Guitar Hero

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Activision Axes Guitar Hero
 Activision Axes Guitar Hero  

Activision Axes Guitar Hero

Gig is over for former hit game

(Newser) - Activision's former smash hit has gone from hero to zero. The company says Guitar Hero—which earned it more than $1 billion just 2 years ago—is being discontinued. Members of the Guitar Hero team will be among some 500 Activision employees to be laid off, the Los Angeles Times...

100 Defining Moments of the '00s

 100 Defining 
 Moments 
 of the '00s 

pop culture

100 Defining Moments of the '00s

The iPod, Guitar Hero, Twitter—and some serious moments, too

(Newser) - From the tragic (World Trade Center attacks, Hurricane Katrina) to the seemingly trivial (Stephen Fry's first Tweet), the Telegraph lists the top 100 defining cultural moments of the decade so far:
  • April 2000: Metallica sues music-sharing service Napster.
  • October 2001: The iPod is released.
  • February 2003: Sacha Baron Cohen hits
...

How to Save the Music Biz
 How to Save 
 the Music Biz 
opinion

How to Save the Music Biz

(Newser) - The album is dead. Touring is on the fade. File-sharing is killing download profits. Adieu, music biz? Not so fast, reports The Wrap, which offers five fixes:
  • Drop the price. Ninety-nine cents for a song? Try 10. "Lower the price point, and you undercut the very foundation of illegal
...

Stones Legend Bashes Guitar Hero

Real instruments gathering moss, Wyman complains

(Newser) - The growth of video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band means fewer real guitar heros in the future, complains former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman. Playing the games "encourages kids not to learn, that's the trouble. It makes less and less people dedicated to really get down and...

Guitar Hero Spin-Off Lands Jay-Z, Eminem

(Newser) - Two of the biggest names in rap are on board with Guitar Hero’s latest spin-off, USA Today reports. When DJ Hero launches this fall, its celebrity lineup will include Jay-Z and Eminem. Both are working with manufacturer Activision and developer FreeStyleGames to finalize their playlists. “I have a...

Hip-Hop Fans Get Own Guitar Hero

Scratch 'could reinvigorate DJ culture'

(Newser) - Could DJs be the next Guitar Heroes? The publisher of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ hopes so. "I know that Scratch can reinvigorate DJ culture," turntable icon Mix Master Mike tells Ars Technica of the videogame, due out this summer. It'll push kids "into getting real turntables to...

50 Ways to Improve Your 2009
 50 Ways to Improve Your 2009 

50 Ways to Improve Your 2009

Resolutions for your health, wealth and playful self

(Newser) - Just in case your pledge to exercise more didn’t satiate your need for self-improvement resolutions, US News and World Report offers 50 more ways to improve your life in 2009. Here are a few:
  • Pack up for Vermont: When it comes to healthy habits and community, the Green Mountain
...

Analysts Fear Recession Will Kill the Video Star

November sales dip aside, titles remain popular with gamers

(Newser) - With many Americans singing the recession blues this holiday season, they may not be willing to shell out $200 to groove to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Some analysts say the dueling, popular video game franchises are beginning to peak, MarketWatch reports. “The music game genre is getting a...

Top Games for Holiday Play
 Top Games for Holiday Play 
GLOSSIES

Top Games for Holiday Play

The titles you want stuffed in your stocking this year

(Newser) - Are you ready to wear out your thumbs this holiday season? Looking at games slated for holiday release, Forbes thinks gamers "crave a lot of morally questionable mayhem."  Here are their top choices:
  • Gears of War 2 (Microsoft): This game promises hordes of aliens to shoot
...

Pumpkins' Single to Debut on Guitar Hero

Bands seeking new ways to market music in tougher market

(Newser) - The Smashing Pumpkins will release their next single, G.L.O.W., as a download for the video game Guitar Hero: World Tour, reports the  ChicagoTribune. Band front man Billy Corgan will also appear within the new version of the popular game, which is due out in a few weeks....

Rock Video Games Compete for Top Acts

Guitar Hero, Rockband become major music markets

(Newser) - Aerosmith didn’t release an album in July, but still had their best sales week ever thanks to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which bowed to a cool $25 million. Video games have become music’s hottest market, Rolling Stone reports: Rock Band and Guitar Hero are battling for top acts, and...

Rock Band Indeed: Beatles Pursuing Game Deals

Fab Four reps in talks with Guitar Hero and Rock Band makers

(Newser) - Representatives of the Beatles' companies are meeting with video-game outfits to hash out the rights for possible Beatles-themed games. The reps are holding discussions with the makers of Guitar Hero and of Rock Band, the Financial Times reports. Analysts say that a deal might lead to more licensing of Beatles...

'Rock Band' Reinvents the Cover Band
 'Rock Band'  
 Reinvents the
 Cover Band 
OPINION

'Rock Band' Reinvents the Cover Band

Video game may spell end of bad cover acts

(Newser) - The hugely popular "Rock Band" is more than just a video game—it's a musical revolution, Brett McCallon writes in More Intelligent Life. The game, which expands "Guitar Hero" to two axes, a drum kit and a singer, finally realizes “the democratizing dreams of the punk movement....

Metal Makes a Heavy Comeback
 Metal Makes a Heavy Comeback 

Metal Makes a Heavy Comeback

Hair we go again: '80s nostalgia brings monsters of rock back to life

(Newser) - Heavy metal is coming back with a vengeance this summer, the Guardian reports. Kiss, Def Leppard, Judas Priest, and plenty of other massive metal names from the '80s will dust off the spandex and play stadium shows for audiences of aging headbangers along with a new generation of fans weaned...

Gibson Sues Over Guitar Hero
 Gibson Sues Over Guitar Hero 

Gibson Sues Over Guitar Hero

It wants retailers to stop selling game, claims patent infringement

(Newser) - Gibson Guitar has sued Guitar Hero retailers, saying the Activision video games infringe on a patent it holds for a virtual-reality concert. The federal suit seeks to stop Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Amazon, GameStop, and Toys "R" Us from selling the games, reports AP. But Activision is fighting back—earlier...

Aerosmith Rocks Guitar Hero
Aerosmith Rocks Guitar Hero

Aerosmith Rocks Guitar Hero

Veteran rockers headline first one-band edition

(Newser) - Aerosmith can add another big honor to its already-lengthy list: first solo act on a Guitar Hero release. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, due out in June, will include realistic animations of the band's 30-year history, from high school band to Super Bowl halftime act, reports USA Today. The Hall of Famers...

Activision Earnings Rocket 90%
Activision Earnings Rocket  90%

Activision Earnings Rocket 90%

Video games 'Guitar Hero' and 'Call of Duty 4' drive company's growth

(Newser) - Gamers who love Activision for Call of Duty and Guitar Hero have some company on Wall Street today after the company reported a 90% earnings surge and an 80% bump in sales for the quarter ending Dec. 31, reports MarketWatch. The company reported net income of $272.2 million, up...

Plucky Guitar Tunes Itself
Plucky Guitar Tunes Itself

Plucky Guitar Tunes Itself

Next up: guitar that plays itself

(Newser) - Gibson's new guitar can't quite play itself, but it offers musicians the next best thing—it tunes itself. The legendary guitar maker is introducing a robotic tuner on a high-end version of its classic Les Paul instrument. Start strumming, and the device tunes to one of six presets in 10...

Vivendi to Buy Activision
Vivendi to Buy Activision

Vivendi to Buy Activision

Get ready for World of Tony Hawk's Pro Guitar Warcraft

(Newser) - Vivendi, producer of mega-hit World of Warcraft, today announced plans to merge operations with Activision, forming an independent video game behemoth to rival EA. Vivendi will buy 52% of Activision for $1.7 billion and $27.50 per share, the Times reports, a premium on Friday’s $22.15 closing...

Be Your Own 'Rock Band'
Be Your Own 'Rock Band'
NEW RELEASE

Be Your Own 'Rock Band'

Harmonix's new game allows Guitar Hero-style play for every rock instrument

(Newser) - The immensely popular Guitar Hero "rhythm game" franchise has a new competitor: MTV Games/Harmonix's Rock Band. The game ups the ante on the Guitar Hero concept by moving beyond guitars: a microphone and drumset controllers, along with guitar, are included in the game's $170 pricetag so that in multiplayer,...

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