GamesRadar - Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

BeefJack: Music DLC Roundup - 7/11 (News)

Nov 7, 2009

BeefJack writes: "You can say what you want about AFI, too emo to be goth, and too emo to be emo, and if that hasn't put you off you'll find an incredible band here. With a knack of writing insanely passionate and catchy tunes AFI have dug out a brilliant niche. Although The Leaving Song PT II could've easily taken this spot, Love Like Winter may be the better song for those new to the band."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup: 31/10 (News)

Nov 1, 2009

BeefJack writes: " The Foo Fighters annoy me, simply because they've created some absolutely amazing songs, but put them on albums fill of filler tracks, luckily with downloadable content you don't need to shift through the album to get to the best bits, and that's exactly what Best Of You is; Foo Fighters' best song. No matter what background you have it's hard to deny the sheer passion, emotion and top notch craftsmenship on display, no matter what you do, do not miss out on this one."

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."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 17/10 (News)

Oct 17, 2009

BeefJack writes: "Slim pickings this week… well that is unless you're a Queen fan. I don't know why Harmonix do this, but some weeks you're screwed for choice, Pearl Jam for example seem to get entire weeks worth of DLC deadicated to them, leaving anyone who isn't a massive fan, out in the cold, but then again there was a lot of NIN at the start. Anyway Queen need no introduction, and to be honest it'd be silly for me to pick a song, although Under Pressure may just nab it, simply because it has David Bowie in it. What's better than one classic band? A classic band and David Bowie that's what, now then when are getting I'm Affarid Of Americans?"

Band Hero Demo on Xbox Live (News)

Oct 15, 2009

WorthPlaying writes "With Band Hero, you can come together with family and friends to ascend the virtual stage and rise to fame, bringing you a new genre of music focused on today's hottest top-40 hits and classic anthems that everyone will know. A playable demo is available on Xbox Live featuring three tracks (Finger Eleven's Paralyzer, Katrina & The Waves' Walking on Sunshine and Taylor Swift's Picture to Burn) and two modes (Party Play / Sing-Along)."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 10/10 (News)

Oct 11, 2009

BeefJack writes: "Tenacious D are one of those bands that no matter what they put out on these games, something is going to end up as a recommendation. No matter who you are, what you're into, what you think of Jack Black, Tenacious D are an undeniably awesome band on quite a few levels. The Metal is a demonstration of the duo hitting things as hard as they can, and when they bang, they bang."

Logitech Announces Wireless Drum Set Control for Xbox 360 (News)

Sep 11, 2009

GamingShogun.com writes: "Logitech has revealed their new wireless drum controller for the Guitar Hero series on the Xbox 360, displaying what appears to be a very sleek and sexy design that I can't imagine anyone not wanting in their living room. The controller will retail for $229.99 and be available in the U.S. this..."

BeefJack - Music DLC Round Up - 22/8 (News)

Aug 23, 2009

BeefJack writes: This week sees a quiet release of songs for all 3 ofof the major music games. Available on August 25th for Rock Band:"

Available as a single.

Billy Idol
Mony Mony
Rebel Yell

Fleetwood Mac
Don't Stop
World Turning

BeefJack: Music DLC Round Up - 15/8 (News)

Aug 15, 2009

BeefJack writes: "With Guitar Hero 5 on the horizon we've been seeing a slight bump and dip in DLC. Rock Band or Haromix have been consistent as of late and this week is no exception. With over six bands this week including the second song pack by Foo Fighters which includes the huge single All My Life and a personal favourite I'll Stick Around, drummers especially should keep an eye out for that track if nothing else."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup 1/8 (News)

Aug 1, 2009

BeefJack writes: "I hate music journalism, maybe it's just me (or more likely music journalism) but I find it far too opinionated, with other forms of media critics seem to judge the film, book or video game etc based upon facts and industry standards rather then personal preference. So it's ironic that each week I become as close to a music journalist as I've ever been when I write these sections, and I find out that it's actually pretty hard to write about music you have no favour for."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 25/7 (News)

Jul 25, 2009

BeefJack writes: "Bit of a miss mash this week, with Rock Band throwing out some classics as Kiss and Weezer then sticking in pop punk gone emo Blink 182, still the Rock Show isn't a bad tune. Guitar Hero follows their suit for this month with another collection of songs from a record label, luckily this time with less emo."

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup 18/7 (News)

Jul 19, 2009

BeefJack writes: "With the announcement of user uploaded songs this weekly news update may soon become history but for now we find ourselves at the tail end of another week and on the tip of a new one full of brand new tracks."

Music charts to add games (News)

Jul 9, 2009

MCV: Singstar and Guitar Hero downloads wanted by Official Charts Company

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."

Neversoft defends Guitar Hero song pack pricing (News)

Jun 17, 2009

NowGamer: Guitar Hero's song pack pricing has faced some criticism in the past, but producer Brian Bright explained to NowGamer the amount of work that goes into producing each track and defended their price.

"It's a lot of work," said Bright. "First of all we need nine streams for all the audio. Then everything gets note-tracked. And just for one guitar-track, it can take a guy a week..."

Three New Guitar Hero World Records Set (News)

Jun 11, 2009

The new Guinness World Records set included the Longest Note Streak on Guitar Hero, with a score of 3,722 and 100% on the track Through the Fire and the Flames during which he also beat his previously held record for the Highest Score For a Single Track on Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Xbox 360) with a score of 985,206.

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."

New Community Login System is on its way for Guitar Hero (News)

Mar 20, 2009

Activision sent out this email announcing the new community login system coming for Guitar Hero.

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.

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.

Blondie Man Studies Music Games (News)

Feb 6, 2009

IncGamers report:
"Blondie drummer Clem Burke is teaming up with researchers from the Universities of Chichester and Gloucester to study the potential physical and psychological benefits of playing drum-based music games."

Teenager breaks Guinness record for Guitar Hero III (News)

Feb 6, 2009

A 14-year old teenager from Texas broke the world record for Guitar Hero III. Danny Johnson completed 'Through the Fire and Flames' for 99% which gave him a score of 973954 points, 75000 points more than the previous record. A video of him playing and an interview can be viewed after the jump.

Top 9 gaming records (Feature)

Feb 6, 2009

The Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition is on sale now and we've been picking out the best and worst moments for your pleasure. From the genuinely impressive to the slightly eccentric, these are our nine favourite gaming records... ...

Guitar Hero Ace Rips his way into the Guinness World records Book (News)

Feb 4, 2009

To celebrate the launch of the second annual Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer's Edition, the nation's best Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock player visited New York City for a mesmerizing record-breaking shred session.

Pic: Megan Fox playing Guitar Hero (News)

Jan 28, 2009

Uber sexy movie starlet Megan Fox has been snapped playing Guitar Hero, apparently in someone's house. Foxy Miss Fox, star of Hope and Faith and the Transformers movie, could probably have charged the world for promoting the game, but it's nice to know that she's keen enough a gamer not to let dollar signs cloud her vision. ...

Guitar Hero: World Tour February track packs detailed (News)

Jan 27, 2009

Activision has confirmed that it will be unleashing three all new track packs for Guitar Hero: World Tour next month.

Kicking things off on February 12 is the Acoustic Track Pack, which includes "Drive" by Incubus, "New Slang" by The Shins and "Wonderwall" as interpreted by Ryan Adams.

The Wings Track Pack will follow one week later, featuring "Junior's Farm", "Hi Hi Hi" and "Jet". Finally, February 26 sees the release of the Bob Seger Track Pack, which includes "Old Time Rock and Roll", "Her Strut", and a live version of "Get Out of Denver".

Each track pack will set you back USD 5.49, while individual songs will cost USD 1.99 apiece

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.

CES 09: The World's Tiniest Video Game Guitar Controller (News)

Jan 13, 2009

Kotaku writes: "Like regular sized Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitar controllers, but far, far daintier, the USB ready Riff Rocker adds hand cramping as an extra difficulty modifier to your rhythm gaming.

While the lil' device has been available commercially for a few months now, it has been so at some of the more, let's say, unproven retailers. But we got a chance to go claw-hand on with it at CES this weekend. It works, but only with the open source Frets On Fire for Windows and Linux."

Amazon price cuts Guitar Hero Xbox 360 products (News)

Jan 10, 2009

Retailer Amazon.com this week price cut Activision Inc.'s Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 and the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Guitar Bundle in a new video games sale.

On Tues., the Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit for the 360 held a sale price of $139.99.

Activision: Guitar Hero III Passes $1b (News)

Jan 10, 2009

Speaking during a CES keynote in Las Vegas on Friday, Activision Publishing CEO Mike Griffith said that over the holidays, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock became the first single game ever to surpass $1 billion in sales. The game launched in the fall of 2007.

The news comes about a year after Activision announced that the overall franchise had broke $1 billion in sales across all titles from the series' 2005 launch to that point in time.

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!

GTA IV and GH3 Records Published in Guinness Book of World Records 2009 (News)

Dec 19, 2008

Two of the more amazing records from Grand Theft Auto 4 and Guitar Hero 3 are being included in the book's memorable moments of 2008 section.

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."

Guitar Hero Goes Continental (News)

Dec 14, 2008

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.

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........"

"Rock 'n' roll is about fg, games are about wg" (News)

Dec 4, 2008

MCV: The Guardian sticks up for gaming following attack from music mag NME

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

Guitar Hero World Tour: The Killers Track Pack (News)

Nov 14, 2008

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...

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.

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.

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."

Guitar Hero III: Metallica "Death Magnetic" Full Album (News)

Sep 12, 2008

Via MajorNelson:

"Content:Metallica "Death Magnetic" Full Album

Price: 1440 Microsoft Points

Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions

Dash Text: [ESRB: T (Teen) MILD LYRICS,MILD SUGGESTIVE THEMES] Metallica "Death Magnetic" Full Album featuring 2 exclusive versions of "Suicide & Redemption", including - "That Was Just Your Life", "The End Of The Line", "Broken, Beat & Scarred", "The Day That Never Comes", "All Nightmare Long", "Cyanide", "The Unforgiven III", "The Judas Kiss", "Suicide & Redemption J.H.", "Suicide & Redemption K.H.", and "My Apocalypse"."

Metallica album releases on Guitar Hero this Friday (News)

Sep 9, 2008

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.

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 ...

Extended Play Download Days (price drop on DLC) (News)

Sep 5, 2008

For a limited time only (well, until the end of October) the Xbox Live Marketplace is running an 'Extended Play Download Days' promotion which is offering some pretty good savings on some of the more popular DLC.

Games include:
Mass Effect
Lost Odyssey
Forza Motorsport 2
Oblivion
Guitar Hero 3
Beautiful Katamari

Best Buy offering eleven GH III tracks for ordering a crappy Metallica CD (News)

Sep 2, 2008

Destructoid writes, "As part of some kind crazy limited supply promotion, Best Buy will be dishing out "exclusive bonus tracks" for Guitar Hero III for anyone willing to order Metallica's upcoming CD, Death Magnetic. It isn't clear as to what tracks can be downloaded via Best Buy's instructions, but one would assume that a few Metallica tracks would be included with the package."

Gamasutra In-Depth: Inside The Guitar Hero Census (News)

Aug 21, 2008

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"

Xbox Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 21st August 2008 (News)

Aug 21, 2008

Console Monster writes: "Two demos are now available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The first is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, as expected, and the second is NHL 2K9. There's also a range of gamer pictures, themes, trailers, music videos and if you have failed to complete Through the Fire and the Flames on Expert, the Guitar Hero III Dragonforce Track Pack may not be for you. Here is the full list of updated content on the Xbox Live Marketplace for Thursday 21st August 2008:

Name: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions

Name: Star Wars The Force Unleashed The Apprentice Theme
Price: 150 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions

Name: Star Wars The Force Unleashed Characters of TFU 1 Gamer Pics
Price: 100 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions..."

Montreal To Host World Cyber Games Canadian Championship (News)

Aug 20, 2008

NextGen Player writes:

"The World Cyber Games, described as the world's largest cyber-gaming event, will be coming to Montreal, Quebec on August 31 - September 1. This three day event will be held at La Ronde, Eastern Canada's largest amusement park. According to the WCG Canada website this is the second time in three years the gaming event is being staged at the Six Flag theme park in Montreal."

DragonForce track pack coming this Thursday for GHIII (News)

Aug 19, 2008

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".

Guitar Hero Gamer Fine (News)

Aug 8, 2008

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.

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."

Show Me the Money: Warner Music Group Talks Bigger Guitar Hero and Rock Band Payout (News)

Aug 7, 2008

Ripten writes:

"It was only a matter of time.

As the popularity of rhythm games continues to gain purchase in the pocketbooks of gamers worldwide, Warner Music is of the opinion that the publishers are getting away with robbery.

Executive Edgar Bronfman explained that Activision and MTV, developers of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, respectively, will eventually have to pay more for the licenses for the songs from their catalogue."

Guitar Hero 3 Getting New-ish Track Pack Thursday; Includes Manson, Flyleaf and AFI (News)

Aug 5, 2008

A sort-of new downloadable track pack will be available on Thursday August 7 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, publisher Activision has announced.

'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.

Activision Expects $50M in DLC Sales This Year, Mostly from Guitar Hero and Call of Duty (News)

Aug 1, 2008

Publisher Activision expects to pull in $40-50 million dollars this year from the sale of downloadable content on Xbox Live, PlayStation Store and the Wii Shop Channel.

Xbox Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 24th July 2008 (News)

Jul 24, 2008

Console Monster writes: "Today's Xbox Live Marketplace Update brings a load of new content to the Marketplace including a new track pack for Guitar Hero III, dev diaries for Dead Space, some trailers and a Street Fighter 4 theme. Here is the full update for Thursday 24th July 2008:

Name: Street Fighter 4 2008 Summer Theme
Price: 150 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions

Name: Street Fighter 4 E3 SP Trailer
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions

Name: Dead Space Dev Diary #1
Price: 150 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions except Germany..."

Guitar Hero III gets Virtuoso this Thursday (News)

Jul 22, 2008

Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock gets dome new content on Thursday thatnks to the Guitar Virtuoso Track Pack.

Experience influential guitarist Joe Satriani's soulful 1987 hit, "Surfing with the Alien," get blown away with guitar slinger Steve Vai's reflective, "For the Love of God," and feel the avant-garde compositions of underground rock's most eccentric guitarist, Buckethead, as he shreds "Soothsayer," at hyper-speed.

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."

Guitar Hero III Top Gun Anthem Track Now Available, Free From Xbox LIVE (News)

Jul 3, 2008

Celebrate freedom and free DLC! The Top Gun Anthem track is now available for free from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Activision and RedOctane have made the track available for Guitar Hero III, as a little bonus Fourth of July gift.

Coming to the PlayStation Store later today.

Guitar Hero III - World record broken (News)

Jul 2, 2008

Activision has released details of a new Guitar Hero III world record, which has been bested by the previous holder Chris Chike. There's also a Youtube video of his latest exploits.

Top Gun Theme coming to Guitar Hero III - For Free (News)

Jul 1, 2008

Activison today revealed that the Top Gun Theme is coming to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock , as a free download. Beginning July 3, 2008, the legendary, "Top Gun Anthem" will be available as a free downloadable song for the game.

XBOX Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 26th June 2008 (News)

Jun 26, 2008

Console Monster writes: "To coincide with Wimbledon kicking off, a Top Spin 3 demo has been released on the XBOX Live Marketplace. Don't forget to check out the review here. There are also some Facebreaker pictures and a World of Warcraft song. Here is the full XBOX Live Marketplace update for Thursday 26th June 2008:

Name: Top Spin 3 Demo
Price: Free
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions

Name: FaceBreaker Picture Pack 1
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions

Name: FaceBreaker Picture Pack 2
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions

Name: Guitar Hero III: "I am Murloc" World of Warcraft Single
Price: Free
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions"

More details can be found at the source.

Zavvi unleashes eye-catching 360 bundle (News)

Jun 26, 2008

MCV writes: buy an Xbox 360 Elite with GTA IV and get Guitar Hero III for free. Zavvi's sales are rumbling on with yet another impressive in-store Xbox 360 bundle.

World of Warcraft Jam comes to Guitar Hero 3 (News)

Jun 26, 2008

World of Warcraft Jam is a brand new track coming for Guitar Hero 3.

Coldplay on Guitar Hero (News)

Jun 13, 2008

MCV: Tracks from Coldplay's new album Viva La Vida and previous LPs are to become available on Guitar Hero.

Guitar Hero Storms the Stage at Isle of Wight Festival (News)

Jun 12, 2008

Wired writes:Fans of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will get a chance to strut their stuff on the main stage at this year's three-day Isle of Wight Festival, which starts Friday, with the best contestants getting projected on the grounds' big screens.

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."

Celebrity site uses fake Guitar Hero quotes to bash John Mayer, trick gamers (News)

Jun 5, 2008

GT: "Journalism Rule #1: Check your sources.

The embellished Entertainment Wise article is a sorry excuse for journalism."

The original Rolling Stone interview didn't have the serious gamer-hate quotes in it. Check your sources.

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."

Activision to Release Five Guitar Hero III Music Packs This Month (News)

Jun 5, 2008

Coming to a console near you, living room rock stars will soon be able to shred to an assortment of new master tracks on Activision, Inc.'s Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock with five new song packs releasing throughout the month of June. Two of the five packs will let gamers rock out with three headline acts from the Isle of Wight festival and tunes from the timeless rock icon, Motörhead.

GH III: five song packs in June (News)

Jun 5, 2008

There's no slowing down in the DLC department for Guitar Hero III players, as Activision gears up to unleash five new song packs this month.Activision has only detailed two of those packs, one of which is out today. It comes in celebration of Motorhead's new album, and contains three songs: We Are the Road Crew, Stay Clean and their first single, the self-titled Motorhead.

Kasabian's 'Shoot the Runner', joins tunes from The Sex Pistols ...

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."

Montevideo man builds robot to play Guitar Hero (News)

Jun 2, 2008

WILLMAR, Minn. - No matter how hard he tried, Pete Nikrin could not beat his friend when playing the popular music video game, Guitar Hero.

Being a bit competitive, he's done the next best thing. He's built a robot that plays the game and - he hopes - will someday beat his friend at it for him.

Coldplay's Violet Hill Coming to Guitar Hero III (News)

May 28, 2008

Coldplay's new single Violet Hill will be making its way to Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock next month, according to a report on Entertainment Weekly.

Music Video Games to Compete with Guitar Hero, Rock Band (News)

May 28, 2008

Music matching video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band have helped bring hordes of new casual gamers to consoles and have been a boon for the ailing music industry. Now a new player has emerged that promises to give gamers a new excuse to get their groove on.

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.

The coolest, funniest gaming images on the web (Feature)

May 25, 2008

If evidence were ever needed of how culturally important games are these days, it's in the world of art. Between painters, photographers, comic writers and sculptors, the internet is packed to bursting with artists paying tribute to gaming and putting their own spin on our favourite iconography. Here's some of the best stuff we've found. ...

U.S. Teen Beats Guinness World Record Guitar Hero Score (News)

May 22, 2008

13 year-old Grapevine native Daniel Johnson beat the Guinness World Record for high score on a single song for "Guitar Hero III" when he attended the Guitar Hero 24-Hour Marathon presented by Blockbuster. Daniel played on a XBOX 360 and scored 890,971, beating the previous record by more than 10,000 points while playing "Through the Fire and Flames" by Dragonforce at the Expert Level on his first attempt.

When asked what he thought about breaking the world record, Daniel said, "I'm glad that I had the opportunity to break the record and help people learn about Education is Freedom."

The previous record was held by Chris Chike who achieved a score of 880,920 in March 2008.

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.

Metallica "most requested" for Rock Band and Guitar Hero (News)

May 16, 2008

CVG reports: During a promotional trailer for the band's forthcoming studio album, Metallica has declared said that its music is the "most requested" on both Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Guitar Hero IV gets song creation, multiple instruments (News)

May 13, 2008

Neversoft's Guitar Hero IV will feature custom song creation and multiple instruments when it launches later on this year, says a US report.

According to Shacknews, the latest issue of Game Informer has spilled the first details on Guitar Hero 4. The forth title in the series will expand the musical peripheral offerings to include drum and vocal gameplay, in addition to bass and guitar.

The song creation process is a ...

Guitar Hero III Sets Largest Audience For A Videogame Performance Record (News)

May 12, 2008

WorthPlaying writes: At the Give It A Name Festival in London two gamers took to the main stage to play Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in front of over 9,600 fans. The previous record was set at the Download Festival, Donington, in 2007, when the game was played in front of 3,000 people.

Guitar Hero helps Activision rock Wall Street (News)

May 11, 2008

Activision posted a quarterly profit on Thursday that blew past expectations as demand for its Guitar Hero 3 and Call of Duty 4 video games made up for a complete lack of new releases.

XBOX Live Marketplace Update (Saturday 10th May 2008) (News)

May 10, 2008

Today's XBOX Live Marketplace Update contains a wide variety of content ready for you to download from the Marketplace. Here is the full list for Saturday 10th May 2008:

Name: Official Civilization Revolution Leaders Gamer Pics
Price: 80 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Name: Official Civilization Revolution Leaders Theme
Price: 150 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Name: Don King Presents Prizefighter Preview Trailer
Price: Free
Availability: Everywhere except Austria and Ireland

Name: Guitar Hero 3 Muse Track Pack
Price: 500 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere...

New Muse for Guitar Hero (News)

May 5, 2008

Guitar Hero 3 fans will be able to download three tracks by British trio Muse as of May 8.

A Muse track already features in the game in the form of the rock-hard Knights of Cydonia, but fans will be able to purchase a downloadable song pack featuring Exo-Politics, Supermassive Black Hole from its latest album Black Holes and Revelations, and Stockholm Syndrome from Absolution.

No word on the price yet. Previously, packs have cost ...

Muse songs coming to Guitar Hero III (News)

May 2, 2008

DarkZero writes: "Activision has revealed that Muse will be bringing three brand new songs to Guitar Hero III. "Exo-Politics", "Supermassive Black Hole" and "Stockholme Syndrome" are those songs, and they will be available to download next Thursday, 8th May should you feel the need to rock!

No official price point was revealed by Activision, but 500 Points (£4.25 / €6.00) on Live and £3.99 on PSN is the norm for the company, so unless they've got even more greedy then it should stick to that."

Guitar Hero III more than a cockfight (News)

Apr 30, 2008

Finally Activision does something selfless. From May 2 to May 5, Guitar Hero III will host a charity challenge competition (on easy, medium and hard), benefiting the Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation. Activision will donate $1 to the charity for every participant and $100 for every 1000 points of a challenger’s individual score. The Starlight Starbright Foundation helps sick kids and their families cope with the ...

LIVE Activity for week of 4/21 (News)

Apr 29, 2008

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased this week. Here are the top 3 for each charts, see the source for the complete top 10 list.

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles
1. Call of Duty 4
2. Halo 3
3. Guitar Hero III

Top Arcade Titles
1. Lost Cities
2. Ikaruga
3. DOOM

Original Xbox Top Live Titles
1. Halo 2
2. Splinter Cell Chaos
3. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Activision deserve to copy Rock Band (News)

Apr 23, 2008

OpinionDebug writes:

"Well the first details of the imminent Guitar Hero 4 have begun to trickle out of Activision, stating that Guitar Hero 4 will feature drums and vocalsÂ¿hmm, this seems familiar. While this is just a rumour it is backed by some reliable sources, including Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. Ok, this sounds like Rock Band, a lot. I mean really, couldn't they have thought of something slightly original - a didgeridoo controller for example? However I think Activision are entitled to copy Rock Band and its peripherals."

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. ...

GamesRadar - Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

BeefJack: Music DLC Roundup - 7/11 (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup: 31/10 (News)

30 percent of Guitar Hero players are girls (News)

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

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 17/10 (News)

Band Hero Demo on Xbox Live (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 10/10 (News)

Logitech Announces Wireless Drum Set Control for Xbox 360 (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Round Up - 22/8 (News)

BeefJack: Music DLC Round Up - 15/8 (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup 1/8 (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup - 25/7 (News)

BeefJack - Music DLC Roundup 18/7 (News)

Music charts to add games (News)

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

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

Neversoft defends Guitar Hero song pack pricing (News)

Three New Guitar Hero World Records Set (News)

Gamestop.com Music Blowout Sale (News)

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

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

New Community Login System is on its way for Guitar Hero (News)

Gibson Loses Guitar Hero Lawsuit (News)

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

Blondie Man Studies Music Games (News)

Teenager breaks Guinness record for Guitar Hero III (News)

Top 9 gaming records (Feature)

Guitar Hero Ace Rips his way into the Guinness World records Book (News)

Pic: Megan Fox playing Guitar Hero (News)

Guitar Hero: World Tour February track packs detailed (News)

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

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

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

CES 09: The World's Tiniest Video Game Guitar Controller (News)

Amazon price cuts Guitar Hero Xbox 360 products (News)

Activision: Guitar Hero III Passes $1b (News)

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

GTA IV and GH3 Records Published in Guinness Book of World Records 2009 (News)

Guns N' Roses star slams Guitar Hero (News)

Guitar Hero Goes Continental (News)

Defending the Plastic Guitar! (News)

"Rock 'n' roll is about f*****g, games are about w*****g" (News)

Guitar Hero Robot Plays Videogame With Electronic Precision (News)

Nickelback slam Guitar Hero (News)

Guitar Hero World Tour: The Killers Track Pack (News)

Activision Gives Guitar Hero to the Troops (News)

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

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

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

Guitar Hero III: Metallica "Death Magnetic" Full Album (News)

Metallica album releases on Guitar Hero this Friday (News)

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

Extended Play Download Days (price drop on DLC) (News)

Best Buy offering eleven GH III tracks for ordering a crappy Metallica CD (News)

Gamasutra In-Depth: Inside The Guitar Hero Census (News)

Xbox Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 21st August 2008 (News)

Montreal To Host World Cyber Games Canadian Championship (News)

DragonForce track pack coming this Thursday for GHIII (News)

Guitar Hero Gamer Fine (News)

Is gaming already the new music industry? (News)

Show Me the Money: Warner Music Group Talks Bigger Guitar Hero and Rock Band Payout (News)

Guitar Hero 3 Getting New-ish Track Pack Thursday; Includes Manson, Flyleaf and AFI (News)

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

Activision Expects $50M in DLC Sales This Year, Mostly from Guitar Hero and Call of Duty (News)

Xbox Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 24th July 2008 (News)

Guitar Hero III gets Virtuoso this Thursday (News)

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

Guitar Hero III Top Gun Anthem Track Now Available, Free From Xbox LIVE (News)

Guitar Hero III - World record broken (News)

Top Gun Theme coming to Guitar Hero III - For Free (News)

XBOX Live Marketplace Update: Thursday 26th June 2008 (News)

Zavvi unleashes eye-catching 360 bundle (News)

World of Warcraft Jam comes to Guitar Hero 3 (News)

Coldplay on Guitar Hero (News)

Guitar Hero Storms the Stage at Isle of Wight Festival (News)

Even Hendrix plays Guitar Hero (News)

Celebrity site uses fake Guitar Hero quotes to bash John Mayer, trick gamers (News)

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

Activision to Release Five Guitar Hero III Music Packs This Month (News)

"Rock 'n' roll is about fg, games are about wg" (News)