Guitar Hero Smash Hits brings out Guitar Hero’s Greatest Hits for your band. This one’s for the many GH: Would Tour fans of the series that have looked back at Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and thought man if only those tracks were out for the whole band! I’m really looking forward to my favorites from Blue Öyster Cult’s “Godzilla”, Queen’s “Killer Queen”, Heart’s “Barracuda” and Danzig’s “Mother”. Check out the full list of tracks to pick out your favorites after the jump. You can also visit the GH Smash Hits site to vote for Best Guitar Shred, Best Vocal, Best Bass Lick, Best Drum Fill and more.

While you’re out in stores grabbing GH Smash Hits make sure to pick up the new Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits for your DS. There are 28 new tracks to be shared bringing the total to 75 for the GH On Tour series. Guitar Hero: never leave home without it.

Read the full article

In today’s installment of ‘Yes, we’re milking the hell out of this’ news, Activision has announced that players of the upcoming Guitar Hero 5 will be able to construct their bands however they like in the upcoming rhythm game.

According to a press release we received here in our Gaming Today Volcano Lair™, you’ll be able to have a band with three guitars and a singer, 2 guitars and two drummers, or any other combination you can think up (Or more importantly, any combination you can afford enough plastic instruments for). The release also mentions new game modes like Party Play, which lets players jump in and out seamlessly, and RockFest, which will feature five new head-to-head modes for both online and local play. as well as allowing you to play the whole setlist as soon as you get the game home.

The other interesting piece of news is that GH5 will support DLC from Guitar Hero: World Tour, proving that Activision realizes how stupid it was to partition our GH3 DLC off from World Tour. Well, some of the DLC. There’s a worrisome asterisk in the press release that says ‘Does not apply to a limited number of songs.’

Now, I’m obviously not someone who hates Guitar Hero. Heck, I have every GH game (except for for GH: Aerosmith, but then, who does have that one?). However, even I question the logic of their release ideas. GH: Metallica hasn’t been out that long, and they’re already dropping GH5? Look, I know World Tour was a letdown. It tried to be different with how it handled setlists and whatnot, and it just didn’t work. But GH: Metallica brought you back! It was a slick game that was fun to play again. Shouldn’t you give us some time to enjoy it?

(Read more ranting, and see new screenshots and the actual press release after the break)

Read the full article

Everyone who got their recent issue of Game Informer in the mail were privy not only to all the great shots of the new Uncharted 2 in the works, but a nice treat in the form of Guitar Hero: Metallica. Unfortunately, I did not get my monthly mag in the mail until last night and then had to fight the man of the house to finally get my grubby paws on it. By that point, the internet was already abuzz with the contents of the upcoming Metallica-centric game, but since not everyone on the planet gets Gamer Informer in the mail, I thought I would share a bit of the news with you.

First off, like the Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game, it will include other bands that Metallica feels have inspired them or made an impact on their genre of music over the years. One of the bands that Metallica fought hard to get included on the disc was Slayer, and the reason it was such a fight had a lot to do with the band’s lyrics. Apparently, Microsoft has issues with certain lyrics in songs, and have a tendency to say “nay” to quite a few. Good for Metallica for fighting for what they believe in and getting the speed metal band included! We are unsure at this point what the song is exactly, but it will definitely be something that will require some skill. One of the bands that Metallica really wanted to include was Iron Maiden, but for some reason or another they just could not get it done. That is indeed unfortunate.

One of the cool things about the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica is that you will be able to use your Guitar Hero: World Tour peripherals to either play guitar, drums, bass or vocals. Hmmm.. I wonder how many kids will be going to school hoarse the next day trying to duplicate James Hetfield’s growlish vocals? If you are more interested in the drum aspect though, there is also a new mode for drummers called Expert Plus which will allow for the use of an extra bass pedal providing you are coordinated enough to mimic Lars Ulrich’s frantic feet (which is about as nice as I will be towards him).

The setlist listed below is not complete, as not all songs for the game have been revealed.

Read the full article

In the past few years, Wal-Mart has solidified itself as big player in the music industry. Sure, we have always been able to purchase music there, but the big box store has started to make a name for itself by garnering exclusive album deals from such artists as Garth Brooks, The Eagles, Journey, AC/DC’s upcoming “Black Ice” and supposedly (read rumored) Guns N’ Roses’ oft delayed “Chinese Democracy”. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Wal-Mart started to sell exclusive gaming titles as well, and in this case it is Rock Band’s first title to feature one specific band – and that band just happens to be none other than AC/DC.

According to a recent press release, MTV has inked as deal with the band and Columbia Records to release “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack”. The gaming disc is slated for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 2 and will work with both versions of Rock Band when you input an authentication code. The Wii version is expected to hit shelves on November 16, and like the other ports, it will include songs from the band’s DVD “AC/DC Live at Donnington” and will sell for around $40 exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and walmart.com. Australia, Europe and New New Zealand can expect the game to be made available in early December.

Here is the full track list:

“Thunderstruck”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Moneytalks”
“Hells Bells”
“High Voltage”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway To Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

Other than the absolute coolness of an AC/DC only title to draw gamers into the store, each store will have prominent displays to attract uninitiated shoppers to not only the game, but the band’s latest album “Black Ice”, as well as T-shirts, DVD’s and other licensed merchandise relating to AC/DC. Wal-Mart and MTV are also in talks regarding the set up of temporary stores in Los Angeles and Manhattan where the retail chain is devoid of shops.

I can completely understand Harmonix and MTV’s desire to keep up with Activision’s Guitar Hero franchise by releasing a title featuring only one band, especially considering how surprisingly popular Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was and how monstrous sales for the Metallica version are probably going to be. However, what I am confused about is why they, along with Columbia Records, have decided to issue a game featuring nothing but live music. Maybe it has to do with the band not wanting to grant access to their master tracks like so many other hold outs (Led Zeppelin), or maybe they have been lost over the years like some of The Who’s recordings. But, relatively speaking, not all bands sound great live and unfortunately, in my experience at least, AC/DC is one of those bands. Granted, they put on a helluva show (seen them 4 times), but they just do not sound great live, and considering that most gamers understandably complain when a live track is released for any music simulation game, I am curious to see how well a live AC/DC title will go over.

Activision’s analysts sayGuitar Hero: Aerosmith has earned the band more royalties than any of their albums. CEO Bobby Kotick told MTV Multiplayer the band is enjoying more than just exposure to new fans and renewed interest of loyal rockers thanks to the videogame tie-in.

“[Their] version of ‘Guitar Hero’ generated far more in revenues than any Aerosmith album ever has,” said Kotick. “Merchandising, concert sales, their ability to sign a new contract [have] all been unbelievably influenced by their participation in ‘Guitar Hero.’”

Hopefully Aerosmith’s success with Guitar Hero will encourage other bands to step up and get involved with videogames. Guitar Hero and Rock Band 2 are already reshaping the radio play in my part of the country. Between reviving of old favorites, showcasing new songs and earning bands money hand over fist, videogames are good for the music industry.

The September edition of Qore may have been released last week, but Sony today released the MotorStorm: Pacific Rift demo to annual Qore subscribers and those who purchased the fourth episode of the advertisement-laced digital magazine. The download is now available under the latest episode’s download center.

This week’s lone downloadable PS3 game is Jeopardy which, as reported earlier, will run you $15 and includes the all-important online support that should prove to make the game a must-buy for many folks. On the PlayStation Store for PC, PlayStation Portable owners can now find the competent Advance Wars wannabe Field Commander which was received fairly well when it was reviewed by 1UP and EGM. Like Jeopardy, it costs $15 — falling right in line with the price of a used copy at either Amazon or GameStop.

New Rock Band tracks — including Stephen Colbert’s “Charlene” — are now available, with Guitar Hero III getting Metallica’s “Death Magnetic” album tomorrow for $18. The album will also be compatible with Guitar Hero World Tour, which should make it much easier for Guitar Hero fans to justify purchasing.

In addition to the usual smattering of videos, themes and wallpapers, demos of both Guitar Hero: Aerosmith and FIFA 09 are both now available, as is a ton of DLC of PAIN — including PAIN Amusement Park, the first new environment the game has received since it was first released.

The full list of new content can be found over at PlayStation.Blog.

Lars Ulrich has never been the most friendly member of Metallica, but he has always been one of the most outspoken of the bunch. Normally, I don’t pay much attention to his ramblings because I just usually chock it up to his being a “rock star”, however, today I had to post this because he is completely out of the loop.

According to his recent conversation with an MTV News reporter, Lars would not say yea or nay regarding Metallica having a whole Guitar Hero game devoted to them. He did, however, state that Activision and the rest of the folks behind the games were quickly becoming best friends with the band. Usually, in the normal world anyway, best friends tend to tell each other everything. I guess Lars and the boys were out of the loop though because Activision has already confirmed a Metallica-centic Guitar Hero game (a la Aerosmith) during a financial filing two months ago.

Wedbush Morgan Securities’ Edward Woo came across an SEC filing which basically stated:

“In fiscal 2009, we plan to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms.”

As we are all well aware, Guitar Hero: On Tour and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith have both been sitting on shelves for quite sometime, so now we just have to wait on Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Until then, I suppose we will just have to make-do with the band’s downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock that is suppose to arrive the same day that their new album “Death Magnetic” hits stores.

Well slap my Momma and color me shocked as hell. Rolling Stone is reporting that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was the most successful first week release ever for the band, and this means even for any of their album releases!

The game sold 567,000 copies in its first week, grossing roughly $25 million and if you compare that to the band’s latest album release, (which quite frankly I never even knew exhisted), Honkin’ on Bobo which was released in 2004, sold 160,500 copies in its first week- which equals to about $2 million.

Rhythm guitarist for Aerosmith, Brad Whitford (who is a super nice guy by the way) had this to say about the band deciding to be immortalized once more in video game form:

“We didn’t have to think about it very much. We were all pretty aware of how popular the game was, and being the first band to have our own version of it seemed pretty exciting. We’re the first band of many.”

Yes, the first band of many. Hopefully the next in line, Metallica apparently, will make us want to play until our fingers bleed – or develop carpal tunnel.

Thanks: Game Daily

Keep yourself calm until this set-list for Guitar Hero: World Tour is confirmed folks, otherwise you will blow a gasket like I did when I saw Tool on the list.

Some of the songs listed are a bit too good to be true in my humble opinion, not that they are false, but until Activision says otherwise just keep your fingers crossed.

OMG OMG OMG!! TOOL! (calm down Steffy, calm down)

Eagle Rock High School Tour:
“Dope Nose” by Weezer
“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
Encore: “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins (yay!)

Big City Kids Tour:
“Roland” by Interpol
“Santeria” By Sublime
Encore: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (hooray!)

Feelin’ Nostalgic Tour:
“Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon
“Hold the Line” by Toto
Encore: “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol (this one has already been confirmed via the video)

Vixens Tour:
“Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar (her best)
“All Around Me” by Flyleaf
Encore:”Misery Business” by Paramore

Undertow Tour: (omg omg Tool!!!!)
“Stinkfist” by Tool
“Lateralus” by Tool
“Schism” by Tool

Synchronicity Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

Fight the System Tour:
“The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring
The Good Left Undone” by Rise Agaisnt
Encore: “Bleed it Out” by Linkin Park

QQ Tour:
“Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
“The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars
Encore: “Thank You for the Venom” by My Chemical Romance

Rockin the Carnival Tour:
“Dammit” by Blink 182
“When You Heat Stops Beating” by +44

Neva’ Forget Tour:
“Jumpin Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult (any cow bell in this one?)
Encore: “Light My Fire” by The Doors (grrrr)

We Want the Funk Tour:
“Take it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Renegades of Funk” by Rage Agaisnt the Machines
Encore: “No Sleep till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys Feat. Kerry King (cool!)

Rockin’ the Joint Tour:
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz
“I Don’t wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

On Top of the World Tour:
“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe (kickstart… MIATA!)
Encore: “Spin the Black Circle” by Pearl Jam

G. Stinger Tour: (very awesome)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“Car Chase City” by Tenacious D
Encore: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters

Lands End Tour:
“Animal” by Def Leppard
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi
Encore: “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses (yay)

Doin’ it Different Tour: (good set list)
“Song for the Dead” by Queens of the Stone Age
“Vasoline” by Stone Temple Pilots
Encore: “Assassin” by Muse

Hootin’ and Hollerin’ Tour:
“The Boys Are Back in Town” By Thin Lizzy
“Life in the Fastlane” by The Eagles
Encore:”Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

All Pissed Off Tour:
“Here to Stay” by KoRn
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie (oh hellz yez!!)
Encore: “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold

Here Me Roar Tour:
“10,000 Fists” by Disturbed
“Duality” by Slipknot
Encore: “Toxicity” by System of a Down

S.D.M.F. Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” (Guitar Career Only)
*Encore: “Demise of Sanity” by Black Label Society

Fathers of Metal Tour:
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” by Dio
“Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath
Encore: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne (can you imagine?)

Making Progress Tour:
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush
“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
Encore: “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theatre

Eruption Tour:
“Beat it” by Micheal Jackson Feat. Eddie Van Halen
“Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen (yay)

Tooth Fang & Claw Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent

Decades of Metal Tour
“Warriors of Time” by Black Tide
“Leather Rebel” by Judas Priest
Encore: “Hallowed be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden (hooray)

Livin’ in a Nightmare Tour:
“Angel of Death” by Slayer
“Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth
Encore: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica (master!… master!)

Legends of Rock Tour:
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
“The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
Encore: “Purple Haze (Live)” by Jimi Hendrix

Bonus Tour:
“45? by Shinedown
“96 Quite Bitter Beings” by CKY
“Bombshell” by Powerman 5000
“Clavado en un Bar” by Maná
“Enjoy the Silence” by Lacuna Coil
“Feuer Frei” by Rammstein
“Fury of the Storm” by Dragonforce
“Never Too Late” by The Answer
“Nottingham Lace” by Buckethead
“One Armed Scissor” by At The Drive-In
“Satch Boogie” by Joe Satriani
“Schrei” by Tokio Hotel
“Soul Doubt” by NOFX

“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” by Sting
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” By Ted Nugent
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” by Zakk Wylde

Sample Songs:
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Chad Smith
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Dave Grohl
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Travis Barker
“Cliffs of Dover” created by Neversoft
“Misirlou” created by Neversoft
“Walk This Way” created by Neversoft
“YYZ” created by Neversoft

Thanks: GONintendo

No, I am not lying, I am not being sensational, this is what was told to MTV Multiplayer.  I have been sitting on this news since yesterday and I cannot take it anymore, because I don’t know whether to be excited or a bit pissed off about it.

Stephen Totilo was at Activision’s unofficial E3 press conference Tuesday evening and like everyone else there he heard that Guitar Hero: World Tour would be compatible with non-GH instruments. Ok, so that piqued his interest enough that he sought out some clarification from two Activision reps that were standing by.

By the gaming gods, these wonderful Activision representatives confirmed that “the age of cross-game instrument incompatibility is nearing its end”, and supposedly the Xbox 360 version of GH: World Tour will be compatible with instruments from the first Rock Band. No tests have been made for Rock Band 2 due to the fact that neither game has come out yet, but other third-party drum sets will work with GHWT as well.

Here is where I get a bit annoyed. Activision will not comment on whether this compatibility applies to Wii, PS2 and PS3 versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band, but at the same time another rep told Stephen that “a recent auto-downloaded title update to the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith should make that game compatible with non-GH guitars, including the Rock Band ones.”

Great news, hip hip hooray, right?  Maybe. Here is the rub – the new instruments for GHWT and RB2 are a step above what was released before. Granted, if you can afford, or have the space for all these peripherals, great. I just think is almost a little too late, and they should have done this not long after Activision took over the GH franchise. I know that both companies are in the business of making money, but if the peripherals were to be compatible with both games they would sell more games in the long run.  The way to make theirs stand out from the other would be with the instruments themselves. They would all still work, but each would have something that would appeal differently to different people, and that is where their “war” should lie.

The thing that is really pissing me off about this is that so far it is just for the Xbox 360. No comment about the other versions hopefully means that they are currently working on how to do this. They better hurry if they plan to release GHWT in September. The main reason I am pissed, and if think I am silly, fine I feel the way I feel and that is that – I had planned on getting both games for the PS3 in the Fall. My huge purchase was going to be a PS3 and GHWT, and later getting RB2 and just the stand alone game for the original Rock Band. Now, I have to get one for the Xbox 360 and one for the PS3 and here is my dilemma. If I get them for Xbox 360, and RB2 for the PS3, I can’t play all my RB1 stuff. Therefore I would have to get them all for the PS3 and spend a fortune on the peripherals. Honestly, I am more pissed because it is making my head hurt more than anything trying to think about how to go about this. The only saving grace for me getting the Xbox 360 version is that all the GHIII content will work as well, and that is the version of that game I have – so, I suppose it is just best to buy the Xbox 360 versions anyway in the long run, but I have issues with XBL that I will go into at another time.

It is great news for some gamers, and not for others. I guess we will see how things develop, but in the meantime, I am just going to go sit in my corner and sulk until I figure out what I am going to do. I have been so slammed with E3 stuff that I cannot even remember my phone number let alone how to think properly.