Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - Official

[mlatin]

blah blah, standard press releases, etc..

World Renowned Recording Group Aerosmith Rocks This Way to Guitar Hero(R): Aerosmith(R) (http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=294521)

New "Guitar Hero" gives sweet emotion to Aerosmith fans (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080215/music_nm/activision_guitarhero_dc)

[Talisker]

A Guitar Hero version with nothing but Aerosmith? Bleah.

[mlatin]

At least they're giving a freebie, too....

"To celebrate this historic, ground-breaking collaboration, Guitar Hero(R) III: Legends of Rock fans will have the opportunity to download and jam to Aerosmith's "Dream On." The song will be available for free from February 16-18 on Xbox LIVE(R) Marketplace for the Xbox 360(R) video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION(R)Store for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system."

[RobF]

Yeah, I have zero interest in this. I like Aerosmith well enough, but not enough for a whole game.

I really don't see this selling all that well.

[Nathan Phoenix]

I can't see myself paying full retail game price for an all Aerosmith GH game, but I could see maybe paying $30 for it. I'll wait and see on this.

[mlatin]

It apparently won't be *entirely* Aerosmith, as the PR makes it sound like, but only most of it! Buried deep in the PR:

"As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith's greatest hits, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way."

..so, there'll be other artists on there as well, but who? Who knows, at this point.

[Kalle]

Sweet!

It's a Quest for Fame sequel, just like I've always wanted.

[Jason Becker]

Worth a rental.

[intruder]

It apparently won't be *entirely* Aerosmith, as the PR makes it sound like, but only most of it! Buried deep in the PR:

"As fans progress through their careers in the game, they can rock out to scores of Aerosmith's greatest hits, as well as songs from celebrated artists that the band has either performed with or has been inspired by in some way."

..so, there'll be other artists on there as well, but who? Who knows, at this point.


Aerosmith performed with Guns n' Roses when they played in Paris in '92.
Hopefully there will be some Guns' material. :)

[Midnight Son]

Fuck Activision.

[Aeon221]

Wow, it's like they're trying to kill the franchise. Incredible!


Activision
Brian Kelly, Co-Chairman
$4,600, John McCain (R)
Ron Doornick, Director
$2,300 Mitt Romney (R)
Nina Kotick, CEO
$2,300, Mitt Romney (R)
Robert Kotick, CEO
$2,300, Mitt Romney (R)
Brian Barnes, Game Designer
$2,000, Ron Paul (R)
Erol Otus, Designer/Illustrator
$700, Ron Paul (R)
Charles Homic, Programmer
$400, Ron Paul (R)
Travis Stansbury, Attorney
$325, Ron Paul (R)
Chris Nelson, Programmer
$285, Ron Paul (R)

Oh, now I get it.

[Balasarius]

Fuck Aerosmith.

[Bahimiron]

...why not just offer the whole thing as DLC for GH3? Or maybe as a $30 x-pac?

Why- why release something with such a niche market and also go ahead and piss off everyone who bought GHIII and has been watching DLC for Rock Band pile up?

This just doesn't make any sense to me in any form at all!

[Lizard_King]

Huh. Well, given that Dream On is the one song they've written that doesn't make me want to puke blood, I'll definitely take it (for free). But they are nuts if they think I'm picking up another Guitar Hero without 1)an excellent (upgraded) peripheral and 2) a promise that they have revised the entire GHIII method of song note creation. That is, poached someone from Harmonix that knows how to do it.

[Midnight Son]

Huh. Well, given that Dream On is the one song they've written that doesn't make me want to puke blood, I'll definitely take it (for free). But they are nuts if they think I'm picking up another Guitar Hero without 1)an excellent (upgraded) peripheral and 2) a promise that they have revised the entire GHIII method of song note creation. That is, poached someone from Harmonix that knows how to do it.

I agree with you here. And only here!

Anyway, they truly are going to milk this muthafucka into the ground. Not surprised at all, of course, but my money is gonna stay home.

[biclops]

What?
Why?
How?
Guh?

[Shadarr]

Dammit, it's only up till Monday? I may not have the internet hooked up by then.

[fuzzyslug]

This should be direct to rental.

[RobotPants]

...why not just offer the whole thing as DLC for GH3? Or maybe as a $30 x-pac?

Why- why release something with such a niche market and also go ahead and piss off everyone who bought GHIII and has been watching DLC for Rock Band pile up?

This just doesn't make any sense to me in any form at all!

It could be worse. You could've bought GH3 for the PC instead and still not have any DLC at all, as well as a laggy-as-fuck game.

[Lizard_King]

I booted up GH3 just to see if my original impressions still stood.
1. I'm a lot better than I was before, thanks to having "fun" playing Rock Band in the interim, which made me want to get better. Kind of like how GHII was good enough to inspire me to try hard (difficulty) in the first place.

2. Boss battles are still the worst idea in the litany of bad ones that GH3 provides. Even if the not-so-subtle lack of craft in the song note charts escapes you, you can't miss that.

3. (and the one somewhat relevant to the thread) GH3's flaws still make great songs terrible to play. The diamonds in the rough are still songs I can't stand that are inexplicably fun (possibly handed over to the one guy who can make note charts since they weren't top priority) like Cliffs of Dover and Black Magic Woman, and then you have all of the songs I love that are ruined by this game (too many to list). So, I have every confidence that Dream On will suck as well, but free is free.

GH1 for 360 with additional coop and practice mode, otherwise untouched, would still be the best possible release from Activision, although I'm sure that's impossible.

[McBain]

Aerosmith sucks.

Sorry for stating the obvious.

[Bahimiron]

It could be worse. You could've bought GH3 for the PC instead and still not have any DLC at all, as well as a laggy-as-fuck game.

I don't think Wii got any DLC either.

Though I can't imagine that really surprised anyone.

[RobotPants]

The only surprise from me was seeing my dual-core CPU/8800GT system choke on the shitty GH3 graphics.

[delirium]

I booted up GH3 just to see if my original impressions still stood.
1. I'm a lot better than I was before, thanks to having "fun" playing Rock Band in the interim, which made me want to get better. Kind of like how GHII was good enough to inspire me to try hard (difficulty) in the first place.

2. Boss battles are still the worst idea in the litany of bad ones that GH3 provides. Even if the not-so-subtle lack of craft in the song note charts escapes you, you can't miss that.

3. (and the one somewhat relevant to the thread) GH3's flaws still make great songs terrible to play. The diamonds in the rough are still songs I can't stand that are inexplicably fun (possibly handed over to the one guy who can make note charts since they weren't top priority) like Cliffs of Dover and Black Magic Woman, and then you have all of the songs I love that are ruined by this game (too many to list). So, I have every confidence that Dream On will suck as well, but free is free.

GH1 for 360 with additional coop and practice mode, otherwise untouched, would still be the best possible release from Activision, although I'm sure that's impossible.

I JUST did the same thing. First time I've played the game since RB came out. My extremely mixed feelings on the game came rushing back to me. I played a few online games, won 3 songs and lost 2. I was having fun playing some songs like Pride and Joy, FCPREMIX, Cities on Flame. Then I went against some guy who picked the Tom Morello Battle and has obviously practiced it quite a bit. I watched helplessly as he shredded my face off on the up and down scales. Then someone picked Dragonforce, another song those GH3 shredders love to practice. Playing notes up and down at warp speed to prove your fake guitar skills just really turns me off.

Game is still very hit or miss with me. I think generally, the songs are more exciting than what I've played on Rock Band. Sometimes that's a good thing, but it also can be a bad thing. I don't think there's a single game I'm as torn on if I like it or not..my feelings will change wildly from song to song. After playing RB for a while, my feelings are even harder to pin down. I love neither game (solely based on guitar charts) nearly as much as GH2, but they both do a good and bad job at different things.

[Kalle]

It could be worse. You could've bought GH3 for the PC instead and still not have any DLC at all, as well as a laggy-as-fuck game.

There is PC DLC. You just have to find it and download it on your own.

[jim crawford]

I remember liking Aerosmith during the year I watched MTV, but every Aerosmith song that's made it into a Guitar Hero or Rock Band game has been terrible. So that sucks. I do appreciate that they're putting focus on the music rather than even more soul-draining additions to the gameplay, though.

And if we're lucky, they'll have some unlockables of Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverstone making out. Come to think of it, that's probably why I liked Aerosmith back then.

[J. Matthew Zoss]

Aerosmith sucks.

Sorry for stating the obvious.It's okay. It needs to be said as much as possible.

[Juste]

Now, i'm a BIG Aerosmith fan of old, but this leaves me cold. Mostly from having the same feelings for GH III as Lizard_king has in this thread. Neversoft makes fun songs a chore. Hard mode should be hard mode, not fucking impossible mode. And i'm no slouch on GH.

[Cyrano]

I like Aerosmith, so I'll buy it if it's priced as an expansion pack ($20-30). For a full $60, no way.

[Aeon221]

I think the internet is ending -- LK agrees with the majority opinion including Midnight Son.

Next we'll have a discussion about Bush and McCullough will say that, just maybe, Bush ain't too bad.

=D

[Funkula]

We haven't truly broken the reality barrier until BobJustBob weighs in with a reasonable opinion (e.g. Aerosmith sucks) and T-Rex posts a calm and civil opinion that mostly concurs but disagrees respectfully on a point or two.

[wumpus]

I'm an addict so I'll buy anything in the fake plastic instrument genre.

That said, I think this is officially the point at which the GH franchise jumped the shark.

[Lizard_King]

As an exercise in exploring the opposing viewpoint, I just wanted to mention what Play Magazine had in their GOTY type roundup:

Best Rythm/Beat Game: Guitar Hero III

Best New Trend: Guitar Hero BOSS BATTLES

Sure, they threw Rock Band a bone by making it the best MP game, but come on.

[wumpus]

Best new trend.. for me to POOP on

The more I play RB the less I like GH3. Boss battles is the #1 reason with a bullet. They're a complete gameplay trainwreck, no redeeming features whatosever. I've known absolutely nothing but the purest joy playing my fake plastic guitar... until Boss Battles.

So, thanks for that, Neversoft. Fuckers.

[Shadarr]

Now that I've quit trying to beat the game and just occasionally play it for fun, GH3 doesn't make me that angry. I mean, it's still a little annoying the way they've designed Expert note charts to make them harder rather than intuitive. But once you stop actually playing the boss battles or failing out on Raining Blood, the game gets less aggravating by a lot.

It's also great practice for Rock Band. I played a couple GH3 songs, including Cliffs of Dover, and was then able to beat Flirting with Disaster and GG&HT in one try, which had previously been kicking my ass.

[Rock8man]

I agree with Lizard King, et al about GH3 in general, but I also really appreciate the Harmonix approach to additional content in Rock Band. Sure, there might be several weeks in which I don't get the kinds of songs I want, but I like being able to pick and choose which songs I think I'll enjoy playing. As opposed to buying a whole new 50/60 dollar game which might have several songs I enjoy, but also several songs I don't enjoy.

I just like the whole DLC philosophy a lot better than putting out expansions/new versions of the game. Although I guess for the people who bought the PS2/Wii versions, this is the better way to go.

[SolomonGrundy]

Best new trend.. for me to POOP on

The more I play RB the less I like GH3. Boss battles is the #1 reason with a bullet. They're a complete gameplay trainwreck, no redeeming features whatosever. I've known absolutely nothing but the purest joy playing my fake plastic guitar... until Boss Battles.

So, thanks for that, Neversoft. Fuckers.

QFT
the more i've played III, the more I go back to 1 and 2.
sadly I'm holding out on rock band until i have something other than a Ps2.

[Alex Pirani]

This is a pretty dumb move. So, they're really only appealing to the Aerosmith fan demographic? Dumb, and just makes us wait longer for a good GH.

[Zylon]

Sorry, but every rock band is only allowed one video game. Aerosmith already had theirs.

MUSIC IS THE WEAPON!

[Rogen]

This sounds really lame

[Rogen]

This is a pretty dumb move. So, they're really only appealing to the Aerosmith fan demographic? Dumb, and just makes us wait longer for a good GH.

Rock Band is in stores now ;)

[RobotPants]

There is PC DLC. You just have to find it and download it on your own.

How silly it would be to be able to use the in-game song download function!

[Lizard_King]

How silly it would be to be able to use the in-game song download function!

If it's any consolation, they managed to screw up the in game download for GHIII as well. You can't go on about your business while dling like you can if you do it from the console interface...at least I was unable to.

[delirium]

god I can't get over how much aerosmith sucks and can't believe this is being made. really, this should be a joke thread.

/drunkpost

[MyNameIsWill]

...why not just offer the whole thing as DLC for GH3? Or maybe as a $30 x-pac?

DLC is more expenive, though. I'm sure the cost/song ratio on this game wll be lower than $1.99. Of course, you can't pick and choose..

This is a pretty dumb move. So, they're really only appealing to the Aerosmith fan demographic? Dumb, and just makes us wait longer for a good GH.

I personally didn't see the appeal of GH:80s ($50 for 30 songs, all 80s) but that sold just fine. The current rumors, which I agree with, say that Activision will release another themed GH but GH IV, proper, will be in stores next Holiday.

[Bahimiron]

DLC is more expenive, though. I'm sure the cost/song ratio on this game wll be lower than $1.99. Of course, you can't pick and choose.

That may be true (and, of course, is) but at least it wouldn't feel like Activision is utterly abandoning GH3.

[MyNameIsWill]

DLC was never really a focus for them, though. GH3 is a game not a platform.

I don't think people expect their GH3 DLC to work with GH4 (though it'd be great if it did), but people will be outraged if Rock Band 2 doesn't support the current DLC.

[MattKeil]

As an exercise in exploring the opposing viewpoint, I just wanted to mention what Play Magazine had in their GOTY type roundup:

Best Rythm/Beat Game: Guitar Hero III

Best New Trend: Guitar Hero BOSS BATTLES

Sure, they threw Rock Band a bone by making it the best MP game, but come on.

To be fair, the entire Play GotY roundup is an exercise in absolute insanity.

I'm interested to see how much of GH:Aerosmith is going to be covers/new versions. Most of Aerosmith's masters from the late '80s and before are lost/destroyed, so I would think they'd need to re-record them for the game.

[Bahimiron]

DLC was never really a focus for them, though. GH3 is a game not a platform.

I know that this mostly applies to GH2, but after hearing it was going to have the most DLC of any game in history, I was more than a little unimpressed with what they delivered.

And I have to imagine that the majority of those who have GH3 but don't have RB are looking at the DLC pile up for RB and wondering where it all went wrong.

[malkav11]

I personally didn't see the appeal of GH:80s ($50 for 30 songs, all 80s) but that sold just fine. The current rumors, which I agree with, say that Activision will release another themed GH but GH IV, proper, will be in stores next Holiday.

80s music is a narrower focus than other Guitar Hero games have had, certainly, but that's still 20-some bands worth of music. Making a music game all about one band? Talk about monotony...I know bands vary some from song to song, but I'd be hard pressed to think of a band that had the crazy kind of range you'd need for a game focused on them to work. And I'm pretty sure Aerosmith is not that band.

(And yes, Rocks the 80s' price tag was dumb. Not the point.)

[Prodigy]

Guitar Hero AC/DC or Led Zeppelin or Deep Purple would have made sense (and would have been a ton of fun to play), but this ? Meh.

[Lizard_King]

To be fair, the entire Play GotY roundup is an exercise in absolute insanity.
Oh, absolutely. It was on my mind because my head had just exploded over it prior to reading this thread.

A particularly poignant moment was struck in the editor's note, where Halverson noted with pride that he doesn't use the game related internet (at all) and allow "chat rooms" to affect his judgment, in the letters section where he included a defense for the ridiculous scores he's granted cover story games like Bullet Witch. I'm expecting his revelation for next year to be how he's advanced to the point where he no longer needs to "play" games to know how good they are.

[MattKeil]

I was a big fan of Halverson picking Eye of Judgment as his #10 game of 2007, and in the blurb for it mocking the Wii and anyone one purchased the Wii, because EoJ is the true ultimate casual gaming experience. Because everyone loves to play fantasy-based card games with extensive and cryptic rule sets! C'mon grandma, put down the Wiimote and build a deck!

There's also the article by Nick Des Barres ("Japanese Correspondent") titled something like "2007: The Year I Accepted the West," in which he talks about how last year he finally was forced to admit that sometimes Western devs make games that don't totally suck. Maybe.

Stunning.

Oh, and Fuck Aerosmith or whatever it is we're talking about.

[Lizard_King]

I was a big fan of Halverson picking Eye of Judgment as his #10 game of 2007, and in the blurb for it mocking the Wii and anyone one purchased the Wii, because EoJ is the true ultimate casual gaming experience. Because everyone loves to play fantasy-based card games with extensive and cryptic rule sets! C'mon grandma, put down the Wiimote and build a deck!

Haha, yeah. I mean, I like Culdcept and everything, but there is just so much wrong with that opinion it's not even funny.

There's also the article by Nick Des Barres ("Japanese Correspondent") titled something like "2007: The Year I Accepted the West," in which he talks about how last year he finally was forced to admit that sometimes Western devs make games that don't totally suck. Maybe.

Stunning.
First off, he's the Japan editor, which I guess means he spellchecks his own articles.
My experience with the God of War series left me with what an 11th century Christian might call a crisis of faith. Are the hardcore gamer's biases and preferences not akin to a religion? I had spent so many years ignoring Western video games that the mere act of playing one felt like betrayal. What would Miyamoto think of me now? Horii? Sakaguchi? Kojima (actually, Hideo would probably think it was pretty cool)?
!!!

[Cyrano]

The free "Dream On" track is OK. Those of you who hate GH3 for being too difficult will like it; it feels a lot like a Rock Band chart.

[MattKeil]

And it is indeed a re-recording. As will be just about anything from their Columbia days, I'll wager.

[Siren]

I absolutely adore Aerosmith (especially their older stuff, but anything from the 90s on, with the exception of Honkin on Bobo pretty much sucks). Unfortunately, I suck at Guitar Hero, so I will not be purchasing this.

[MattKeil]

Only way to not suck is to play. Not that I wish to encourage anyone to reward Activision for single-band releases or Neversoft for what they've done to the GH franchise. I went in, played Dream On, turned it off. Man, I cannot stand the presentation in GH3.

[Funkula]

The free "Dream On" track is OK. Those of you who hate GH3 for being too difficult will like it; it feels a lot like a Rock Band chart.

For me at least, the superiority of the Rock Band charts lies in how they actually bear some relation to the sounds coming out of the speakers, rather than being a rhythmic version of Simon: Hand Cramp Edition.

I went in, played Dream On, turned it off. Man, I cannot stand the presentation in GH3.

Briefly misread that as "penetration." I actually did the same thing, except after DLing Dream On, I decided to play a couple of songs that I really like (Sunshine of Your Love, Paint It Black) and didn't get around to trying Dream On at all.

[Bahimiron]

Paint it Black to Rock Band, pls.

[wumpus]

and Welcome to the Jungle.

[Lizard_King]

Briefly misread that as "penetration." I actually did the same thing, except after DLing Dream On, I decided to play a couple of songs that I really like (Sunshine of Your Love, Paint It Black) and didn't get around to trying Dream On at all.
Same here. I had to see if I still hated note charts by my favorite bands, and I did. OTOH, Dream On was pretty good, and if the exact same version and note chart came out for Rock Band it would probably make my regular list.

[Jamie Madigan]

There was a really funny SNL skit starring Adam Sandler (I think) where he clearly and amusingly demonstrated that all recent Aerosmith songs are basically the same song with slightly different lyrics. It was great, but I can't seem to find a link on Youtube or anywhere. Too bad.

[skedastic]

Partial track list announced: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero:_Aerosmith#Track_listing)


Tier 1:Nipmuc High School
Mott the Hopple: All The Young Dudes
Cheaptrick: The Dream Police
Aerosmith: Make It, Uncle Salty, and Draw the Line

Tier 2:Max’s Kansas City
Joan Jett: I Hate Myself for Loving You
The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night
Aerosmith:Movin’ Out, No Surprize, and Sweet Emotion


Tier 3: The Orpheum
The Clash: Complete Control
New York Dolls: Personality Crisis
Aerosmith:Livin’ on the Edge, Ragdoll, Love in an Elevator
Meh.

[Midnight Son]

Used purchase only for 1/2 price or less.

[MyNameIsWill]

You're willing to shell out $2 per song for Rock Band... but not $50 for 30-40?

[Bahimiron]

You're willing to shell out $2 per song for Rock Band... but not $50 for 30-40?

Hm. Maybe if they were in Rock Band.

[malkav11]

See, the crucial difference is that Rock Band DLC lets you pick the songs, whereas this is $50 (or $60, next-gen, I would assume) for 30ish Aerosmith songs, and, y'know, a few others. If you really really love Aerosmith, I guess it's a bargain?

[Midnight Son]

Having to use the GH3 engine with boss battles and all the other stupid shit? Don't want.

[MyNameIsWill]

Interesting column (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/counting-rupees-battle-of-the-brands/). Though he used VGChartz, I thought it was interesting that GH: 80s did about 800K and Rock Band (PS2) did about 30K, despite GHIII's huge success on the platform.

If the Rock Band (PS2) sales are true, I'm not sure how a DLC-less, $170 bundle is going to do on Wii..

[Shadarr]

GH 80s was only available on the PS2, so those numbers represent the total sales for the game. Whereas the RB sales represent the number of people who bought a completely crippled version of the game.

[Balasarius]

Interesting column (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/27/counting-rupees-battle-of-the-brands/). Though he used VGChartz, I thought it was interesting that GH: 80s did about 800K and Rock Band (PS2) did about 30K, despite GHIII's huge success on the platform.

If the Rock Band (PS2) sales are true, I'm not sure how a DLC-less, $170 bundle is going to do on Wii..
I suspect the vast majority of Wii owners don't realize that they don't actually own a next-gen console. RB on Wii will do fine.

[Midnight Son]

I suspect the vast majority of Wii owners don't realize that they don't actually own a next-gen console. RB on Wii will do fine.

A few people will wonder how come they can't get those songs downloaded like their friend, who has the 360 version......

[Robert Sharp]

You are probably right, but a friend of my wife has a Wii as her only current console, and she won't buy RB because it's gimped, and she knows it. I wouldn't call her a hardcore gamer by any means, but she's quite aware of how awesome RB is on the 360. She plays it at a friends house.

People who buy this game will expect DLC because they'll be told by everyone who has it on the 360 about how they can DL more songs. I expect a lot of complaining when they find out that they can't do it.

[MyNameIsWill]

Indeed. I don't think it'll post PS2-level numbers, but it won't get anywhere close to GHIII's success.

[Adree]

http://www.destructoid.com/guitar-hero-aerosmith-pricing-and-pre-order-info-revealed-update--81716.phtml

"The game and guitar bundle will go for $99 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii, and $89 for the PS2. Even more awesome for PS2 owners is that there will be a another package bundle where the game will come with TWO guitars for only $110. These guitars in the bundle, however, will be wired versions."

[Wholly Schmidt]

Well that's actually a cool looking faceplate if you like Aerosmith, which is a lot more than you can say for pretty much all of the other band faceplates they made when GH3 came out. Luckily, the Smashing Pumpkins faceplate is pretty sweet, so I was happy.

Anyway, is the full game going to be a stupid $59.99?

[Omniscia]

Now, if I'm not mistaken, Rush opened for Aerosmith on the Fly By Night and 2112 tours...

I'd give my third kidney (would that I had one) if they'd include 2112 in this game, even a truncated version.

[Prodigy]

Wow, 2112, that would be cool indeed. But bring on Working Man first !

[Omniscia]

Isn't that already a Rock Band downloadable track?

[Prodigy]

Yes it is but the guitar solo is pure GH material (I don't think it is that interesting to sing or to play on the drums).

[Omniscia]

Pre-Peart drums and lyrics do tend to suck.

[Funkula]

Yeah, but it's one where you do need the ability to play the bass line whenever the fuck you want, not just when you get someone to play with you. I have no trouble assembling people to play RB, but getting multiplayer together for GH is much less common.

[red guy]

I had a chance to play this yesterday (came in second in a Guitar Hero tournament at the Microsoft developer days). I only played 4 songs ("Walk this way", "Love in an elevator", "Living on the edge" and The Cult's "She sells sanctuary") on hard/expert. I'm not sure if 20 Aerosmith songs is bearable, but especially Living on the Edge put a big grin on my face. It felt more like fun than anything since GHII was released (I'm a PS2/PC player, so no DLC, and Rock Band still isn't for sale here). I'll definitely buy it.

They messed up the Pro faceoff though: when you play Expert vs Easy, the scores are normalized, giving the Easy player a shot at winning. Great for parties, but online competition may suffer.

Edit: According to Google, I'm actually the first to confirm "She sells sanctuary". And nobody asked me to sign any NDA. Yay me!

[Midnight Son]

Yes it is but the guitar solo is pure GH material (I don't think it is that interesting to sing or to play on the drums).

Three solos!! I love that song.

[Murph]

I like Aerosmith pretty well -- I think they've got some great guitar riffs, regardless of anything else, and that's pretty much what's selling this game to me. Sweet Emotion, Livin on the Edge, Rag Doll, Love in an Elevator, and Walk this Way are enough to get me to buy it. I'd love to see Dude Looks Like a Lady, as well. Back in the Saddle was fun on GH2, and Dream On is always awesome.

So, they've got 1 sale on the Wii from me.

[MarchHare]

The Cult's "She sells sanctuary"


Fuck, I've wanted this song in RB ever since it was released, but there's no way I'm going to buy another GH game...especially one that is almost entirely filled with Aerosmith songs.

[Xemu]

Yeah, I'm sure I'll get this. If nothing else just to have a little more structured gameplay than the endless RB jukebox gives me.

[Shadarr]

Fuck, I've wanted this song in RB ever since it was released, but there's no way I'm going to buy another GH game...especially one that is almost entirely filled with Aerosmith songs.
Agree on both points. There are a lot of songs in these other games that I wish were in Rock Band, but I doubt I'll actually buy any of the other games. GH3 always leaves me a little annoyed that such great songs aren't much fun to play.

[Jason McMaster]

I had a chance to play this yesterday (came in second in a Guitar Hero tournament at the Microsoft developer days). I only played 4 songs ("Walk this way", "Love in an elevator", "Living on the edge" and The Cult's "She sells sanctuary") on hard/expert. I'm not sure if 20 Aerosmith songs is bearable, but especially Living on the Edge put a big grin on my face. It felt more like fun than anything since GHII was released (I'm a PS2/PC player, so no DLC, and Rock Band still isn't for sale here). I'll definitely buy it.

They messed up the Pro faceoff though: when you play Expert vs Easy, the scores are normalized, giving the Easy player a shot at winning. Great for parties, but online competition may suffer.

Edit: According to Google, I'm actually the first to confirm "She sells sanctuary". And nobody asked me to sign any NDA. Yay me!

I do wish there was a way to get She Sells Sanctuary on anything BUT the Aerosmith GH

[wumpus]

More complete track list released

Nipmuc High School
# Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes*
# Cheap Trick - Dream Police
# Aerosmith - Make It
# Aerosmith - Uncle Salty
# Aerosmith - Draw the Line

Max's Kansas City
# Joan Jett - I Hate Myself for Loving You
# The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night*
# Aerosmith - Movin' Out
# Aerosmith - No Surprize
# Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion

The Orpheum Theater
# The Clash - Complete Control
# New York Dolls - Personality Crisis*
# Aerosmith - Livin' on the Edge
# Aersomith - Ragdoll
# Aerosmith - Love in an Elevator

Half Time Show
# Lenny Kravitz - Always on the Run
# Black Crowes - Hard to Handle*
# Aerosmith - Back in the Saddle
# Aerosmith - Beyond Beautiful
# Aerosmith - Dream On

Moscow
# The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
# Run DMC - King of Rock
# Aerosmith - Bright Light Fright
# Aerosmith - Nobody's Fault
# Run DMC featuring Aerosmith - Walk This Way

Gotta say, I am a big big fan of this tracklist, Aerosmith aside. Personality Crisis? fuck yes.

[Wholly Schmidt]

That's enough of a track list for me to officially pass on this. Good to know.

[JPR]

Ugh.

I didn't think the tracklist would be very appealing, but it's not even a temptation. I'm surprised they ended up with 20% of the non-Aerosmith songs being available in Rock Band. And possibly more by release?

[Shadarr]

The only thing this makes me wish for is a Cult pack in Rock Band.

[Talisker]

If I can't get She Sells Sanctuary in RB, I'll settle for a full album release of Electric.

[Midnight Son]

Day 360 used copy purchase for sure!

[MyNameIsWill]

Day 360 used copy purchase for sure!
Hey, if you invest the $20 savings in a CD you'll have a whopping $20.40 in the year..

[Juste]

Oh She sells sanctuary and Hard to handle. Hmmmm.

[Midnight Son]

Hey, if you invest the $20 savings in a CD you'll have a whopping $20.40 in the year..

It ain't the money, dude. It's "Fuck Activision."

[Adree]

Looks like shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM40SB7Ov0Q

[Shadarr]

Damn, you aren't kidding. The best part of that video was the guy pre-emptively defending his guitar heroing ability.

[Equis]

Looks like shit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM40SB7Ov0Q

Neversoft likes a certain pattern of notes that are completing devastating to play. They are still present. This doesn't bode well for World's tour's improved note charts.

[wumpus]

I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to play this on Expert. If it's anything like the GH3 Expert progression, I'll hit a giant, impassable wall at about tier 6.

Sucks, because Hard isn't really hard enough for the skill level I'm at, but Expert is just unforgivably brutal once you get deep enough into the tracklist. If I pick Expert and can't hack it, I'll have to restart the whole shebang on Hard.

Fucking neversoft. I didn't have this problem in GH1 or GH2.

[skedastic]

In this review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKvmEUL03BE&feature=related), GH:Aerosmith helpfully detects the guy's Rock Band guitar. And reports,


An unsupported guitar peripheral has been detected. Connect either a Guitar Hero guitar or Xbox 360 controller and press start to continue.


I was on the fence before, but now I'm not buying this mediocre product. And I don't even like the Rock Band guitar.

[RobotPants]

Hasn't that always been the case, though? The RB guitar not working with the GH games?

[RobF]

Steven Tyler seems to have climbed onto stage right out of the uncanny valley. Yikes.

And that note chart was depressingly GH3-ish. It just didn't look like fun.

[RobotPants]

Yeah, I'm watching that video at work with no sound and those notes just don't look like they correspond to any logical guitar notes in the song.

[Funkula]

In this review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKvmEUL03BE&feature=related), GH:Aerosmith helpfully detects the guy's Rock Band guitar. And reports,



I was on the fence before, but now I'm not buying this mediocre product. And I don't even like the Rock Band guitar.

Yeah, GH3 does this too. It's really fucking annoying, because you don't even have to be trying to use it. It just flips a shit if it even detects the taint of Rock Band.

[red guy]

So this is for sale, over here. I've played three sets, and I've kind of had enough Aerosmith for one evening. Which brings us to the negatives:
* too much Aerosmith
* each set is subdivided into: opening act (2 songs), Aerosmith (2 songs), Encore. Which means that you only get to pick which of the 2 opening acts you want to play first; after that, the order in which the set list is played out is completely determined (the first Aerosmith song is picked automatically, Encore-style). It feels like there's very little choice, and no opening up of new areas.
* Most of the time, you're watching crappy animations of Liv Tyler's dad, instead of Casey Lynch in fiery leather
* The punk songs (The Clash, and the other Tier 3 thing) remind me too much of GH:80's

The positives:
*Aerosmith may not be the best rock band ever, but they've created lots of highly enjoyable riffs.
* Those riffs are in this game, and the note charts on those riffs (on Hard) are fun to play (for me)
* Stuttering is gone (PS2 version, 40 euros, as there's no need to wait for DLC - what will they bring, more Aerosmith?). I don't have to fear "50 note streak" messages and star power.
* I can't imagine "Raining Blood" level plastic guitar thrashing in my near future.

The neutral:
* Texts on the loading screen are as crappy as GH3's
* Sets open with a short interview with the band, that feels like it's straight from an MTV special

All in all, I'd say it's a decent expansion pack. But keep in mind: my opinion was formed in a universe where Rock Band doesn't exist (i.e., Europe).

[scharmers]

Wow, they did this for PS2? I thought both Neversoft/RO were done with the PS2 with GH3/RB. Maybe RO will respond with something better. I like my PS2, and don't plan on going to teh next gen any time soon.

[Rorschach]

Thye're making Guitar Hero for the DS. They're making Guitar Hero for belt buckles and for crappy LCD handheld toys. Guitar Hero will be released on every platform under the sun... personally I'm waiting for the Kindle edition. (I'm kidding, I don't own a Kindle.)

[Shadarr]

GH on the PS2 makes perfect sense, since they don't do character creation or DLC or World Tour or any of the other things that were so notably absent from the PS2 version of Rock Band. Hell, GH3 on the 360 looks like a PS2 game.

[red guy]

I'm wondering if I should even bother trying to play this on Expert. If it's anything like the GH3 Expert progression, I'll hit a giant, impassable wall at about tier 6.

Sucks, because Hard isn't really hard enough for the skill level I'm at, but Expert is just unforgivably brutal once you get deep enough into the tracklist. If I pick Expert and can't hack it, I'll have to restart the whole shebang on Hard.

Fucking neversoft. I didn't have this problem in GH1 or GH2.
I don't think it'll be that difficult. I just finished the campaign on Hard, without ever needing Star Power to keep alive. That makes this the easiest Hard campaign of all Guitar Heroes.

The battle is comparable to the 2nd battle in GH3.

I met a few drawn-out notes that sounded like they could be transformed into very fast two-note sequences; other than that, I guess Aerosmith's guitar parts just aren't that difficult.

I guess I'll have to move up to Expert myself.