Gamertell

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]

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]

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]

As if it needed any more support, Rock Band was named the Best of Show of E3 2007 by the Game Critics Awards.

The music sim game also won for best peripheral and best social/casual/puzzle game (I don’t quit get that last one, but I wasn’t asked to vote). Other winners include LittleBigPlanet (PS3) for Best Original Game, Mass Effect (Xbox 360) as Best Console Game, Crysis for Best PC Game and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) for Best handheld Game.

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