Remember last week when we mentioned that Activision would be releasing two new Guitar Hero titles as well as their plans for Guitar Hero IV? Today we got word that one of the titles will be hitting stores sooner than we thought, and it is not something you would expect. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be the new title, and lead guitarist Joe Perry kind of let the cat out of the bag last Summer when he mentioned a GH tribute during an interview. Of course, we were unsure if this was confirmed or just Joe talking nonsense about Activision dedicating a game solely to his band, but the proof of this rumor came today via a press release from Activision.
In celebration of this monumental occasion, Activision will be offering free DLC February 16-18 on XBL and PSN. What is this free DLC? Why Aerosmith’s huge hit “Dream On” for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. I suppose after the 18th it will cost you, so you better log on today and get it free while you can, because to be honest with you, I could think of other Aerosmith songs I would rather spend my Microsoft Points on than this one.
This latest installment from the franchise puts players in the shoes of Perry (lead-guitar), Brad Whitford (rhythm-guitar) and Tom Hamilton (bass), as they rock out alongside frontman Steven Tyler and drummer Joey Kramer. Gamers will get to experience Aerosmith’s Grammy winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty. I take it then that you will start out in a garage in Boston and eventually move into football stadium sized venues - at least that is the impression I got from the press release, so don’t take my word on that one. You will however be able to see all members of the band do their signature moves on the screen.
This is what Steven and Joe had to say about being immortalized once more in a video game, although this time around, in Guitar Hero fashion:
“Having a game built around Aerosmith has been a huge honor and really a great experience for us,” says Joe Perry. “We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history.”
Steven Tyler says, “Any band that can go from ‘Don’t Want to Miss A Thing’ to the ass-kicking ‘Sweet Emotion’ to the cheekiness of ‘Love in an Elevator,’ to the classic ballad ‘Dream On’ shows why Activision chose us to headline this game based on the diversity of the Aerosmith catalog. Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies.”
Perry adds, “On a larger scale, it’s cool for us to be pioneers helping to rebuild the music industry through a format like video games. It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats–and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business.”
While for Aerosmith fans this is great news, and for the bands sake, I hope it sells well for them. It makes you wonder - if this does indeed sell well, will other band exclusive GH titles be released in the future? My “dream” band exclusive GH title would be Led Zeppelin - and with Jimmy Page being the money grubbing pagan that he is, one would think he would sell his soul to become immortalized once more for fans. Wait, I forgot, Satan already has dibs on his soul. Regardless, if he would sell out “Kashmir” to P. Diddy and “Rock n Roll” to Cadillac then why not Activision and Red Octane?
The actual release date for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be June 30th and pre-orders are being taken now. The set list has not been released yet, so check back often for updates. You can read the full press release after the break.
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