Posted Nov 1st 2007 12:30PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
If you broke down and purchased the Guitar Hero III soundtrack CD in hopes of getting your promised three in-game song downloads then you already know you've had to deal with lots of anticipation and delays. As it's setup, once you purchase the soundtrack you're then treated to a unique key code in the packaging that must be entered online over at the Guitar Hero Code website. Then, once entered, the website will spit out a unique Xbox Live code that can be entered on Xbox Live and will allow access to the three in-game GHIII tracks. But, the Guitar Hero Code website has been a icky, unruly mess as of late.
Initially, the special Guitar Hero Code website was schedule to go live on October 28th, but that date came and went with nothing. A new date was posted stating that soundtrack purchasers could get their Xbox Live code and songs on October 30th ... but again, nothing. Then another message popped up on the website stating that "sometime this week" you'd be able to get access to the Xbox Live codes and we're happy to say that "sometime" has come. The Guitar Hero Code website is now live and anyone who purchased the soundtrack can get their in-game GHIII content by registering on the site and entering their CD key code. You've experienced lots of waiting, lots of hoop jumping and lots an annoyance, but it has to be worth the AFI, Flyleaf and Manson.
Posted Oct 29th 2007 10:30AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Warning future Guitar Hero III purchasers ... Walmart is evil. And yes, we know the word evil carries a lot of emotional weight behind it, but we're comfortable and confident in using such an adjective to describe Walmart seeing what they're doing with their Guitar Hero III bundles.
You see, Walmart somehow received an exclusive GHIII bundle from Activision in which they sell the game with old GHII guitar controllers. That means Xbox 360 owners who'd buy the bundle wouldn't get a wireless Les Gibson and instead get the corded Xplorer. A bundle that was never previously announced and smells of clearancing out old inventory. True, the bundled boxes specifically show which guitar is included in the box (like the picture above), but some may not notice the guitar switch or just aren't informed enough to know the difference. Talk about shady GHIII bundling practices Walmart ... we're disgusted.
Posted Oct 22nd 2007 11:30AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Poor Europe, Activision has been stringing you along for quite a while now regarding the topic of a Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's release date. But things have been figured out and they've dotted their I's and topped their T's with the annoucement of the official release date for the game in Europe. November 23rd will be the magical day Europeans rock out to the sweet, sweet music of GHIII and let out a collective scream, releasing any built up excitement that has built up these past few months. And yes, an official release date announcement is great, but our fellow European fanboys must be just a little ticked off at the fact that the game will be releasing next week in the US. Maybe shipping those guitar boxes takes a while and takes a lot of logistic work or maybe they're just slow over at Acti. But whatever the reason, don't be depressed. Slash doesn't like it when you're sad.
After finishing "Free Bird" in Guitar Hero II, you may have thought that it could never be topped as a "final" song. Oh sure, a more difficult song, but not a more fitting song. Allow us to present to you the final track of Guitar Hero III then: "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The Charlie Daniels Band classic has been revitalized for the game, replacing its fiddle (don't you dare call it a violin) with, well, a guitar. The guitar is played by Steve Ouimette, who is apparently better than the Devil himself. Don't take our word for it, though. Give it a listen and judge for yourself.
Check out the up to date track list for Guitar Hero III after the break.
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.
Not to be outdone by the peripheral wizardry of Rock Band, for which ten new tracks were announced today, Activision has announced a new set of tracks for Guitar Hero III as well. The new tracks are comprised mainly of international bands with which our American readers likely won't be familiar. All 11 of the new tracks are master tracks, meaning that fans won't be forced to cringe at the sound of horribly impersonated lead singers. Behold:
"Minus Celsius," by Backyard Babies
"Hier Kommt Alex," by Die Toten Hosen
"In the Belly of a Shark," by Gallows
"I'm in the Band," by The Hellacopters
"Avalancha," by Heroes Del Silencio
"Take This Life," by In Flames
"Ruby," by Kaiser Chiefs
"Closer," by Lacuna Coil
"Generation Rock," by Revolverheld
"Mauvais Garcon," by NAAST
"Radio Song," by Superbus
You'll find a list of all other confirmed tracks after the break.
We knew it had to happen eventually. EA and Activision have officially begun sniping one another in regards to Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. In one corner, you have Activision's Will Kassoy who sees Guitar Hero III as a highly accessible sequel in a genre-defining series. Furthermore, he says that Rock Band may prove too complicated for the average gamer, while Guitar Hero III offers fun for everyone. EA, naturally, takes a different stand. According to EA's Frank Gibeau, the various choices available in Rock Band (guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) is precisely what makes it accessible. As Gibeau notes, some folks would rather sing than play guitar. Which will ultimately win? Gamers will decide later this year.
Posted Aug 7th 2007 11:00AM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
Major Nelson sends word that a Dashboard Update is now available. Users will be prompted to download the update the next time they sign into Xbox Live. Before everyone goes crazy looking for fabulous new features, you should know that this is not the Fall Update. Most of you probably figured this out, as it is still summer. All the update does is ready the 360 to accept those fabulous wireless guitars that ship with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band later this year. It's good to know that the 360 will play nice with the wireless guitars and all, but we'd really like to know how much they're going to cost.
The gloves are off folks, after yesterday's revelation that Rock Band and Guitar Hero III would definitely be sharing songs, there was really only one other question that needed answering: what about Metallica? We know Metallica is in Rock Band, but what about Guitar Hero III? That question has been answered and answered well. As it turns out, Guitar Hero III will not only feature Metallica -- the news was slipped during an Activision conference call -- but the song to be featured is "One," and what's more, it's a master track. Metallica fans couldn't ask for much better than that. If the end result of having two competing music games is more awesome tracks for both of them, then we say bring on the competition.
Activision has announced the addition of 6 more tracks to Guitar Hero III. The new tracks consist of both newer bands like AFI and Queens of the Stone Age and classic groups like Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult. Check out the new tracks below.
"Miss Murder," by AFI
"3's and 7's," by Queens of the Stone Age
"Raining Blood," by Slayer
"Reptillia," by The Strokes
"Paranoid," as made famous by Black Sabbath
"Cities on Flame," as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult
"Mississippi Queen," as made famous by Mountain
As usual, pay close attention to the distinction between "by" and "as made famous by." In other words, 4 of the 7 new tracks are master recordings, leaving "Paranoid," "Cities on Flame," and "Mississippi Queen" as the only covers. We also must note that "Mississippi Queen" was featured in a leaked video of Rock Band shortly before E3 (the video has since been pulled). While its inclusion in Rock Band is far from official at this point, it will be interesting to see if Rock Band and Guitar Hero III wind up sharing songs. We've posted a list (politely cribbed from Joystiq) of the 22 officially announced tracks after the break.
The pleas of Guitar Hero fans everywhere have been answered. Yes, DragonForce will finally be featured in a Guitar Hero title, specifically Guitar Hero III. The fancy lads at ScoreHero have uncovered several new groups to be featured in the game including:
The Red Hot Chili Peppers -- "Suck my Kiss"
ZZ Top -- "La Grange"
Iron Maiden -- "Number of the Beast"
DragonForce -- "Through the Fire and Flames"
Even better news, all the above tracks except "La Grange" are the master recordings. A new character by the name of Midori was also revealed, along with several new locations (we can't wait to see the Kaiju Megadome). Activision is adamant that Guitar Hero III is still a contender in the face of Rock Band. With impressive songs like these, as well as the ones we already know, they might be right.
"Life is about choices. They define who you are. Each path, every turn. It's your decision. That's what it's all about." Believe it? Well, that's what the main theme in the debut trailer for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground is all about, choices. You'll be able to create a skater that reflects the kind of person you want to be, whether you're going for the rockstar mystique or just doing it for the pain. It's an interesting concept, but the gameplay footage doesn't look all that graphically impressive. Give the trailer a watch and consciously compare what Mr. Hawk has to offer with EA's Skate. What are your thoughts?
Unfortunately, the videos of Guitar Hero III we showed you at the end of May are no longer available on YouTube. Gametrailers fortunately came to the rescue and put up the first minute or so of Foghat's "Slow Ride" on Expert difficulty. It definitely looks pretty and leaves us only wanting more. Hopefully we're get more details on the song list, possible online multiplayer, or when the wireless Les Paul will be available. Where does this stand on your holiday wishlist?
Yup, these are videos of Guitar Hero III. Yup, they look pretty much like Guitar Hero II (and Guitar Hero I for that matter). Of course, no one really cares do they? It's Guitar Hero! With that said, there are some small differences worth noting. First of all, the character models look like they've received some new-gen love and are more detailed. The HUD has some slight graphical tweaks as well, though none of them seem to affect gameplay. The star power meter has been replaced with a series of light bulbs. As you fill the meter, more of them light up. They slowly fade out once star power is activated. In addition to displaying your current multiplier, the left side of the HUD now keeps track of how many notes you've hit consecutively. Frankly, we'd like the ability to turn that feature off, as it could add undue stress to achieving those perfect runs. You'll find another video embedded after the break. Check it out and tell us what you think.
The crew over at IGN received an exclusive look at Guitar Hero III's new guitar the Les Paul and walked away very impressed. One of the biggest improvements added to the Les Paul guitar controller is that it will feature wireless technology, which will be the first time Microsoft has allowed a third party peripheral maker to do so. They've also added removable faceplates, made the neck detachable, kept the same color fret buttons, and even added a third strap knob for even more customizability. It looks like GHIII's Les Paul guitar is shaping up to be one solid controller to rock out with. But fear not GHII owners, because your X-plorer guitar will work with GHIII and vice versa. How very convenient.
Poor Europe, Activision has been stringing you along for quite a while now regarding the topic of a Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock's release date. But things have been figured out and they've dotted their I's and topped their T's with the annoucement of the official release date for the game in Europe. November 23rd will be the magical day Europeans rock out to the sweet, sweet music of GHIII and let out a collective scream, releasing any built up excitement that has built up these past few months. And yes, an official release date announcement is great, but our fellow European fanboys must be just a little ticked off at the fact that the game will be releasing next week in the US. Maybe shipping those guitar boxes takes a while and takes a lot of logistic work or maybe they're just slow over at Acti. But whatever the reason, don't be depressed. Slash doesn't like it when you're sad.
