Guitar Hero is a popular series of music video games published by RedOctane in partnership with Activision. A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a Video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's RedOctane is an American electronic entertainment company perhaps best known for publishing the ''Guitar Hero'' series. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. The series is notable for its use of a guitar-shaped peripheral to simulate the playing of music, represented on-screen by colored notes that correspond to fret buttons on the controller. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a Stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck The games support both individual play, as well as cooperative and competitive modes for two players. The series has used a range of both licensed and independent rock music tracks from the 1960s to present, many of which are master tracks from the bands. In total, four games have been released for video game consoles, while one game has been released for mobile phones. Some upcoming games will also be released for the Nintendo DS handheld gaming system. The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo.

The series was developed by Harmonix Music Systems from 2005 to 2007 before development duties of the series were transferred to Neversoft, whose first effort, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released on October 31, 2007. Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. Neversoft or Neversoft Entertainment is an American Video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett Mick West and Chris Ward Events 445 BC – Ezra reads the Book of the Law to the Israelites in Jerusalem (see Nehemiah 91 NLTse Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

The Guitar Hero franchise has become a cultural phenomenon, making many appearances in popular culture, and the games have become extremely popular as party games and hobbies. The series has sold over 14 million units, earning over US$1 billion. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[1]

History

Harmonix

The controllers bundled with Guitar Hero releases (from left to right): Gibson SGs for Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II (PlayStation 2), Gibson X-Plorer for Guitar Hero II (Xbox 360)

The original Guitar Hero was released on the PlayStation 2 in November 2005 and was developed by Harmonix. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. Harmonix had been previously known for developing music video games such as Frequency and Amplitude for the PlayStation 2, both of which were praised for enabling players to perform and create music using a DualShock controller as if it were a musical instrument. Frequency is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by SCEI. Amplitude is a 2003 PlayStation 2 musical video game It was developed by Harmonix and is the sequel to the game FreQuency The DualShock (officially DUALSHOCK and occasionally referred to as Dual Shock) is a line of vibration-feedback ^[2]

Guitar Hero is unusual because it comes packaged with a guitar peripheral modeled after a black Gibson SG rather than using the console's standard controller. The Gibson SG is a popular model of solid-bodied Electric guitar that was introduced in the early 1960s Playing the game with the guitar controller simulates playing an actual guitar, except it uses five colored "fret buttons" and a "strum bar" rather than several frets and six individual strings. A strum is the act of brushing one's fingers over or strumming, the strings of a String instrument such as a Guitar. A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a Stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck The development of Guitar Hero was inspired by Konami's GuitarFreaks arcade game, which at the time, had not seen much exposure in the North American market; RedOctane, already planning on creating guitar-shaped controllers, approached Harmonix about creating a game to use them. () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines GuitarFreaks (also GUITARFREAKS, abbreviated GF) is a Music video game series produced by Konami. ^[3][4][5] The game was met with critical acclaim and received numerous awards for its innovative guitar peripheral and its soundtrack, which comprised 47 playable rock songs (most of which were cover versions of popular songs from artists and bands from the 1960s through modern rock). Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released Guitar Hero has sold nearly 1. 5 million copies to date. ^[6]

The popularity of the series increased dramatically with the release of Guitar Hero II for the PlayStation 2 in 2006. Featuring improved multiplayer gameplay, an improved note-recognizing system, and 64 songs, it became the fifth best-selling video game of 2006. ^[7] The PlayStation 2 version of the game was offered both separately and in a bundle with a cherry red Gibson SG guitar controller. Guitar Hero II was later released for the Xbox 360 in April 2007 with an exclusive Gibson X-Plorer guitar controller and an additional 10 songs, among other features. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. The Gibson Explorer (now marketed as X-plorer and Explorer Pro) is a type of Electric guitar. About 3 million units of Guitar Hero II have sold on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360. ^[8]

The final game in the Guitar Hero series to be developed by Harmonix was Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s for the PlayStation 2, which was released in July 2007. Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80s (titled Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s in Europe is a Music video game and the third installment in the popular ^[9] The expansion only reskinned the visuals from Guitar Hero II, and featured a much shorter track list, had not one bonus song, and was not as well received as the previous two games. Some reviewers considered Rocks the 80s as Harmonix' contractual obligation, given that, as described below, Harmonix would no longer be working on the Guitar Hero series.

Both RedOctane and Harmonix were experiencing changes in 2006. RedOctane was bought by Activision in June while it was announced in September that Harmonix would be purchased by MTV Networks. Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. MTV Networks Company, also known as MTV Networks, is a division of Media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operation of many TV network As a result of the two purchases, Harmonix would no longer develop future games in the Guitar Hero series. Instead, developing would go to Neversoft, a subsidiary of Activision known for developing the Tony Hawk's series of skateboarding games. Neversoft or Neversoft Entertainment is an American Video game developer, founded in 1994 by Joel Jewett Mick West and Chris Ward The Tony Hawk series is a computer and Video game series endorsed by Tony Hawk and is created by games developer Neversoft and published by Skateboarding is the act of riding and performing tricks using a Skateboard. ^[10] Neversoft was chosen to helm the Guitar Hero series after Neversoft founder, Joel Jewett, admitted to the RedOctane founders, Kai and Charles Huang, that his development team for Tony Hawk's Project 8 went to work on weekends just to play Guitar Hero. Tony Hawk's Project 8, officially abbreviated as THP8, is the eighth installment in the Tony Hawk 's series of video games. ^[11] In 2007, Harmonix and MTV Games released a new music title through rival publisher Electronic Arts, called Rock Band. It expanded upon the gameplay popularized by the Guitar Hero series by adding drum and microphone instruments, allowing players to simulate playing songs as bands. A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells

Neversoft

The Gibson Les Paul guitar controller bundled with Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (pictured is the Xbox 360 guitar controller). The Gibson Les Paul is a solidbody Electric guitar originally developed in the early 1950s A similar Gibson Les Paul guitar controller is bundled with the Wii release, but is white, and requires the Wii Remote to be inserted in the back. The Wii Remote, sometimes Nicknamed " Wiimote " is the primary controller for Nintendo 's

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was released in late 2007 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, and Mac platforms. The Xbox 360 is the second Video game console produced by Microsoft, and was developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, and SiS. A personal computer ( PC) is any Computer whose original sales price size and capabilities make it useful for individuals and which is intended to be operated Macintosh, commonly nicknamed Mac is a Brand name which covers several lines of Personal computers designed developed and marketed by Apple Inc The title is the first installment of the series to include wireless guitars bundled with the game and also the first to release a special bundle with two guitars.

Guitar Hero World Tour, previously named Guitar Hero IV, will be the fourth full game in the series and is scheduled to be released on October 27, 2008 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. Guitar Hero World Tour (initially referred to as Guitar Hero IV) is a forthcoming entry in the Music video game ''Guitar Hero'' series Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Analysts had expected that future Guitar Hero games in 2008 will include additional instrument peripherals to compete against Rock Band;^[12] Guitar Hero World Tour was confirmed as in development following the announcement of the merger between Activision and Vivendi Games in December 2007. Vivendi Games, formerly known as Vivendi Universal Games, is a Worldwide French developer publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment ^[13] Activision's CEO Bobby Kotick announced on April 21, 2008 that Guitar Hero World Tour will branch out into other instruments including vocals. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Guitar Hero World Tour (initially referred to as Guitar Hero IV) is a forthcoming entry in the Music video game ''Guitar Hero'' series ^[14] Further information on the first trailers for the game showed that the game will also include drums and will be packaged with a new drum set controller. ^[15] Guitar Hero World Tour will also feature custom song creation that can be shared with others. ^[15]

Guitar Hero World Tour will include bands Def Leppard, The Eagles, Van Halen, Linkin Park, Sublime, and The Answer. Van Halen is a Hard rock band formed in in 1972 They enjoyed success from the release of their self titled debut album in 1978 Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The Answer are a Hard rock and Blues rock band from Newcastle and Downpatrick, County Down, Northern Ireland. ^[16][17]

Future games

Activision and RedOctane have trademarked the titles "Guitar Villain", "Drum Villain" and "Keyboard Hero". ^[18] RedOctane originally trademarked the titles "Drum Hero" and "Band Hero", but the work performed towards the Drum Hero title was eventually folded into the gameplay for Guitar Hero World Tour. ^[15] Ted Nugent announced during a radio interview that he participated in motion capture for an upcoming Guitar Hero game. Theodore "Ted" Nugent (born December 13, 1948) (aka Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating the movement onto a digital model ^[19][20]

Expansions and spinoffs

On September 4, 2007, Billboard announced that the band Aerosmith was "working closely with the makers of Guitar Hero IV, which will be dedicated to the group's music. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" "^[21] On February 15, 2008, Activision announced that Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, an expansion game to the series, will be released in June 2008. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Guitar Hero Aerosmith is a Music video game developed by Neversoft and distributed by Activision. ^[22][23][24] Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be developed by Neversoft for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, while the Wii version of the game will be developed by Vicarious Visions and the PlayStation 2 version will be developed by Budcat Creations. Budcat Creations LLC is a privately-owned Video game developer founded in 2000 in Las Vegas Nevada. ^[25] Following this announcement, Martin N. "Marty" Bandier, executive for Sony/ATV which owns the copyrights on The Beatles recordings, has stated that he is very interested in helping Activision to bring a Beatles-themed Guitar Hero title to the market in a similar fashion to Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 ^[26] Activision's 2008 SEC fillings cited that they plan to release Guitar Hero: Metallica by the first quarter of 2009, according the Wedbush Morgan Securities. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (commonly known as the SEC) is an independent agency of the United States government which holds primary responsibility Metallica is an American heavy metal band that formed in 1981 in. ^[27]

Vicarious Visions' design manager Adrian Earle announced on September 7, 2007 at the Austin GDC '07 that they would be developing a Guitar Hero game for the Nintendo DS. Vicarious Visions is a Video game developer. It was founded by brothers Karthik and Guha Bala while in high school circa 1990. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Game Developers Conference ( GDC) is the largest annual gathering of professional Video game developers focusing on learning inspiration and networking The is a dual-screen Handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. On January 19, 2008, a filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office revealed that Activision registered a title for "computer game software and related instruction manual sold together as a unit" under the title Guitar Hero: On Tour for the Nintendo DS installment. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The United States Patent and Trademark Office ( PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues Patents to Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher. Guitar Hero On Tour is a Music video game for the Nintendo DS system based on the Guitar Hero series of video games ^[28] The game will use the 3-D graphics instead of 2-D sprites, and uses a new peripheral that is designed specially for the Nintendo DS. 3D computer graphics (in contrast to 2D computer graphics) are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer 2D computer graphics is the Computer -based generation of Digital images mdashmostly from two-dimensional models (such as 2D geometric models text and digital In Computer graphics, a sprite (also known by other names see Synonyms below is a two-dimensional/three-dimensional Image or Animation that For an account of the words periphery and peripheral as they are used in biology sociology politics computer hardware and other fields see the ^[29] The peripheral, dubbed the "Guitar Grip", is a rectangular device that fits into the second slot of the Nintendo DS. The peripheral only features the first four fret buttons and a strap so the Nintendo DS can be held sideways comfortably for play. The game also includes a guitar pick shaped stylus for use with strumming in the game, which players move across the touchscreen. A guitar pick is a type of Plectrum designed for use on a Guitar. A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a Writing utensil. The word is also used for a computer accessory ( PDAs) ^[30]

Activision and RedOctane have also worked with Basic Fun, Inc. to produce Guitar Hero Carabiner, a handheld electronic game that features ten of the songs from Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. A mobile device (also known as cellphone device, handheld device, handheld computer, "Palmtop" or simply handheld) is a pocket-sized ^[31][32]

Gameplay

Screenshot of the Fretboard from the original Guitar Hero.

The core gameplay of the Guitar Hero games is a rhythm game similar to Harmonix's previous music games such as Frequency and Amplitude. A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a Video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States. Frequency is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by SCEI. Amplitude is a 2003 PlayStation 2 musical video game It was developed by Harmonix and is the sequel to the game FreQuency The guitar controller is recommended for play, although a standard console controller can be used instead. ^[33][34] The game supports toggling the handedness of the guitar, allowing both left-handed and right-handed players to utilize the guitar controller. Handedness is an attribute of human beings defined by their unequal distribution of Fine motor skill between the left and right Hands. ^[33][34]

While playing the game, an extended guitar neck is shown vertically on the screen (the frets horizontal), and as the song progresses, colored markers indicating notes travel down the screen in time with the music; the note colors and positions match those of the five fret keys on the guitar controller. A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a Stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck Once the note(s) reach the bottom, the player must play the indicated note(s) by holding down the correct fret button(s) and hitting the strumming bar in order to score points. Success or failure will cause the on-screen Rock Meter to change, showing how well the player is playing (denoted by red, yellow, and green sections). Should the Rock Meter drop below the red section, the song will automatically end, with the player booed off the stage by the audience. Successful note hits will add to the player's score, and by hitting a long series of consecutive successful note hits, the player can increase their score multiplier. There is a window of time for hitting each note, similar to other rhythm games such as Dance Dance Revolution, but unlike these games, scoring in Guitar Hero is not affected by accuracy; as long as the note is hit within that window, the player receives the same number of points. Dance Dance Revolution (abbreviated DDR) previously known as Dancing Stage in PAL territories until the announcement of ^[33][34]

Selected special segments of the song will have glowing notes outlined by stars: successfully hitting all notes in this series will fill the "Star Power Meter". The Star Power Meter can also be filled by using the whammy bar during sustained notes within these segments. A tremolo arm or tremolo bar (also called a "whammy bar" or "wang bar" is a lever attached to the bridge and/or the Tailpiece of Once the Star Power Meter is at least half full, the player can activate "Star Power" by pressing the select button or momentarily lifting the guitar into a vertical position. When Star Power is activated, the scoring multiplier is doubled until Star Power is depleted. The Rock Meter also increases more dramatically when Star Power is activated, making it easier for the player to make the Rock Meter stay at a high level. Thus, Star Power can be used strategically to play difficult sections of a song that otherwise might cause the player to fail. ^[33][34]

Screenshot from the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II, showing the "Grim Ripper" guitarist. In English Death is often given the name the " Grim Reaper " and shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large Scythe, and wearing a midnight black gown robe

Notes can be a single note, or composed of two to four notes that makes a chord. Both single notes and chords can also be sustained, indicated by a colored line following the note marker; the player can hold the sustained note(s) keys down for the entire length for additional points. During a sustained note, a player may use the whammy bar on the guitar to alter the tone of the note. Also, regardless of whether sustains are hit early or late, if the fret is held for the full duration of the hold, the game will always award the same amount of score increase for the note. In addition, the games support virtual implementations of "hammer-ons" and "pull-offs", guitar-playing techniques that are used to successfully play a fast series of notes by only changing the fingering on the fret buttons without having to strum each note. Hammer-on is a Stringed instrument playing technique performed (especially on Guitar) by sharply bringing a fretting-hand finger down on the Fingerboard A pull-off is a stringed instrument technique performed by plucking a string by "pulling" the string off the Fingerboard with one of the fingers being used Sequences where strumming is not required are indicated on-screen by notes with a white outline at the top of the marker instead of the usual black one, with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock adding a white-glowing effect to make these notes clearer. ^[33][34]

While the song is playing, the background visuals feature the player's chosen avatar, along with the rest of the band performing in one of several real and fictional venues. An avatar is a computer user's representation of himself/herself or alter ego whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games a two-dimensional Icon The reaction of the audience is based on the performance of the player judged by the Rock Meter. Guitar Hero II added special lighting and other stage effects that were synchronized to the music to provide a more complete concert experience. ^[33][34]

Game modes

Screenshot of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock during "Battle Mode".

The main mode of play in the Guitar Hero games is Career Mode, where the player and in-game band travel between various fictional performance arenas and perform sets of four to six songs. It is by completing songs in this mode that the songs are unlocked for play across the rest of the game. Players can choose their on-stage character, their guitar of choice, and the venue they wish to play in. In this mode, the player can earn money from his/her performances that is redeemable at the in-game store, where bonus songs, additional guitars and finishes, and bonus content can be unlocked. Quick Play mode is a quicker method of playing songs, as it allows the player to select a track and difficulty, selecting the character, venue, and guitar for the player based on the song chosen. After successfully completing a song, the player is given a score and a rating from three to five stars, depending on his/her overall performance. ^[33][34]

The four difficulty levels for each song afford the player a learning curve in order to help him/her progress in skill. The first difficulty level, Easy, only focuses on the first three fret buttons while displaying a significantly reduced amount of notes for the player to play. Medium introduces the fourth (blue) fret button, and Hard includes the final fret button while adding additional notes. Expert does not introduce any other frets to learn, but adds more notes in a manner designed to challenge the player and to simulate the player's hands to move in a sequence similar to a real guitar. ^[33][34]

In the first two games and the 80s Edition, the majority of the songs on the main career mode set lists are covers of the original song; for example, a song may be presented as '"Free Bird" as made famous by Lynyrd Skynyrd'. In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released is a song by the American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was first featured on the band's debut album (pronounced 'lĕh-'nérd 'skin-'nérd in 1973 and Lynyrd Skynyrd (ˌlɛnɚdˈskɪnɝd is an American Southern rock band Almost all of the unlockable bonus songs, on the other hand, are songs performed by the original artist for the game (the only exception is the song She Bangs the Drums by The Stone Roses). " She Bangs the Drums " was the second single from The Stone Roses debut album. The Stone Roses were an English Alternative rock band formed in Manchester in 1984 Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock introduces a much larger range of original recordings. The covers throughout the games are mostly recreated by WaveGroup who has worked before to create songs for beatmania, Dance Dance Revolution, and Karaoke Revolution. Dance Dance Revolution (abbreviated DDR) previously known as Dancing Stage in PAL territories until the announcement of Karaoke Revolution and its many sequels are Video games for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, ^[35]

Cultural impact

The Guitar Hero series has made a significant cultural impact, becoming a "cultural phenomenon. "^[8][36] The series' titles became very popular party games, which led to their being played in a variety of locales. Party games are Games which share several features suitable to entertaining a social gathering of moderate size Several bars in the United States are offering "Guitar Hero nights" as an alternative to karaoke; one New York City bar experienced triple the business on such nights. (kɑːrɑːˌoʊkɛ in Japanese karaoke) is a form of Entertainment in which Amateur Singers sing along with recorded Music (and/or a The City of New York ^[8] Many concert tours, including the Family Values Tour feature Guitar Hero booths and contests between sets. The Family Values Tour was created by the band Korn in 1998 to be an annual rock & Rap Tour ^[8] The series' popularity even spread to the sports world; Detroit Tigers' pitcher Joel Zumaya injured himself during the 2006 playoffs playing Guitar Hero. The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan, USA Joel Martin Zumaya (born November 9, 1984 in Chula Vista, California) is a Major League Baseball closer for the ^[37] Salon.com argued that Guitar Hero is responsible for turning many people onto rock music and inspiring them to learn how to play guitar. Saloncom, part of Salon Media Group ( often just called Salon, is an online The article also states that the games helped an 8-year old guitarist learn sensitivity to rhythm, as well as develop the dexterity and independent hand usage necessary to play the instrument. ^[38] Guitar Hero now holds a place in the Guinness World Records in their Gamers Edition, tracking the highest score on a single song in Guitar Hero III; the record has been held previously by Chris Chike^[39] and currently by Daniel Johnson. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U ^[40]

Prior to the release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, Activision has worked with the iTunes Store to provide more than 1300 tracks of Guitar Hero-related music across more than 20 compilations, including most of the tracks from the games in the series, called "Guitar Hero Essentials". The iTunes Store is a software-based online Digital media store operated by Apple Inc These compilations, such as "Killer Guitar Solos" and "Guitar Anthems of the '80s", include songs related to but not contained within the Guitar Hero series. Dusty Welch of RedOctane has stated "Where there’s music, there’s Guitar Hero, and with iTunes, we are able to provide fans with a central location for downloading their favorite rock anthems. "^[41]

Both licensed and indie bands whose works have been included in the Guitar Hero games have gained further popularity from this inclusion. ^[42] Every Guitar Hero III song tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (62 of 70) saw an increase in digital download sales the week ending December 30, 2007, when many who got the game as a gift were playing it. Nielsen SoundScan is an information system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett that tracks sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[43] Indie group Bang Camaro's recognition increased after their song "Push Push (Lady Lightning)" appeared in Guitar Hero II. Bang Camaro is a Hard rock band from Boston Massachusetts founded by guitarists Bryn Bennett and Alex Necochea and composed of members of various Indie ^[44] The band DragonForce, whose song "Through the Fire and Flames" is featured as the final song in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, saw a 126% increase in CD sales in the week after the release of the game,^[45] and downloads of the song, selling fewer than 2,000 weekly, rose to more than 10,000 after Guitar Hero III's release and approached 40,000 the week ending 2007-12-30. DragonForce are a British band formed in 1999 History DragonForce was formed in 1998 from the remnants of the band Demoniac under the name " Through the Fire and Flames " is the most successful single by the British Power metal band DragonForce. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1460 - Wars of the Roses: Battle of Wakefield. 1816 - The Treaty of St ^[43] Even older, established groups such as Aerosmith saw an increase in sales at the same time Guitar Hero games containing their songs were released,^[43] such as a modest increase in download sales for its "Same Old Song and Dance", which rose to 2,041 from 374 copies the previous week. Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band" " Same Old Song and Dance " is a song by American Hard rock band Aerosmith. ^[43] Charles Haung of RedOctane has stated that they have "been told by retailers that downloads for songs and CDs increase 200 percent after appearing in the game. "^[46] Both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are seen as new methods of music distribution; an analysis for market research company NPD Group states that "As the video games industry grows, it's becoming an ever-more attractive promotional outlet for all kinds of industries. The NPD Group Inc (formerly National Purchase Diary) is a leading global market research company founded in 1967 and provides consumer and retail information to manufacturers "^[47]

Activision stated on January 21, 2008 that North American sales from all of the Guitar Hero franchise has exceeded one billion dollars with over 14 million units sold and excluding downloadable content. Events 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been ^[1]

In popular culture

Stan and Kyle from South Park play Guitar Hero II

Guitar Hero has made several appearances in popular culture. South Park is an animated American television comedy series created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central Guitar Hero II is the centerpiece of an episode of South Park entitled "Guitar Queer-o", in which Stan and Kyle get hooked on Guitar Hero II and end up being treated as though they are real-life rock stars. South Park is an animated American television comedy series created and written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for Comedy Central "Guitar Queer-O" is episode 1113 (#166 of Comedy Central 's South Park, which was broadcast on November 7 2007. The episode was first broadcast on November 7, 2007, 10 days after the American release of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Events 1492 - The Ensisheim Meteorite the oldest Meteorite with a known date of impact strikes the Earth around noon in a Wheat Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[48] The episode of Metalocalypse entitled "Dethvengance" featured a black Guitar Hero controller on the bed of a boy attempting to download music from the band Dethklok illegally. Metalocalypse is an American Animated television series on Adult Swim created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha. The song playing on his computer is "Thunderhorse," which is playable on Guitar Hero II. In the Metalocalypse episode "Dethkids," a sick child composes a song for Dethklok rhythm guitarist Toki Wartooth using a Guitar Hero controller. ^[49] Ellen DeGeneres has played Guitar Hero several times in 2008 during the monologue of her syndicated talk show. Ellen Lee DeGeneres (born January 26 1958 is an eleven time Emmy Award -winning American stand-up comedian, Television host and actress The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, also called Ellen The Ellen DeGeneres Show, is an Emmy Award winning On January 25, 2008, episode she is seen playing along to "Barracuda", which segues to Heart performing the song for the audience. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common " Barracuda " is a song written and recorded by the rock band Heart. Heart is a rock band whose founding members came from the Seattle, Washington, scene but came together in Vancouver, British Columbia ^[50] During the season 7 finale of American Idol, finalists David Cook and David Archuleta appeared in separate commercials for the games, where they each parodied Tom Cruise dancing to "Old Time Rock and Roll" in the movie Risky Business. The Grand Finale of American Idol Season 7 aired on May 21, 2008, live from the Nokia Theatre American Idol, with the full title American Idol The Search for a Superstar for the first season only is an American reality-competition David Cook may refer to David Cook (singer (b 1982 winner of the seventh season of American Idol David J David James Archuleta (born December 28 1990 is an American singer Thomas Cruise Mapother IV ( born July 3 1962 better known by his screen name Tom Cruise, is an American Actor and Film producer " Old Time Rock and Roll " is a song made famous by Bob Seger and featured in his 1978 album Stranger in Town. Risky Business is a 1983 Comedy film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut

Mariah Carey's music video for her song Touch My Body features a compu-nerd strumming on a Guitar Hero controller. " Touch My Body " is a song co-written by American singer Mariah Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Crystal "Cri$tyle" The music video for San Diego rock band Switchfoot's song "Awakening" featured two men going home and competing separately on Guitar Hero. Switchfoot is an American Alternative rock band from San Diego, California. " Awakening " is the second single off Switchfoot 's sixth studio album Oh! Gravity The video is unique because all of the Guitar Hero footage featured Switchfoot playing, and all the animation was made by using cut-out style animation. It was also the first music video to use this type of animation. ^[51] In the music video for "Mixed Up S.O.B." by The Presidents of the United States of America, a part can be seen with the song being played in Guitar Hero 3. "Mixed Up SOB" is the first single from The Presidents of the United States of America 's album These Are the Good Times People. The Presidents of the United States of America, commonly referred to as simply The Presidents, PotUSA or PUSA, is a Grammy -nominated ^[52]

Criticism

PlayStation 3 incompatibility

Sony's PlayStation 3 console has no compatibility with the PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero controller on the system. While Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II are fully backward-compatible through the hardware PlayStation 2 emulation in the initial North American release of the console, it was impossible at launch to use the guitar controller to play either game. Kai Huang, of RedOctane, states that they are "working on that with Sony right now – looking at how we can get all the PlayStation 2 guitars that are out there, and all the owners of them, to use them on the PlayStation 3. "^[53] Nyko, an accessories company, was poised to make a special PlayStation 2 controller adapter for the PlayStation 3, but has put the product on hold due to technical difficulties. Nyko is a manufacturer of third-party accessories for various gaming consoles ^[54] However, the May 2007 PlayStation 3 V1. 80 system update has made the guitar controller compatible with generic PlayStation 2 controller to USB adapters when playing Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. ^[55] In addition, Pelican has released a special PlayStation 2 to PlayStation 3 controller adapter that supports both games, including the ability to switch the handedness of the guitar. ^[56] At present, most PS2-to-USB adapters have issues with hammer-ons and pull-offs. The Ant Commandos have produced an adapter that allows hammer-ons to be played. The Ant Commandos Inc ( TAC) is a designer manufacturer and distributor of peripherals and accessories for Video game consoles based out of Chino California This is the only known adapter that allows this, however it is only designed and guaranteed for using PlayStation 2 guitar controllers with PlayStation 3 Guitar Hero and Rock Band games and as such is incompatible with Guitar Hero II and Rock the 80s. Both games can still be played using the shoulder buttons on a standard controller, if desired. ^[57]

Patent litigation

See also: Patent litigation against the developers of Rock Band

Gibson Guitar Corporation, whose guitar likenesses have appeared in all Guitar Hero games, informed Activision on January 7, 2008 that it believed the games infringes its U.S. Patent 5,990,405 . The Gibson Guitar Corporation of Nashville Tennessee, USA is a manufacturer of acoustic and Electric guitars The company's most popular guitar Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Gibson claims that this covers technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument. In response, Activision filed a suit seeking a declaration that it was not in violation of the Gibson patent; Activision also asserts Gibson has given an implied license by waiting to assert the patent and that the patent is invalid. ^[58] On March 17, 2008, Gibson sued six retailers (GameStop, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us and Kmart) for selling Guitar Hero products. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common GameStop Corporation ( is the world's largest Video game and entertainment software retailer Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington. Wal-Mart Stores Inc (or Walmart as written in its new logo is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large discount department stores Target Corporation ( is an American Retailing company that was founded in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1902 Toys "R" Us ( currently typeset as Toys Я Us in the logo and before as Toys "Я" Us) is a Toy store chain based Kmart (sometimes spelled as " K-Mart " is a chain of department stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U ^[59][60] Subsequently, on March 21, 2008, Gibson also filed a lawsuit against EA, MTV, and Harmonix over their game Rock Band also for violation of its patent, to which a Harmonix spokesperson stated that Gibson's claims are "completely without merit". Events 630 - Byzantine emperor Heraclius restores the True Cross to Jerusalem. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[61] Activision lawyer Mary Tuck stated in their legal filings that they believe that Gibson initiated the lawsuit due to the fact that " Activision was not [interested] in renewing the License and Marketing Support Agreement" with Gibson Guitars. ^[62]

See also

• Alex Necochea and Bryn Bennett: the 'Guitar Heroes' of Bang Camaro on Wikinews
• Quest for Fame, a 1995 computer game which uses either a so-called "v-pick" or a "virtual guitar" peripheral to play Aerosmith songs. Wikinews is a free-content News source Wiki and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. Quest for Fame is a Music video game developed by Virtual Music and distributed by IBM. A personal computer Game (also known as a computer game or simply PC game) is a Video game played on a Personal computer, rather Aerosmith is an American Hard rock band sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston " and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band"
• GuitarFreaks, a 1998 arcade game series created by Konami that also uses a guitar peripheral. GuitarFreaks (also GUITARFREAKS, abbreviated GF) is a Music video game series produced by Konami. An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines
• Frets on Fire, a free software/open source clone of Guitar Hero for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and Mac OS X. Frets on Fire (abbreviated 'FoF' is a free, open source Music video game, created by Finnish developer Unreal Voodoo. Free software or software libre is Software that can be used studied and modified without restriction and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified Open source is a development methodology which offers practical accessibility to a product's source (goods and knowledge Guitar Hero is a Music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems and published by RedOctane for the PlayStation 2 Video Microsoft Windows is a series of Software Operating systems and Graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Linux (commonly pronounced ˈlɪnəks FreeBSD is a Unix-like free Operating system descended from AT&T UNIX via the Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD branch through Mac OS X (mæk oʊ ɛs tɛn is a line of computer Operating systems developed marketed and sold by Apple Inc, the latest of which is pre-loaded on all currently
• Rock Band, a 2007 video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems for the Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Harmonix Music Systems (or simply Harmonix) is a video game development company based in Cambridge Massachusetts in the United States.
• Guitar Rising, a 2008 computer game developed by GameTank for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X which notably uses a real guitar rather than a guitar controller to play music. Guitar Rising is a Music video game developed by GameTank. It has been delayed and is scheduled now to be released in 2009, as opposed
• Audiosurf
• Jamstykk, a 2008 Telescoping guitar peripheral invented expressly for the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games byIndustrial Gaming Peripherals, Inc. Audiosurf is an IGF Award winning puzzle / rhythm hybrid game created by Invisible Handlebar Jamstykk is a guitar controller made for use with Music video games published by RedOctane, Harmonix, and Activision. The Jamstykk has a telescoping neck and a movable fret section enabling the feel of playing a real guitar. The Jamstykk also has an automatic sensor to detect "Solo Zone" play high on the neck end.

Notes

References

• Simons, Iain (2007), Inside Game Design, Laurence King, ISBN 1856695328 

External links