GamesRadar - Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

30 percent of Guitar Hero players are girls (News)

Oct 27, 2009

Activision's goal is to expand the franchise to attract new players with differing tastes, but Guitar Hero CEO Dan Rosensweig is quick to note that the franchise already has a large female following.

Rock Band to Get Rob Zombie, Wolfmother, Morningwood, And More (News)

Oct 23, 2009

WorthPlaying writes, "Grammy Award-nominated American metal rocker and former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie adds to his Rock Band DLC catalog (currently "War Zone") with three new tracks for the Rock Band platform, including "Dragula" and "Superbeast," from his debut solo album, Hellbilly Deluxe, as well as "Burn," from his new album, Hellbilly Deluxe 2, to be released Nov. 17. Zombie also has a film currently playing in theaters – Halloween 2, which he wrote, directed and produced."

GameStop starts huge Guitar Hero, Rock Band sale (News)

Jul 7, 2009

Ben Kuchera of ArsTechnica writes:

"The great thing about Guitar Hero and Rock Band packages is that they come in OMG-XBOX-HUGE packages. Why is that a great thing? Because boxes that big cost retailers money to store, which means that, with new rhythm games coming by the end of the year, it costs more to keep them around than it does to sell them at a huge discount. That means it's time to blast out existing inventory at OMG-GAMEBOY-MICRO prices. Let's take a look at what you can grab.

You have the name of the game, the system, the old price, and the price that the bundle is on sale for. If you don't have the game, or if you just need to pick up a few instruments to have as extras, this is a great time to do so."

Jack White and Jimmy Page diss 'Guitar Hero' video game (News)

Jun 23, 2009

Both Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Jack White (The White Stripes) spoke last week at a press conference in Los Angeles detailing their forthcoming 'It Might Get Loud' documentary, according to NME.

When asked for their thoughts on the popular video game music genre, the band members didn't exactly have any kind words to say.

"It's depressing to have a label come and tell you that ['Guitar Hero'] is how kids are learning about music and experiencing music," Jack White said. Though he said he doesn't care "which format people should get their music in…if you have to be in a video game to get in front of them, that's a little sad."

Gamestop.com Music Blowout Sale (News)

Jun 9, 2009

Gamestop.com is running a huge blowout sale for many different bundles of Rock Band, Rock Band 2 SE, and Guitar Hero.

Music games off 36% this year, EA expects Rock Band sales down $400 million (News)

May 6, 2009

Buried in today's Elecrtonic Arts earnings call was this amazing revelation from COO John Pleasants: Revenue for music/rhythm games was down 36% during the first quarter of the year and 42% in March, per NPD. As a result, EA has cut the gross sales revenue it expects from its EA Partner division, which distributes "Rock Band" for Viacom.

That's a huge decline. And keep in mind that there weren't any major music game releases during the first quarter of last year, while 2009 saw "Guitar Hero: Metallica" (albeit at the very end of March). As we started to see in late 2008, sales of "Rock Band 2" and "Guitar Hero: World Tour" must be down massively from the original "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero III."

And while EA CEO John Riccitiello said he feels "really bullish" about "Rock Band: Beatles Edition," the fact that the company is expecting $400 million less in sales indicates just how big an impact continued sales of "Rock Band" through last year mattered, and how far "Rock Band 2" is lagging.

Prince Talks About Guitar Hero, Turned Down an Offer to be in the Game (News)

May 1, 2009

Slashgamer: "Prince is considered to be one of the greatest musicians of our time. Honestly, even if for some reason you can't stand him, it's hard to argue his greatness, just look at his achievements. The artiest has won seven Grammy Awards, one Golden Globe and even an Academy Award for his work on Purple Rain.

Even with his legendary work, comes controversy. Without me getting to much into it, just go to his Wikipedia page and look under 'controversy.' With that said, PBS asked Prince on his thoughts about Guitar Hero. Although he didn't necessarily criticizes the rhythm game, he just doesn't think it should be a substitute for playing an actual guitar."

Gibson Loses Guitar Hero Lawsuit (News)

Mar 2, 2009

A California court has thrown out a lawsuit filed by legendary guitar maker Gibson against Activision for allegedly violating a patent with their Guitar Hero games.

Former Sega of America President Bernard Stolar lands new job at Vivo Products (News)

Feb 17, 2009

Consumer electronics manufacturer Vivo Products has announced a couple of changes in their corporate lineup today. Bernard Stolar has been appointed to Chairman of the Board and Kelli Richards assumes the role of VP Business Development&Content Partnerships.

Vivo currently boasts three products including a Jillian Michaels Flash Drive, Gene Simmons Axe, and the Vivo Video player. The famous Axe guitar from the legendary front man of KISS, Gene Simmons is forever immortalized in plastic by Vivo for use in Rock Band and Guitar Hero games on the Playstation 2 and Playstation 3 consoles. Jillian Michaels has her likeness on 2gb flash drives that are a compliment her Fitness Ultimatum Nintendo Wii game. The Vivo Video is touted as "the ultimate all-in-one mp3 and mp4 player".

School of Rock: Guitar Hero & Rock Band Summer Camps Announced (News)

Feb 7, 2009

Power Chord Academy, the nation's leading summer camp for amateur musician training, is excited to announce the addition of two new Summer programs!

GameROCKERS is an exclusive 3-day cutting edge game-musician program for the new age of musicians who play Guitar Hero or Rock Band. iROCKER is a 1-day version of the GameROCKERS program.

Oasis: "Playing a guitar is not a f***ing videogame" (News)

Jan 27, 2009

Oasis lead guitarist and songwriter Noel Gallagher has his knickers all up in a bunch about Guitar Hero, scoffing at the idea of the game and exclaiming that "playing a guitar is not a f**king videogame."

"Don't look back in anger." Yeah, right. Oasis lead dude Noel Gallagher, who, ironically enough, penned that song which was featured prominently in Rock Band, has looked back at what he sees in the music gaming landscape, and well, he's kinda angry. "When I meet kids I always say to them that playing a guitar is not a f**king videogame, there is no level to get to," he said. "You'll never master it and you'll never complete the game."

Forbes writer responds to Rockband comment, still thinks it is a 'knockoff' (News)

Jan 23, 2009

Thatgamingsite writes: "Forbes Writer, Peter C. Beller has responded to criticisms made after calling music game 'Rockband' a shameless knockoff in comparison to Guitar Hero. Althought it looks like he's sticking to his guns on this one."

Fender: Survey Shows Music Games Drive Students To Play Real Instruments (News)

Jan 15, 2009

Today Fender and Little Kids Rock, a non-profit music education organization, announced that an informal survey they conducted in November 2008 revealed that music games like "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero" actually do inspire students to play real instruments. The survey polled 812 music instructors and said that enrollment in music programs has increased in the past year.

PS3 and Guitar Hero underwear being sold in Germany (News)

Dec 27, 2008

PS3-Sense writes "German shops are selling something we never saw, its underwear themed in the PlayStation 3 controller or Guitar Hero." Pictures after the jump!

Guns N' Roses star slams Guitar Hero (News)

Dec 18, 2008

MVC Reports "Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose has slammed Activision and its Guitar Hero series for using his band's songs without permission."

Defending the Plastic Guitar! (News)

Dec 5, 2008

That Gaming Site Writes: "I play real Guitar and Guitar Hero.

Being a fan of both, I've been subject to numerous arguments over and over about how playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band is a waste of time and that 'nerds' should try picking up a real instrument and do something productive for a change. It was in this week's edition of NME (a British Indie Music Publication) that brought me this comment, in an article that........"

Gene Simmons AXE Controller Launches (News)

Dec 4, 2008

...Gene Simmons has a lot to say about it.

"I never do anything half way. My AXE controller is the closest thing you can have to being onstage in KISS. I created and designed the Gene Simmons AXE bass guitar and I can't wait for the fans to experience it for themselves," said Gene Simmons. "The Gene Simmons AXE guitar is such a recognizable symbol - people have been asking for a gaming replica ever since Guitar Hero was first introduced."

Gene Simmons Axe Guitar For Rock Band And Guitar Hero (News)

Dec 3, 2008

dailygamesnews.com - Gene Simmons and the Interactive Game Group have come together to offer gamers the chance to play their very own 'Axe Guitar' in Guitar Hero, or Rock Band.

Red Octane Starts Black Friday Early (News)

Nov 26, 2008

Red Octane is kicking off Black Friday a few days early with several amazing deals on older Guitar Hero products, which make perfect gifts for your friends and family who don't know any better.

The deals are mainly PlayStation 2 oriented, with Guitar Hero III wired bundles going for only $29.99 and the wireless bundle only $10 more. Along with the PS2 deals there's a PS3 bundle of GHIII for only $39.99, and a two pack of Guitar Hero On Tour for the DS ringing up at $69.98. I suppose you could call it a clearance sale, but that would ruin the spirit of the holidays.

Make sure you use the code BF2008 for the wired bundles and BF2K* for everything else, or you bargain hunting will have been for naught.

Guitar Hero Robot Plays Videogame With Electronic Precision (News)

Nov 23, 2008

Guitar Hero kicking your butt after one too many beers? Maybe it's time to automate your gameplay - with a robot guitar god, the Cythbot.

The Cythbot combines a camera with a vision processing system and pneumatic fingers to create a robot that can play the popular Guitar Hero videogame by itself.

Nickelback slam Guitar Hero (News)

Nov 20, 2008

MCV: 'Rock Star' combo blame rhythm action titles for lack of new US bands

Activision Gives Guitar Hero to the Troops (News)

Nov 7, 2008

SnagWire: A partnership has been announced between Activision and the United Service Organizations, the group that provides American entertainment to troops stationed overseas.

The video game publisher plans to ship over $100,000 worth of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock game discs and peripherals to USO lounges around the world.

Tongues out for the Kiss Guitar Hero controller (News)

Oct 29, 2008

"Want something that looks just that little bit more authentic when you're playing Guitar Hero?

How about a three-quarter replica of Gene Simmons' guitar from Kiss?

Yes folks. You too can paint your face black and white and strut around the living room with your unfeasibly long tongue hanging out as you get to grips with the latest Guitar Hero game..."

Excerpt quoted from PS3 Attitude

Logitech Answers Guitar Questions of Cross-Game Compatibility and Other Platforms (News)

Oct 25, 2008

Yesterday, Logitech revealed its new $250 wireless guitar controller for Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. However, there were some questions about whether or not the peripheral would see a release for the Wii or Xbox 360, or if it would work with other non-Guitar Hero branded games. And now, those questions no longer remain unanswered.

Girl guitars for Guitar Hero and Rock Band shown off by Aly & AJ (News)

Sep 25, 2008

Aly & AJ are getting their own Guitar Hero and Rock Band girly guitars. The guitar peripherals will be available in mid-October 2008 for Wii & PS2 and will cost $69.99.

Activision pooh-poohs Rock Band's Success (News)

Sep 19, 2008

Ever since Sunday, Rock Band 2 has been the talk of the town. Xbox 360 owners have been digging deep into the game's new set list, as well as the online battle of the bands, instrument challenges, and revamped World Tour mode. You'd think that maybe we've all started to forget about a little franchise known as Guitar Hero, but according to Activision CEO Bobby Kotick, you'd be wrong. He would like to take a moment to remind you that Guitar Hero is still the world's number one music franchise.

'Guitar Hero' movie isn't happening...yet (News)

Sep 17, 2008

Director Brett Ratner has been plenty vocal about wanting to develop a movie based on the game Guitar Hero. But Activision, the company that owns the franchise, isn't going for it. "I'd really like to do it, but they're not letting me," he tells EW.com. "I expressed my interest, but because it's such a success, it's like now there's no reason to make a movie about it."

Ratner is a big fan of the game, incorporating it into videos he's directed for Miley Cyrus and Mariah Carey, and he envisioned a story about a small-town kid who dreams of fame and wins a Guitar Hero competition. "The game is wish-fulfilling, everyone can be a rock star."

But despite the setback, Ratner is not giving up hope. "I might prevail," he says. "I usually do."

The Top 7... New franchises that already feel old (Feature)

Sep 8, 2008

Mario is a cultural phenomenon. Final Fantasy is epic. Resident Evil, Fallout, Diablo... all of these classic franchises will eventually be tossed away, but they won't be stamped with expiration dates anytime in the foreseeable future.

Other franchises started growing mold before they even left the grocery store shelves.

The somehow-less-inspired franchises may sell millions, contain lovable ...

Tired of list articles yet? (Feature)

Aug 19, 2008

GamesRadar is no stranger to the list article. Hell, we've posted at least one every week for nearly two years. They're fun to write, easy to read and get the job done in a fraction of the time it'd take you to barf all that information out in non-list form.

But some topics demand a more in-depth touch, and the idea-nauts at GR are more than capable of delivering wordy, researched material for those with enough time to digest it. ...

Peak Products Introduces Wooden Guitar Controller (News)

Aug 15, 2008

GiN Reports: "Peak Products, a gaming peripheral company dedicated to providing the best in instrument quality gaming controllers, announces Starpex, the first-ever full-size, wood, PS2 /PS3 Guitar controller with the look and feel of an actual guitar. Starpex boasts an instrument-quality, highgloss lacquered finish with a hardwood body, neck, and headstock handcrafted by a leading guitar manufacturer giving the authentic guitar experience that Guitar Hero and Rock Band enthusiasts crave."

Is gaming already the new music industry? (News)

Aug 8, 2008

From gameplayer: "the negotiating power of the games companies stem from their control over the track lists in their titles… The game publishers have the power. So, in a sense, they ARE the music industry."

'Guitar Hero' continues to play sweet music for Activision (News)

Aug 1, 2008

Activision Blizzard Inc. on Thursday reported that Activision Inc.'s first-quarter profits more than doubled on strong sales of the "Guitar Hero" franchise and the game based on the animated movie "Kung Fu Panda."

The first quarter ended before the closing of Activision's merger with Vivendi Games, creating Activision Blizzard.

In the quarter, Activision earned $59 million, or 18 cents a share, up from $27.8 million, or 9 cents a share, in the first quarter a year ago.

In the quarter, Activision logged $654.2 million in sales, up from $495.5 million a year ago.

Real Wood, Full-Size Guitar Controller for PlayStation Rock Band and Guitar Heroes (News)

Jul 31, 2008

Not content with the plastic miniature guitar you're forced to use when you pretend rock out? Well, if you're a PlayStation 2 or 3 owner with an extra $180 lying around, you can pick up this new wooden guitar that works with Rock Band and all of the Guitar Hero games.

Destructoid Exclusive: Rock Axe, the guitar controller to end 'em all (News)

Jul 14, 2008

Dick McVengeance of Destructoid says,

"Let's face it: the Guitar Hero controller is not the ideal item for the game. It'd be nice to hold a full-sized guitar in your hands. We've seen people build custom controllers and put them on eBay, but those were one-off deals, and usually rather expensive."

Even Hendrix plays Guitar Hero (News)

Jun 10, 2008

Music Radar writes: "Sadly, we'll never know if Jimi Hendrix would have been any good at Guitar Hero, but thanks to Activision, the game's developers, we now have a reasonable idea of what he'd have looked like wielding its dedicated controller.

To celebrate the fact that there will be two Guitar Hero performances on the main stage at this year's Isle of Wight Festival, Activision has re-branded the bronze statue of Hendrix that sits in the grounds of the island's Dimbola Lodge, turning Jimi's guitar into the aforementioned video game peripheral."

GTA Rules NPD All-Time U.S. Top 10 (News)

Jun 5, 2008

Next-Gen.Biz writes: "The NPD Group has revealed the top 10 selling games of all time in the U.S. market.

Forbes reported earlier this week NPD Group's up-to-date top ten U.S. videogame sales figures by units, revealing a list dominated by the Grand Theft Auto and Madden NFL franchises.

As seen below, GTA: San Andreas from 2004 is the top-selling game in the U.S. with 9.43 million units sold. The franchise shows up on the top 10 three times, while Madden appears four times.

Activision had two 2007 titles already break the top 10 (Guitar Hero III and Call of Duty 4), while EA had one 2007 title on the list in the form of Madden NFL 08."

MTV Multiplayer: Miley Cyrus Caught Smashing 'Guitar Hero' Instruments (News)

Jun 4, 2008

MTV Multiplayer writes: "Hollywood director Brett Ratner continues to plug the "Guitar Hero" series. Ratner has been spotted directing the latest music video for kid pop sensation Miley Cyrus.

In the video, she'll apparently be smashing instruments to express her anger. That includes the same guitar bundled with "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.". A Miley Cyrus fansite has an extensive series of pictures from the video shoot, including the "Guitar Hero" smash."

Guitar Hero: Metallica is real! (News)

Jun 3, 2008

Guitar Hero: World Tour, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: On Tour... could Activision possibly milk its peripheral rock series any more this year? Well yes, because it looks like there'll be a fourth game out within the next 12 months too.

Following in the same vein as the Aerosmith spin off - which lets you play through the career of the Walk this Way rockers - Guitar Hero: Metallica has also been spotted, and will be out on ...

One Guitar To Rule Them All (News)

Jun 2, 2008

Playing both Guitar Hero and Rock Band isn't much of an option for many of us living in cramped quarters, but Ant Commandos has just announced the first guitar that can support both games on multiple platforms. Their Double Range Guitar plays PS2 and PS3 versions of both Guitar Hero (I, II and III) and Rock Band.

Rock Acts Ringing Up Sales Via Video Games (News)

May 26, 2008

Games like "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero III" have proved their ability to breathe new life into classic rock sales. But can they do the same for new music?

Last month, Motley Crue decided to find out. The band placed its new single, the title track from "Saints of Los Angeles," for sale as a downloadable track on "Rock Band" well in advance of the album's release date, which has been pushed back to June 24. The only other place to obtain the track was iTunes.

According to data provided by the band's management, Tenth Street Entertainment, the track was downloaded more than 47,000 times via the Xbox 360 version of the game alone in the first week after it became available.

By comparison, the same track received slightly more than 10,000 downloads via digital services like iTunes and Amazon, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Amazon Liquidating GH3 bundles for PS3/360/Wii, only $59.99 with free shipping, PS2 $49.99 (News)

May 21, 2008

Amazon is liquidating their stock of Guitar Hero 3 on Playstation 3 / Xbox 360 / Nintendo Wii by slashing $40 off ($30 for the Wii) the MSRP resulting in a new price of $59.99 with free shipping, a great deal since it MSRP's at $99.99 ($89.99 for the Wii). Hurry the promotion ends soon, it's a great gift for a hell of a good price. The PS2 version is available for $49.99, also on sale.

Dallas Mayor Leppert jams at Blockbuster charity event (News)

May 17, 2008

Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert played a bit of the Pat Benatar anthem, Hit Me With Your Best Shot at a charity Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock marathon today in Dallas. The event is sponsored by Blockbuster and benefits Education is Freedom, a local nonprofit which is part of Mayor Leppert's Igniting Opportunity for the Children of Dallas Campaign.

Guitar Hero IV peripheral additions include microphone (News)

Apr 22, 2008

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick has said that Guitar Hero IV will be receiving extra peripherals, including a microphone. Kotick commented on the future of the franchise in an interview with Conde Nast Portfolio magazine (according to IGN). He also mentioned that the next instalment will let players strum along with bands local to their area. ...

The Ant Commandos announce new music gear (News)

Apr 15, 2008

As games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero continue to gobble up market and mind share, it's a safe bet gamers are going to continue to see more manufacturers trying to one-up the originals with their own take on the fake instruments. To that end, longtime guitar crafter The Ant Commandos is back with a new line-up of gear coming this spring.

First are two new wireless products, The Widow Maker Wireless Bass Guitar and The Double Range Guitar, compatible with Rock Band and Guitar Hero 1, 2 and 3 for the PS2 and PS3.

'Guitar Hero perverted my song', says musician (News)

Apr 8, 2008

Charlie Daniels, the writer and musician responsible for 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia,' has hit out against Guitar Hero 3 for perverting the meaning of his music. "[The song] is supposed to be a lighthearted novelty about a fiddling contest between a country boy and the devil and the devil always loses," Daniels posted on his personal website. ...

Gibson and Activision Issue Statements in Relation to Wal-Mart and Others Guitar Hero Lawsuits (News)

Mar 22, 2008

Gibson Guitar are suing both Wal-Mart and other major consumer retailers in relation to them selling Activision's Guitar Hero series of games. It should getting very interesting, but in the meantime the parties have each issued press releases.

Activision: Gibson Patent Claims 'Disingenuous' (News)

Mar 20, 2008

Activision has released a statement in response to Gibson Guitar's claims that the publisher's popular Guitar Hero series of games infringe upon one of its patents.

Activision said in a statement released on Thursday, "Gibson's lawsuit is a transparent end run around an impartial court that Activision asked on March 11 to rule on patent assertions that Gibson knows have no merit."

"Our Guitar Hero retailing partners have done nothing wrong. We will confront this and any other efforts by Gibson to wrongfully interfere with Activision's relationship with its customers and its consumers."

Beatles Edition of Guitar Hero on its way? (News)

Mar 18, 2008

Martin Bandier, a top executive at the music publishing company that owns the Lennon-McCartney song writing copyrights, has said he'd be interested in a dedicated edition of Guitar Hero for the Beatles."It's something we have talked about and something I'd like to pursue," said Bandier to the Los Angeles Times.Traditionally, the rights to cover Beatles tracks have been notoriously hard to obtain, but copyright owner Sony/ATV Music ...

The Dallas Mavericks Launch 'Guitar Hero Challenge' (News)

Mar 17, 2008

On Thursday, March 20th, the Dallas Mavericks will launch the Guitar Hero Challenge where aficionados will have the chance to show off their skills on the AT&T Plaza outside the South Entrance of American Airlines Center. The grand prize, the chance to play Guitar Hero during a quarter break at a First Round Playoff game, two-tickets to the game, an autographed Mavs Authentic jersey.

Now Guitar Hero is accused of patent enfringement (News)

Mar 12, 2008

Reuters reports:
Guitar manufacturer Gibson says Activision property violates copyright over music simulation software

Just hours after it transpired that developer Harmonix had filed and then withdrawn a lawsuit against Activision over alleged unpaid royalties, Reuters reports that guitar firm Gibson has made a move to sue the Guitar Hero publsher for patent enfringement.

The manufacturer said that Guitar Hero, which was published by Red Octane and developed by Harmonix until Activision acquired the former in 2006, violated a patent over 'technology for simulating a musical performance'.

Gibson made the complaint in a letter sent to the publisher in January - Activision has already fired back, said Reuters, asking the U.S. District Court for Central California to declare Gibson's patent invalid and bar it from seeking any damages.

However, Gibson and Activision have worked together before, with officially licenced Guitar Hero controllers modelled on the guitar firm's products.

First Day Sales Of PS3 Exclusive Yakuza 3 (News)

Mar 7, 2008

First Day Sales : The numbers in () shows the shipments info.

Yakuza 3 (PS3) : about 113k

Metroid Prime 3 (Wii) : about 20k

Everybody's Common Sense TV (Wii) : about 5.0k (about 60~70k?)

Guitar Hero 3 (PS3, PS2) : about 3k

Family Jockey (Wii) : about 2.5k

Activision Announces Batteries for Guitar Hero III (News)

Feb 26, 2008

Activision has announced the batteries for the Guitars for Guitar Hero III. The Batteries are for the Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and Xbox 360 guitars they will cost about 14.99 each and they will be charge by USB. They will hit stores on February 29.

Gaming's greatest Fatties (Feature)

Feb 22, 2008

Just in time for Black History Month, GamesRadar is proud to present a completely unrelated article about fat people. Chubbies are everywhere these days. Your next door neighbor could be a fatty. More than likely, your mom is one, too. Oh, Snap! ...

Video game events draw teens back to libraries (News)

Feb 17, 2008

Saying they're going to the library may no longer be the standby excuse teens offer their parents for secretly heading out to a party or to hang out with friends.

These days, more and more young people are flocking to metro Detroit libraries: not necessarily for homework, but to participate in one of their favorite pastimes -- video games.

Hage has stocked the shelves with 1,823 games for PlayStations 2 and 3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360 and other systems. And the free sources of entertainment are hot items among adolescents -- on any given day, 1,300 are checked out. The addition of the games largely contributed to the library's 12% spike in circulation last year, she said.

The Rochester Hills library (in Michigan) increasingly draws kids in with gaming events, like the one held Feb. 9.

And it's not just happening in Rochester Hills.

Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 Coming to North America March 11 (News)

Feb 12, 2008

IGN reports: "Dust off the old axe and brush up on those hot licks! Guinness World Record's will be holding an international Guitar Hero Relay Marathon between the UK, France, US, Canada, South Africa and Australia to celebrate the release of the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. Any and all Guitar Heroes are welcome to participate, dress as their their favorite Guitar Hero, and shred in this historic record attempt! For more information, or if you'd like to submit a record to break, please visit guinnessworldrecords.com.

Although Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008 hit store shelves last week in Europe, it won't be released in North America until March 11th".

Music Downloads: More Total for Guitar Hero 3, But More Per Capita for Rock Band (News)

Feb 8, 2008

Ben Fritz of Variety writes: "On the earnings call, Publishing President Mike Griffith said Activision has sold over five million song downloads for "Guitar Hero 3" on Xbox Live since the game launched. Recall that "Rock Band" has sold 2.5 million.

Of course, given that EA/MTV have sold 1.5 million copies of "Rock Band" in the U.S., compared to 6.5 million for "Guitar Hero 3," it appears that on a per capita basis, it's advantage: "Rock Band."

(One caveat: the vast majority of "Rock Band" units were for PS3 and 360, while many copies of "Guitar Hero III" were PS2 and Wii, which don't offer downloadable content. And Activision didn't include PS3 stats, for whatever reason. It's not clear how close the margin is just in terms of 360 owners.)"

Video games boost music download sales (News)

Jan 28, 2008

According to Nielsen SoundScan data, songs saw digital download sales spikes of 31 per cent, 39 per cent and 48 per cent, respectively, for the month after they were featured as a Rock Band download, over the previous month.

American Chart for Week Ending 19th January 2008 (News)

Jan 24, 2008

VGChartz is reporting for Week Ending 19th January 2008, the American Chart was as follows:

Hardware Total:

DS: 161,736 (+36%)
360: 70,769 (-16%)
PSP: 67,102 (-6%)
PS2: 59,473 (-2%)
Wii: 55,141 (-4%)
PS3: 47,536 (-10%)

Total Software:

360: 805,220
Wii: 722,008
DSL: 596,161
PS2: 531,297
PS3: 347,921
PSP: 217,08

Top 10 Software:

1. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 82,379 2,896,309
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare(360) 71,689 3,046,068
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) 68,551 2,766,635
4. Assassins Creed(360) 58,031 2,064,721
5. Wii Sports (Wii) 55,141 8,651,583
6. Halo 3 (360) 50,074 5,182,309
7. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (360) 47,488 1,779,871
8. Mario Party DS (DS) 43,143 673,196
9. Wii Play (Wii)40,862 4,485,905
10. More Brain Training (DS) 36,406 1,552,208

The Healing Power of Guitar Hero (News)

Jan 23, 2008

While the Nintendo Wii continues to garner headlines for its many alternative uses, occupational therapists at the Select Specialty Hospital in Fort Wayne, Indiana are investigating the potential of Guitar Hero in physical rehabilitation.

Certified occupational therapy assistant Kelly Colwell first noted the healing potential of Guitar Hero while working with a patient who had injured his elbow and lost range of motion in his arm.

Guitar Hero breaks $1 billion (News)

Jan 22, 2008

Activision said Monday the Guitar Hero franchise has generated sales of $1 billion in North American retail - and that doesn't include song download revenue. The franchise has sold over 14 million units in North America, Activision said, citing NPD Group data. The latest franchise installment, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, grabbed the top spot in North American videogame software unit and dollar sales for 2007. Since Guitar Hero III's launch, gamers have downloaded 5 million songs, which ...

Guitar Hero Goes $1 Billion (News)

Jan 21, 2008

Mon Jan 21 2008, by Mark Wilson

Around 26 months ago, Guitar Hero was an instant cult classic. Today, it's officially a $1 billion franchise. Apparently this milestone comes in video game record time. In addition, since the launch of Guitar Hero III, users have downloaded five million songs. If so, that total is double the figure that Rock Band has released.

Kotaku posted Activision's official announcement.

Activision reporting substantial growth (News)

Jan 20, 2008

Activision has announced that according to data from the NPD Group, the company's market share in calendar year 2007 was 17.7% - a 7.2% increase over the same period last year - which in fact makes them 2007's number one publisher in the US.

Activision Support Exposes Email Addresses Of Guitar Hero Owners (News)

Jan 19, 2008

Kotaku reports that upset gamers who had their personal e-mails exposed to the hundreds, possibly thousands, of recipients of a customer service update from Activision on Guitar Hero III issues.

In just one of the e-mails that was forwarded to us, an impressive 860 recipient e-mail addresses were listed in the mail's 'To' field, ensuring that all who received updates on their replacement discs for the Wii version of Guitar Hero III had access to the e-mail addresses of the rest.

That's potentially bad news for consumers, who may have had their personal e-mail information sent to others, opening them up to heavy spamming. It may also be bad news for Activision, as the e-mail blasts may violate the company's online Privacy Policy.

RedOctane Wants Real Guitar Heroes (News)

Jan 17, 2008

Videogames are often put at odds with certain forms of productivity, such as learning a musical instrument. But performance simulators such as Guitar Hero have proven to be an entryway into real-world musicianship.

To help support a growing interest in guitar study, RedOctane and NAMM announced a partnership at the annual NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif. that will link Guitar Hero III to NAMM's "Wanna Play" campaign. This new facet of the public awareness campaign focuses on bridging the gap between virtual and real-life musicianship.

Analyst's 2008 Best Seller List (News)

Jan 12, 2008

Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey picks what he believes will be the biggest sellers of 2008.

Nyko will make Rock Band, GH III compatible guitar (News)

Jan 9, 2008

Just weeks ago, it felt as if the stalemate between Activision and Harmonix would never end. Both companies blamed the other for the lack of compatibility between guitar peripherals for Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. Thankfully, Nyko has come to save the day as it recently announced that it would develop a guitar that's compatible with both games.

Guitar Hero - Guitar Hero Air Guitar Rocker 01-09-08 (Video)

Jan 9, 2008

The rocking finger-twitcher with the best peripheral in the business returns for a third act.

Introducing The MTV Rhythm Game Track Finder (News)

Jan 9, 2008

In 2008, the team at MTV Games are proud to present to you the MTV Rhythm Game Track Finder, your beacon in the confusing swirl of rhythm games.

The regularly updated database will allow you to search any artist and any song to find out which rhythm games it is in and to compare song lists for any major music-based video game.

The database currently indexes song lists for more than two dozen rhythm games, including a range of SingStars, Guitar Heroes, Dance Dance Revolutions, Rock Band, and lesser-known favorites such as FreQuency, Elite Beat Agents and the Donkey Konga series.

CES 2008: Nyko Solves Rock Band's PS3 Woes (News)

Jan 9, 2008

1UP has been closely following the ridiculous back-and-forth between Rock Band and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in achieving true cross-compatibility between the peripherals released for each. Unfortunately, the recent introduction of lawyers into the mix means gamers may not see an easy solution anytime soon, but at CES 2008, Nyko unveiled their own brand of solution that could make life easier for rockers on PlayStation 3.

Rumor: Guitar Hero - U2 Edition (News)

Jan 7, 2008

Orlando Sentinel "Control Freak" blogger Mark Reule has an opinion about the next installment of Guitar Hero.

He Writes

"After reading through February's EGM, I noticed a little tidbit about a rumored Guitar Hero sequel featuring a band that "rocks in mysterious ways". Give up?

Think 1991. Think Achtung Baby. It can only be U2."

MSNBC announces the best video games of 2007 (News)

Jan 2, 2008

Jan. 2, 2008 -- MSNBC tallied in their Game of the Year readers' votes between December 19 and 27. "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" garnered 33 percent of the over 17,000 votes and is MSNBC Readers' Game of the Year. The runner-up was "Bioshock" at 22 percent of the votes. The second runner-up was "Mass Effect" at 10 percent.

Here are MSNBC readers' picks for the best in each genre:

Â¿ Best sports game: Madden NFL '08
Â¿ Best racing game: Project Gotham Racing 4
Â¿ Best casual game: Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Â¿ Best family game: LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Â¿ Best music game: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Â¿ Best handheld game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Â¿ Best role-playing game: Mass Effect
Â¿ Best action/adventure game: Bioshock
Â¿ Best shooter: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

View the full report for the runners-up in each category.

ActionTrip's 2007 Game of the Year (News)

Dec 25, 2007

ActionTrip's 2007 Game of the Year voting poll registered 10673 participants. 1809 registered users voted for Call of Duty 4, 1279 for Halo 3, 1192 for Assassin's Creed, 837 for "None of the Above", 716 for BioShock, 710 for Crysis, 627 for The Orange Box, and so on. The rest of the results can be viewed in ActionTrip's voting poll section.

Â¿ People's Choice: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Â¿ Runners-up: Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Crysis, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box

Â¿ Game of the Year (ActionTrip Staff): Portal
Â¿ Runners-up: Mass Effect, Halo 3, BioShock, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, The Witcher

Â¿ Best Action Game: Halo 3
Â¿ Runners-up: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2: The Orange Box, God of War II, BioShock, Crysis

Â¿ Best Strategy Game: World in Conflict
Â¿ Runners-up: Supreme Commander, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Â¿ Best RPG: Mass Effect
Â¿ Runners-up: The Witcher, Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer

Â¿ Best Sports Game: FIFA 08
Â¿ Runners-up: SSX Blur, NHL 08, Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008

Â¿ Best MMOG: World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
Â¿ Runners-up: Tabula Rasa, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar

Â¿ Best Rhythm/Music Game: Rock Band
Â¿ Runners-up: Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Â¿ Babe of the Year: Joanna Krupa

Vote at MSNBC: Which game deserves the crown in 2007? (News)

Dec 21, 2007

MSNBC video game section has been polling gamers about their favorite games in a number of categories, trying to narrow down the search for the Game of the Year.

On Thursday the site put up the poll to decide which of the finalists, culled from the best of each genre, should be named the game of the year.

The finalists are:
Â¿ Madden NFL 08
Â¿ Project Gotham Racing 4
Â¿ Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Â¿ LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
Â¿ Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Â¿ The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Â¿ Mass Effect
Â¿ Bioshock
Â¿ Call of Duty 4

At the time of this writing Call of Duty 4 was leading with 31 percent of the vote. BioShock was close behind with 22 percent and Mass Effect was in a distant third with 8.6 percent.

[ Words: Kotaku's Brian Crecente ]

PriceGrabber Study Shows 55% of Shoppers Prefer Low-Cost Consoles (News)

Dec 18, 2007

Dec. 18, 2007 - A PriceGrabber.com survey of 3,309 online shoppers conducted in early December reports that:

Â¿ The number of consumers interested in video games and consoles continues to rise, with 64 percent of respondents planning to purchase a gaming equipment in the next year.

Â¿ 71 percent of online shoppers plan to spend more than $50 on gaming.

Â¿ 55 percent favor consoles in the $100 to $300 range.

Â¿ Game selection is the most important attribute when choosing a gaming system.

Â¿ 31 percent favor the Nintendo Wii, saying it offers the best games.

Â¿ Non-violent games have gained in appeal, with 29 percent rating animated/child-friendly games as their preferred genre.

American Sales Charts: Xbox 360 Outsold PS3 at 5:3 ratio (News)

Dec 6, 2007

Latest American sales from VGcharts.

1 Wii Sports - Nintendo 325,483
2 Forza Motorsport 2 - Microsoft 208,037
3 Marvel: Ultimate Alliance - Activision 201,476
4 Super Mario Galaxy - Nintendo 188,325
5 Mass Effect - Microsoft 113,856
6 Wii Play - Nintendo 112,724
7 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Activision 106,583
8 Assassins Creed - Ubisoft 102,501
9 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Activision 92,441
10 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock - Activision 81,408

DS 458,050
Wii 325,483
360 250,648
PS2 161,513
PSP 160,848
PS3 155,515
GBA 32,268
GC 2,545

GameFly: Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect Unshakeable (News)

Dec 4, 2007

This week's top rental charts from U.S. game rental company GameFly, representing the most requested games for the week ending December 3rd, highlight both to-be-released and already released games in a unique demand-specific chart.

This week's top five all-platform requests show little movement once again, after last week saw the list barely ruffled. Assassin's Creed still takes the top spot for a third week with Mass Effect in second for its second week in a row.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which spent the last two weeks at number four, slips a bit to the fourth spot to make room for Kane and Lynch: Dead Men to move up one spot into the fourth spot, but that's the only movement -- Uncharted: Drake's Fortune stays at number five, where it entered last week.

Leaked: NIMF's Annual Video Game Report Card (News)

Dec 4, 2007

Kotaku's Brian Crecente has a leaked copy of the National Institute on Media and the Family's annual Media Wise Video Game Report Card, set to be officially released tomorrow. This year's report card is broken into five parts:

Â¿ The MediaWise Video Game Report Card
Â¿ The Buying Guide
Â¿ The ESRB Rating System and Ratings Education Efforts
Â¿ The Retailer Ratings Education and Enforcement Surveys
Â¿ Annual MediaWise-Harris Interactive Poll of Kids and Parents

Kotaku gives a quick summary for each part.

Is tomorrow's Clapton playing 'Guitar Hero'? (News)

Dec 1, 2007

Via CNet:

The immense popularity of the hit Guitar Hero franchise--the third iteration of the game, Guitar Hero III, brought in $115 million during its first week on the market--may be the best thing that has happened to the instrument, to rock 'n' roll, and to guitar instructors, in a long time.

"I have an overwhelming feeling that my business is safe for years to come when I see kids playing Guitar Hero," said Dan Emery, owner of New York City Guitar School. "These kids are really enjoying playing Guitar Hero, and they're really being turned on to old classic rock" via the game.

Guitar Hero Modder: Who Needs Rock Band? (News)

Dec 1, 2007

After injuring one of his fingers from playing too much Guitar Hero II, modder Egyokeo took it upon himself to rig up a MIDI drum kit to work with the game. If he wasn't going to be able to grip the fret his Xplorer until the aching digit fully healed, then he'd play guitarÂ¿with the drums. Hit the jump for some videos of the final product.

Music Role-Playing Games Popular Among Teens, Adults (News)

Nov 30, 2007

USInfo reports on the growing popularity of games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, particularly among musicians.

Johnny Rotten ignores Guitar Hero III, attacks journalists (News)

Nov 28, 2007

Xbox360 writes:

"Johnny Rotten's now infamous ranting at Guitar Hero III's launch party was captured on OXM's cameras and has now been uploaded on OXM.co.uk for all to see. After introducing himself by saying "[censored], it's rubbish, I hate the whole thing", the Sex Pistols singer then goes into the reason why he's there - to promote Guitar Hero III.

"I'll give it to you basic and honest," he says. "The offer came in and I took it home and I played it with a bunch of kids. What I like is it weren't teaching you how to be a rock star, it was teaching you how not to be a rock star..."

And that was the last thing said on the game, after explaining how the Sex Pistols re-recorded tracks (Anarchy In The UK and Pretty Vacant). For what followed was half-an-hour ranting about Tony Blair, screaming "I AM ENGLAND" and throwing microphone at journalists who he thought were "smug." Watch the whole video to see what we mean. And keep an eye on the swear counter too... ouch."

Guitar Hero To Sell 7.5 Million Units This Year, says Analyst (News)

Nov 27, 2007

Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter estimates that Activision's key music franchise will total around 7.5 million units sold this year, but will decline a bit next year because of Rock Band.

Activision raises outlook on record results (News)

Nov 27, 2007

Activision Inc has announced that it is raising its financial outlook for its fiscal third quarter, ending December 31, and for the financial year as a whole.

This is the result of better than expected revenues to date on its titles, which include Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

The statement released by the company revises the Q3 outlook up from USD 1.05 billion to USD 1.23 billion, with a diluted earnings per share moving from USD 0.51 to USD 0.66.

MTV's Rock Band takes on Guitar Hero - Big announcement coming (News)

Nov 27, 2007

MTV Games has taken its first major step into the console game arena with the launch of "Rock Band," with company executives touting the title as the integration of music and gaming on a whole new level.

"Our belief is that 'Rock Band' is not just a game," said Jeff Yapp, executive vice president of program enterprises at MTV Networks Music Group. "It's a new platform for which to engage with music, and that's what we're most excited about."

"We're pretty optimistic about what this game is going to do," Jeff Yapp said. "But our next big announcement, which is coming up fairly quickly, is a move to a whole other realm."

Guitar Hero III wireless guitar controllers in stores early 2008 (News)

Nov 26, 2007

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock lets fans thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform, including exclusive Gibson Guitar's Les Paul model for the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3. PlayStation2 gamers will also get to shred on an exclusive shape, Gibson's Kramer guitar, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics and construction for furious finger fretting.

Activision, Inc. today announced that standalone wireless guitar controllers will be available at retail stores nationwide by early 2008.

Guitar Hero III - Eight player: Behind the scenes - 11-23-07 (Video)

Nov 23, 2007

The rocking finger-twitcher with the best peripheral in the business returns for a third act.

Guitar Hero III - Eight player megamix - 11-23-07 (Video)

Nov 23, 2007

The rocking finger-twitcher with the best peripheral in the business returns for a third act.

Guitar Hero III: watch the GR eight player jam-off (Feature)

Nov 23, 2007

Nov 23, 2007 There was shouting, frayed tempers and a whole lot of hot consoles, but we pretty much pulled off the impossible – an eight player Guitar Hero face-off across all console disciplines. Four monitors, four machines, a mixing desk (yep), a tangled Gorgons nest of wires and eight players. You dont want to try this at home. It took a little organisation and a bit of technical head-scratching, but, as you can see from this backstage footage, the biggest problem was getting ...

Band Sue Harmonix, Red Octane Over Gutair Hero Cover (News)

Nov 21, 2007

Rock band The Romantics have filed suit against Harmonix, RedOctane and Wavegroup Sound for the cover version of "What I Like About You", included in Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, reports Billboard.

Activision Ranks #1 U.S. Console and Handheld Publisher for October, According to NPD (News)

Nov 19, 2007

Activision, Inc. was the #1 U.S. console and handheld publisher for the month of October, increasing its U.S. market share to a record 28.7%, according to The NPD Group. The company's performance was driven by the success of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, which was the #1 U.S. best-selling title across all platforms, despite only one week of sales during the month.

ArtGuitar and Peavey Make "Real" Guitar Hero Controllers (News)

Nov 17, 2007

Guitar Hero may be a great game, but it doesn't help the ego if you are thrashing with a little plastic toy in your hands. For the music loving gamers who love their guitars, ArtGuitar and Peavey are making 17 limited edition PS2 Guitar Hero controllers - with fantastic artwork and housed in a real high-quality Peavey guitar.

NPD: 2007 Sales So Far - Plus Top Sellers of the Year (News)

Nov 16, 2007

The best selling games in units sold, across all platforms, for the year are as follows, with more year-to-date sales data available at the source.

Â¿ Halo 3 - 3,700,000
Â¿ Madden NFL 08 - 3,200,000
Â¿ Guitar Hero II - 2,800,00
Â¿ Wii Play with Remote - 2,500,000
Â¿ Pokemon Diamond - 2,100,000
Â¿ Pokemon Pearl - 1,500,000
Â¿ Spider-Man 3 - 1,400,000
Â¿ Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock - 1,400,000

Guitar Hero, Tony Hawk Titles Join Massive Ad Network (News)

Nov 14, 2007

Activision and video game advertising network Massive, a subsidiary of Microsoft, have announced that Activision titles Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Tony Hawk's Proving Ground have been added to the Massive Network, allowing in-game advertising to be updated in real-time.

According to the companies, Massive ads served into Guitar Hero III will be "contextually relevant" to the rock venues in which players perform. As for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, the ads will be "tailored to real-world skating environments," offering marketers visibility in each title's specific demographics.

Guitar Hero III For Nintendo Wii Is Mono Sound Only? (News)

Nov 11, 2007

Reports have been flying across the web claiming that Guitar Hero III for the Nintendo Wii plays in mono sound only. If true, this could be a huge disaster for Activision and Nintendo. Guitar Hero III is supposed to support Dolby Pro Logic II quality sound.

Guitar Hero 3 rakes in $100M in a week (News)

Nov 5, 2007

The Guitar Hero franchise continues to produce for game publisher Activision, accumulating $100 million in North America since its launch on Oct. 28th.

Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver to hit Guitar Hero III (News)

Nov 5, 2007

The first downloadable content for Guitar Hero III has been revealed by a fan at the ScoreHero forums who accidentally made the discovery.

It looks like three downloadable content packages will be made available, in the same way downloadable content was handled for Guitar Hero II. Expect a Foo Fighters pack with All My Life, The Pretender and This Is A Call, a Velvet Revolver pack with Slither, She Builds Quick Machines and Messages and the final pack for the boss battle music. No word on pricing or when to expect these songs.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Give-away (News)

Nov 3, 2007

PSN@Home is having a Free to enter Give-away for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) with the guitar. All you have to do to enter is be a member of psnathome.com and you are automatically entered. Although if you have not been on the website for the past week and you are picked we will pick someone else.

Harmonix ditches guitar for new game (News)

Oct 31, 2007

Oct 31, 2007 The first details have been spilled on Rock Band and Guitar Hero creator Harmonix' next project, which will apparently leave the dedicated peripherals of its previous titles behind. The info comes from a Game Developers Conference 08 session listing for senior designer Chris Foster, in which he'll discuss the challenges of leaving the beat-matching formula of Guitar Hero behind. The new game, says the listing, will adopt a system where beats are not authored by tech-savvy ...

Rock Band: "Not what everyone wants" (News)

Oct 31, 2007

Oct 31, 2007 Harmonix and Red Octane once worked together to bring Guitar Hero to the world. But now Red Octane president Kai Huang believes that, while there's room for both its own Guitar Hero brand and Harmonix's new Rock Band, Rock Band's "complex" nature means it won't offer what the "mass market" wants. "With Guitar Hero, we want to make it as broadly appealing as possible, as market, as casual a game as possible," Huang explains. "With Rock Band [it's] slightly different." "[Rock ...

Guitar Hero III Wii rocks harder than Xbox 360, PS3 at retailer (News)

Oct 30, 2007

The Wii version of the new music title ranked as the No. 1 offering at Amazon's Computer & Video Games division, outranking the SKU for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 at No. 7 and Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 at No. 40.

All three versions include new music tracks, a wireless guitar, and online play options.

EA next month will release a new competitor to the music game sector called Rock Band. Rock Band, which includes peripherals to form an entire virtual band, will only be sold for the Xbox 360 and PS3, and not the Wii.