More tracks revealed for Band Hero

Activision has cracked the curtain on some of the bands that will have tracks in Band Hero, its upcoming music game that probably will face a lawsuit from Harmonix at some point for its name. The game will include such popular acts as Fall Out Boy, Hilary Duff, Boys Like Girls, The All-American Rejects and Jesse McCartney

Additional songs from both the console and Nintendo DS Lite set lists were also revealed, which can be found after the break below. When the games ship on November 3, fans can live out their music fantasies as their favorite music superstars, including singer/songwriter Taylor Swift and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, - both playable in game. Check out the set lists after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

Maroon 5’s Adam Levine playable in Band Hero

Adam Levine, guitarist and lead singer for Maroon 5, will soon take center stage in Band Hero, Activision announced today. When the game hits retail stores in November, fans will be able to play as Levine as he rocks out to the Grammy nominated “She Will Be Loved,” Maroon 5’s hit single from their debut album Songs About Jane, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and is Gold and Platinum in more than 35 countries.

“Besides the fact that it is cool to be in a video game, it is also exciting to be thought of as someone that could be in a video game so I am very proud to be a part of Band Hero,” said Levine. “It is really amazing actually, it is one of the more unique things I’ve done in my life and I don’t know if I’ll ever have that feeling again.”

Good for you. I still don’t think he can take Robbie Williams though. Published by Activision, Band Hero is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PS3, by Vicarious Visions for the Wii and by Budcat for the PlayStation 2. The game is rated E10+ (Everyone 10+ - mild lyrics, mild suggestive themes).

Guitar Hero 5 changes the game

Big changes are coming to the next iteration of Activsion’s rock and roll music game series. The big change coming to Guitar Hero 5 will - for the first time - let players decide what combination of instruments to use in-game. Want to play with two guitars and two drums, or three guitars and a microphone? Well now you can, according to Activision.

Activision also promises easy-to-use gameplay modes like Party Play and RockFest that let players tailor the experience to match personal style and interests. Party Play lets players can jump in or drop out of gameplay seamlessly, while RockFest, lets them go head-to-head in five new modes playable online or in your living room and the ability to play the entire set-list from the first time the game is turned on.

Naturally downloadable content from Guitar Hero World Tour will be compatible with the game and will automatically be updated to include all of the upgrades and enhancements of Guitar Hero 5. Guitar Hero 5 will also offer a varied set list with master tracks from 85 bands including Kings of Leon, The Rolling Stones, The White Stripes, Santana, Vampire Weekend, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, plus more than 25 artists from a variety of music genres that will be making their music video game debut.

Guitar Hero 5 is set for release this fall. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game are being developed by Neversoft, the Wii version is being developed by Vicarious Visions and Budcat is developing Guitar Hero 5 for the PlayStation 2.

Neversoft Founder Confirms Tony Hawk Dev Change

It’s been more than fourteen years since the doors first opened at Neversoft Entertainment. The company bounced around on a number of different titles before finally cementing a name for itself with the release of Tony Hawk Pro Skater back in 1999. The Tony Hawk series ended up being a cash cow for Neversoft and Activision, with the developer creating nine different Tony Hawk games for Activision between 1999 and 2007. Ever since Neversoft first took over the development of the Guitar Hero franchise with the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, gamers have been wondering how long the dev could successfully maintain control of two of Activision’s biggest franchises without sacrificing quality from either. Yesterday, they got their answer.

Read the rest of this entry »

Guitar Hero World Tour Get Smashing Pumpkins Exclusive

The Smashing Pumpkins is coming to Guitar Hero World Tour with the debut of their new single “G.L.O.W.” exclusively in the game. This marks the first time a band has recorded a new song exclusively for the franchise, which will be released afterwards, giving Guitar Hero fans exclusive access to Smashing Pumpkins music before anyone else.

The new track, bundled with two other Smashing Pumpkins hits, “1979″ and “The Everlasting Gaze,” will be available post-launch of the game as a three-song downloaded content pack.

Additionally The Smashing Pumpkins’ singer, songwriter and lead guitarist Billy Corgan will appear as an in-game character and will bring with him the hit track “Today,”

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PS3, Vicarious Visions for the Wii, and Budcat for the PS2. The game is set for release in late October.

Real Gear in Guitar Hero World Tour

Activision promises that Guitar Hero World Tour will feature some of the most influential instrument and equipment brands in the music industry. Thanks to a number of licensing deals players will be able to score in-game sponsorships and gear from AMPEG, Audio-Technica, EMG Pickups, Ernie Ball, Evans Drumheads, Guitar Center, Krank Amplification, Mackie, Marshall, Orange County Drum & Percussion, Pork Pie Percussion, Regal Tip, Sabian cymbals, Vox and Zildjian drumsticks.

In addition to featuring virtual version of these products, the game lets bands play on the same stage as many of their favorite musicians with digital re-creations of Amoeba Music and Live Nation’s House of Blues Sunset Strip.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PS3, while the Wii version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. A PlayStation 2 version is being developed by Budcat.

Ozzy Ozbourne Rocks Guitar Hero World Tour

Ozzy Osbourne will be front and center in the next Guitar Hero game, Activision announced today. Players will be able to get on the OZZFest stage, playing as Ozzy, or alongside him, as he rocks out to “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley,” both from his quintuple platinum debut solo album Blizzard of Ozz. OZZFest, now it its 13th year, has also been created digitally as an in-game venue exclusively for Guitar Hero World Tour.

Joining Ozzy in Guitar Hero World Tour as a playable character is Black Label Society’s Zakk Wylde,
performing their hit track “Stillborn.” In addition to Metallica releasing the Death Magnetic album in its entirety as downloadable content in both Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero World Tour, the band will be appearing for their on-disc encore with “Trapped Under Ice.” Finally, System of a Down will jump in with “B.Y.O.B.”