Today is the day that you can download the Def Leppard song pack for Guitar Hero III. Unfortunately, a big surprise is headed your way should you choose to download this pack. I for one will not be doing so. Why you ask? Because for one, I am not too keen on their new single “Nine Lives” and secondly, “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” are LIVE versions of the songs NOT the master tracks. What fresh Hell is this????

If you decide to purchase the pack anyway, it will cost you 500 MS points. I don’t know if the masters have been lost, Mercury/Island Records did not want the masters included in the game or what the deal is, but it pretty much sucks. Masters all the way, or no way at all.

Thanks: Major Nelson

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Despite all of the when, where, and what, Activision has confirmed which Def Leppard tracks will be available on April 24th for Guitar Hero III this morning through a gushing press release.As predicted, the band got it wrong, these are downloadable tracks - not tracks coming to Guitar Hero IV. This only proves that sometimes you cannot trust a burned-out rock star to get their facts straight. But you know what? That’s ok, because as long as we DO get to rock out to Photograph and Rock of Ages, Phil Colin can say anything he likes.

Def Leppard’s newest single “Nine Lives”, which is currently being played to death on my local rock stations, will be available for download five days before their upcoming studio album “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” releases on April, 29th. The single is the result of Def Leppard’s collaboration with country star Tim McGraw, and will be featured on their upcoming record which is the band’s first new studio release since 2006’s CD titled “YEAH” .

The track pack also features live versions of “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages,” from the awesome “Pyromania” album.

“Being involved with Guitar Hero is very exciting for us and adds a whole new layer of appreciation,” says Joe Elliott, lead singer, Def Leppard. “I know from personal experience how much more you get into the music by playing the game - which is why we were keen to explore this opportunity. Guitar Hero is extremely popular with all kinds of music heads, which includes a lot of our fans- and we think releasing ‘Nine Lives’ this way first is just fantastic!”

“We are extremely thrilled to be partnering with Def Leppard, who are true rock icons,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “The band’s participation in offering ‘Nine Lives’ to fans exclusively via Guitar Hero III downloadable content before their album hits store shelves, before the single is available for purchase on iTunes, demonstrates the level of commitment these legendary artists are making to Guitar Hero and how the franchise is transforming the music landscape.”

See, I told you the press release was “gushing”. The track pack will be available on PSN and XBL on April 24, 2008. Rock on!

Via: Press Release

The Def Leppard coming to Guitar Hero III/IV rumors are still ricocheting around the net. First there was Phil Collen announcing on Rockline that Def Leppard would have 3 songs in Guitar Hero 4, then the news that the Def Leppard tracks Collen mentioned were confirmed to not be part of Guitar Hero IV but featured as DLC for GHIII.

Today, word on the street is that on April 24th, DLC featuring Def Leppard’s newest single “Nine Lives” as well as “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” will be available for download via XBL and PSN.

“Nine Lives” is the first single from the band’s newest CD “Songs From The Sparkle Lounge”. This is also the first time ever than a new single will debut via a video game before the actual CD is released.

Lead singer Joe Elliott had this to say about the band’s music being featured as DLC in GHIII: Legends of Rock:

“Being involved with Guitar Hero is very exciting for us and adds a whole new layer of appreciation. I know from personal experience how much more you get into the music by playing the game – which is why we were keen to explore this opportunity. Guitar Hero is extremely popular with all kinds of music heads, which includes a lot of our fans – and we think releasing “Nine Lives” this way first is just fantastic.”

The Def Leppard song pack will be available on the April 24th, the same day as the CD is released in North America. European gamers will get the same opportunity on May 8th.

Just imagine that awesome feeling coursing through your body when you first hear the opening riffs of “Photograph” coming through your television set. That will be well worth the irritation of a 50ft ethernet cord down running down the middle of my hallway for the dogs to trip over.

Well it’s about damn time if I do say so myself. I figured that Def Leppard, who pretty much dominated the 80’s rock and pop charts, would have appeared on Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80’s or at least showed up as downloadable content for Legends of Rock, but apparently Activision was saving the union-jack attired band for another game.

News comes down to us today, thanks to an interview with Rockline, that Joe Elliot and the boys will be one of the featured artists on Guitar Hero 4 when it is released later this year. I listened to this interview yesterday whilst doing a few things around the house and apparently I missed that little tidbit. Not that I am saying it isn’t true, I just did not hear that part, and if I had I would have jumped back on here to tell you about it.

The songs expected to be included are as follows:

• Photograph
• Rock of Ages
• Animal

“Animal” happens to be one of my least favorite of their hits because I think the lyrics are very silly, but I am not complaining because I am just happy to have any Def Leppard instead of no Def Leppard. It even makes me want to whip out my beat up Union-Jack muscle shirt, red parachute pants and high top Reeboks and wear them around the house. Yes, I wore that back in 7th grade for a while - wanna fight about it? It is not my fault really, I went to a catholic school up until middle-school and did not know that real people did not wear what your favorite bands did in real life - esp said outfit and being female. I was so used to blue plaid that I was completely out of touch with the world of fashion.

Anyway, enough of my rambling about silly fashion faux pas as a child.

When more information on this fun news develops we will be sure to let you know!

Thanks: Guitar Hero News