, “Just Dance,” Maroon 5′s hit single, “This Love” and the Synthpop hit, “Fireflies,” by Owl City. The Guitar Hero Pop 1 Track Pack will be available for the Xbox 360 for 440 Microsoft Points, the PS3 for $5.49 and the Wii for 550 Wii Points.vAll songs in the track pack will additionally be released as downloadable singles for the Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, the PS3 for $1.99 and the Wii for 200 Wii Points each.

Activision’s got a great idea by releasing new track packs for both DJ Hero and Guitar Hero right before Independence Day, but if you really think about it, it’s just another way to make more money for themselves, something they’re extremely great at. But still, you can’t deny that they are giving back to their loyal fan base with great new songs to download and for a reasonable price.

Both track packs are available today, so pull out those credit cards and get ready to jam out this weekend for the 4th of July.

Ask.com’s Top Five Online Video Game Questions Released

Brandon Fenty — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:43:16 +0000

The popular question and answer site, Ask.com, recently went through their database to find questions related to video gaming. Not surprisingly, there were thousands. Questions range from upcoming release dates to the history of video gaming.

Ask.com compiled this information, and came up with the top 5 questions about video games and released that information to the site. Some are serious and some are not, but they all offer a glimpse into the mind of video gamers. Here they are:

1. Who invented video games?

Willy Higginbotham is considered by many to be the first real video game designer, but Ralph Baer came up with the idea of playing games on TV sets in 1951. That said, any dude named Higginbotham has our vote.

2. When does HALO: Reach come out?

Halo: Reach is scheduled to be released on September 24, 2010. Schedule your vacation time now.

3. What was the first video game ever?

“Tennis for Two,” a 2-D tennis game created by nuclear physicist William Higinbotham at Brookhaven National Laboratory, is thought to have been the first video game ever.

4. What is the hardest song on Guitar Hero?

“Through the Fire and Flames”, by Dragonforce, is considered by many to be the hardest Guitar Hero song. Word on the street is that you have to grow a mullet, burn five guitar picks and watch the Wizard of Oz backwards with a candle burning to beat it!

5. How much does a video game designer make?

On average, video game designers can make anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 a year…depending on if you design God of War…or Rogue Warrior. ”

Disagree? Have another question? Feel free to place it in the comments below.

Guitar Hero: Queen on the Cards?

Bryce Wilson — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:19:12 +0000

Yeah, another Guitar Hero title. It wont be long and Guitar Hero: Intergalactic Space Rock Asteroid Sessions will be hitting consoles the Milky Way over. But in all seriousness Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen dropped a hint to a Swedish newspaper that a GH: Queen title is perhaps going to be, or is already in development. May said;

“We have invented a way to let users participate in games of our concerts, but I can not say more than that now. It’s a secret.”

This doesn’t rule out Rock Band as being the possible game they’re signing too, although it definitely seems obvious it’s going to be Guitar Hero as Brian answered with the above quote when asked about the possibility of a Guitar Hero: Queen title.

[Via x360a]

GH: Warriors of Rock Guitar Is One Sexy Piece of Interchangeable Plastic

Chad Lakkis — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:12:43 +0000

I don’t normally get excited over plastic. In fact, before today, if you weren’t handing me a credit card with the name “Donald Trump” on it, I could care less. But, that was before I laid eyes on the super snazzy Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock peripheral.

Not only is it one sexy piece of crafted plastic, the thing comes with interchangeable sides that let you transform its look from sexy flame guitar to sexy razor blade guitar — and the end, it doesn’t even matter which you choose, because both are worthy mating substitutes.

Check out the seductive video reveal below. Oh, and if you see Trump, tell him I said “what card?”

Guitar Hero for the iPhone Hits The App Store

Demi Adejuyigbe — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 03:05:57 +0000

Millions of people were following WWDC news this morning as Steve Jobs took the stage to announce his shiny new plaything, but as always, Steve introduced much more than a new phone. One of the announcements from this morning was Guitar Hero for the iPhone.

My usual Guitar Hero cynicism aside, I’m not so sure this will work as well as Activision and Apple hope it will. Mobile rhythm games have always had a history of being boring, cramped, and frankly, lame. Rock Band for the iPhone was the last one to try such a thing, and it didn’t work out too well, either. But I’ll stay positive! I just plucked down $3 for this game off of the App Store, and with any luck, I’ll get back with my impressions soon enough. The game comes with six songs, but you can download tracks in-app, in a manner similar to the console versions of Guitar Hero.

[image via Destructoid]

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Announced

Chad Lakkis — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:58:38 +0000

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, the latest installment in Activision’s long line of Guitar Hero releases (this makes six if you’re counting at home), has finally been officially announced.

The game introduces a new gameplay challenge system dubbed “Quickplay +, a “rock-inspired” wirelss controller (maybe it’s got a hidden compartment for drug paraphernalia?), an “all new story based quest mode” voiced by Gene Simmons, the legendary lead singer of KISS, and claims to have the “biggest on-disc selection of rock music ever in a Guitar Hero game.”

Simmons issued the following comment regarding his roll in the game:

“It was an honor and privilege to narrate Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, even more so, to voice the Demi God. From the God of Thunder to the Demi-God, how cool is that…”

Highlights from the nintey plus tracks include Def Leppard’s “Poor Some Sugar on Me”, ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man”, Drowning Pool’s “Bodies”, KISS’s “Love Gun”, and a duet performance of “Paranoid” by Metallica and The King of Darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock has a debut trailer hitting GameTrailers.com today at 1pm EST, and will be available in stores this Fall on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii.

The full press release is available below.

ACTIVISION UNVEILS GUITAR HERO®: WARRIORS OF ROCK – THE ULTIMATE ROCK & ROLL MUSIC VIDEOGAMING EXPERIENCE

All-New Story-Based Quest Mode Voiced By KISS Front Man, Gene Simmons

Biggest On-Disc Selection of Rock Music Ever In A Guitar Hero® Game

New Challenges to Every Song in the 500+ Track Guitar Hero Music Library

Finger-Fretting, Rock-Inspired Wireless Guitar Controller

Reveal Trailer to Debut on Gametrailers.com at 10:00 AM PST on June 4, 2010

Santa Monica, CA – June 4, 2010 – This fall, living room legends and their friends will join together and embark on an epic rock journey to save rock n’ roll with Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero®: Warriors of Rock. The latest installment in the world’s most popular music game series, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, will once again redefine music gaming with an all-new, story-driven Quest Mode, a completely redesigned rock-inspired guitar controller, the biggest on-disc selection of rock music ever in a Guitar Hero® game and Quickplay+, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills in any of the on-disc or over 500 songs in the Guitar Hero Music Library.

Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined, coupled with the return of the critically-acclaimed and fan favorite features like Party Play’s jump in/jump out gameplay, a host of Competitive modes and the ability to play any combination of guitar, bass, drums and vocals, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock offers the complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music adventure.

“Guitar Hero has set the standard for music based gaming and with Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s all-new Quest Mode, robust and authentic set list, over-the-top challenges and rock-inspired new hardware, we are once again bringing the soul and energy of rock n’ roll to fans around the world,” said David Haddad, Chief Operating Officer, Guitar Hero.

In Quest Mode, using any combination of instruments, players will embark on a larger-than-life, epic rock journey from the stage of CBGBs, the infamous punk-rock club in New York City, to the molten lava fields of rock treachery as eight Guitar Hero characters transform into rock warriors that must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down “The Beast” and save rock n’ roll.

“The world is a boring place. Come with me, and enter a world populated of Demi-Gods and Beasts. Transform from an everyday person and become the savior of rock and roll,” said Gene Simmons of KISS. “It was an honor and privilege to narrate Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, even more so, to voice the Demi God. From the God of Thunder to the Demi-God, how cool is that…”

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock breathes new life into gamers’ current Guitar Hero music libraries providing literally hundreds of hours of replayability with the introduction of Quickplay+, which features 13 totally unique gameplay challenges for every on-disc track as well as most downloadable and importable songs from Guitar Hero® World Tour forward. Gamers will complete challenges such as Band Streak, High Score and Power Challenge, which allows players to choose any two warrior powers they have unlocked to try and earn ridiculously high scores, to rank up and unlock more rewards and content than ever before. All-new Challenge Leaderboards have been created in order to capture the outrageous scores that are capable with Quickplay+.

Delivering the largest on-disc rock music set list to-date, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock features more than 90 tracks that include guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Megadeth and Slipknot and larger than life anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS. Additionally, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth wrote and recorded “Sudden Death,” an original track for the game, which was inspired by Quest Mode’s storyline. Along with original songs, the set list also includes special re-records by famous artists and tracks from bands that are making their music video game debut. The first songs off of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s set list to be revealed are:

· AFI – “Dancing Through Sunday”

· Avenged Sevenfold – “Bat Country”

· Black Sabbath – “Children Of The Grave”

· Buzzcocks – “What Do I Get?”

· Children Of Bodom – “If You Want Peace… Prepare For War”

· The Cure – “Fascination Street”

· Def Leppard – “Pour Some Sugar On Me (Live)”

· Dethklok – “Bloodlines”

· DragonForce – “Fury of the Storm”

· Drowning Pool – “Bodies”

· Foo Fighters – “No Way Back”

· Foreigner – “Feels Like The First Time”

· Jane’s Addiction – “Been Caught Stealing”

· KISS – “Love Gun”

· Megadeth – “Sudden Death”

· Metallica & Ozzy Osbourne – “Paranoid (Live)”

· Muse – “Uprising”

· My Chemical Romance – “I’m Not Okay (I Promise)”

· Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody”

· Rammstein – “Waidmanns Heil”

· The Rolling Stones – “Stray Cat Blues”

· Silversun Pickups – “There’s No Secrets This Year”

· Slayer – “Chemical Warfare”

· ZZ Top – “Sharp Dressed Man (Live)”

To maximize players’ shredability, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock delivers the next evolution in finger-fretting with an all-new, show-stopping guitar controller that was inspired and born from the game’s unique art style and specifically made for shredding.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and by Vicarious Visions for the Wii™ system from Nintendo. The game is rated “T” (Teen – Lyrics, Mild Fantasy Violence and Mild Suggestive Themes) for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Wii version is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, please visit GuitarHero.com.

For more info on CBGB visit www.cbgb.com

NFL Super Bowl Champion Steelers Connect with Soldiers in Iraq for Guitar Hero Competition

Chad Lakkis — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:14:12 +0000

Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers’ Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward, and several of the teams running backs and offensive line members participated in a Guitar Hero 5 “Pro vs. GI Joe” competition with a group of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s 336th Military Police Company stationed in Iraq.

Pro vs. GI Joe is a non-profit organization started by Addie Zinone (still active in the military with two tours in Iraq under her belt) and her husband Greg in June of 2007 as a means to “do a little for those who do a lot.”

“This is an opportunity and a way that the professional athletes can say thank you to the troops from their community in a really fun way,” said Zinone.

This Friday, the service did just that, as it connected soldiers to the Steelers players at their practice facility in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania through used of satellites and the Xbox LIVE service. Steelers Quarterback had the following to say about the experience:

“To be able to interact with these guys and enjoy it – and I could see the joy on their face – and get to beat them a little bit in some Rock band. It’s a lot of fun”

Apparently even Super Bowl Quarterbacks have a hard time telling EA’s Rock Band and Activision’s Guitar Hero apart these days.

While Steelers All Pro Safety, and co-Madden 2010 cover athlete, Troy Polamalu, didn’t take part in the strumming of plastic instruments, he did his part to boost soldier moral by showing up in a grass-covered Ghillie sniper suit. Check out the video below.

In the end, Pittsburgh’s KDKA news station declared the Steelers winners of the competition, and considering the teams performance in last Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, I’m sure they’re relishing the win.

Yes. I’m a bitter Steelers fan. Sue me. I will end this on a positive note by saying bravo to Zinone and her husband for putting together such an awesome organization. If you’d like to find out more about Pro vs. GI Joe, head on over to their website at provsgijoe.com.

Pink Floyd would consider a music game based on the band

Sam Naylor — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:22:09 +0000

Despite drummer Nick Mason’s comments that “It irritates [him] having watched [his] kids do it – if they spent as much time practising the guitar as learning how to press the buttons they’d be damn good by now,” he has expressed that the band could be interested in a Rock Band/Guitar Hero Pink Floyd game. “I think we’d consider it,” he told the BBC. “I think everyone’s looking at new ways of selling the music because the business of selling records has almost disappeared.”

Seems like he’s only in it for the record sales, but to be honest, I don’t care. A Pink Floyd Rock Band game would, to me, be one of the best music games possible. In fact, just a spin-off as simple as “Rock Band: Progressive Rock edition” would be brilliant. Nick Mason lives near to me, so if they say no to this I will go round to his house and give him a good talking-to. (this worked for Daft Punk in DJ Hero, there’s no reason why it can’t work twice).

Via Kotaku