Jeff Buckland writes:
''I knew Guitar Hero 3 was popular, but I was very surprised when I read that Guitar Hero 3 is actually pretty high on NPD's top ten list of the highest-selling video games since they started tracking them. Across all platforms it was released on, it's sold over eight million copies - that's more than Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. When put in that light, I think you can probably expect to see Activision flooding the market with Guitar Hero products for a long time to come. The first of those since the release of the 2007 monster is Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, a somewhat novel idea in the rather narrow genre of rock-based music games. The back of the box will talk about doing things like drenching you in Aerosmith lore and giving you a library of great songs to play from these rock greats.
But it doesn't really achieve that, sadly. Sure, you get to see some digital, slightly cartoony versions of Aerosmith on stage as you get access to about two dozen songs from their long career as well as songs that inspired them or they just plain like, I suppose (otherwise, what are Stone Temple Pilots and their kinda-hit "Sex Type Thing" doing in here?). DMC from Run DMC is in the game and animated on stage as two songs include them - "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith, and "King of Rock". I suppose Run decided not to do the motion-capture work to get into the game, although you'll still hear his voice booming in on their songs - which just makes his absence on-stage that much more noticeable. As for the music from other bands, they're played by the stooge band that we saw in GH3, along with your same choices of guitarists from last year (with a few amusing extras that can be unlocked).''
Neversoft's Brian Bright has told GamerZines that Activision has no plans to launch any band-specific Guitar Hero games this year, telling us that "this year they (Activision) really wanted to just focus on two games," presumably the recently announced Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2.
lol now theres some good news seeing how all those band specific games didnt fair much
Craig Hasselback writes: "Activision just continues finding new ways to go from the popular publisher that stayed the course and rose to number one, to being the big jerk that is too big for their own britches as my grandpa would say. Since becoming the number publisher, Activision has done everything possible to piss off gamers."
Well sadly, until the average gamer realizes that they are getting screwed over, Activision is going to be number 1 for a while(as much as I hate to say it).........
... it seems they can.
You need to get the message across with your wallet!
If you LOVE gaming, and if you HATE the way Activision is doing business: DON'T BUY ACTIVISION GAMES (or buy them used) and certainly DON'T BUY THEIR DLC!
It's THAT simple!
Amen. Honestly all the major pubs are starting to become jacked up. Take-Two with the DLC on BioShock 2's disc. EA with selling "DLC" that unlocks content in sports games instead of playing to earn it.
They're all borderline A-holes
Overcharging is the problem. Dragon Age Origins is one of my favorite games but the dlc is overpriced. dlc should cost a few dollars or it should be free.
GamerNode's Mike Murphy writes..."There are several different elements that go into a game when it is made. Several factors that developers need to consider when creating their next product for the gaming masses. Factors that determine how the game looks, sounds, feels, and plays. These aspects are dissected and analyzed by reviewers in magazines, newspapers, and websites to determine whether games are bad, good, or great.
Many people wonder just which elements are the most important. Do good graphics trump poor level design? Can a great soundtrack make up for gameplay lapses? Can an unforgettable story be remembered if the main characters faces look like blocks? I have my own belief and theory on just what aspects of a game are the most important and which among them is most important of all."
I have to say that I really disagree with this column. It's a pet-peeve of mine when someone tries to separate all these elements to deduce a score out of it. SomethingAwful had a great review of Deadly Premonition where they admit that when looked at in isolation, each individual component wasn't that good. But taken as a whole, it blended together very well. Sure, I like good graphics, but if a game has poor ones but is good in every other capacity, you stop looking at them early on. Design and gameplay is more important, but what would you say of a game like Killer 7 that has poor straight-forward repetitive design and gameplay, a confusing story, yet is consistently intriguing? You have to look at how these elements come together as that's what counts.