Activision gives gamers the chance to download songs from bands they've probably never heard of.

Who needs No Doubt and the Foo Fighters when you've got Sportfreunde Stiller and BB Brunes? Never heard of them? Neither have I, but apparently Activision has and is set to introduce them to Guitar Hero: World Tour fans with the release of two new downloadable song packs.

The packs, imaginatively titled the "European Track Packs," are available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii and feature artists from Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Spain and the Netherlands playing hits from their native countries, largely in their native languages.
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Retailer Amazon.com on Sun. began offering a free copy of Activision Inc.'s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with the purchase of Sony Corp.'s Playstation 3 160GB SKU.
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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........"
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MCV: The Guardian sticks up for gaming following attack from music mag NME
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...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."
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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.
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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.
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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.
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MCV: 'Rock Star' combo blame rhythm action titles for lack of new US bands
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After making their entry in a Guitar Hero set list with When You Were Young on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, multi-platinum alternative rockers The Killers are playing a downloadable encore in Activision Publishing, Inc.'s Guitar Hero World Tour, the company announced today...
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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.
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"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
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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.
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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.
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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."
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Acti-Blizz has announced that Metallica's latest album will release on Guitar Hero III on Friday, the same date it's available at retail.
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A new survey of Guitar Hero and Rock Band players by Brown University ethnomusicologist Kiri Miller has revealed some fascinating trends, including the fact that 76 percent of the players bought music they heard in the game, and 69 percent often play in multiplayer modes.

The initial results from Miller, who has previously written on the subject for Gamasutra sister site GameSetWatch, were first revealed on her 'Guitar Hero Research' weblog.

She explained: "As of this writing I have received 414 responses. Survey respondents were self-selecting; most heard about the survey through recruitment messages posted on several high-traffic online messageboards devoted specifically to these game"
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Activision has revealed that a DragonForce track pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be available to download from Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store this Thursday.

The three track pack will include the debut single from their new album "Heroes Of Our Time", which will apparently "set players' fingers ablaze as they try to keep up with some of the most challenging riffs to date". Guitar Hero III fans will no doubt remember DragonForce for their impossibly difficult "Through the Fire and Flames".

The pack also includes two tracks from their third album "Revolution Deathsquad" and "Operation Ground and Pound".
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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."
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Darren Madigan 27 of Huddersfield, England was served with a noise abatemant last year for playing music to loudly. But he has now breached it by playing Guitar Hero to loudly and poorly according to neighbour.
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