Gibson drags companies behind Rock Band to court
After Gibson Guitars sued Guitar Hero’s publisher Activision and some major game retailers, alleging that the game infringes upon one of its patents (related to technology required for simulating a musical performance). It has realized that the other leading game in the music genre, Rock Band, is also in violation of its patent. Now Gibson Guitars is suing Rock Band’s developer Harmonix, its parent company MTV Networks and the game’s distributor, Electronic Arts…
Gibson sues Activision, Activision sues back
After a long collaboration between the two companies on the very successful Guitar Hero franchise, in January 2008 Gibson Guitar Corp. filed a law suit against Activision Inc. for patent infringement claiming it has a patent for a system that simulates a concert experience and playing a virtual instrument. The suit asks for Activison to either stop manufacturing all components of the Guitar Hero video game or to pay a license fee for the system.
Earlier this week, Activision filed a lawsuit to complain to the Superior Court in California, claiming Gibson’s patent is invalid and the guitar maker has…
Activision announces more Guitar Hero 3 Tracks
Activision today Today (August 2, 2007) announced 11 new tracks for multiplatform music sim Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. This increases the overall track list to 27 and includes master tracks from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer, The Strokes, Iron Maiden, AFI, Queens of the Stone Age and Dragonforce with covers of songs made famous by Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Mountain, and ZZ Top.
Activision is definitely offering the monster track list in response to the mounting competition from upcoming Rock Band, which offers similar gameplay with expanded options (singing, drums and guitar). GH 3 will be released for the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, and Wii this October (2007).
The new tracks are…
Guitar Hero III’s new official name and guitar controllers
Guitar Hero III‘s name is out: It shall now be known as Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock! (Bummer they didn’t go with one of my suggestions). We also got out digital mitts on pictures of the controllers for the game, though the box art and official logo has not yet been released.
All of the guitars feature shiny finishes and redesigned buttons. Note that the Wii version also incorporates the Wii controller in the body of the guitar.
Seen in our photo gallery is the PS2 controller (also above) and controllers for the PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 controllers, respectively. The guitars are modeled after Les Paul and Kramer guitars thanks to Activision’s partnership with Gibson.
Photo Gallery [Guitar Hero III controllers] Read [Destructoid]
Related- Today’s Amazon Black Friday countdown deal: Buy a Wii Guitar Hero, get 2 guitars for $20
- Guitar Hero: World Tour not making news makes news
- Gadgetell Listens: Gibson Presents: Hot Tones on HDtracks
Activision releases details of next Guitar Hero
Activision finally put a few Guitar Hero rumors to rest with a press release last week.
In the announcement, Activision states that the next Guitar Hero game by Red Octane will be available Fall 2007 for the PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii.
Interestingly enough, no where in the press release does it call the game “Guitar Hero 3,“ or any other name, yet sites are reporting that as the game’s actual name. I contacted Red Octane today and their PR rep simply said, “An official title is not available yet, though we’ll definitely give you the heads up when it is. “
The release also indicates that the controllers will be based on Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul and Kramer guitars.
New features and controllers will include:
- Multiplayer action battle mode
- New boss battles
- More unlockable content
- Authentic rock venues (my garage?)
- Expanded online multiplayer mode
- “Fresh” downloadable content for multiple platforms
- Wireless controller for each platform
- Exclusive Gibson guitar controllers with removable faceplates an new button color design
The initial (as in potentially partial) list of songs for the game include:
- 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)
Any guess as to the actual name of the game? How about Guitar Superstar, Guitar Face Melter or simply Guitar Hero III?
(Of course, I’ll let you know when I get confirmation of the game’s actual name from Red Octane.)
Read [Joystiq] Also read [IGN] Site [Guitar Hero] Site [Activision] Site [Gibson]
Related- Gadgetell Listens: Gibson Presents: Hot Tones on HDtracks
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