EA uses The Beatles in their advertisements to sell The Beatles: Rock Band and Activision goes with a bunch of Playboy Playmates to sell Guitar Hero 5. As much as I love looking at the girls, the commercial is really uninspiring because its exactly the same “Risky Business” idea as the last 57 GH ads that have been airing over the course of the year. Maybe it’s just a metaphor for the actual game because many feel the franchise has also been underwhelming as well. It also could be the similar because Brett Ratner has been helming these ads. Or maybe it’s a combination of both…
I guess it is also worth noting that the Playmates do not take off their shirt to reveal their bra & panties. Last year, when Activision aired their first TV spots for Guitar Hero: World Tour, Heidi Klum was the star and she ripped off her clothes and revealed her undergarments — of course their was another ad which had her clothing on the whole time, but we all know that one sucked. When the bra & panties promo was first released to the Internet, some media members, most notably Bill O’Reilly, were on a uproar with the images of Heidi almost naked. I believe O’Reilly was just a bit jealous because he doesn’t look nearly as good in his bra.
A few weeks ago, we mentioned how Activision was giving away Guitar Hero: Van Halen for free when a customer purchased the first initial shipment of Guitar Hero 5. Back then, that was the only the only information we had and we had no clue how players would receive the game. Now we do.
Today, Gamestop received the details on how this will work. According to an employee who works for the retail company, if you purchase either the stand-alone or bundle of Guitar Hero 5, a unique code will be packaged inside the box. From there, you would head over to guitarhero.com/vanhalengameoffer and enter in the code which came with the game. Once this is done, you would then enter in your personal information, like name and address, and after this is all done, Activision will send your free copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen six weeks later.
Even though you don’t get the free game right away, it sounds like you should get it sometime in November, which is about a month and a half earlier from the actual release of Van Halen.
I’ll be honest, since Neversoft took over development of the Guitar Hero franchise from Harmonix, I became less interested in the series. I felt Harmonix had more of a passion creating a music game, and I thought they absolutely proved this when Rock Band was released. Especially if you compared Rock Band to Guitar Hero: World Tour. But this deal seems too good to pass up and I think I might have to bite at this promotion.
We already knew that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was going to be featured in Guitar Hero 5 for sometime now, we just didn’t know how we was going to look. Thanks to some videos that have leaked online on dailymotion — we now do. We also get a glimpse of Matt Bellamy, who is the lead voice of the band Muse.
Cobain is obviously styling his famous grunge look and it even looks like Neversoft has him wearing the green sweater he wore during the bands MTV Unplugged in New York album. The song which shows him singing and playing the guitar is none other than “Smells Like Teen Spirt.” Oh yeah, Matt Bellamy is heading the song “Plug In Baby.”
Not to long ago, I was blasting how Activision decided to develop a Van HalenGuitar Hero game. Not only is Van Halen completely irrelevant, but the company including bands like Blink-182; didn’t make any sense. With all that said, it looks like I might be picking up my very own copy of Guitar Hero: Van Halen. And it’s because I have a change of heart.
I think Activision might have realized that Van Halen might not live up to expectations, in terms of sales. The company has just announced that if you pre-order Guitar Hero 5 by September 1, you’ll receive the Van Halen version for no extra charge. Not only is it free, you’ll get the game months in advance. It sounds like a pretty damn good deal to me. Basically, when you pick up Guitar Hero 5, you’re getting over 130 songs that day.
Could this be in response to the great press The Beatles: Rock Band has been receiving as of late? It just sounds like a big counter-move on Activision’s part, in attempt to downplay The Beatles getting their own videogame.
Since last generation, videogames sell for about $10 more. When the original Xbox, PS2 and Gamecube were battling it out, the majority of new release titles cost around $50. Today, the average game is about $60, but that’s not even taking in consideration the endless amount of special editions and rhythm titles, that can now be priced upwards of $250.
One of these companies who love to push the envelope of increasing the prices of videogames, is none other than Activision. Over the years, they have released their Guitar Hero franchises at an alarming rate, which require another piece of equipment to experience the game fully. On top of that, they’re releasing a “Prestige Edition” of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the crazy price of $150. Thankfully, the publisher is still giving gamers the choice of the regular $60 version, but if CEO Bobby Kotick had his way — maybe not.
While having a investor relations conference call, CEO of publishing Michael Griffith talked about how retailers are accepting their price points of certain videogames. Kotick, however, believes if it were up to him — the prices would be raised even more. “And Tony (Analysts Tony Gikas), you know if it was left to me, I would raise the prices even further,” Kotick said.
I certainly hope Kotick was joking, but for some crazy reason I’m getting the impression that he was half serious/half joking. I guess having some of the company’s 2009 titles like Modern Warfare 2 costing $150 for a “special edition,” Guitar Hero 5; which will probably be over $150, Tony Hawk: Ride; which already is priced at $120 and DJ Hero; which has two different bundles costing either $130 and $200, isn’t expensive enough.
I guess he’s forgot about this whole global economic recession thing because he swims in a pool of money.
Neversoft had announced they would be supporting Xbox 360Avatars for Guitar Hero 5 not to long ago. Because of the announcement, I figured the company would also take advantage of Nintendo’s Miis when the same game is shipped for the Wii.
The company has indeed confirmed Mii support with the fifth installment of the famous rhythm game. Players still have the ability to choose their own created avatar using the Guitar Hero’s create-a-band member option and in my opinion, thankfully. My Mii playing another instrument would bring back bad memories of Wii Music. That is something I can’t deal with anymore.
If PlayStation 3 owners are wondering if their ‘Home Avatars‘ would be supported in their version of Guitar Hero 5 — the answer is no. A Activision spokesperson sadly confirmed this earlier.
Activision has just released an exclusive Xbox 360 trailer for Guitar Hero 5. The company has confirmed that Neversoft, the studio behind the game, is going to allow gamers to import their Xbox Live Avatar’s into the game.
The clip up top features the famous track “Song 2” by the UK band Blur, and has some virtual avatar members from Neversoft playing on stage. I guess it’s kinda a cool idea, but the versions of game already has a create-a-band-member included with the game. I’m just not seeing the big deal with this one, folks.
This is nothing but PURE speculation on my part, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Miis will also be include in the Wii version.
A couple of weeks ago, we posted what was a rumor of the entire track listing for Guitar Hero 5. Activision has yet to confirm it, but the more time goes by — it starts to look more legit. The end of the article, it was mentioned that Shirley Manson, singer from the band Garbage, would be a playable character. Today the publisher revealed that she would be, thanks to a video we have up top.
To be honest, I quite happy she’s in the game — I find her voice to be one of the sexiest in Rock history. Yeah I said it. And kudos for her saying that Guitar Hero “has kept the flag flying” for rock music, in a time where its not been as mainstream as it once was.
Up top is an apparent viral marketing video for Activision’s Guitar Hero 5. It stars a bunch of hot naked chicks walking through the streets of Los Angeles (Santa Monica?), however there are censor bars covering their apples and peaches.
You might be pissed at the black bars at first, but later you realize they’re your best friends.
Anyways, what the hell does this have to do with Guitar Hero?
Ladies and Gentlemen, say hello to the new and improved Guitar Hero 5 drums. Okay, they look almost identical to the old version but there is one key feature which is new; the cymbals now look like well…cymbals. If you remember last year’s model, they kinda looked a baseball diamond, which really didn’t make much sense.
Other than that, not much has changed with the set. The only thing I ask for is hopefully either Activision orRed Octane have figured out a way to fix the minor problem some people had with the set last year, which was if you hit the drums too hard, the cymbals would accidentally move. The game then thought you were hitting the wrong note, even tough you were not.
Remember when a new Guitar Hero game would come out, everyone wanted to get the latest info and gameplay footage? The series was definitely more than just a game, it was a pop-culture icon — in many ways it still kinda is. But thanks to Activision milking the entire franchise, the excitement for a new game feels dead. This year alone, the company is going to release seven different versions, if you were to include the mobile and arcade ones. That in my opinion is quickly killing the franchise. I guess the company believes this whole music/rhythm genre is just a fad and want to bank on it before EA does.
Since the game still sells well and people still care a about it, up top is another trailer for Guitar Hero 5. The clip shows off some of the features which have been known for the past few months.
In case you missed it — check out the set list here, however, Activision has yet to “confirm” it. Although, it seems like it’s the real deal.
Joystiq has uncovered from “trusted sources” of the complete track listing for Activision’s Guitar Hero 5. Obviously, since the songs haven’t been revealed by the actual publisher, we can only say this is a rumor, but considering it’s coming from reliable site — it’s more likely true than not.
Just like every other music game as of late, this one will include songs from many different generations. From Stevie Wonder to Coldplay, Guitar Hero 5 looks like it will have a decent track selection. Although, I am noticing a strong presence of songs from the 90s, which is a good thing because that could be easily one of the better generations of music.
We should also note that players will be able to choose characters including Matt Bellamy from Muse, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain and Shirley Manson.
After the jump, check out the complete alleged list. (more…)
Activision has released all 84 bands that will be playable in Guitar Hero 5. Even though we have every single group who will be featured in the fifth installment of the famous rhythm game, we don’t know which songs we will be jamming to in the future, just yet.
I notice many of the bands who are already announced for DJ Hero, which is published by Activision, are also included with Guitar Hero 5. It seems like Activision is getting a tad lazy and are trying to save money by using the same bands they already have rights too. These musical groups include the Gorillaz, David Bowe, Nirvana and Gwen Stefani. No word yet is the tracks are the same.
I get the feeling we will be seeing many of the same bands who are in Guitar Hero 5, will be making an appearance in DJ Hero too, and soon.
After the jump, check out the complete listing. (more…)
Activision has dated the 356th installment of Guitar Hero. Okay, maybe it’s only Guitar Hero 5 but with all the spin-offs and such, it certainly feels like that many have been released, in the last couple of years.
According to the official website for Guitar Hero 5, the rhythm game will be shipped to stores on September 1, 2009. Not only that, the website mentioned that The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Duran Duran, Gorillaz, Jimmy Eat World, Muse, The Raconteurs, The White Stripes, Beastie Boys, The White Stripes, Kings of Leon, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Santana and Vampire Weekend, will lend some of their musical tracks for the game.
The publisher has previously announced some of the new features included with Guitar Hero. The game will allow players choose what instrument they want to play with and will have the ability to use multiple instrument combinations, for any song. Gamers will also be able to switch instruments in the middle of the song and on the fly. Although, I’m not sure why anyone would take advantage of that, I certainly think it’s useless.
In case your girlfriend really sucks at any rhythm game but you want to ‘jam’ with her anyway, Neversoft has your back. The studio has added a mode called ‘Party-Play,’ which is described as being “easier”. I’m guessing that is a snazzy way of saying you can’t fail out of a game. Remember, everyone is trying to appeal to the casual gamer, and casual gamers want a simple product.
Activision announced a few weeks ago that Guitar Hero 5 is is coming out. It will be a direct sequel from World Tour, and it’s going to be the 89th Guitar Hero released this year alone. Okay not really, but it certainly feels like it.
The newest addition of the famous rhythm game will include some update features like; Swapping instruments on the fly, combine any number of instruments, easy to use modes for casual players who somehow have a hard time playing on easy, plus many more.
Now, the publisher has confirmed a few bands and tracks which will be selectable in the game. It seems like Activision is going into the more classic route this time, by having The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and among others. If this is the case, it will be interesting to see if people besides the younger generation buy into it. It also could also be a way for the company to complete against EA, who is publishing The Beatles RockBand from Harmonix.
Below is the first of many confirmed tracks for the title:
The Rolling Stones – “Sympathy for the Devil” Bob Dylan – “All Along The Watchtower” The White Stripes – “Blue Orchid” Santana – “No One To Depend On (LIVE)” Vampire Weekend – “A-Punk” Tom Petty – “Runnin Down a Dream” Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire” Kings of Leon – “Sex on Fire”
