In a simpler time music games involved a jug labeled XXX and a whole lot of imagination. Today music games are a thriving multi-million dollar segment of the gaming industry where countless tracks and instruments are included to crowbar the money directly out of our wallets. One instrument that won't be forced down our throats in Guitar Hero: World Tour is a keyboard peripheral ... yet.
According to Neversoft's Brian Bright, who allegedly told G4 that a new peripheral was coming to Guitar Hero World Tour only to have them speculate it would be a keyboard, has confirmed to Joystiq that they have bigger ideas for a keyboard title. "A keyboard controller deserves to be introduced with its own game. This is something we're thinking about." So, what about all the keyboard sections in the song creator? Bright says, "there are reasons why we haven't included a keyboard controller." He elaborates that not all of the songs have keyboard parts so, "adding a keyboard controller would either have limited our choices, or the players."
Keyboard Hero confirmed? It had better happen, how else can we test our chops at "November Rain?"
Warner Music has said that companies like Harmonix and Activision will need to shell out more cash to license songs for games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band.
Warner Music leading man Edgar Brofman told Reuters that considering each company's game is completely dependent on the content the music industry owns and controls, "The amount being paid to the music industry ... is far too small."Brofman compared the significance of rhythm music games to the industry shifting introductions of MTV and iTunes.
Even though it has been reported that royalties for content sales in music games are much higher than other services, such as iTunes, we're surprised it took this long for the industry to start sobbing about getting paid. If licenses change, could this spell an increase in downloadable content prices?
We hope you weren't excited by the supposed Guitar Hero World Tourset list that was 'leaked' yesterday. Activision and Red Octane have made it known that the list, which included artists like Tool and The Doors, is a fake. A representative informed Game Informer (see what we did there?) that while some of the songs on the list will make it into the game, namely Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher," the majority of the list is "wishful thinking and pure speculation."
But hey, we know it will have "Hot for Teacher," right? That counts for something. Now all we have to do is get Activision to confirm the rest of the set list ... one song at a time.
Today, Activision and Red Octane are probably strutting around their swank offices with chests held high, because we just got word that they have secured Hendrix for inclusion in Guitar Hero: World Tour.
According to cbc.ca, Activision has secured the licensing rights to include two of Jimi Hendrix's songs for World Tour including "The Wind Cries Mary" and a live version of "Purple Haze" that was recorded back in 1969. Though, if those two tracks don't float your boat, Acti promises more Hendrix DLC post release. But, not only will two Hendrix tracks make the World Tour cut, but we also learn that the game will feature an in-game Hendrix avatar featuring his likeness. And so the Guitar Hero versus Rock Band battle continues ...
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.
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.
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, manyplanned). Activision, for its part, claims that it has paid Harmonix "sufficient" royalties.
Activision has announced that the Guitar Hero franchise has officially earned one billion dollars. Furthermore, the franchise has achieved this feat in just over two years -- 26 months to be exact -- selling in excess of 14 million units across the many iterations of the series. Activision adds that Guitar Hero III was the number one title of 2007 and that it has become "the best-selling video game of all time in a single calendar year." So, we're guessing it sold a lot of copies. Finally, 5 million songs have been downloaded for the game, which ain't too shabby (just ask the Rock Band folks). Somehow, we get the feeling that Activision is happy they bought Red Octane.
It's sort of like the perennial Rubik's Cube gag. You see some guy fiddling with the famous puzzle toy, saying something like "these things are impossible; nobody could solve this." At that moment, a plucky young tyke will come along, pick up the toy, and solve it within seconds. Now apply said gag to Guitar Hero III and the song "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce ... on Expert. Watch the video above and see 9-year-old Ben crush every ounce of Guitar Hero pride you ever had. Gasp in terror as the boy even has enough time to glance away from the screen in order to smile at the camera. In the end, he winds up landing 95% of the notes and earning a score of over 750,000 points.
Now, if you'll excuse us, we're going to weep softly in the corner for a few hours.
The holiday Guitar Hero III content announced earlier this month is now available on Marketplace, and guess what? One of the tracks is free. There is one track pack from Warner/Reprise that will run you 500 MS Points. There are also three single tracks available for 200 points each. The one free track is a rock rendition of "We Three Kings," which Joystiq seems to enjoy. Behold the complete track list below.
The Warner/Reprise Track Pack (master recordings)
"Pretty Handsome Awkward" by The Used
"Sleeping Giant" by Mastadon
"No More Sorrow" by Linkin Park
Single song downloads
"So Payaso" by Extremoduro
"Antisocial" by Trust
"Ernten Was Wir Säen" by Die Fantastischen Vier
Free holiday track
"We Three Kings" by Steve Ouimette
Anyone going to grab any of these?
[Via Joystq. Thanks, Dan \"DeadPlasmaCell\" Garcia]
We're a bit late getting to this, but we would be remiss if we didn't mention that Stootsi.com is selling the Xbox 360 Guitar Hero III bundle for a dirt cheap $79.99. Now, before you head over there and place your order, you should know that this is an "open box" item, which means it could be a returned item, demo unit, or simply one that has been opened. Stootsi does say that you will get all the appropriate parts (wireless guitar, strap, game, and sticker sheet) along with a 14 day warranty, so it's probably a safe bet. Of course, the fact that it's $20 cheaper than the retail price doesn't hurt either. If you'd like to get in on this deal, you'd better hurry, as the bundle is only available for this price for 24 hours (we're honestly not sure how much time you have left). If you've used Stootsi before, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
They call him Johnny Rotten for a reason folks, and it's not because he's all sweet and cuddly. Far from it actually, as he recently took the opportunity to bite the hand that feeds him at a UK Guitar Hero III launch event ... in a manner of speaking. During the event, Rotten went on record saying that he received the offer to be featured in Guitar Hero III, took it home and played it, and "loved" it. The intriguing part is why he loved it: "it weren't teaching you how to be a rock star, it was teaching you how not to be a rock star." He elaborated that the game taught gamers, "how not to be an asshole in your life, and how not to seek fame and fortune, because the whole f*cking thing's a joke." He then expressed his disappointment that Virgin records was unable to recover the Sex Pistols' master recordings, requiring the group to spend their advance payment to re-record the tracks. Rotten spent the rest of the event rambling back and forth about England, soccer, politics, and even his theological beliefs. It really was a bizarre moment in gaming history, one that the UK Official Xbox Magazine blessedly caught on video (taking care to censor Rotten's rotten language while they were at it). Watch the whole thing if you so desire (warning: it's long). If nothing else, you can amuse yourself with the swear counter placed at the bottom by the cheeky folks at OXM.
Odd as it may sound, there's new Guitar Hero II (yes, GHII) content on the Marketplace today and we guess we're going indie. The GHII "Indie Label Pack" features three songs for 500 Microsoft points including "State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphys, "You Should Be Ashamed of Myself" by The Bled and "Memories of the Grove" by Maylene & The Sons of Disaster. Again, this is new content for GHII and not GHIII which makes our head quirk to the side a bit, but we guess that's some hardcore product support. Or maybe the powers that be just want to milk us for every last dime we have. That has to be it, those dirty milkers!
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 III
Read -- Sex Pistols join Guitar Hero III
Posted Sep 21st 2007 12:15PM by Dustin Burg
Filed under: News
The capitalistic executives over at Interscope Records just announced plans for a Guitar Hero III soundtrack that will include not only music from the game, but also a code to download three additional songs for the game.
The GH III soundtrack is set to release on October 30th just two days after GH III jams into stores, and will come packaged with a code that will be redeemable via the XBLM. The code will unlock three downloadable in-game songs including "Carcinogen Crush" by AFI, "Tina" by Flyleaf and a remixed version of Marilyn Manson's "Putting Holes in Happiness" performed by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner. Here's to hoping that Interscope doesn't tack on an additional $6.25 to the cost of the soundtrack, because of the three in-game tracks. We all know howexpensivesuchcontentcanbe.
We're a bit late getting to this, but we would be remiss if we didn't mention that Stootsi.com is selling the Xbox 360 
Odd as it may sound, there's new Guitar Hero II (yes, GHII) content on the Marketplace today and we guess we're going indie. The GHII "Indie Label Pack" features three songs for 500 Microsoft points including "State of Massachusetts" by Dropkick Murphys, "You Should Be Ashamed of Myself" by The Bled and "Memories of the Grove" by Maylene & The Sons of Disaster. Again, this is new content for GHII and not GHIII which makes our head quirk to the side a bit, but we guess that's some hardcore product support. Or maybe the powers that be just want to milk us for every last dime we have. That has to be it, those dirty milkers!
The capitalistic executives over at Interscope Records just announced plans for a Guitar Hero III soundtrack that will include not only music from the game, but also a code to download three additional songs for the game.
