ACTIVISION’S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED GUITAR HERO® METALLICA® NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE PLAYSTATION®2 SYSTEM AT NORTH AMERICAN RETAIL STORES

Santa Monica, CA – April 14, 2009 – Hailed as “Activision’s best Guitar Hero® yet” by AOL/GameDaily and “a must-play for fans” by IGN.com, Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® Metallica® is now available at retail outlets across North America for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. PlayStation 2 system rock stars can now experience the intensity of musical icons Metallica and over 20 additional bands. Shred on the guitar controller, rip on the drum kit controller and wail on the mic to a killer set list of over 45 explosive hits from both Metallica’s illustrious career and a wide variety of legendary artists personally selected by the band, such as Alice In Chains, Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band, Foo Fighters, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Queen.

“Guitar Hero Metallica has garnered critical acclaim across the industry proving the widespread appeal and accessibility of both Guitar Hero and Metallica,” said Will Kassoy, Head of Publishing for the Guitar Hero franchise. “With a very successful launch on Wii™, Xbox 360® and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, we are excited to bring the game to the huge PlayStation 2 system gaming community and expect it to quickly become a fan favorite for that platform.”

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

Guitar Hero Metallica is now available for the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PlayStation 2 and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment systems across North America. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB. For more information on Guitar Hero Metallica, please visit guitarherometallica.com

Technorati Tags: Guitar Hero, Metallica, Video Game, Playstation, Gaming, Gamer, Console Gaming, PS3, PS2, Activision

HARMONIX, MTV GAMES AND PDP ANNOUNCE THE ROCK BAND® KICK PEDAL WITH DOUBLE BASS ADAPTOR IS NOW AVAILABLE

Officially Licensed Rock Band Pedal Allows Players to Rock Two Pedals at the Same Time for Advanced Game Play

Cambridge, MA – April 7, 2009 — Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced that the officially licensed Rock Band® Kick Pedalwith Double Bass Adaptor distributed by Performance Designed Products (PDP) is available now at retail stores. The Rock Band Kick Pedal with Double Bass Adaptor is available for the suggested retail price of $24.99.

The officially licensed kick pedal comes bundled with an adaptor that allows players to use two Rock Band kick pedals at the same time. The Rock Band Kick Pedal with Double Bass Adaptor works with all Rock Band and Rock Band 2 games and functions with all in-game tracks including freestyle and drum fill sections [1]. In addition, the Rock Band Kick Pedal with Double Bass Adaptor is also compatible with Guitar Hero® World Tour and Guitar Hero®: Metallica® when used in conjunction with a Rock Band drum set.

The Rock Band Kick Pedal with Double Bass Adaptor is universally compatible with Rock Band drum kits for Xbox®360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo.

Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen with descriptors of lyrics and mild suggestive themes by the ESRB. Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen with descriptors of lyrics and suggestive themes by the ESRB.

For more information about Rock Band, please visit www.rockband.com

Technorati Tags: Rock Band, Double Bass Adaptor, Kick Pedal, Playstation, Nintendo Wii, Now Available

A new threat to Japan’s Capital calls for the return of Raidou Kuzunoha the 14th, the case-solving, tube-slinging protector of the city. When a woman walks into the Narumi Detective Agency and asks to find a man, Raidou’s boss is reluctant to accept, but soon it’s clear there’s more to the case than it seems on the surface. It isn’t long before Raidou is on the trail of crooked gamblers, masked ninja, and strange insects…a trail leading him inexorably to the mysterious King Abaddon.

Technorati Tags: Screenshots, Games, PSP, Playstation 2, Devil Summoner 2

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS2
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $29.99

I am probably the biggest Country Music fan in my house and on most days that isn’t saying a whole lot. Some of my favorite Country artists include Garth Brooks, the Dixie Chicks, Mindy McCreedy, Colin Raye, The Charlie Daniels Band, Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Carrie Underwood, and Trisha Yearwood among others. These people all have one thing in common. None of them are present on the SingStar Country game!

The fact that Garth Brooks was not on here just floored me. The fact that the Dixie Chicks made one of the mainstream discs, but not the Country was also quite a surprise. Still, the thing that surprised me the most was not some of the missing artists that have defined Country music. It was the artists that did make the cut. In my opinion there were three categories here.

-Good Artist/Good Song (this one was pretty rare)
-Good Artist/Unknown or Less Important Song (we knew who they were but were surprised by the song choice)
-Why are they on here in the first place?!? (a few of the singers felt kind of unnecessary)

Part of the first and second group included artists like Johnny Cash, Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, Kellie Pickler, and Rascal Flatts. The third group included names like Jewel (I like her, but don’t know if I would classify her as Country), Jessica Simpson, and Miranda Lambert. Likewise, while I like people like Alan Jackson and Trace Adkins I don’t see how they made the cut more than once when other big names were not represented, at all. I had high hopes for Country, but felt slightly let down by the selection. Of course, I realize that true blue Country fans may be more comfortable with this selection that has been offered.

Like the other SingStar titles, Country is fun. It was not as fun for us as the other titles because it’s missing some vital Country performers and we weren’t as familiar with the genre. If you’re a big Country fan this is going to be highly recommended. If not, you’re going to want to tread lightly and read the track list before making the final decision on whether or not to purchase this.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Features:
As with all SingStar, titles you have the same basic features. You are able to play the game using online or offline components. If you own a Playstation Eye you can make music videos of yourself. If you don’t own an Eye, but want to see other videos that people have made, you can go online and rate the videos that others have created.

Other than that, the main feature is going to be the music. In the case of the SingStar Country game, I have to say I was excited about some songs and not about others. When I think Country, I immediately think certain names. While some of these names are here, many of them are not. Granted, I am not a huge Country music fan, so this disc may be better suited for fans of the genre, but there is plenty of Country songs and artists that I like that just weren’t here.

Nevertheless, I still had fun playing though and wouldn’t hesitate to look up the second volume for Country when/if it comes out. Hopefully, if it does it includes some of the Country music staples that fans and non-fans of the genre can both enjoy.

The titles included in SingStar Country are:

Alan Jackson: Chattahoochee
Alan Jackson: Good Time
Big & Rich: Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)
Blake Shelton: Home
Brad Paisley: Online
Brooks & Dunn: Boot Scootin’ Boogie
Brooks & Dunn w/ Reba McEntire: If You See Him/If You See Her
Bucky Covington: It’s Good to be Us
Faith Hill: Red Umbrella
Gretchen Wilson: Redneck Woman
Jessica Simpson: Come On Over
Jewel: Stronger Woman
Johnny Cash: A Boy Named Sue
Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line
Josh Turner: Another Try
Keith Urban: Days Go By
Kellie Pickler: Red High Heels
Kenny Chesney: Big Star
Lady Antebellum: Love Don’t Live Here
Martina: McBride: A Broken Wing
Miranda Lambert: Kerosene
Montgomery Gentry: My Town
Montgomery Gentry: What Do Ya Think About That?
Rascal Flatts: Bless the Broken Road
Sara Evans: Born To Fly
Taylor Swift: Our Song
Terri Clark: Girls Lie Too
Trace Adkins: Honky Tonk Badonkadonk
Trace Adkins: You’re Gonna Miss This
Willie Nelson: Pancho and Lefty

The great thing about SingStar is the compatibility of all of the discs. If you own a PS3 these should still play in your player, assuming you bought one with the backwards capability intact. Another nice thing is that you can interchange the discs during your game. Just hit the switch disc button and you can put in a new disc and continue to play the same game. This helps to make sure that everyone gets to play with the disc that they like the most (assuming you have more than one). SingStar is one of those rather addicting titles that offers at least a few good songs, if not more, per disc. That being said, if you buy one game you will end up buying more. That’s just how SingStar works.

There are a few mainstream Country songs here, but not enough to satiate the person that isn’t a big fan of Country. In the next release, Sony might want to consider adding more Country that all people will enjoy and be able to recognize, as that can only lead to a more successful title for them and for SingStar.

Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
The controller is used sparingly here, so people that have a problem playing games because of all the various options and buttons will feel right at home. The only time you even use the controller is to select a song, choose how you are playing (battle, solo, or duet), or to switch a disc. You can also use the controller to deal with online functions of the game, but those are completely optional based on your own interest in them. This is going to be one of those rare games that just about anyone will be able to handle in terms of using the controller.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
I have yet to encounter a SingStar with flat out bad quality and you won’t hear me say anything different here. The quality is excellent. The videos are on the new end for many and the old ones still aren’t that old, so the quality remains good. The important part is the lyrical karaoke text, as well as the music bars that show you where the golden notes are and how long you need to hold the notes. Even when the video is of a lesser quality the text and bars are easily able to be seen and read. It’s never a problem when it comes to that.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
SingStar Country may not have my favorite music, but what is here sounds good. I would have loved to hear a better mix of music, but all of the music was static free and sounding as good as it could under the circumstances. The sound made everything sound new as it was free of any distortion or audio problems that occasionally plague video games and movies. All in all, it’s a good set for the Country loving SingStar crowd.

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
This is the one SingStar title that we play sparingly. I have considered going online and purchasing extra tracks to make this more enjoyable, but haven’t checked to see what is available and don’t know how much I want to shell out to make this game more enjoyable for me. At present, I play it enough to make it worth paying for, but not enough to be considered one of my favorite games.

Replayability: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
SingStar Country is probably one of my least favorite SingStar titles. The logic here is simple. If you do not like Country, this game is not going to change your mind about the genre. Unfortunately, some bad music choices made sure that a mainstream audience wouldn’t have much love for this particular title. On the other hand, huge Country fans should really enjoy this.

If you’re a fan of Country this is definitely the SingStar for you and I highly recommend that you pick it up. However, if you’re not a raging fan, you might want to stay cool and wait for the second volume to come out in hopes that it has some better songs for a wider range of people.

Overall Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS2, SingStar Country, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

Game Rating: T for Teen
Game Publisher: Sony Entertainment
Platform: PS2
Release Date: September 23, 2008
Buy this at: Amazon for $29.99

Hearing that anything Pop is being offered to us can be a catch 22. Many of the most popular forms of music fall under that genre these days. However, when it comes to music we can be a bit non-conformist. To put it mildly, we aren’t always big fans of pop. So, when we received this SingStar title
the first thing we did was turn the case over to find out who was on it. Many of the names we know and like, but there were a few (Ashlee Simpson) that we didn’t like or (Boys Like Girls) weren’t too familiar with.

We found after playing this that some styles of music are much easier for some of us to sing than for others. For example, I am not bad at pop (I ruled this disc), but Dominick offers more strength when jamming to SingStar ABBA, Legends, and some of our other titles. Of course, we would flip flop in each game based on the song and singer, but for the most part, the fact that I knew a lot of the songs here really helped out a lot.

Your comfort and enjoyment level when playing any SingStar title is going to be relative to the genre of music and the familiarity of the songs in the game. With Pop 2 I didn’t have much of a problem. We didn’t sing ever song, though I know about 90% of them well enough to do well in this game. Meanwhile, titles like ABBA were a little more intimidating because I am not as well versed in their music. That being said, this is always going to work best  if you’re choosing the games that have the songs you know and love. In my case, I love Pop 2 even though I wasn’t sure how I would feel when it first arrived.

Enjoyment/Fun Factor: 5 out of 5 stars

Features:
The main features for SingStar Pop 2 are the music videos that are available for the game. These are listed below.

3 Doors Down: When I’m Gone
Ashlee Simpson: Boyfriend
Avril Lavigne: My Happy Ending
Boys Like Girls: The Great Escape
Cartel: Lose It
Colbie Caillat: Bubbly
Dixie Chicks: Not Ready to Make Nice
Duran Duran: Ordinary World
Evanesence: Bring Me to Life
Fall out Boy: Thanks Fr Th MMRS
Fergie: Big Girls Don’t Cry
Gwen Stefani Feat. Akon: The Sweet Escape
Jennifer Lopez: Jenny From The Block
Lifehouse: First Time
Lily Allen: Littlest Things
Lloyd: Get It Shawty
Maroon 5: Makes Me Wonder
Matchbox Twenty: How Far We’ve Come
Michelle Branch: Breathe
Nelly Furtado: Promiscuous
Norah Jones: Don’t Know Why
Pink: Who Knew
Peter Bjorn and John: Young Folks
Plain White T’s: Hey There Delilah
Rihanna: Umbrella
Santana Feat. Chad Kroger: Into the Night
Steriogram: Walkie Talkie Man
Sum 41: Fat Lip
The Hives: Tick Tick Boom
The Outfield: Your Love

This music is all rather current pop music, which should be the case considering the theme of the title. However, it is not the only disc that you can use when playing SingStar. All of the titles are compatible, so if you’re playing one disc and want to switch, you are able to do so without ending your game. You don’t have to go through the trouble of starting over. Just hit the switch disc button and you’ll be able to play any other SingStar title in your collection.

Replayability: 5 out of 5 stars

Controls:
As I stated in previous SingStar reviews the controller is not used much. It’s only picked up for things like choosing songs and dictating whether you’ll be singing solo, duet, or battling. So, as far as the controls go, you will only be using the directional buttons and the select or back button. Nothing else really matters in terms of the controls because you will be using the microphone for the majority of the game.

Even when you go online to use the SingStar Internet Features, the controller work is basic and consists of back, select, and left/right, unless you are using the specific community features, which add in things like messaging others in the community. In addition to messaging, you can make your own music videos (Playstation Eye is needed for this) or you can rate others that have posted their own videos.

Ease of Use: 5 out of 5 stars

Visual Quality:
Considering the newness of Pop 2, the videos looked excellent, as did the rest of the visual aspects of SingStar. The bulk of the visual content is in the videos, so things are looking good for this title. The colors are all bright and the quality is high. The lyrical text and note bars are clearly labeled. They are easy to see, so there is no worry whether or not you’ll be able to read the lyrics. It’s just a matter of getting them down that you will need to worry about. The menus all look great and there was never any issue with noise or any other unpleasant visual problems.

Visual: 5 out of 5 stars

Audio Quality:
SingStar Pop 2 is a game that revolves around music. If the audio isn’t any good than there will be problems from the get go. Luckily, the audio here is perfect. The music is clear, the vocals sound just like you remember from the radio, and there is nothing to complain about, at all. You could easily turn this on just to hear your favorite songs, though once it’s on I have yet to meet a person that isn’t ready to sing along!

Audio: 5 out of 5 stars

Replayability:
This SingStar title is going to be dependent on how much or little you like Pop music. Dominick is not as familiar with pop as I am, so when we played, he ran into more problems than I did. He likes playing this title when we do, though I suspect it is not as much as when we are playing one of the others. When it comes to me, I know more about pop than I am willing to admit. As a fan of 3 Doors Down and other bands on this game, it’s no wonder that I had a great time playing this. This is a must for pop music fans.

Replayability: 4 out of 5 stars

Bottom Line:
SingStar Pop 2 was our second jump into the world of SingStar. What I learned is that some titles just work no matter how campy they may seem. My first impression of SingStar would be that it would be mildly fun, but that it would not be played regularly. These days it’s becoming quite regular to the point of being played at least every few days. This is definitely something a music fan will get their moneys worth from.

I am starting to learn with every additional SingStar title that we play that you simply cannot go wrong with Sony’s sensational singing game! Not only that, but with backwards compatibility (if your PS3 has it) you can play these on the PS3 along with your other PS2 titles so you won’t have to worry about making the switch to PS3, assuming you haven’t already.

Overall Rating: 4.83 out of 5 stars

Technorati Tags: Sony, PS2, SingStar Pop 2, Music Video, Sing, Battle, Video Game, Console, Karaoke, Sing Star

THE EAGLES, NIRVANA, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS AND OTHERS SET TO ROCK GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR WITH DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT IN DECEMBER

The Smashing Pumpkins’ “G.L.O.W,”“1979” and “The Everlasting Gaze” Available Tomorrow

SANTA MONICA, CA – December 3, 2008 – Legendary multi-platinum recording artists The Eagles, Nirvana and The Smashing Pumpkins, all featured in the on-disc set list of Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour, are returning in December with exclusive downloadable content for the game. Additionally, fans will be in for a treat just in time for Christmas with three free Reggae Rock tracks from Pepper, Slightly Stoopid and Expendables.

The Smashing Pumpkins, one of rock’s defining and most acclaimed bands who have sold over 30 million albums, return to Guitar Hero World Tour, tomorrow December 4th, with a three-song track pack featuring the recently released single “G.L.O.W.,” “1979” and “Everlasting Gaze.”

Featuring the stylistic melodies of Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, the pioneers of alternative rock, Nirvana, make their Guitar Hero® downloadable content debut with the Nirvana Track Pack. Featuring the final single released by the band, “You Know You’re Right,” along with “Negative Creep,” off the band’s debut album Bleach, and the smash hit “Sliver,” the Nirvana Track Pack will be available for Guitar Hero World Tour on December 11th.

After delivering the timeless rock ballad “Hotel California” to the on-disc set list of Guitar Hero World Tour, The Eagles will thrill the Guitar Hero audience once again on December 18th with three chart topping hits. From the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees’ seventh studio album and first in 28 years, Long Road Out of Eden, “Frail Grasp on the Big Picture” is joined by two classic tracks that climbed to the top of the Billboard’s Hot 100, “One of These Nights” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”

Rounding out the downloadable set list for Guitar Hero World Tour in December are three free Reggae grooves. The Reggae Rock Track Pack is comprised of “Jimi” from Slightly Stoopid, “Your Face” from Pepper and Expendables’ “Sacrifice.” The free tracks will be available for download on December 23rd.

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

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

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

Technorati Tags: Hotel California, Guitar Hero, New Music Downloads, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, The Eagles, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins

Check out these trailers and find out how to buy a list of upcoming video game releases.

Madden NFL 09 All-Play
Nintendo Wii | August 12, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $49.99

Active Life: Outdoor Challenge
Nintendo Wii | September 9, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $59.99

Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility
Nintendo Wii | September 9, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $49.99

Mario Super Sluggers
Nintendo Wii | August 25, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $49.99

Ferrari Challenge
Playstation 3 | August 26, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $59.99

BAJA: Edge of Control
Playstation 3 | September 8, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $59.99

NHL 2K9
Playstation 3 | September 8, 2008
Available for Pre-Order on Amazon for $

Many of these games are also available for XBox 360 and PS2.

Technorati Tags: Video Games, Trailers, Available Games, Mario, Nintendo, Wii, Sony, PS3, PS2, XBOX 360, pre-order