PS3 Fanboy

Activision is giving you a little something back in the form of five free downloadable tracks if you buy Guitar Hero: World Tour before New Year's Eve. It only applies to the "Complete Guitar Game" variety that retails for $99.99, which is the package that comes with the game and a guitar controller, but not the standalone game or the more expensive "Full Band Kit". DLC is usually about $2 a pop, so you'll be saving about $10 with this deal. Of course, if you own the game already, this simply means you are getting 5 songs for free.

Some people will try to compare this deal with the 20-song DLC Rock Band 2 offered a while back, but in this case you actually get to pick and choose which songs you want.

A number of renowned rock bands are joining the Guitar Hero: World Tour in the form of DLC this month. Each band will be contributing three songs -- the Smashing Pumpkins Track Pack will be released December 4th, while the Nirvana and The Eagles Track Packs will make their debuts on the 11th and 18th, respectively. During the last week on the 23rd, you'll even get three reggae tracks for free.

Every track pack will cost $5.49 and each song can be individually purchased for $1.99. So which songs made the cut? Take a look, after the jump:

[Via press release]

Red Octane is having a sale on the Guitar Hero III Wireless Les Paul Bundle for only $39.99. Shipping will vary but it shouldn't be more than $10. The sale is today only and will end at 6PM PT / 9 PM ET. As Gamestooge noted, even if you just want an extra guitar, you can always just sell the game. You can find this limited-time offer here.

In other bargain hunting related news, Amazon has put up their stock of official DualShock 3 controllers on sale. Originally retailing for $54.99, these are now on sale for $40.96 with free shipping. Take advantage of the deal here.

Source -- Red Octane via Gamestooge
Source -- Amazon

[Thanks, Jonah F. and burandon!]

The solution announced last week that proposes to fix the problems occurring with your brand-new plastic drum set from Guitar Hero: World Tour is now available for download. Officially named the Drum Controller Standard Tuning Kit, this Windows program (sorry Apple and Linux users!) should solve your sensitivity troubles. Too bad though, cause you'll also need an midi-USB cable, which you are unlikely to already possess. Luckily, you can get one for free from Red Octane. Of course, you'll still need to wait for the cable to get to you ... and who knows how long that will take.

You can download the tuning kit here and request for a midi-USB cable here.

[Via Joystiq]

Guitar Hero: World Tour isn't even out yet and it's already gathering a strong amount of downloadable content. UK pop rock artists, Oasis, join the DLC crowd with the sounds of their latest album, Dig Out Your Soul. Three tracks from the 2008 record will be available for download off the PS Store on November 6 as a three-song track pack or as individual tunes.

The November 6 pack includes: "Bag It Up," "Waiting for the Rapture" and "The Shock of the Lightning." Meanwhile, the rest of you who wish to play the album in its entirety will have to wait for an indefinite date in 2009. Guitar Hero: World Tour goes to retail by October 26.

[Via press release]

The powers that be must be watching over us. Yesterday we made a simple and polite request to see the full set list for Guitar Hero: World Tour and (amazingly) here it is sitting on our laps. It just goes to show, it never hurts to ask now does it? In addition to that juicy info, check out the delicious packshot pictured above.

Taking a look at the list (posted after the cut), we're now quite enthralled by the musical entities gracing World Tour. It looks like it's going to be a cutthroat race towards rhythm game supremacy with Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 neck and neck ... oh right, and there's Rock Revolution, too.

[via press release]

While it is all good fun compiling a list of sparse reveals and slowly making our way towards a full set list for Guitar Hero: World Tour, we really just want to know the entire track list by now. It's a simple and polite request, we think, and hopefully the details will trickle in magically. However, until then, we'll have to rely on more short bursts of info.

This time around, we've got another 10 tracks to show off. Nine of which were revealed by Rolling Stone, and the 10th track (revealed in a press release today) is Ted Nugent's "Strangehold" -- which the artist himself will appear in-game alongside Sting, Ozzy, Billy and Jimi. As for the other nine, they're songs from bands like Dream Theater, NOFX, Filter, The Stone Roses (pictured), and Steve Miller. See that list after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Smashing Pumpkins fans will probably have an urge to smash some poor defenseless squash in delight upon hearing this news bite. Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan will appear as an in-game character on Guitar Hero: World Tour (due out this fall). He'll be bringing us back to the tunes of the early 90s with the SP hit song "Today."

In addition to the on-disc content, a Smashing Pumpkins DLC pack has already been set. Included in the DLC will be a brand new single called G.L.O.W. which will debut "exclusively in the game." Other older tracks come from differing Pumpkins eras, such as "The Everlasting Gaze" of early 2000 and "1979" of the late 90s. The three-song track pack will be available sometime after the game launches.

[Via press release]

With SCEA bringing word of cross-peripheral compatibility for PS3 rhythm games yesterday, consumers looking for that "one music set to rule them all" seems to be a reality drawing closer. However, making sense of the fickle plastic instruments jungle is still quite a daunting task and knowing where each individual peripheral fits into the mass is still a convoluted process. Making life easier on all of you, Joystiq have provided a simple to read chart which clearly illustrates compatible peripherals across all platforms -- behold the Instrument Compatibility Matrix, version 3.0. Color-coded and accompanied by lots of visuals, hunting for that perfect set to fit your needs couldn't be more convenient.

Joystiq have posted their hands-on impressions with the latest in the Guitar Zero franchise. From what they're saying, it seems peoples expectations might've been right on the money. Guitar Hero Aerosmith is Guitar Hero III, but with more Aerosmith. A lot more. Fourteen of the twenty-five tracks are by the eponymous band, with groups such as Joan Jett, Run DMC and The Clash making up the rest.

The overarching question, when it comes to GH: A, is "why isn't this a DLC pack?" There's no real reason, other than Activision trying to stick their fingers where they're not wanted. Namely, inside your wallet. With standalone copies retailing between $50 and $60, not to mention the $99 peripheral bundle (same guitar as GHIII, with an Aerosmith faceplate) Activision will be raking in a lot more than they would from a DLC pack. Even with their famously high DLC prices.

Check out the full hands-on article for more info, including a full track list for the game.

All of us PS3 owners know that our sexy console sports Bluetooth technology -- real awesome stuff, being able to attempt to play Warhawk while cooking in the kitchen and the TV is upstairs in a bedroom. Anyway, Red Octane doesn't seem to think Bluetooth is all it's cracked up to be. It's been revealed that the PS3 version of Guitar Hero 3 will force PS3 owners to attach a wireless USB dongle to their consoles instead of using the Bluetooth technology. Well, that might not be true. Red Octane is blaming Sony for this USB device. Let's investigate!

1UP contacted Red Octane for comment and they replied: "Our products require considerable time for certification and testing to perfect both our software & hardware, so this was the most effective way for us to bring a high quality wireless solution for PS3 this holiday." Since that didn't adequately answer why, they pried further, since the Wii uses Bluetooth but won't require such a crazy USB device. Apparently the Bluetooth technology only works with the Sixaxis and Sony doesn't have the technology set up to allow third-parties to use it. That's a little strange sounding.

Sony gave vague answers, using the word consider many, many times: "Many factors were in play regarding the decision to go USB wireless vs Bluetooth for GH3. However, we are considering Bluetooth for future consideration." Everything else is classified! This is a minor issue, but speculation seems to surround the PS3's strange de-sync with the Sixaxis. Surely that would be a horrifying situation while strumming your axe, so perhaps Red Octane decided not to risk that problem on the PS3. Who knows. Does anyone really care? Wireless is wireless, right?