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Hailed as “Activision’s best Guitar Hero yet” by AOL/GameDaily and “a must-play for fans” by IGN.com, Guitar Hero Metallica is now available at retail outlets across North America for the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system. PlayStation 2 system rock stars can now experience the intensity of musical icons Metallica and over 20 additional bands. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a killer set list of over 45 explosive hits from both Metallica’s illustrious career and a wide variety of legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen.

“Guitar Hero Metallica has garnered critical acclaim across the industry proving the widespread appeal and accessibility of both Guitar Hero and Metallica,” said Will Kassoy, Head of Publishing for the Guitar Hero franchise. “With a very successful launch on Wii), Xbox 360 and PS3, we are excited to bring the game to the huge PlayStation 2 system gaming community and expect it to quickly become a fan favorite for that platform.”

Guitar Hero Metallica allows fans to “spend an evening with Metallica,” and more than 20 popular artists, while performing in venues reminiscent of their epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales. The all-new Expert+ drum difficulty setting, available for all platform versions of the game, features two bass drum kick pedals, offering an authentic Metallica experience with note-for-note tracking, and Metallifacts, which, after nailing a song, lets players enjoy a virtual concert filled with on-screen facts and trivia about the song being played.

Guitar Hero Metallica is now available for the Wii, the Xbox 360 and the PS2 and PS3 across North America. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero Metallica, please visit guitarherometallica.com.

Nyko Technologies®, the premier video game accessories manufacturer, today announced that the highly anticipated Metal Pedal has shipped to stores. The heavy-duty drum pedal is compatible withRock Band® 1 and 2, Guitar Hero®: World Tour and Guitar Hero®: Metallica on all consoles and plugs directly into the drum set replacing the standard pedal.

Designed for rugged durability with a metal plated exterior, the Metal Pedal is a must have addition to rhythm game drum sets. The rubber feet will keep the pedal firmly in place while the pedal’s wide base provides stable footing and consistent response for a more reliable gaming experience. The Metal Pedal also features a unique splitter, allowing users to play with two pedals simultaneously, enabling them to master the most complex of songs for both games.

“We heard gamers’ plea for a sturdier, more durable foot pedal, presenting us with the opportunity to design a lasting alternative,” said Chris Arbogast, Director of Marketing at Nyko Technologies. “Our goal is always to provide value, quality and improve the overall experience and we have no doubt that the Metal Pedal will meet and exceed those goals.”

Nyko’s Metal Pedal™ is now available in stores at an MSRP of $19.99. For more information on these and other Nyko products, please visit:www.nyko.com.

Aspyr Media and Activision Publishing, Inc. have teamed once again to rock the computer gaming world with the announcement of Guitar Hero World Tour for Windows PC and Mac. Transforming music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’ssignature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience, Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac offers state-of-the-art wireless controllers to computer gamers for the first time, new online and offline gameplay modes and a Music Studio feature for composing and editing original rock and roll anthems. Guitar Hero World Tour is the most complete music game to-date with 86 on-disc tracks from music legends such as The Eagles, Van Halen, Metallica, Michael Jackson and The Doors and features in-game appearances by world famous artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan and Travis Barker.

“Guitar Hero World Tour is the standard for music games on consoles and we can’t wait to unleash this incredible experience on computer gamers,” said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President, Aspyr Media. “With full band play, support for the new wireless controllers, the ability to create their own music and an amazing array of customization options, Guitar Hero World Tour will be the definitive music game on PC and Mac. We are proud to once again be working with Activision to extend this powerful brand to an eager audience of gamers.”

Guitar Hero World Tour delivers more ways to play than ever before. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument in-game, or any combination of instruments within the game, in addition to the full band experience. Building on all of the online gameplay modes from Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode, which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or offline, as they progress through the game. In single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in-game utilizing the controllers in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice.

The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the drum kit controller and guitar controllers, and then play their compositions in the game.

Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac will be available summer 2009. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

Having united forces with rock ‘n’ roll legends Metallica for encore performances and recordings throughout the years, Grammy Award-nominated heavy metal vocalist and Mercyful Fate frontman King Diamond will take to the cyber-stage with Metallica this spring in Guitar Hero Metallica.

Fans, stagehands and groupies alike will have the opportunity to shred and drum with or wail as the digital King Diamond during performances of “Evil.” The song, which originally was recorded in 1983 and is one of the Mercyful Fate songs that comprise Metallica’s “Mercyful Fate” medley, was re-recorded by four of the five original band members for Guitar Hero Metallica. The recording session was overseen by guitarist Hank Shermann in the band’s native Denmark; after which King Diamond laid down his vocals in Dallas, Texas, and mixed the song with J.T. Longoria.

“It’s been absolutely amazing to be a part of this Guitar Hero experience. It was quite a trip to re-record the song ‘Evil’ almost 25 years after the original recording took place. The end result with four out of the five original musicians turned out so much better than I would ever have hoped for,” said King Diamond. “Seeing my animated character take form was totally eerie in a very good way. It’s so strange to see yourself animated in such perfect detail – cross bone microphone, Eye necklace and all. This game looks and sounds METAL all the way. HORNS UP!!!”

“Ride the Lightning” with musical icons Metallica and 21 other rockin’ acts in an all new Guitar Hero experience – Guitar Hero Metallica. Enter the world of Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo and experience the intensity and skill of one of the greatest bands of all time. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a set list featuring over 45 explosive hits from Metallica’s illustrious career and a wide variety of other legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen. Fans will be able to rock as Metallica while performing in venues reminiscent of the band’s epic album covers, themes from their music and real world locales.

Guitar Hero Metallica is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PS3. The Wii and the PS2 versions are being developed by Budcat. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero Metallica, please visit guitarhero.com.

Country music artist Blake Shelton brings his talent to Xbox LIVE to play Guitar Hero World Tour with Xbox LIVE Gold members February 20. If you’re an Xbox LIVE Gold member (if not, upgrade now!), and you want a chance to play with Blake Shelton, send a friend request to the following Gamertag and be online half an hour before (1:30 P.M. ET) the Game with Fame session starts on Friday, February 20, 2:00 P.M. E.T.. If you get a chance to play with Blake Shelton, we want to hear about it! Send us an e-mail to xlmail@microsoft.com with the subject: “GWF – Blake Shelton.” Be sure to include your Gamertag and home town.

With five studio albums and five number one hit singles, Blake Shelton can honestly be described as one of the superstars of country music. His most recent album, Startin’ Fires, released on the Warner Bros. Nashville label, features the number one hit, “She Wouldn’t Be Gone.” That song has expanded Shelton’s vocal ability, and is indicative of how he intends to grow as a musician. “I think this album takes things a step above where they have been,” he says. “It shows me as the artist I’ve always wanted to be, which is somebody with a fresh sound that when you hear it, you think, ‘That’s got Blake Shelton’s stamp on it.’”

Find out more about Blake Shelton at our Country Artist of the Month Page:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/artist/country/blakeshelton.htm

Check out video footage of Blake Shelton gearing up for Game With Fame session: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOo_tXMwqP8

Xbox Live Game With Fame with Blake Shelton
Date: Friday, February 20, 2009
Time: 2:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M. ET/11:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. PT
Game: Guitar Hero World Tour
Gamertag: Blake GwF
Link: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/calendar/gamewithfame/2009/0220-blakeshelton.htm

file this one under “You Lucky Brits”….. the UK magazine, Xbox 360 Gamer, has scored an exclusive hands on:

Xbox 360 Gamer Rides The Lightning With Guitar Hero: Metallica

Uncooked Media’s Xbox 360 GAMER magazine unleashes an exciting metallic foil cover design and exclusive hands-on preview feature of Guitar Hero: Metallica

11/02/09 – The latest issue of Uncooked Media’s Xbox 360 GAMER magazine explodes onto UK shelves Thursday 12^th February with an exclusive on the heaviest and most hardcore Guitar Hero yet – Guitar Hero: Metallica. Xbox 360 Gamer is the first magazine in the UK to get hands-on time with Guitar Hero: Metallica, the new entry in the worldwide Guitar Hero phenomena that allows gamers to experience what it’s like to be one of the biggest bands in the world.

I know some Barnes and Noble stores have import magazines, maybe someone will pick it up, but hopefully one of the next gen mags will have a crack at it in their next issue as well here in the US.

Guitar Hero World Tour to Debut Exclusive Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Tracks as Downloadable Content Day and Date with Release of New Album, Working on a Dream Bruce Springsteen will make his videogame debut on January 27, 2009, with two downloadable songs available Guitar Hero World Tour.

Coinciding with the release of his new album, Working on a Dream (Columbia Records), the two-song Track Pack will be available for download simultaneously with the album’s release on January 27, 2009. The Track Pack, which features the iconic Springsteen song “Born to Run” and “My Lucky Day,” a brand-new track off his new album, Working on a Dream, will be free to download during the first week of the album’s release.

“Bruce Springsteen has been a defining force in Rock ‘n Roll and we are incredibly excited to have him make his video game debut with Guitar Hero World Tour,” said Robert Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard.

Springsteen’s longtime manager Jon Landau said, “Activision has been a leader in getting music to the public in new ways and we are very happy to have them making these two songs available to their audience.”

The Bruce Springsteen Track Pack will be available on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360, PlayStation Store for the PS3 as singles for Wii for free between January 27, 2009, and February 4, 2009. Starting February 5, 2009, the Track Pack will be available on Xbox 360 for 320 Microsoft Points, on the PS3 system for $3.99 and as singles on Wii for 200 Wii Points each.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for Xbox 360, PS3 , Wii and PS2. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.
For more information about Bruce Springsteen, please visit www.brucespringsteen.net or www.shorefire.com.

Travis Barker, Rascal Flatts and Oasis Songs Among New Downloadable Guitar Hero(R) World Tour Tracks in January

Travis Barker Encore Performance Showcases Diverse Music Genres

Country Superstars Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley and Brooks & Dunn Make Guitar Hero(R) Debuts

British Multi-Platinum Selling Rockers Oasis Bring Full 2008 Album ‘Dig Out Your Soul’

Building upon the extensive variety of chart-topping hits that span multiple genres of music available to Guitar Hero fans, Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) will release over 20 party-rocking anthems as downloadable content for Guitar Hero(R) World Tour throughout January 2009.

Before fans ring in the New Year, additional downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour from hard rock bands Hinder, Nickelback and Rev Theory, will be available on December 23rd. Hinder’s first single “Use Me,” from their recently released album Take It to the Limit, is joined by Nickelback’s “Because of You” and Rev Theory’s “Light it Up.”

Further diversifying the catalogue of songs available for download for Guitar Hero World Tour is the debut of the Country Rock Track Pack featuring Rascal Flatts “Me and My Gang,” plus GRAMMY(R) Award winning artists Brad Paisley’s “Ticks” and Brooks & Dunn’s “Hillbilly Deluxe.” Country music fans can rock out starting on January 8th.
World-renowned drummer Travis Barker, whose likeness appears in Guitar Hero World Tour, is returning to the Guitar Hero stage on January 15th for an encore with a three-song Track Pack illustrating his talents across various styles of music. Two of the tracks, “What’s My Age Again” and “Lycanthrope,” are from his work as part of blink-182 and +44 respectively. Completing the Track Pack is his solo-project remixing Flo Rida’s smash-hit “Low.”

Following multiple stops around the world and further expanding the Guitar Hero global music library, Guitar Hero World Tour makes a trip down under on January 22nd with three of the biggest Australian bands of all-time. Silverchair makes their debut appearance in the Guitar Hero franchise with their 1995 hit “Tomorrow.” Rounding out the Track Pack is the GRAMMY Award winning Wolfmother with “Dimension” and The Vines with their hit “Outtathaway!”

After making a successful splash into Guitar Hero World Tour downloadable content with three singles off their critically acclaimed Dig Out Your Soul album, gamers will have the opportunity to shred, drum and wail away to the full album from beloved, multi-platinum UK rock band, Oasis, in its entirety on January 29th. Joining “Bag it Up,” “Waiting for the Rapture” and “The Shock of the Lightning” are “The Turning,” “I’m Outta Time,” “(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady,” “Falling Down,” “To Be Where There’s Life,” “Ain’t Got Nothin,” “The Nature of Reality” and “Soldier On.”

The Oasis Album will be available on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1520 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for $18.99. The Track Packs will be released for Xbox 360 for 440 Microsoft Points and PLAYSTATION 3 system for $5.49. The songs on the Oasis Album and in each Track Pack will be released as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Wii(TM) for 200 Wii Points.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunes(SM) where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com/.

Wow. Like we didn’t know this already… Rolling Stone has confirmed that Metallica has confirmed that the game is coming “some time in the first half of 2009″

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/12/15/guitar-hero-metallica-confirmed-by-band-details-emerge/

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec 11, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ –
Increasing its library of local music from around the world this month, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero(R) World Tour – which features on-disc songs from top global acts such as Tokio Hotel, Hushpuppies and Radio Futura – is offering new three-song Track Packs of downloadable content from popular European bands including Germany’s Sportfreunde Stiller, France’s BB Brunes and Spain’s Fito Y Fitipaldis.

Following their home country’s disappointing 2006 World Cup elimination, German rock band Sportfreunde Stiller re-wrote their chart-topping hit “’54, ’74, ’90, 2006″ in anticipation of a 2010 championship, re-titled it “’54, ’74, ’90, 2010″ and are bringing it to Guitar Hero World Tour as part of a three-song Track Pack available today.

Also included in the pack and further expanding the global audience are Italian rock band Negrita with “Mama Mae” and French rock sensation BB Brunes with “Dis Moi.”

Swedish rock icons the Backyard Babies, whose Guitar Hero(R) III: Legends of Rock on-disc track “Minus Celsius” saw an increase in digital audio downloads after appearing in the game, are building on the success for an encore with “Degenerated” off their 2008 self-titled album.

Joining the Backyard Babies in the second three-song Track Pack to be released later this month are Spanish rockers Fito Y Fitipaldis with “Por La Boca Vive El Pez” and Netherlands’ beloved Di-Rect with “Johnny.”

The two Track Packs will be available on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 440 Microsoft Points and on the PlayStation(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system for $5.49. The songs in each Track Pack will be released as downloadable singles for Xbox 360 for 160 Microsoft Points, PLAYSTATION 3 system for $1.99 and Nintendo(R) Wi-Fi Connection for Wii(TM) for 200 Wii Points.

Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online. The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a wired microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems. Music creators are also able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is now available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii home video game system from Nintendo and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit worldtour.guitarhero.com.