The survey also lists a number of artists that have yet to be confirmed, but were revealed in a leak from market research firm Intellisponse. Those artists, still unconfirmed, include Korn, The Doors, Interpol and System of a Down. One additional artist, Tool, is now also rumored to join the stable of Guitar Hero World Tour music acts.

The full survey description is after the break.

In this new Guitar Hero game, join up with your band mates to form the ultimate super group and rock your way to the top. Shred on lead, rhythm, or bass guitar (three options on one guitar controller), rip on drums, or belt it out on the mic as you rock together on the greatest classic, modern, alternative, pop, and metal hits. 85 songs by artists including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol, Muse, Tool (at least three songs and a dedicated venue), and dozens more come together to form the coolest set list ever. You can even play as your favorite rock star, choosing from characters like Sting, Ozzy Osbourne, Ted Nugent, Billy Corgan, Jimi Hendrix, Travis Barker, Hayley Williams, and Zak Wylde. If none of these are your style, then you can create your own character, including character construction, instrument creation, band logos and album covers. Then take it to a whole new level by jumping into a fully-integrated recording studio to lay down, upload, and share custom tracks online – for virtually unlimited rock. This game features the most authentic instrument peripherals on the market, including an all-new wireless guitar controller with the first-ever touch-sensitive neck slide, dedicated Star Power button, and ability to palm-mute. Also, the new killer wireless drums have ultra-quiet pressure-sensitive pads, raised cymbals, and are easy to set up and take down. Or, use the microphone to become the ultimate frontman. This new Guitar Hero game lets you rock together and rock for all.

Hit the jump for close-ups and a quick explanation of each new feature.

The Slider: The new guitar controller's coolest feature lets players muck with sustained notes with finger slides up and down the slider strip area. It can also be used to tap out notes like a virtual Eddie Van Halen for those note heavy Dragonforce moments. In Guitar Hero World Tour's music editor, the slider acts as an arpeggiator, playing rapid-fire notes with in the Music Studio mode's various arpeggio styles.

The Knob: It's a knob. And it's definitely the least exciting new aspect of the updated guitar controller. Hey, it looks cool. Let's talk about The Accelerometer instead. That little piece of hardware can be used to adjust the pitch of your notes in the game's music editor, doing double duty as the device that sense you want to engage Star Power mode. But if you like to keep things level...

The Bridge: See that "Star Power" line of text on the new bridge button? Yeah, that's how you'll activate Star Power, should you not feel like erecting your axe with a quick thrust. In the game's music editor, it'll let you add palm-muted notes to your tracks for a little variety. Cool.

"New touch-sensitive guitar Neck Slide opens up the entire guitar neck for unbound solos - shred how you want," says the leaked docs. Word up to this point had promised an upgraded guitar but no details.
The game will also roll out with drums with cymbals, and a mike, which we knew. The drums are wireless and will have quiet pads.

At this rate, GH and Rock Band enthusiasts will have a garage full of obsolete instruments, and this kit is likely to set you back $179.99. But that money also buys you tracks from Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Foo Fighters, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, Interpol, Muse "and dozens more".

The Doors — let's keep an eye on that one. Drummer John Densmore is notorious for refusing to license Doors tracks, memorably turning down $15 million from Cadillac and criticizing other band members' materialism. The band's unanimous consent is required for any licensing deal, and Densmore has been the only holdout, with one exception: he did agree to allow "Riders on the Storm" to be used in a Pirelli advertisement in the UK only, but later said he'd heard Jim Morrison's voice and sent his portion of the take to charity. If Guitar Hero has truly landed the Doors, it's a big change to how that band has carried on, post-Morrison.

Xbox 360 Leaks [NeoGAF]

Activision CEO Bobby Kotick showed Guitar Hero World Tour this morning at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital conference, marking the game's debut and rocking out with the Journal's Walt Mossberg. Looks like folks at the event had a fun time with the full set!

And, bonus - following the jump, a new video showing off the upcoming game's drum set. If you can't play Guitar Hero on a stage with Activision's CEO, watching this is probably the best you can do right now.

D6 Highlights [All Things Digital]

Guitar Hero IV will feature a "create a song" mode, allegedly, which appears to let gamers lay down guitar, bass and drum tracks—but no vocals—then upload their creations for others to enjoy. That song sharing mode is said to extend beyond the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, with Wii and PlayStation 2 versions getting their own song sharing.

Additional details from the NeoGAF post indicate that players will be able to create custom virtual musicians, virtual guitars and virtual drums. As for the licensed stock tracks, tunes from Van Halen, The Eagles, Linkin Park and Sublime are said to appear.

More early details on Guitar Hero IV at the original post. Expect to see official word in no time at all.

Game Informer June 2008 Issue [NeoGAF]

It's not just about guitars. We'll include a lot of other instruments, vocals. It will help us expand internationally. It's the first game we've had in which we can use local content and local bands.

Guitar Hero IV Branching Out [IGN via Maxconsole][image]

Guitar Hero IV this year [Eurogamer.net]

Vivendi Activision Merger Fact Sheet (PDF) [Vivendi - Thanks Everyone]