I run hot and cold on Bob Seger. "Old Time Rock 'n Roll," thanks to just about every wedding DJ I've ever heard, is presently not among my favorites. Activision's had its fun with this ad franchise, but lets hope it's smoked the day's last cigarette, and turned the page.

GHM Risky Business Metallica [YouTube]

Tethering a music game singing virtuoso to a console is a sad, sad thing, especially since the cords are never long enough to allow for the sort of microphone acrobatics perfected by The Who's Roger Daltrey. The wireless microphones from Lips for the Xbox 360 solved this issue, but up until now only supported Lips, which is a game you play secretly, while no one is watching.

Now those wireless mics are a great deal more useful. Microsoft has officially announced that Guitar Hero Metallica supports the wireless singsticks, and a title update this summer will add the functionality to Rock Band 2 as well. Singers rejoice! Now if only Guitar Hero World Tour would get in on the act. *eyes Activision*

In celebration of the microphones being compatible with other games, Microsoft has also released a list of the April song additions for Lips, just in case people would rather just stick with their game instead. Check out the full song list below!

Available April 3:

Wish You Were Here – Incubus

Sugar, We're Goin Down – Fall Out Boy

Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Available April 10:

Ne-Yo Song Pack – Closer, So Sick, and Hate That I Love You by Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo

Coldplay Song Pack – Speed Of Sound, The Scientist, and In My Place

Looking Out My Back Door – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Closer – Ne-Yo

So Sick – Ne-Yo

Available April 17:

Creedence Clearwater Revival Song Pack - Looking Out My Back Door, Bad Moon Rising and Who'll Stop the Rain

Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down

All My Life – K-Ci & Jo Jo

Sing – Travis

Available April 27:

Love Today – Mika

Ocean Avenue – Yellowcard

Linger – The Cranberries

Four NCAA coaches match wits with four Metallica band members—thankfully modest in black denim—complete with Bobby Knight launching a trademark tirade and a Guitar Hero World Tour drum kit at the band. On the receiving end of biting remarks from Metallica's James Hetfield are Knight, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino and Mike "Coach K" Krzyzewski, who are just trying to enjoy some of "the Guitar Hero."

With that much star power, it's the Matt Pinfield voice over that, personally, really sells it. Thanks for the heads up, Eddie.

There seems to be a formula to these interviews: 1) Genuflect to rhythm games as a whole, citing at least one quality that inspires music appreciation. 2) Tell people how you, a world-class musician, suck atrociously at playing the instrument controllers. 3) Mention the oldest-school game you can think of when someone asks you what you grew up playing, even if you haven't touched a console in years and won't ever again once your game finally releases.

How does Hetfield do? Well:

1) "I think Guitar Hero is a great gateway drug to real music. If you've got the music bug, nothing's gonna stop you. It's your destiny to express your gift."

Check!

2) "The initial thought was, 'This is gonna be so easy.' And then I picked it up and tried doing it. And it was like [makes plunking sound]. 'Are you kidding me? You guys suck! You're supposed to follow me!' I gotta be on with the lines. And Metallica's not as on with the lines as some other bands. Especially having Lars as a drummer [Laughs]."

A little overboard there, but still satisfactory.

3) [Q: What's the first video game you fell in love with?] "My buddy had Pong. We were obsessed with it. That was it, man."

And ... check! Awesome job, James Hetfield!

Metallica's James Hetfield Calls "Guitar Hero" a "Gateway Drug": Inside the Band's New Game [Rolling Stone]

Disappointingly, the Metallica founder, who will digitally appear in Guitar Hero Metallica in May doesn't have the skills to unlock his own song. Lars tells music mag Blender the sad tale of proving to his kids that, you know, there are actually Metallica songs in Guitar Hero III.

"We were never good enough to earn our way to play 'One.'" Ulrich says. "So after a couple of months, my kids didn't actually believe there was a Metallica song in this fuckin' game, so I had to call the guys: "Can we get the cheat codes, please?" And the same thing with 'Enter Sandman' on Rock Band.'"

But wait, it gets more disheartening.

"I'll tell you a little secret about the gaming industry: You know who gave me the cheat codes to Rock Band? The guy at Guitar Hero! Isn't it nice how they all sort of work together in a perverse way?" Ulrich said. Well, that shatters the illusion that Harmonix and Neversoft employees guard their secrets with ruthless abandon and that if either developer is seen on the other's turf, a switchblade fight ensues.

Lars also recounts the harrowing tale of being wedged into a motion capture suit, which Guitar Hero Metallica tune is his sentimental favorite and how three Kill 'Em All tracks almost didn't make it into the game.

Lars Ulrich Reveals the Secrets Behind Guitar Hero Metallica [Blender]

It clocks in at around 1GB and, sadly, is (at this stage, at least) for Gold subscribers only.

Once, he has played Guitar Hero once. The reason for this is that he was once "addicted to video games." Hammett adds, "At one point I had to say 'enough.'" So that's what he said.

He has seen other people play it, though, giving him the confidence to state, "I'm pretty knowledgeable about it." I once saw brain surgery on the Discovery Channel, and now, I'm pretty knowledgeable about that. Not that Guitar Hero is brain surgery. It's not.

T3 Exclusive: Kirk Hammett talks Guitar Hero Metallica [T3]

So why didn't they just film them, save themselves a few months of animation work?

Probably as a courtesy. Digital James Hetfield is far spunkier (and youthful!) than real James Hetfield.

Here's two more Guitar Hero: Metallica trailers, featuring Motorhead and King Diamond, showing the headbanging action you won't see because you're concentrating on the note highways. Sweet mercyful crap, dig some of those sets.

Of course, the full tracklist has already been revealed, but here's a viewers guide of the songs in each video:

Guitar Hero: Metallica - Lemmy:
Fuel (Metallica)
Ace of Spades (Motorhead)
Mommy's Little Monster (Social Distortion)
Fade to Black (Metallica)

Guitar Hero: Metallica - King Diamond
Seek & Destroy (Metallica)
Stone Cold Crazy (Queen)
Evil (Mercyful Fate)
The Thing That Should Not Be (Metallica)

Guitar Hero: Metallica Videos [IGN via GoNintendo]

That's partially due to the details, like the appearance of Kind Diamond's trademark microphone handle, made of real (polygonal) human femurs. Ooh... scary! One more early taste of the playable Guitar Hero: Metallica guest, right after this.

I don't know. I guess it's hard to take some of these guys seriously—right up to the point where they burn churches to the ground and decapitate rival metal musicians. Then I know they mean business.

Gene Simmons is thrilled. Lars Umlaut is readying his own C&D letter. Guitar Hero: Metallica is out March 29 in the U.S., May 5 in King Diamond's native Denmark and the rest of Europe.

King Diamond Playable in Guitar Hero: Metallica [Team Teabag]

So we're left with a cover that features band names like, well, Metallica. Queen. Alice in Chains. Slayer. And Lynyrd Skynrd. Where's the problem? That's not how you spell Lynyrd Skynrd. It's Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Small mistake to make, and an easy one at that, but that won't make the laughter (or facepalming for Skynyrd fans) go away.

Oops: "Guitar Hero: Metallica" Cover Art Misspells Lynyrd Skynyrd [Rolling Stone]

It should be a very profitable year for the English bassist, as he'll also be appearing in the similarly umlauted Brütal Legend from Double Fine Productions, with "Ace of Spades" also licensed for Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned. Unconfirmed is a guest appearance from Lemmy's mole, which is rumored to appear in the next Puyo Puyo title from Sega.

Metallica's web site also points out that the band has convinced "another buddy to join in the fun," which we'll take to mean "turned into polygons and motion captured." Could it be King Diamond? Could it?!

Guitar Hero ... LEMMY! [Metallica.com - thanks, Garrett!]

One of those titles, Guitar Hero World Tour, will get the NASCAR treatment courtesy of Aric Almirola #8 Chevy, which is expected to move at high speeds in an elliptical pattern for approximately 500 miles. The Daytona 500 runs on February 15th to the delight of race fans who like seeing these move fast and in a row.

Driver Almirola said, convincingly, "I was excited about running my first Daytona 500 to begin with, but now having the Guitar Hero brands on my car will make it even that much more fun. I can't think of another brand that I would rather have on my car. I play the Guitar Hero games all the time and to now be representing it is very cool."

Martin Truex Jr will also rep for Activision's guitar game while trying not to crash in future races.

As for those "upcoming Guitar Hero titles"? We'll guess one of them might be Guitar Hero Metallica, considering Activision sponsored a car previously to shill last year's Guitar Hero Aerosmith. But we won't be surprised when news of the next dozen spin-offs hits, then gets plastered on someone's car.

Activision teams with EGR to sponsor #8 and #1 [Jayski's Silly Season Site - thanks, Kris!]

This vid - courtesy of the Finns at Pelit - shows Neversoft staff rocking out with not only the hot double kick pedal action, but the hot Slayer guitar and vocal action as well.

[via Pelit]

Speaking with MTV, the game's lead designer Alan Flores responded to a question about Burton's inclusion with:

I think I can definitely say no. That was actually kind of sensitive thing with the guys in Metallica. We asked them about that and they never said no. They just went, “Ehhh.” They didn’t want to make [current bassist] Rob Trujillo feel like he wasn’t as important a part of the band as he is. So there’s no Cliff Burton in the game, but there’s Cliff Burton in spirit. You get to play his basslines. We talk about him in the Metalli-facts [trivia] as well.

Presumably that means no Jason Newsted, either (though presumably that means we'll also get to play Jason Newsted "in spirit").

Now a little something for the Slayer fans in the house: the game includes the Slayer track War Ensemble, from Seasons in the Abyss (what, no Seasons of the Abyss itself?). That's...OK. Better than a kick in the shins.

But originally, the dev team had managed to get "Angel of Death" in the game.

The Slayer story was interesting. We’ve had Slayer in [a "Guitar Hero" game] before. But now, you can sing their lyrics. It’s a totally different ball of wax. We had the song “Angel of Death” cleared.

Or so they thought. Flores says the song was then taken out of the game, loosely citing concerns from parents and elaborating with "We couldn’t get that song cleared, and we had to take it off". But...but...you said you had it cleared! *sniff*...

‘Guitar Hero: Metallica’ Designer Discusses Old Bassist, Dangerous Slayer Lyrics, More [MTV]

You'll find most of the band's older classics represented ("One", "Master of Puppets", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", etc), and should also find the selection of tracks from "other" bands - like Kyuss, Queen, Slayer & The Sword - to your liking as well.

The complete tracklist below.

Metallica Songs

All Nightmare Long
Battery
Creeping Death
Disposable Heroes
Dyers Eve
Enter Sandman
Fade To Black
Fight Fire With Fire
For Whom The Bell Tolls
Frantic
Fuel
Hit The Lights
King Nothing
Master of Puppets
Mercyful Fate (Medley)
No Leaf Clover
Nothing Else Matters
One
Orion
Sad But True
Seek And Destroy
The Memory Remains
The Shortest Straw
The Thing That Should Not Be
The Unforgiven
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Wherever I May Roam
Whiplash

Other Artists

Alice In Chains - No Excuses
Bob Seger - Turn The Page
Corrosion of Conformity - Albatross
Diamond Head - Am I Evil?
Foo Fighters - Stacked Actors
Judas Priest - Hell Bent For Leather
Kyuss - Demon Cleaner
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Tuesdays Gone
Machine Head - Beautiful Mourning
Mastodon - Blood And Thunder
Mercyful Fate - Evil
Michael Schenker Group - Armed and Ready
Motorhead - Ace of Spades
Queen - Stone Cold Crazy
Samhain - Mother of Mercy
Slayer - War Ensemble
Social Distortion - Mommy's Little Monster
Suicidal Tendencies - War Inside My Head
System of a Down - Toxicity
The Sword - Black River
Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back in Town

PS3 and 360 owners should note that if you've already got the "Death Magnetic" DLC, those ten tracks will be included in the game's main "campaign" mode. If you've got World Tour on Wii or PS2 version, the tracks "Broken Beat & Scarred," "Cyanide" and "My Apocalypse" will come included on the disc, since DLC is impossible/tricky on those systems.

Guitar Hero . . . The Songs [Metallica]

According to the ESRB's description, Guitar Hero: Metallica features some potentially objectionable lyrics. Specifically in Social Distortion's "Mommy's Little Monster," Metallica's "Whiplash" and Diamond Head's "Am I Evil?" which Metallica covered on 1984's Garage Days Revisited.

The ESRB description also points out borderline bad words in Michael Shenker Group's "Armed and Ready," a track already revealed by Game Informer magazine.

Also sexily objectionable are the game's tattoos, including "a fantastical succubus with cleavage and panties."

Anyone preordering the title from the mega chain will receive a free foot pedal. Handy because the game supports two feet pedals! Handy because you'll also probably break at least one of them.

Guitar Hero: Metallica with Bonus! [GameStop]