Crisis averted.

Until now, the war between music game franchises has left frugal gamers with no option but to pick a side and hope for the best. Following Guitar Hero publisher Activision’s press conference, however, Chris Kohler over at Game|Life brings us good news:

At Activision’s E3 press conference Tuesday, Guitar Hero director Brian Bright told the crowd that if they already owned guitar controllers and drum controllers from “previous games” on the Xbox 360, they’d work with Guitar Hero World Tour.

As a person who owns Rock Band and all its peripherals on the 360, this makes it a lot easier to be on both sides of the music game fence. My Rock Band 2 purchase is all but sealed up, but knowing that I can get the full Guitar Hero World Tour experience without crowding my basement with even more peripherals makes it all the more enticing.

Specifics on now the RB drums will work with GH remain to be revealed, but it should be interesting, as the Guitar Hero World Tour drums require one more input than the Rock Band drums currently have. In addition, Bright did not adress PS3 or Wii compatibility. We’ll have to wait and see.

[Image and info via Wired]

Wouldn’t ya know it? As I was writing this, Nathan managed to post the entire tracklist, but… uh… enjoy the first part of the article anyway.

With the start of E3 today, Harmonix has revealed the entire setlist for Rock Band 2 as well as a few other awesome details to secure at least 60 of my hard-earned dollars. THere will be 75 regular tracks as well as 9 bonus tracks, all of which will be master recordings. In addition RB2 will feature two debuts: AC/DC will make its first appearance in a video game and in even bigger news, a track from Guns N’ Roses (possibly) long-awaited Chinese Democracy will be a part of the setlist.

Rock Band 2 will also sport a number of other cool amenities. in addition to all DLC being cross-compatible, owners of the first iteration of the series will be able to copy those songs onto their console’s hard drive for use in Rock Band 2, saving the hassle of switching discs. In addition, despite the 84 tracks, MTV wanted to include over 100, so they will be releasing at least 20 master tracks for free via download.

If you really want to know, personal highlights from the tracklist include Journey’s “Any Way You Want It”, Beck’s “E-Pro”, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer”, and The Who’s “Pinball Wizard”.

Low points include Panic at the Disco’s “Anything they have ever written”.

Keeping on track with Activision leaks, Intellisponse has revealed brand new (potential) info about Guitar Hero: World Tour.

First up, the guitar. The new guitar will feature a “touch-sensitive neck slide.” This is going to make guitar solos so much better than they originally were. This detail doesn’t seen so hard to believe, as Activision has told the press before that the new guitar will have new controls, but the company did not reveal any detail.

Next up, the setlists. The songs in Guitar Hero: World Tour could amaze me, IF they are indeed true. Bands that could be in the upcoming title include the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, KoRn, System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol, Muse, and many more. 1Up brought up a great detail with the Doors being on the list, noting that their drummer, John Densmore, is very against licensing songs for other media, and if this proves to be true, it can make a very significant difference in future Guitar Hero titles.

Finally, the price. $179.99 is the listed price, according to leaked documents from Intellisponse.

And yes, the leaks are STILL coming. If not from me (I’m totally sure I’m going to be covering everything as I have nothing to do this Monday afternoon), then from another writer I push these stories on. And again, take all of these bits with a grain of salt, as they have not yet been confirmed.

Next up on the leak list is Microsoft’s karaoke game, titled Lips (NOT pictured above). This music title will contain 30 songs, and two wireless microphones. The biggest news about this game though, is the ability to allow users to use their own downloaded tracks.

Lips will allow gamers to rip songs from their CD or iPod, and use them to sing along with in-game. Lyrics are also uploaded to each song, while the vocals on ripped tracks will automatically be lowered.

The game will score its players based on pitch, rhythm, and tune. It’s also noted that the mics are motion sensored, and will be used for giving out bonus points for players who dance along (I see this as shaking your mic like an idiot) while singing.

Again, take this all with a grain of salt as this has not been confirmed yet.

After owning a Wii for a little over a year now, and playing a fair amount of the absolutely horrid titles available on the system, I initially had very low hopes for Battle of the Bands, Planet Moon Studios and THQ’s entry into the recent hit rhythm-music game genre. However, the track record for rhthym games on the Wii has been and looks to be very solid, what with Guitar Hero III already released and the upcoming Rock Band and Samba de Amigo to release on the system later in the year. How does Battle of the Bands fit into the equation? Quite messily, in fact.

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After it was announced that the next Guitar Hero game would incorporate other instruments to the game, fans began speculating on the price. Well, GameStop placed the prices of the game up on its website, revealing that the bundles for the PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 will cost $20 more than Rock Band’s special edition bundle cost - $189.99. The PS2’s bundle will cost $10 less, at $179.99.

To purchase just the guitar and game, it will cost $99.99. The game is priced at $59.99 for 360 and PS3 owners, while PS2 and Wii owners can buy Guitar Hero: World Tour for $49.99. The game will release October 27, 2008.

[Via Kotaku]

Above is a video of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Chad Smith, blink-182’s Travis Barker, and The Police’s Stewart Copeland babbling about how great Guitar Hero: World Tour’s drumset is. This can probably confirm that all of these bands will be featured in the game. It’s also revealed that the set will be sensitive to velocity, meaning how hard you hit the pads on the wireless drumset will determine how loud the volume will be in the game.

Here it is, the video that everyone who’s anyone has been waiting for, the debut video for Guitar Hero World Tour (also previously known as Guitar Hero IV)! The video shows players rocking out on the guitar, bass, drums and microphone, something that Rock Band aficionados will be quite familiar with. However, with the game boasting the biggest track list ever as well as the ability to create and share your own songs with other players, Rock Band might be a thing of the past!

In a recent conference call, Activision gave out a handful of details on its upcoming franchises. The most interesting facts out of the pool of information were regarding the Tony Hawk series, as well as Call of Duty 5.

Actvision has FINALLY decided to not produce a Tony Hawk Pro Skater game this year, and to totally reinvent the franchise. This breaks the nine-year-long tradition of releasing a game every year, although there is a THPS game that is planned to release on the Nintendo DS later this year. Activision CEO, Mike Griffith, commented:

“We’re inventing Tony from the ground up. For competitive reasons we’re not going to talk about it today, but we’re very bullish on the kind of innovation it will bring, and it won’t be your father’s Tony Hawk.”

The conference call also spoke upon Call of Duty 5, giving us the only information we have about the game: it’s going to take place in “a new military theater.” Note, however, there is a rumor flying around CoD 5 saying it’s going to take place during World War II…again.

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This week brings another batch of Rock Band DLC that most of you will probably not purchase.

The following songs will be available on Xbox Live May 6th:

• “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s An Arms Race” by Fallout Boy
• “Date With The Night” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• “It Hurts” by Angels and Airwaves

Each song is available for the standard 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99) each or 440 Microsoft Points ($5.49) for the Scene Pack. All songs are master tracks. Be sure to hit the jump for previews of the other two songs.

Hey, Harmonix… I know you’ve got the really good DLC tucked away in your offices somewhere. How about sharing the love? Pretty please…?

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This week’s DLC brings us a band that has seen a lot of love on Rock Band and another that was featured on the bonus tracks.

These songs will be available today on Xbox Live for 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99) a piece:

• “Red Tandy” by The Mother Hips
• “Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear” by The Mother Hips
• “Zero” by Smashing Pumpkins

All three songs are made from the master tracks.

Hit the jump for more banter and previews of The Mother Hips songs.
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I decided to make these two topics into one post, so the site doesn’t end up with a flooded page of Grand Theft Auto IV news, which I’m sure will happen this week no matter what.

Anyway, Xbox 360 Achievements has posted a list of all 50 achievements in GTA IV for the Xbox 360. You can view the list, but be warned, as some of them may or may not contain spoilers.

Kotaku has also posted some new details up about Grand Theft Auto IV, revealing the awesome track listing that’s included on the soundtrack of the special edition game. You can view the godly listing (Nas and Busta Rhymes, ftw) after the jump.

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Activision has been getting its ass kicked lately, thanks to brand new EA games such as Skate and Rock Band dominating the Tony Hawk Pro Skater and Guitar Hero series. Activision isn’t giving up though…least not without several upgrades and innovations.

IGN has reported that in the May issue of Conde Nast Portfolio, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick revealed that more instruments will be included in Guitar Hero IV.

“It’s not just about guitars. We’ll include a lot of other instruments, vocals. It will help us expand internationally.”

In addition to new instruments, Kotick also said that GH IV will be the first game in which the company will use “local content and local bands.” Players will be able to play along with their local bands in-game.

I don’t think Rock Band can get away with just DLC when this game comes around…

One of my contacts at Activision (I can’t say exactly who for liability’s sake) recently leaked information as well as the possible set list for the unannounced upcoming game, Guitar Hero: Fall Out Boy. The game is set to follow the escapades of lead singer Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz and guitarist Joe Trohman as they play various locations, including such venues as emo/underground pop theater CBGB & OMFUG in New York City. Rumor has it that you’ll be able to customize the make-up that each member of the band wears at each performance, choosing just exactly how much eyeshadow Pete Wentz wears on stage. Also, you can customize the design and severity of the cuts that each band member has on their forearms! Kinky!

Like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the game will include other smash hit artists similar to the likes of Fall Out Boy, including Panic! At the Disco, Paramore, Gym Class Heroes, The All American Rejects, Linkin Park and many more!

Want to see the rumored (and probably incomplete) set list for the no doubt blockbuster hit? Hit the jump!

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Gibson Guitar Inc is claiming that Guitar Hero infringes on one of their patents from 1999. The patent it for a “system and method for generating and controlling a simulated musical concert experience,” but unfortunately for Gibson they never actually created that, just filed the patent. Now, with the success of Guitar Hero, they’ve realized what a great profitable idea it really is, and they want some money too. Here is a portion of the patent, from the United States Patent and Trademark Office website:

A musician can simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3D display that includes stereo speakers. Audio and video portions of a musical concert are pre-recorded, along with a separate sound track corresponding to the musical instrument played by the musician. Playback of the instrument sound track is controlled by signals generated in the musical instrument and transmitted to a system interface box connected to the audio-video play back device, an audio mixer, and the head-mounted display. An external bypass switch allows the musician to suppress the instrument sound track so that the sounds created by actual playing of the musical instrument are heard along with the pre-recorded audio and video portions.

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