Gamertell

Product: Peak’s Starpex wireless guitar controller
Systems: PS2, PS3
Price: $189.99
Rating: Two thumbs up; 98/100; A; * * * * 1/2 out of five.
Pros: Feels great, works perfectly and looks amazing. Easy to connect and great action on the buttons.
Cons: A little pricey and could use a better neck strap.
Overall: The perfect gift for a Guitar Hero or Rock Band fanatic. If you want to feel even more like a real virtual video game rock star, this is the guitar controller to own.

Screw those mamby pamby plastic guitar controllers with wood grain stickers. Those are for wimps and wussies.

Peak has released the first full size, wood body guitar game controller. It’s essentially a real electric guitar (ever touch one of those?) with the electric components swapped for plastic controller parts.

It looks great, feels great and plays great, making it one truly ass-kicking game controller…

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Check out the gallery: Peak's Starpex PS2/PS3 Guitar Controller

And the sales have begun. In this week’s Kmart print ad, the chain is promoting “Black Friday Price Available Now!“ with at least one item. At the top of the game page (page 2) is Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock for PS2 for $44.99 (regular price is $89.99, limited quantities and no rain checks).

The other deals include $39.99 ($20 reduction) for Brothers In Arms: Hell’s Army for PS3 and $10 off when you purchase both WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 for PS3 ($59.99) along with Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero on DVD ($29.99).

Sale prices are good in-store from…

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MMMM mmmm! Nothing says rock and roll down south like a bucket of fried chicken! Kentucky Fried Chicken y’all!

KFC and Guitar Hero World Tour. I guess its a play on words - finger licking good chicken and fingers licking chords of the guitar. From now until November 24, 2008, KFC has teamed up with Guitar Hero World Tour and partnered with Dave Barley, a top Guitar Hero player, for a KFC Rocks contest. With the recent launch of the newest Guitar Hero game, the contest allows players and non-players alike a chance to earn some cool prizes like a year’s supply of KFC chicken, fully loaded box meals and…

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There are some people out there who live for Guitar Hero. Where some of us are happy being able to go through all the songs on medium difficulty, the truly dedicated make it a personal mission to play every song blindfolded while spinning in circles.

Alright, maybe that was a bit dramatic but it’s safe to say the standard guitars that come with the games aren’t enough to satisfy everyone’s inner rock star. Logitech has announced the upcoming release of a new wireless guitar designed for the Playstation 3 version of Guitar Hero 3 and World Tour that is also compatible with the PS2 version of World Tour.  The Wireless Guitar Controller Premier Edition goes on sale…

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We already know that the late great Jimi Hendrix will not only have his music in the new installation of Guitar Hero: World Tour, but also his likeness. Yet, it seems that Activision isn’t stopping at having just a few songs of the legend in their upcoming title.

Velvet Revolver’s guitarist, Slash, revealed to Rolling Stone that Activision is at work on a Hendrix special edition game similar to what it did with Aerosmith…

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Game developer Hands-On Mobile announced today that there have been “nearly 1 million downloads” of Guitar Hero III Mobile (including monthly subscriptions and across all providers) since the game’s December 2007 release. It was initially released as a Verizon Wireless exclusive and opened to more providers and Blackberry devices.

According to the company’s press release, more than 250,000 songs are played each day in GH3M with the most played songs being…

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Rock Band has got 1.5 million PS3, Xbox 360 and PS2 owners off their seats and forced them to shed all their shyness. Very soon, Wii gamers can also join in the fun as the Wii version of Rock Band is scheduled for a June 22, 2008, release.

The game’s developer, Harmonix, announced…

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Rock Band and Guitar Hero, arguably two of the leading music game franchises, are captivating a wide array of people, some of them non-gamers who are usually scared of the intricate controls of most of the modern video game systems.

A story in the Independent Tribune points out the mass appeal of music video games, and narrates the deep impact these games have had on the life of Nick Eley, a 23-year-old Concord, NC, resident.

Eley ritualistically plays Guitar Hero and Rock Band every night for two to five hours despite his crammed schedule that sees him work two jobs – at a restaurant and a game store. He is a maestro when it comes to playing the guitar in these games having perfected 70 out of 80 songs in Guitar Hero III, though he still doesn’t know how to play a real guitar.

Due to his job at the Game Crazy video game store in Concord he has been witness to the sudden rise in the popularity of music games, and believes that innovative music games and the Nintendo Wii are attracting a lot of non-gamers. He even told the Independent Tribune about a growing trend of karaoke nights being replaced by music games. He even credits these casual music games for an improved relationship with his sister.

Music games certainly have attracted a lot of non-gamers with their uncomplicated control schemes. Also let’s not forget that music has a ubiquitous appeal and there is no dearth of people with a desire of becoming a rock star.

Read [Independent Tribune]

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Rock Band and Guitar Hero are two of the leading musical video game franchise and, just because they are both musical games, don’t expect the competition to be nice. In fact the competition seems to be quite fierce with the developer and publisher of Rock Band, MTV and Harmonix respectively, accusing the rival publisher, Activision, of blocking a patch aimed at making the Guitar Hero III controller (PS3) compatible with Rock Band (PS3).

MTV told Next-Gen that Harmonix had handed over a patch to Sony for approval around two weeks ago and it was subsequently approved for release on December 4, 2007. He added that this patch was supposed to make the Guitar Hero III controller compatible with the PS3 version of Rock Band, however, Activision didn’t like the entire idea and vetoed it.

This patch was supposed to be a stopgap arrangement as Harmonix has plans for individual Rock Band peripherals – currently none are available. So the GHIII controller could have provided an easy alternative to gamers, who have to buy the entire $169.99 Rock Band bundle if they want an extra guitar peripheral. Activision hasn’t reacted to the allegations so far.

Read [Next-Gen] Also Read [Kotaku]

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While gamers wait for the release of the serenading title Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, rumors about Guitar Hero IV—a title in the distant future—have begun to surface. The first GT IV rumor comes through the ever credible Billboard.com and, if true, it might change the game series for once and all.

Perry, Aerosmith’s lead guitarist told the music website that the band is working closely with the makers of Guitar Hero IV, and that the title would be dedicated to the band’s music.

There hasn’t been any official word about GT IV from Red Octane—the publisher of the game—and it seems unlikely with GT III: Legends of Rock still a few months away from its release.

If Perry is taken at word, then GT IV would be disappointingly unlike previous games in the Guitar Hero series, which have provided a wide gamut of music from bands galore. A tribute to Aerosmith is a mouthwatering prospect but, not if it comes at the expense of the USP of the series—the wide array of tracks from various bands.

It is likely that Perry was referring to a side game and not the full-fledged GT IV. Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80’s was one such side game. Perhaps, he is a gaming novice who doesn’t know that in the world of video games, the game which comes after the 3rd title of a game series isn’t necessarily the 4th game in the series.

Let us wait for an official word from Red Octane. Besides, GT IV can wait as GT III has enough in store to keep gamers entertained.

Read[Billboard] Also Read[Gamespot]

• Gamertell Review: Peak’s Starpex guitar controller for PS3, PS2
• Kmart’s pre-Black Friday 2008 game sales (November 9-15, 2008)
• Guitar Hero: World Tour not making news makes news