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Although Harmonix moved on from the Guitar Hero series after wrapping development on Rocks the 80s, Gibson Guitar Inc. hasn't forgotten the developer's involvement in putting the rhythm genre on the map. In the latest twist in Gibson's ongoing patent spat with the billion-dollar rhythm game genre, the guitar manufacturer has filed a patent-infringement suit against Guitar Hero and Rock Band creators Harmonix and its publishing partners Electronic Arts and MTV Networks.

Thursday's filing is the latest development in Gibson's quest to continue to cash in on the burgeoning rhythm game genre. In January, Gibson notified Activision that the Guitar Hero franchise was in violation of a patent the guitar manufacturer filed in 1999. Reminiscent of virtual-reality setups as envisioned in the '90s, Gibson's patent calls for a "head-mounted 3D display that includes stereo speakers" by which musicians can simulate a concert using an instrument. As per the patent, the prerecorded concert would play while musicians accompany the concert on their own instruments.

Following Gibson's request for Activision to either license the device or cease sales of Guitar Hero products, Activision filed suit with the US District Court of Central California to invalidate Gibson's patent and prevent the guitar maker from seeking damages. As grounds for its suit, Activision claimed that Gibson's suit was motivated by the publisher cutting its marketing and support agreement, and also noted that Gibson's three-year delay in not pursuing the patent has granted Activision an implied license. Gibson responded to the suit last week by attempting to force the publisher's hand, taking to court many retailers who sell Guitar Hero products in an attempt to yank the game off of store shelves.

Gibson has yet to file any formal complaint against Activision, a spokesperson representing the publisher confirmed for GameSpot.

Gibson isn't waiting to drop the gloves with Activision's former partner on Guitar Hero, given that the guitar maker challenged EA, MTV, and Harmonix on Thursday in the US District Court of Middle Tennessee over the Guitar Hero franchise through Rocks the 80s, as well as Rock Band. According to the suit, Harmonix and its distribution partners are infringing on Gibson's aforementioned patent, and the guitar maker is seeking an injunction that would halt the sale of the Harmonix-created products as well as award damages and legal expenses.

In a statement addressing the suit, Gibson said, "This new lawsuit relates to the same US patent involved in the lawsuit filed by Gibson Guitar recently against various retailers in the same court. Gibson Guitar had made good faith efforts to enter into a patent license agreement with the defendants in this case. The defendants have not responded in a timely manner with an intent to enter into negotiations for a patent license agreement. Gibson Guitar had no alternative but to bring the suit, and it will continue to protect its intellectual property rights against any and all infringing persons."

EA, MTV, and Harmonix were quick to respond to the allegations. "This lawsuit is completely without merit and we intend to defend [against] it vigorously," said a Harmonix spokesperon in a statement. "Gibson's patent, filed nearly 10 years ago, required a 3D display, a real musical instrument, and a recording of a concert. Rock Band and Guitar Hero are completely different: among other things they are games, require no headset, and use a controller only shaped like a real instrument. It is unfortunate that Gibson unfairly desires to share in the tremendous success enjoyed by the developers of Rock Band and Guitar Hero."

August 2, 2007 - Last week we received word about four new tracks in Guitar Hero III:

Suck My Kiss, Red Hot Chili Peppers
La Grange, ZZ Top
Number Of The Beast, Iron Maiden
Through The Fire And Flames, Dragonforce

Today Activision confirmed an additional seven songs we'll be jamming to come October 29, including some real finger-bleeders:

Miss Murder (by AFI)
Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
3's and 7's (by Queens of the Stone Age)
Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
Raining Blood (by Slayer)
Reptillia (by The Strokes)
Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)

Interesting to note that Mississippi Queen is also featured in Rock Band.

Jade Puget, guitarist for AFI, says, "if you're going to start playing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, make sure you have, say, the next 2 years free, because that's all you're going to want to do."

In a conference call where Activision re-tooted their own horn about how much money they made so far this year, they also let it slip that Metallica would be in Guitar Hero III. The song will be One, a master track off of Metallica's ...And Justive for All album. This may sound like old news, but you're probably getting confused with Rock Band also having Metallica. Yes, it is going to be hard to keep track of what games have which songs in this holiday rhythm showdown.

During the conference call Activision also said that Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s was the best-selling game on its first day in Activision history. They also said they are significantly increasing guitar production to meet the expected demand of Guitar Hero III this holiday season.

This past Monday, a group of ScoreHero members was flown out to visit Neversoft's Southern Calilfornia offices to play/test Guitar Hero III:
Legends Of Rock. Upon arriving, we were led to Neversoft's spacious mo-cap area, where we each had our own plasma screen and wireless Les Paul setup to demo as much of the x360 version as our hands could take over the span of about 5 hours. Now that we've returned to our respective homes, we're proud to bring back some exclusive info about the game, which is being announced on ScoreHero before anywhere else.

Pictures of the after party at the hotel!

First up: the Grim Ripper will be returning as a playable character along with some old favorites from the Guitar Hero series, and a couple of new characters. The list of characters so far is:

Characters

Axel Steel
Casey Lynch
Grim Ripper
Izzy Sparks
Johnny Napalm
Judy Nails
Lars Umlaut
Xavier Stone
Midori (new)
Slash (legend)

Venues

We also have the list of all-new venues that will be appearing in the game over the 8 tiers, which are:

Backyard Bash
Mitch's Moose Lounge
Video Shoot
Ye Olde Royal Odeon
Shanker's Island
Desert Rock Tour
Kaiju Megadome
Lou's Inferno

Songs

Last, and certainly not least, we have FOUR brand new songs to announce, exclusively to ScoreHero:

- Suck My Kiss - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Master Track!)
- La Grange - ZZ Top
- Number Of The Beast - Iron Maiden (Master Track!!)
- Through The Fire And Flames - Dragonforce (Master Track!!!)

(which is in addition to the already-announced songs smile

Alice Cooper - School's Out
Beastie Boys - Sabotage (Master)
Foghat - Slowride
Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle (Master)
Heart - Barracuda
Kiss - Rock N Roll All Nite
Living Colour - Cult of Personality (Master)
Muse - Knights of Cydonia (Master)
Pearl Jam - Evenflow (Master)
Priestess - Lay Down (Master)
Rolling Stones - Paint it Black (Master)
Smashing Pumpkins - Cherub Rock (Master)
Tenacious D - The Metal (Master)
The Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane
Weezer - My Name is Jonas (Master)

It should also be noted that over 50% of the main-tier songs are master tracks, and over 70% including the bonus tracks!

Through this post, everyone who attended the session will add their own comments on their playtesting, but before then, some general information on the game:

- One of the biggest gameplay changes was with the system for hammer-ons and pull-offs. Rather than being based solely on the timing of the notes, Neversoft is able to program certain notes to be strummed or hammer-ons. The general guideline is, if a note is strummed on a real guitar, it will probably have to be strummed in-game. When a note is a hammer on for a real guitar, you'll probably be able to do a hammer-on for it in-game. This provides a much more realistic feeling to the charts.

- After our lengthy demo session, we sat down with some of the guys from Neversoft GH3 team in order to provide feedback on how the game was coming along, and what would be nice to see changed before release. We sat in for two hours and were able to discuss all parts of the game from top-to-bottom with the developers. It's an understatement to say that all of us who were out there are very eagerly awaiting the release of the latest game in the Guitar Hero franchise.

- "Through the Fire And Flames" is REALLY hard. We'll leave it to the individual posters to tell you how many times they failed it at 1-3%.

Perhaps one of the best indications of the ever-increasing popularity of Activision's Guitar Hero series is the list of artists who are contributing songs to the upcoming third game in the franchise, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Among the currently revealed artists, you'll find songs from the Rolling Stones, the Beastie Boys, and Living Colour--all of whom contributed actual masters of their songs for inclusion in the game. In the case of Living Colour, the band actually went back into the studio to record an updated version of their late 80s hit, "Cult of Personality," complete with new, finger-shredding solos from LC axe-man Vernon Reid. Just before the start of E3 2007, we had a chance to get our hands on the new rock with a look at the next Guitar Hero game for Xbox 360.


Share the rock in co-operative play, or destroy your opponent in battle mode.

Beyond the new soundtrack--and there are more tunes to announce as we get closer to the game's release later this year--perhaps the most striking thing about Guitar Hero III is its upgraded look. Everything from the menu system, to the characters, and even the in-game gauges have a new sheen to them that might take some getting used to for long-time GH fans. For one thing, the guitarists themselves--while still retaining the cartoon proportions that gave them their charm in the earlier games--now have better muscle definition and slightly more realistic skin textures. There's a new axe-slinger on board, too--the pixie-ish J-pop star Midori. And it's not just the guitarists--the Neversoft developers went ahead and motion-captured the mouths of the singers in the game, so that you have actual lip-synching to the words of the various songs on the soundtrack. Heck, even the bearded bass player has a new axe to pluck. The star-power meter is now measured out in tubes like those you'd use in the back of a Marshall stack, and there will be new arenas and clubs for you to rock out in, including a seedy club complete with pole dancers and a desert rock festival that looks like it's patterned after Coachella, though mercifully free from the smell of hippies.

The E3 demo of the game will feature a host of songs including the driving mid-tempo rocker "Lay Down" by Canada's Priestess; "Rock and Roll All Nite" by Kiss; Pearl Jam's "Evenflow"; Tenacious D's "The Metal"; "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse; "Barracuda" by Heart; Smashing Pumpkins' "Cherub Rock"; Weezer's "My Name is Jonas"; "Slow Ride" by Foghat; "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys; Guns N' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle" and, last but certainly not least, "Paint it Black" by the Rolling Stones. This last track in particular is an inspired choice, thanks to the ever-intertwining guitar parts of Keith Richards and Brian Jones.

Cooperative play seems to be a major focus for Guitar Hero III, because not only will you be able to play co-op online, but the game will also feature a cooperative career mode, where you and a buddy follow the path that documents the rise and fall of a rock band. To encourage playing cooperatively, some songs--such as the Beastie's "Sabotage"--can only be unlocked by first playing them in co-op mode.

The big new mode in Guitar Hero III is a battle mode that, producers told us, is reminiscent of the classic showdown between Steve Vai and Ralph Macchio in the seminal 1980s blues flick, Crossroads. Here, you'll square off against another guitarist in your bid to prove your dominance in a particular song. As the song progresses, you'll be able to "attack" your opponent by tossing difficulty modifiers his way. These modifiers include everything from doubling the amount of notes he has to play, to rattling the other player's screen, overloading his amp, requiring him to play lefty, changing his difficulty level, or even breaking his string (which he will have to quickly fix by rapidly pressing one of the fret buttons). Up to three of these temporary modifiers can be piled on top of one another at a time, and if you choose to use them at the right moment, they can cause havoc for your opponent. If you double an attack (such as dropping two double-note modifiers in a row), you won't quadruple the notes your foe has to play; instead the amount of time the double-note modifier will be that much longer. You can also steal an opponent's attack at certain times and then use it on him.

Of course, all of this bombastic, battling chaos doesn't really do much to serve the song. As you toss attacks at your opponent, the song often becomes a obscured by the sounds of zinged attacks and a cavalcade of missed notes. Your goal, after all, is to make your opponent sound as bad as possible. Playing battle mode, you quickly learn to save your attack power-ups at strategic moments--a double note or lefty flip power-up, for example, is ideal to lay on your foe just as the song is leading into the big guitar solo. Battling it out with an opponent, you spend most of the song with one eye on the screen and one eye on your opponent; the second he flips his neck to toss an attack your way, you'll want to reciprocate the favor or else risk the match-up.


The new stage environments run the gamut from seedy to epic.

When you're not taking on a friend in multiplayer battle mode, you'll be encountering some of rock's most legendary guitarists in the game's career mode. After completing a number of songs at a certain venue, you'll be challenged by a guitarist in an axe-wrangling duel that plays just like the multiplayer battle mode. The first guitarist you'll face is GN'R and Velvet Revolver's Slash in an original composition by the guitarist that features plenty of back-and-forth wailing, both with and without a backing band. As with the multiplayer battles, you'll be able to toss power-up attacks at Slash or defend yourself against his six-string assaults. Should you manage to defeat the top-hatted one, you'll get to join him in an encore of "Welcome to the Jungle." In addition to Slash, there will be two other boss battles of similar stature in the game.

Wannabe guitarists whose rocking has been constrained by wired guitar controllers take heed: Guitar Hero III will signal the coming of wireless controllers for the game. No word yet on the price for the new instruments, but we expect they'll be comparable to the current guitars. Combine that with new online multiplayer and the ability to download new songs in the future (though which songs, and how much they'll cost, are details to be revealed later) and Guitar Hero III seems to be shaping up quite nicely. The game is due for release later this year and we'll be bringing you much more in the coming months.

Activision has revealed another eight songs for the upcoming expansion disc for Guitar Hero II on PlayStation 2, taking the total number of fret-finger classics announced so far to 21.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is set to blast onto PS2 in July and features 30 retro rock tunes to mosh around your bedroom to. Activision has been drip feeding us information about the track listing since May and this latest update includes big hitters Wrath Child by Iron Maiden and No One Like You by the Scorpions.

Anyway, enough talk, let's get on with the rocking. Here are the new songs:

Hold On Loosely - .38 Special
No One Like You - Scorpions
Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo
Radar Love - White Lion
Ballroom Blitz - Krokus
The Warrior Scandal
What I Like About You - The Romantics
Wrath Child - Iron Maiden

They join the 13 tunes announced previously, which are:

I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister
I Ran - Flock of Seagulls
Round and Round - Ratt
Metal Health - Quiet Riot
Holy Diver - Dio
Heat Of The Moment - Asia
18 and Life - Skid Row
Bathroom Wall - Faster Pussycat
Lonely is the Night - Billy Squier
Nothing But a Good Time - Poison
Play With Me - Extreme
Shaken - Eddie Money
Synchronicity II - The Police

After warming their amps in the basement garage to rocking sold out shows at Stonehenge, fans of Activision, Inc.’s wildly popular Guitar Hero franchise will now be able to shred like never before with the next iteration of the game that will be available this fall. The new game will be released on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Wii video game system from Nintendo.

Turning it up to 11, Guitar Hero fans will channel their inner rock god using Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul and Kramer models as the industry standard. In addition, players will experience an incredible number of newly added features and explosive content including a new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content and authentic rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status.

While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the gnarliest rock songs ever recorded. Delivering more master tracks than ever before, strategic partnerships have been secured with all the major and independent music record labels and publishers to allow unrivaled access to their deep history of music catalogs, along with supplying artists’ original recordings for even greater authenticity.

The initial list of face-melting awesomeness includes:


* Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)

* Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)

* Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)

* The Metal (by Tenacious D)

* My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)

* Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)

* Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)

* School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)

* Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)

* Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)

* Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)



For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform. The exclusive Gibson guitars will include innovative features such as removable faceplates that will allow fans to later personalize their guitars and make it their own, and a new button color design that will be integrated for an even greater authentic feel and rock experience. Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul model will be the battle axe of choice, and an industry standard for all rock gods on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system, and Wii. After much anticipation, PlayStation 2 system fans will also be receiving a new exclusive shape as well, the classic Kramer guitar, also a Gibson brand, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics, and construction for furious finger fretting.

“The development team at Neversoft has been exceptional, and we’ve been able to incorporate a host of fresh new online and multi-player game play modes, along with exciting content into this version of Guitar Hero that our fans have been asking for. Also, many of the top bands and songs we’ve tried to get in the past are now on board, and we’ve definitely got some giant aces in the hole to say the least,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. “In addition, offering a new line of Gibson wireless guitars for each platform is going to truly add to the authentic rock star experience like no other.”

One of the worst-kept secrets in the games industry is finally out. After weeks of rumors, Activision has finally confirmed that Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s is in the works. So far, the game has only been confirmed for the PlayStation 2 and will take the retail stage in the US and Europe sometime this summer.

Seven songs out of the total 30 have so far been announced, but they run the genre gamut. It will feature "as made famous" covers of "Round and Round" by Ratt, "I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow, "Metal Health" by Quiet Riot, "Holy Diver" by Ronnie James Dio, and "Heat of the Moment" by Asia. It will also sport two original tracks: Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran" and "I Wanna Rock" by Twisted Sister. The game will also feature retro rock venues, unlockable guitars, and a variety of "intense" gameplay modes.

RedOctane's head of publishing, Dusty Welch, commented, "The 80s features an amazing variety of rock genres from hair metal to punk to new wave, and our dedicated Guitar Hero fans will definitely appreciate the opportunity to play all the new and exciting content we've added."

One thing Welch didn't comment on was the fact that Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s is being developed by Harmonix. Though it developed the first two guitar heroes, the rhythm-game studio has since been purchased by MTV, and announced in March it is making a Guitar Hero rival called Rock Band with Electronic Arts. Activision-owned Neversoft, maker of the Tony Hawk series, has since taken over Guitar Hero development. It will presumably be making Guitar Hero III, due out later this year for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

RedOctane founder and president Kai Huang had previously confirmed to GameSpot that the company would be looking to work on a variety of different genres for upcoming Guitar Hero, and that one of the options would be to offer these packs as extra downloadable content. However, the PS2 edition of Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s edition will be coming out in the more traditional boxed format.

Bidding farewell to the solo gig and the lone Guitar Hero, Harmonix has revealed its next game to be a monstrous multiplayer musical mash-up. USA Today reports that Rock Band will simultaneously support four peripherals -- two guitars (one bass, one lead), a drum kit and a microphone. You'd expect things to get cramped with all those blaring devices and gyrating gamers, but we assure you, the world's wide stage is more than accommodating. Arriving on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 just in time for the holidays, Rock Band will allow you to jam with friends both in person and online. "You could have one guitarist in Germany and another one in Texas, a drummer in New York and a singer from somewhere else, and they can play together online," says EA's unshaken David DeMartini.

The article notes that while EA is publishing the game, creative and financial support is provided by new Harmonix owner, MTV. As a result, the game's licensed tunes are expected to come from the original artists. "We'll be covering a great breadth, from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between," assures Harmonix co-founder, Alex Rigopulos. Once the game arrives, it is likely that more songs will be made available for purchase and download online.

With Guitar Hero II arriving on the Xbox 360 tomorrow (6 April in Europe) and Rock Band slated for the end of the year, how long until exhausted gamer bodies hit the flo?

[Update: The official press release reveals the list of music labels contributing master recordings: EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group's Universal Music Enterprises and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment.]

Activision has announced another sequel for the award winning music game franchise to distribution and retailers. Guitar Hero 80's Edition will arrive on the PS2 in June on the 13th and will retail for $39.99. Of course, release dates always like to shift around, but as this is Activision's initial printing of the date to distributers, hopefully this one will stick.

Hopefully the XBOX 360 version of Guitar Hero 2 will see some of these tracks in the form of downloadable content as well. (But that's wishful thinking!)

At long last, Guitar Hero is coming to the Xbox 360. Sure, it’s been out on the PlayStation 2 for a while now, but good things really do come to those who wait. (If you're not familiar with the Guitar Hero formula, check out our previous coverage.) The 360 version sports spiffy new visuals, 10 new tracks, downloadable content and, most noticeably, a new controller based on the classic Gibson X-Plorer guitar.



Ah yes, those 10 new songs. In keeping with the rest of the track list, the majority of the new songs are covers, or songs “as made famous by” in Guitar Hero speak. Eight of the new songs appear during career mode, and the remaining two are unlockables, which can be purchased from the in-game store with “money” earned through performances. The songs cover a variety of musical terrain, from sloppy punk thrashers to melodic power metal. Most importantly, they’re all a blast to play. Seriously.

Here are the exclusive tracks for the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II (* denotes a song performed by the original band):

Possum Kingdom—Toadies*
Salvation—Rancid
Life Wasted—Pearl Jam
Billion Dollar Babies—Alice Cooper
Hush—Deep Purple
Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo—Rick Derringer
Dead!—My Chemical Romance*
The Trooper—Iron Maiden

Bonus unlockable songs
Drink Up—Ounce of Self
Kicked to the Curb—Noble Rot

There was one downloadable title available on the Xbox Live Marketplace, Rotgort, though it was likely just a placeholder. Rotgort (“Trogdor” backward) played and sounded exactly like the unlockable Strong Bad ditty. RedOctane says downloadable content is planned for launch, and more songs should be available throughout the game’s lifespan.



As expected there are 50 unlockable achievements, which are earned through a variety of methods. Here are a few of my favorites:

Eddie Van Halen Award—Get a 500 note streak
Life of the Party—Bought all characters
Record Collector—Bought all songs
Big Spender—Spent $10,000 at store
Perfectionist—Get 100% on a song
200k Club—Get 200,000 points in a song
Rock Snob Award—Refused to play an encore
Scoremonger—Got an 8x multiplier

There are also achievements for completing the various difficulty levels (easy, medium, hard and expert) and for playing through the game’s two-player modes. The game doesn’t support online multiplayer, though it does feature an online leaderboard. Players can connect to Xbox Live and see how their shredding stacks up against the rest of the world. Scores are sorted by individual songs and career modes. All difficulties are lumped together, meaning people who play on easy won’t have much of a chance against experts.

The 360’s guitar controller is based upon the classic Gibson X-Plorer. The distance from the strum bar to the fret buttons is a bit closer (about 5/8”, for you obsessive-compulsive types), though it doesn’t have any real effect on gameplay. The fret buttons are changed slightly yet again, this time in rectangular form. In previous incarnations, they were rounded at one end. The buttons are as firm and responsive as ever. The strap is a bit longer, too, giving players the ability to sling it a few inches lower than before. The strap also connects to the center of the back of the controller’s neck, which is more friendly to left-handed guitar players than previous Guitar Hero controllers.



Despite rampant speculation, the controller is wired. The cord is a foot longer than before, including a standard Xbox breakaway section, giving players even more room for rocking. The guitar’s face also hosts a variety of new controls. Where the first controller only had Select and Start buttons, the X-Plorer has Back and Start buttons, as well as a 360 Guide button and a fully functioning D-pad. There’s also a port for the Xbox’s wireless headset and another mysterious jack. While RedOctane wouldn’t elaborate on that port’s function other than saying it will be “gnarly,” it’s the same port that’s used to connect the pedals to the base station on Microsoft’s steering wheel. Let’s just call that a coincidence for now… RedOctane says they designed the new controller from scratch with support for as-of-yet undisclosed new features in mind.

If you have an Xbox 360 and have been holding out for a port of Guitar Hero 2 to call your very own, you’re in luck. Everything that made the PlayStation 2 version a blast is here, and there’s even more to keep you occupied. If you already own Guitar Hero for the PlayStation 2, the 360 version is still worth checking out. The additional tracks, as well as the downloadable content, make it a worthy purchase.

Yes its true.

You will be able to play Guitar HERO II (available in NOVEMBER) with DETHKLOK.

It will be in the 'unlocks' section along with some other secret music from other bands.

Which DETHKLOK song?

THUNDERHORSE.

Metal.

September 27, 2006 - Today at X06 Redoctane and Activision announced that Guitar Hero II will be available for Xbox 360.

The president of Redoctane is quoted in the press release stating: "The tour will continue the rockin' gameplay Guitar Hero fans have come to enjoy, and will now include expanded Xbox 360 capabilities. With Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360 rock rhythm, lead, or bass guitar tracks with downloadable content and the new X-Plorer controller, designed specifically for the Xbox 360."

They also mentioned that the large hard drive on 360 and Xbox Live Marketplace creates endless possibilities for downloadable content. While the press release doesn't state it specifically it looks like we'll be rocking out wirelessly on the controller pictures below. We'll have more on this title from X06 as the event continues.

This week, Activision released two new trailers for Guitar Hero II. The game, which due out this fall, is the follow-up to Guitar Hero, the award-winning and still-popular PlayStation 2 title from RedOctane and Harmonix. The title was so successful that Activision paid nearly $100 million to buy RedOctane, and is rumored to be blowing out Guitar Hero into a multititle franchise akin to Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series.

But while DDR's gameplay is powered by a techno-pop beat, Guitar Hero is an all-rock rhythm game. How lucky then that the two trailers this week revealed that two pillars of the rock pantheon will be featured in Guitar Hero II.

The first trailer showed the game will include "Sweet Child O' Mine," the 1986 breakout hit from one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time, Guns N' Roses. The second trailer showed that "Freebird," the oft-requested rock ballad from seminal '70s group Lynyrd Skynyrd, would also be featured in the game. Both trailers are viewable below, as is a list of all confirmed Guitar Hero II songs and three tracks rumored to be in the game, which will ship for the PlayStation 2 on November 7.

[UPDATE] RedOctane has now confirmed the following songs as being in Guitar Hero II. The status of one song that had been previously believed to be in the game, Drist's "Arterial Black," is now unclear.


Anthrax--"Madhouse"
Black Sabbath--"War Pigs"
Butthole Surfers--"Who Was in My Room Last Night?"
Guns N' Roses--"Sweet Child O' Mine"
KISS--"Strutter"
Lynyrd Skynyrd--"Freebird"
Motley Crüe--"Shout at the Devil"
Primus--"John the Fisherman" (Original Recording)
Reverend Horton Heat--"Psychobilly Freakout"
Rush--"YYZ"
Stone Temple Pilots--"Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart"
Van Halen--"You Really Got Me

At an event held today in Australia (well, actually July 31st in the land down under), RedOctane is showing off a new build of its forthcoming Guitar Hero II, the sequel to one of the best, most popular and certainly most rocking music games ever created. Three new songs are on display at the show, bringing the officially announced track count up to 11. Already announced tracks include covers of Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout", KISS' "Strutter", Black Sabbath's "War Pigs", Butthole Surfers' "Who Was in My Room Last Night?", Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" and Rush's "YYZ", along with the original master recordings of Primus' "John the Fisherman" and "Arterial Black" by Drist.

The three newly-announced tracks are covers of Stone Temple Pilots' "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Anthrax's "Madhouse" and Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil". "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" is taken from STP's third major-label release "Tiny Music...Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop" and features a bevy of muted chords strummed quickly throughout its verses, making for a fast-paced play. "Madhouse" comes from Anthrax's 1985 release, "Spreading the Disease", and is a great example of Scott Ian's grinding guitar work. The Crue's "Shout at the Devil" appeared on the band's 1983 release of the same name and gives hair metal a proper showing in RedOctane and Harmonix's sequel.

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/guitarhero2/news.html?mode=all

Historically, Kentia Hall has been the neglected stepchild of the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Tucked underneath many megapublishers' multimillion-dollar displays in the South Hall, the ground-floor venue is home to a diverse range of smaller-scale operations. Many of the Kentia exhibitors specialize in games with peripherals, such as baseball-bat controllers and dance pads.

Though many peripheral games remain mired in obscurity, one onetime Kentia denizen has found both fame and fortune over the last year. Guitar Hero, the rock-rhythm game from RedOctane and Harmonix, was recognized at both the 2006 Interactive Achievement Awards and the 2006 Game Developers Choice Awards. The highly rated PlayStation 2 game has also seen solid sales, moving nearly 290,000 units in the US (according to NPD)--and generating over $20 million in the process.

With those sales, it's no wonder RedOctane recently announced it is working on Guitar Hero II. Today, the publisher revealed a partial song list for Guitar Hero II. Besides "Arterial Black," an original recording by Drist, it will include covers of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," KISS' "Strutter," Rush's "YYZ," Reverend Horton Heat's "Psychobilly Freakout," Van Halen's "You Really Got Me," and Butthole Surfers' "Who Was in My Room Last Night?"

Besides offering Guitar Hero II demos at its booth and on a "groupie bus," RedOctane announced that it will stage a series of miniconcerts in Kentia Hall. The performance schedule is as follows:

Wednesday, May 10 @ 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.
Original Guitar Hero guitarist Marcus Henderson will perform with his band, Drist, to promote their new album, Orchids and Ammunition!

Thursday, May 11 @ 10 a.m. & 3 p.m.
Graveyard BBQ, the winners of the first "Be a Guitar Hero" competition, will be on hand to perform their winning song "Cheat on the Church."

Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.
LA rock group Shaimus, whose song "All of This" was in the original Guitar Hero, performs.

RedOctane also announced that Halo Friendlies lead guitarist Judita Wignall, who was the template for Guitar Hero character Judy Nails, will make "special guest appearances." E3 returnees will also be familiar with another draw to the event--the fact that Kentia is the only hall at the event with a bar at its center.

If there's one lesson to take away from the Rolling Stones' four-decade-long career, it's that rock and roll will never, ever die. As such, when RedOctane and Harmonix Music's runaway hit Guitar Hero stormed stores last year and established a groupie-like fan base of virtual Vais, pseudo Satrianis, and make-believe Malmsteens, a sequel was as inevitable as another aborted Van Halen reunion.

RedOctane today confirmed the band was indeed getting back together, as it announced that Guitar Hero II would arrive on the PlayStation 2 this November. While the song list hasn't been announced yet, the publisher confirmed that there would be more than 55 tracks in dire need of shredding. There's also a multiplayer co-op mode that will let players collaborate, each playing lead, rhythm, or bass guitar portions.

And in case devoted fans feared that the series would stray too far from the musical genre that spawned it, RedOctane has promised that the tracks would be the same mix of classic, alternative, and modern rock, with additional entries from hair metal and heavy metal.

RedOctane has confirmed that the sequel will be compatible with the original game's guitar peripheral, and that it will give the world its first glimpse of the game at next month's Electronics Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.