Guitar Hero

Game Music, Software

DLC for Guitar, DJ, and Band Hero is Being Discontinued

March 20, 2014 | Michael Hoffmann | Comments Off on DLC for Guitar, DJ, and Band Hero is Being Discontinued Share this

Guitar Hero announced Tuesday, on its FB page, that the DLC (Downloadable Content) for the Guitar Hero, DJ Hero, and Band Hero games will not be available after March 31st. The Guitar Hero mobile games are also being discontinued. However, the servers for the games will stay online, so any of the current or past purchases will not be negatively affected.

It’s not all bad news. From now until the end of the month, the DLC will be discounted up to 50% for the XBox 360, Wii, and Playstation 3. So for those of you who haven’t bothered to grab some of the DLC that you wanted, now is your last chance. If you ever plan on bringing out the plastic controllers for a party, it may be worth checking out some of this vanishing repertoire.
Anime, Featured, Film, Game Music, Television

Capturing The Dream: Stan Bush Interview

March 22, 2011 | Audun Sorlie | 3 Comments Share this

When I recently traveled to the fine city of Los Angeles, I had the luck and fortune of doing what for many remains a dream or a wish, I got to meet my musical idol. In the late 80s, with my big brother at my side, I was introduced to the world of martial arts cinema through the movie Bloodsport. In its own right the movie remains a cult classic and is a fine piece of motion picture history, but what became the most memorable part of Bloodsport to me were the songs featured at key scenes.

Those songs were sung by Stan Bush, a man most famous for his works on Transformers: The Movie, singing such classics as “The Touch” which is widely recognized as the unofficial Transformers anthem. But to say that was his only claim to fame would be wrong, dead wrong. Over his nearly 30 year career as a musician, Stan has won an Emmy, been featured in movies, TV shows, and toured extensively. Recently, he also entered the world of video games by supplying music to Transformers: War of Cybertron from Activision. I sat down with The Man to discuss his long and wonderful career, and got an insight into his views on music, friend Vince DiCola, his partnership with Chikara Pro and his future plans.

Join us as we sip our coffees and stroll down memory lane in our interview with the legendary Stan Bush! (more…)
Miscellaneous

Conductor of the New York Philharmonic Plays Guitar Hero With Death

May 14, 2010 | Gideon Dabi | 1 Comment Share this

Last year, a 43-year-old violinist by the name of Alan Gilbert became the first native New Yorker to be named Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. With this new conductor has come a variety of new ways to market this established orchestra – particularly in regards to newer music. For György Ligeti’s satiricial “anti-opera”, Le Grand Macabre, they have tried something nobody would ever associate with the New York Philharmonic: Guitar Hero. The above video features Gilbert alongside his companion, Death, playing Guitar Hero in one of a series of videos.

For those who don’t know, Ligeti – a Hungarian Jewish composer – had some of his pieces featured in Stanley Kubrick films (i.e. 2001, Eyes Wide Shut). Ligeti is considered to be one of the most influential composers of new music.

Classical music has forever been branded with the stigma of pretentiousness and inaccessibility. It is very cool to see them try to tear down this wall while affectionately embracing music games. Perhaps a few gamers might want to check out the New York Philharmonic’s performance of Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre (or “The Great Death”)? I can tell you it is certainly worth your time!

It opens May 27th!

Information can be found HERE.
Game Music

A Game Music Concert With Heart: The Golden State Pops Orchestra’s Videogame Soundtracks

May 19, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 11 Comments Share this

Let’s be honest. When you hear the words “videogame music concert,” you undoubtedly think of large touring concerts like Video Games Live and PLAY! A Videogame Symphony. However, we’ve been seeing more and more local productions cropping up, which I hope is a sign that the popularity of game music is on the rise.

I actually had never heard of the Videogame Soundtracks concert that took place two years ago in the unassuming city of San Pedro, just outside of Los Angeles, and I would have also missed their second run this past Saturday, May 16, 2009, if it hadn’t been for a Facebook invitation from one of the composers that was attending as a special guest. I’m glad I did attend, however, and I’m here to tell you that you should probably do the same if they come back for round three next year. Not only are you going to hear music that has never been performed live in front of an audience before, but you’re also in for a passionate performance from a wonderful orchestra in a lovely little venue that you would have never guessed existed by looking at it from the street front.

Find out what was played, who was there, and why you should be there next time in our review of the Golden State Pops Orchestra’s “Videogame Soundtracks” concert after the jump. (more…)
Film

Never Give Up When Your Back’s To the Wall: Stan Bush Wants “The Touch” in Guitar Hero and Rock Band

October 6, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I can’t tell you how many years I’ve wanted to sing “The Touch” by Stan Bush at karaoke bars across the United States. As it turns out, there is some ballad with the same name that has left my brother and I scrambling to sing when we were hoping time and again for our favorite 80s rock track from the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack.

Well, apparently the guys over at Kotaku love this song nearly as much as I do, and took it upon themselves to contact Stan Bush about getting “The Touch” into Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Unfortunately he’s had no luck, and Kotaku has put out the call to bug Activision and Harmonix until they listen to reason and put this amazing song in the game.

Have you ever had the desire to rock out to “The Touch” or even “Dare” from the Transformers soundtrack? Would you download them if there they were to suddenly become available?

[via Kotaku]
Game Music, Reviews

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is Beyond Beautiful On the Inside Only (Review)

August 26, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

Yeah, I know that while I’ve enjoyed Rock Band and Guitar Hero: On Tour, I still feel that rhythm games are getting tired and unoriginal, but after getting my hands on Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, it’s more obvious than ever that the song list will make or break these games. GHA features over twenty master tracks from the iconic rock group, and Vicarious Visions (developer of the Wii version) would have been hard pressed to create a bad game given the source material.

There are some questionable design decisions here, so I’m not saying the game is perfect. However, I feel this band-specific approach is definitely a wise move, as people who pick up the title will likely be happy with their purchase since they know what to expect. Any chance we can get a Megadeth or Alice in Chains version, Activision?

Read about the good, the bad, and the ugly after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Guitar Hero On Tour: A Way to Pick Up Chicks?

August 12, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 3 Comments Share this

Aren’t these promotional photos amazing? We all know that women love a hardcore rocker. Anyway…

Guitar Hero has been around for nearly three years. It feels like it’s been so much longer, as the series has become a mainstay of the gaming world for what feels like an eternity. I’ll admit that the GH formula has started to lose some of its appeal, and I thought perhaps the peripheral-based rhythm game fad was dying down.

Just when I was getting tired of it all, developer Vicarious Visions was able to breathe new life into the franchise with Guitar Hero: On Tour. What’s so different? Well, the game emphasizes picking rather than finger placement, which I think is a clever variation on the old gameplay. With a slew of new rhythm games slated for release within the next year, including a new Guitar Hero on the DS, it looks like rock ‘n’ roll rhythm isn’t dead quite yet!

Is Guitar Hero: On Tour worth your time and money? Read our impressions that mainly focus on the headphones that were a pre-order bonus rather than the actual game after the jump. (more…)