Guitar Hero 3 announcement.......

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Due in the fall on all consoles.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com....php?id=161588

[Mustang]

They could just do an expansion packs.

Guitar Hero 3: Metallica edition, all Metallica songs.

I'm sure they'd sell a few units...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Mustang

They could just do an expansion packs.

Guitar Hero 3: Metallica edition, all Metallica songs.

I'm sure they'd sell a few units...

It's not hard to read the writing on the wall as far as that stuff goes. There will be expansion packs like that, but it will likely be downloadable content. They can make a larger profit with minimal costs by doing it online.

[DanGarion]

It's not like this wasn't seen as coming. GH2 was one of the more anticipated games on the 360 so far this year and I'm sure it exceeded the numbers they wanted it too the past 2 weeks.

[MikeVic]

Well, I guess I don't have to rush out and buy a 360 now. I was hankering for Guitar Hero again, but don't own it... or a system it is currently on. I can wait until the fall to play on my Wii.

[PackerFanatic]

Glad to hear they are still releasing it for PS2, since I am too much of a cheapass at the moment.

[PackerFanatic]

dola, being a college student (for another 5 weeks!), buying a house, needing to buy a car, and a baby on the way will do that to you...

/end whine

[Ksyrup]

After playing to mass audiences at sold out shows around the world in Guitar Hero II™, fans will once again be able to whip out their Gibson-shaped SG guitar controllers and shred to their favorite rock tracks, as the critically acclaimed franchise is scheduled to go on another highly-anticipated world tour this summer.

Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s will feature visually stunning retro rock venues and hipster characters, unlockable guitars, intense game play modes, and most importantly 30 awesome new songs to experience the ultimate rock star fantasy.

The initial list of finger-melting tracks includes:

I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister)
I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)
Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt)
I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow)
Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot)
Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio)
Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)

"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," said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. "As we delve deeper into the history of rock, we'll continue to offer a fresh experience and even more explosive tracks with the Guitar Hero franchise."

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Another good piece of news from Wednesday is that Pelican is coming out with an adapter that will allow PS3 owners to use their guitar peripherals on the PS3. Glad I can play the old PS2 games now without having to rebuy everything to play them on the PS3.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

The initial list of finger-melting tracks includes:

I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)

Yes, you too can play like Paul Reynolds

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Mustang

Yes, you too can play like Paul Reynolds

They had him on that show where they brought back past start to compete for another shot at fame. He still had terrible hair, except he was 20 years older.

[DanGarion]

Great, maybe GH2 will be actually back in stores by then too...

[MikeVic]

Awesome. So is this going to be released on PS2 and the 360?

I'm getting impatient waiting for it to be released on the Wii...

[spleen1015]

Only been confirmed for the PS2.

[Pyser]

yes, yes, yes, YES!

a thousand times yes!

[sterlingice]

I'm game for it, definitely.

SI

[Ksyrup]

More info on the 80s GH game:

Encore Details for Guitar Hero 80s Slight name change and several new songs announced

Activision today announced additional details regarding the latest Guitar Hero entry. Now called Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, the game will be available exclusively on PS2 in Summer 2007. Originally announced earlier in May, the game will feature 30 songs from the titular decade. Among the new songs are 18 and Life as made famous by heavy metal act Skid Row. Glam metal groups Poison and Extreme contribute Nothing But a Good Time and Play With Me, respectively. Bathroom Wall as made famous by hard rock band Faster Pussycat also appears. Finally, pop rock artists Billy Squier, Eddie Money and the Police Lonely donate the songs Night, Shaken, and Synchronicity II. Hell freaking Yes to Bathroom Wall and Play With Me. PWM is a bizarre song off of Extreme's first album - the entire album is built around a grade school concept, and PWM is basically a song naming a bunch of kid's games (Duck Duck Goose, etc.) while Nuno shreds. I bet it will be a high difficulty song.

[Fonzie]

I'm not a fan of 80's glam metal (in fact, I pretty much hate the stuff) but I'll be tempted to buy this just for Synchronicity II. That song is teh shiznit.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Only been confirmed for the PS2.

According to the article I just posted, it is exclusively for the PS2. Or is that exclusively on PS2 for release in the summer, but at some point after that for other platforms?

[MJ4H]

I had never played guitar hero until one of my students brought it to school on the last day of classes (kind of a tradition here that we just play video games all day on the last day of school). We spent a lot of the day playing Wario Ware and Wii sports, and then we hooked up Guitar Hero.

The difference was like night and day in the room. When we were playing the Wii everyone was laughing and joking around. When we were playing Guitar Hero, actually more people were watching but everyone was sitting there staring slack-jawed at the screen. I was very struck by the difference. Not that that matters, just an interesting observation.

That said, I was surprised at how much I didn't like Guitar Hero. I tried to get into a PC clone of it because I refuse to drop $100 on the game, but I only thought it was "ok." Guitar Hero itself was actually a let-down. I expected more, frankly, from all the hype about it.

I know it's a popular game, but it doesn't seem like it's for me. I may give it another try when it comes out on Wii and one of my friends picks it up or something.

[Ksyrup]

From another board....


First few songs announced for Guitar Hero 3. I guess the 360, PS3 and Wii will also be getting a wireless Les Paul controller with a "new button color design," whatever the hell that means. PS2 also gets a Gibson Kramer, but who doesn't already have a guitar for the PS2 version?

"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)

[Celeval]

Quality stuff. We've still only got the original GH, but looking forward to songs in both of the new releases. The biggest question will be to stick with PS2 or go Wii for GHIII - if Wii allows downloading new songs, that might do it.

[Ksyrup]

I've still only got GH1 as well. In fact, I haven't played it in months. I probably need to get back into it at some point, but I've spent most of my gaming time on either NCAA Football or OOTP. Only so much time in the day.

[flounder]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)

You know how I know Red Octane is gay? They listen to Asia.

[DeToxRox]

18 and Life? What a blessing, and I won't even get in to the awesomeness of Cult of Personality.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by DeToxRox

18 and Life? What a blessing, and I won't even get in to the awesomeness of Cult of Personality.

Different games, though. 18 and Life is on the 80s version, and Cult of Personality is on GH3.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Different games, though. 18 and Life is on the 80s version, and Cult of Personality is on GH3.

Yeah, the 80s game kind of got mashed into this thread. Here's some more info which came out today on GH III.....

Other announcements for the game include 'a new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content and authentic rock venues', as well as online play. The game will take advantage of RedOctane's partnership with MTV by including a large number of original tracks, rather than covers.

Tracks mentioned thus far:

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)

[Ksyrup]

That was my fault. I didn't feel like GH needed another thread.

[DeToxRox]

The teases! Regardless I am sure in time I will acquire both, though GH III looks far superior so far in listed tracks.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

That was my fault. I didn't feel like GH needed another thread.

Probably doesn't. I think people's heads just started spinning with thoughts of hair bands and they couldn't control their excitement.

[Pyser]

gh3 already has the best tracklist of any version of the game. amazing.

[Pyser]

muse and cult of personality? come on!

[Phototropic]

Cherub Rock FTW!

[Vince]

Paint it Black = win.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Vince

Paint it Black = win.

I especially like that it does not have "as made famous by" after it!

[SackAttack]

I got confirmation from RedOctane, guys.

The 360 version will not only have a wireless controller this time around, but it will be integrated in nature, same as the regular wireless Xbox 360 controllers.

[Ksyrup]

ACCEPT's "Balls to the Wall" is among the latest songs that will be featured in Activision's special 1980s-themed Guitar Hero title, dubbed Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. The last game in the series to be developed by now-MTV-owned Harmonix will ship for the PlayStation 2 this summer.

Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s tracks so far:

ACCEPT – "Balls to the Wall"
ASIA - "Heat Of The Moment"
BILLY SQUIER - "Lonely Is The Night"
BOW WOW WOW - "I Want Candy"
DIO - "Holy Diver"
EDDIE MONEY - "Shaken"
EXTREME - "Play With Me"
FASTER PUSSYCAT - "Bathroom Wall"
FLOCK OF SEAGULLS - "I Ran" (original recording)
OINGO BOINGO – "Only a Lad"
POISON - "Nothing But A Good Time"
QUIET RIOT - "Metal Health"
RATT - "Round And Round"
SCANDAL – "The Warrior"
SKID ROW - "18 And Life"
THE POLICE - "Synchronicity II"
TWISTED SISTER - "I Wanna Rock" (original recording)

[spleen1015]

I like that cover.

Any news on this coming to the 360?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I like that cover.

Any news on this coming to the 360?

80's version is PS2 exclusive. My guess is that they'll likely provide those songs for digital download as part of GH III when it comes out for the 360. You'll probably end up paying a pretty penny, but will be able to get those songs.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

EDDIE MONEY - "Shaken"

I always thought it was "Shakin'."

*shurg*

[Ksyrup]

It is. They cleaned up some of the typos from the original report, but not that one.

Now we can pretend to sing "Her tits were shakin' [we did some shakin'] 'til the middle of the night" while we play! I always loved that song because of that line - he mumbles through it, so it sounds far dirtier than it is. Wonder if my wife will notice?

[Lorena]

Stupid question: Is there a soundtrack I can purchase for any of these games? I don't own any of these (hell we don't own a console), but I'd love to listen to them on CD.

Thnaks in advance.

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It is. They cleaned up some of the typos from the original report, but not that one.

Now we can pretend to sing "Her tits were shakin' [we did some shakin'] 'til the middle of the night" while we play! I always loved that song because of that line - he mumbles through it, so it sounds far dirtier than it is. Wonder if my wife will notice?

How could she notice? I assume you'll be getting the PS2 Tricked-out, Drag-racing Car Accessory Set, so she'll be too busy bouncing up and down and watchin' her own boobies shake to notice the lyrics.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by Dodgerchick

Stupid question: Is there a soundtrack I can purchase for any of these games? I don't own any of these (hell we don't own a console), but I'd love to listen to them on CD.

Thnaks in advance.

the songs do make great mix CDs. I think you have to make your own, though

[Ksyrup]

You don't want the soundtrack. Nearly all of the songs are not the originals. That's starting to change, but that's still the case for the vast majority of what's been released so far. There are sound clips at http://guitarherogame.com/gh80s/. Just listen to 18 and Life - Sebastian Bach shits the singer they have doing this song in the game.

[Draft Dodger]

I should have said the real versions of the songs make great mix CDs

[Fonzie]

Let's get back to discussing boobies, please.

[Draft Dodger]

ok. I like them

[Fonzie]

Me too.

This is more like it.

[Ksyrup]

Guitar Hero III Preview from IGN...


Guitar Hero III Hands-on
The rock fest continues with Neversoft at the helm. First look at the wireless guitar and screens are here.

May 30, 2007 - There was no way that the Guitar Hero franchise could continue to break all sales expectations and not get noticed by the big dogs of the business world. RedOctane and Harmonix, the two teams responsible for the hit franchise, got snatched up by Activsion and MTV respectively thus ending their partnership for future Guitar Hero games. Of course, we haven't heard the last of Axel Steel or Johnny Napalm. Activision put the development in the able hands of Neversoft, a team best known for the Tony Hawk series.

Neversoft's driving philosophy behind Guitar Hero III is a simple one: Give the fans what they want. That means the development team won't rock the boat too hard, staying true to the gameplay first laid out by Harmonix. But it also means that more of the songs and features we've all been clamoring for will finally make it in.

The song list has been carefully picked to meet the wishlists that have littered the internet since Guitar Hero was first released on PS2. More of the songs will be master tracks rather than covers. New multiplayer modes have been confirmed. A wireless controller is on the way. In short, you can put your fears aside. This is the same Guitar Hero we've all come to know and love. It looks a little different and has a few new fancy bells and whistles to get you excited all over again, but it's still Guitar Hero.



Since Harmonix is now owned by MTV and hard at work on Rock Band, Neversoft wasn't given access to the code from previous Guitar Hero games. That means Guitar Hero III is being built from the ground up. Even so, the basic gameplay is identical so the learning curve should be nonexistent. When we first jacked in ready to rock, we were met with instant failure. With Neversoft and RedOctane folks all around, awkwardness abounded.

You see, the timing window for when you can hit a note is not quite the same as Guitar Hero I and II. Not to worry. Neversoft is bringing in testers regularly to get their opinion on timing (amongst other things) and are constantly adjusting the window to nail the sweet spot. Even without being used to the timing on this early build, it only took about 2 minutes before we were ripping out fast licks with precision. After the opening miscues and adjustment, the game felt like the old glove it should and the fun kicked in. It only took a minor adjustment on our part and there's no reason for us to believe that Neversoft won't have the timing nailed down to perfection by the time the game releases this fall. For those that worry Guitar Hero III will be too hard (and let's face it, Guitar Hero II was hard!), Neversoft has assured us that they're not aiming to make the game even harder. Instead, they're aiming for a difficulty level somewhere between the first and second Guitar Hero Games.

Although the notes scroll down the screen in the same fashion as other Guitar Hero games, a few changes have been made to the rest of the display. The score multiplier box behaves the same, although it looks a bit different. The same goes for the star power meter which now consists of lights instead of a regular power meter. One big addition is the new inclusion of a string counter. If you hit enough notes in a row, a counter will pop up to tell you exactly how many notes you've nailed without a mistake. No longer will you have to wonder how close you are to stringing together 1000 notes. The screen will have all of the info you need.



The visual style has also been tweaked just a bit, giving everything a slightly more realistic feel to it while still maintaining the over the top feel that previous Guitar Hero games have. We saw a few of the rockers who are returning for another tour that highlighted these changes. Judy Nails is a bit more of a punk-goth girl now. Johnny Napalm still has his trademark mohawk and wiry frame along with some oversized feet to give him a comic book feel. Xavier Stone looks a bit less like Lenny Kravitz and more like Hendrix as he sports '60s attire and hair.

The venues will be all new and are being designed to match the feel of the career progression. There won't be any licensed locales in this game. The team toyed with that idea and tossed it out to give the art team more freedom to design some really killer backdrops. Your band starts out playing in a lowly dive bar that sports a few extra dancers in skimpy clothing to keep the crowd's attention (nothing too revealing, but it adds to overall feeling that this game is a bit more hardcore). We saw a few of the latter venues as well, including an art deco theater that features a giant dragon getting its head chopped off as the opening stage prop. The last stage we saw was modeled after the classic music festival. Think Bonnaroo; giant stage, huge lights, and a massive crowd.

Like all good music rhythm games, Guitar Hero is best played with a group of friends. Neversoft, a company which had been throwing weekly Friday night Guitar Hero office parties even before they had anything to do with the game, knows this well. Much of what is new with Guitar Hero III that we've seen so far comes in the multiplayer side of things. The game is still only for two players and the face off and pro face off modes are still present without any noticeable changes to the format. Co-op and battle mode are where things get interesting.

The co-op mode from Guitar Hero II has been reworked into its own career mode. That means you and a friend will be able to work together to move through a two player career, unlocking songs as you go. It won't be the same as the single player career though. Instead, it will have its own song list, pulled from the master list to only include the songs best suited for two players. The co-op set list isn't finalized yet, but it may end up having a few surprises that you don't find in the single player career.



Battle mode is Neversoft's attempt at turning the end of the movie Crossroads into a game. No, we're not talking about the Britney Spears movie. Shame on you if that's what popped into your mind. We're talking about the Ralph Macchio flick that ends with a guitar battle between him and Steve Vai. When the mode was first described to us, it didn't sound too interesting. Once we tried it out, we had a blast. Check back Friday for an in-depth look and impressions on how this new multiplayer mode plays.

When the Guitar Hero franchise made its first appearance on the current generation of hardware on Xbox 360, two important features were missing in action. On a console that is increasingly defined by its online features, Guitar Hero II had no online modes of play. In a game that is all about rocking out to your hearts extent, players were tethered to their consoles with a wired controller. Both of these issues will fade to black with Guitar Hero III.

Neversoft was keeping tightlipped about the online play when we sat down to talk Guitar Hero with them. It does exist though and we can probably expect most of the same multiplayer modes that exist offline to make their way online and perhaps a few we haven't heard about yet. They did tell us that they're aiming for identical online features for both PS3 and Xbox 360 and that it would "rock."



The new Les Paul inspired controller will be the first 3rd party Xbox 360 wireless controller. Microsoft finally budged and allowed RedOctane to license their technology. While we only got our hands on the nonfunctional 360 prototype version, we were told the PS3 controller would be similar in design and features.

There are several instantly recognizable changes to the controller, aside from the shape of the body and lack of wire. The buttons on the fret board have gone back to the rounded shape first used on the PS2 Guitar Hero controller. They still have the same color layout, but now have a mostly black face to make the controller look less like a toy and more like a real axe. New removable faceplates have added as well. The one we saw was plain white, but it seems likely that RedOctane will have a variety of different designs up for sale when the guitar releases. It doesn't look too difficult to pop the faceplate off and mod it yourself either.



The guide button and d-pad have been moved to prevent accidental presses and the start and back buttons have been replaced with the original circular "knob" buttons from the PS2 model. The guitar also has to places to strap in on the neck and, get this, a removable neck. The neck can unlock for easier travel and RedOctane wasn't shy about hinting that they may have other plans in store for that functionality.


There's not much to complain about with Guitar Hero III which shows just how far Neversoft is going to keep up with what the fans want. It's more of the same, but it's also a lot more. Check back tomorrow as IGN takes a deeper look at the songs that have been announced so far as well as a couple you haven't heard about yet.