More than just an extremely pretty face, the Fender Telecaster 'Player's Edition' comes complete with fast-action ‘Shredderz' fret buttons, an exclusive addition to the model with a rapid action that the company says is perfect for difficult solos. The Telecaster also has four different methods for kicking Rock Band into overdrive - the optional Electro-Harmonix Overdrive Pedal, the back tuning button, the old-fashioned tilt mechanism, and a new touch sensitive pickup, conveniently located above the strum bar.

The Telecaster retails for $109.99 and is now shipping to stores across North America. It's a little on the pricey side, but it sure has a hell of a lot of character.

What good is E3 hype if none of it comes true?

To get you ready for this E3, we've subjected ourselves to re-living the major press conferences of last year's big show. We've pulled all of the predictions, promises and other verbal constructions Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony used to get you excited about their console. And we've seen what became of all those thrilling statements.

Microsoft, your E3 2008 promises are being checked today — exhaustively.

Background: The Microsoft press briefing occurred on July 14 in the West Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center. This showcase lasted more than 90 minutes.

Big Money From Hardcore Games

Don Mattrick, Microsoft's senior vice president of interactive entertainment business (i.e. he's the Xbox boss), starts hyping Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable II and Gears of War 2: "Combined these games represent over a half a billion dollars in projected sales. And they will drive console demand in the coming year."

Verdict: Let's see. Gears sells two million in its first week, so that's about 120 million right there. Fallout 3 sells 4.7 million copies in less than a month, so that's about 282 million. We're over 400 million and we're not even at Fable or RE5, so we'll stop counting now. Good first prediction, Don Mattrick!

A Lengthy Fallout

Bethesda lead game designer Todd Howard demos Fallout 3 and says: "This is a huge game with over 100 hours of gameplay."

Verdict: Sure, that sounds about right, though the main content in the game could be finished in about 40 hours.

Fallout DLC TBD

Howard: "We're going to be doing substantial downloadable content for Fallout 3 and it will be exclusive for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows."

Verdict: True! All three DLC packs are now out for both platforms, and are not out on PS3.

Resident Evil 5 Release Date Confirmed?

Jun Takeuchi, producer of Resident Evil 5, says Resident Evil 5 "will be available in a simultaneous worldwide release in North America and Europe on Friday the 13, March 2009." (Screen showed March 12 2009 for Japan).

Verdict: Incorrect, sir! RE5 came out a week earlier than promised in Japan, on March 5.

Fable II Would Be Awesome

Peter Molyneux, creative director of Lionhead Studios, hyping Fable II: "You've never experienced anything like the dog in a game, but what I want to show you is the ability to play co-op over Xbox Live" [Verdict: OK, kind of hard to disagree]….The story will be great. [Verdict: That's subjective, Peter] … Your son grows. Your children will grow up with you [Verdict: Possibly misleading; those kids don't grow up]… Fable 2 will be out in October of this year [Verdict: Correct!]

Gears of War 2: For The World

Cliff Bleszinski, design director at Epic Games: "Gears of War 2 will be available worldwide November 7, exclusively on Xbox 360."

Verdict: True if you count the U.S. and Europe as the world; untrue if you consider Japan part of this planet.

Sony To Be Crushed

Mattrick: I'm so confident in our momentum and our bright future that I'm willing to declare here today that Xbox 360 will sell more consoles worldwide this generation than PlayStation 3.

Verdict: Too soon to say, but so far so good for Microsoft.

A New - sort of - Xbox 360 Coming Fall 2008

John Schappert, vice president of Xbox Live, software and services: "I'm excited to announce today that for the first time in history a consumer electronics device will be completely reinvented through software… When people around the world turn on the Xbox 360s this fall they will be greeted by an entire new interface, an entire new dashboard, creating a brand new Xbox through the magic of software."

Verdict: The New Xbox Experience did indeed go live in the fall, transforming the Xbox 360 from the inside out.

Avatars Will Be Great, Omnipresent

Brendan, last-name-less Rare software design engineer, describing the NXE's Avatars: "You'll see them in the dashboard when you turn on the system. [Verdict: True] You'll see them in your friends list. [Verdict: Yep] You're going to see them in games all over the place and you'll see avatars on websites. [Verdict: We're counting Uno Rush and a Kingdom Kieflings once apiece, ok? Seems that we've got Avatars in a little more than 10 games so far.]

Avatars Will Have Lots of Clothes

Chris, last-name-less Rare producer: "Really, the number of clothes is ultimately going to be limitless. You can expect to see new clothes released in the same way you'd go into a shop and see summer fashion and the winter fashion, you're going to see the same thing here."

Verdict: True. New clothes keep getting issued for Avatars.

Prime Time Is Coming Soon

Schappert: "I'm going to take us to a new channel, Xbox Live Prime Time which we are unveiling today and rolling out this fall [Verdict: No, make that some forthcoming month in 2009]… This fall you'll be able to play along with all of Xbox Live either as the One, the One Hundred or one of the thousands that watch and play this huge prime time game. And the best part, you'll all be able to win real prizes… Instead of just checking to see what's on TV this fall you'll turn on your Xbox 360 to see what's on Live. [Verdict: Whoa, whoa, slow down there John. Xbox Live Prime Time still isn't live, nor is its launch game show, 1 Vs 100, which is, at least, now in beta.]

XBLA Games Coming

Schappert Announced Geometry Wars 2 for "next month"; Galaga Legions announced as 360 exclusive for "next month," Portal Still Alive coming in the fall "with brand new levels and achievements," coming to Xbox Live Arcade.

Verdict: All accurate predictions.

And South Park Too

Announcer in short promo for South Park Xbox Live Arcade game: "Coming exclusively in 2009…"

Verdict: No sign of it yet, but there is plenty more of 2009 to come to keep from the unnamed Announcer to be known as a Liar.

Community Games coming

Schappert: We will launch Xbox Live Community games this fall as part of the New Xbox Experience.

Verdict: True

Netflix 360 Will Be Big

Schappert: "Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets members who are also Netflix subscribers instantly watch more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes more than doubling our current content offering."

Verdict: Seemingly accurate, though we haven't counted to ensure that more than 10,000 movies and shows were added.

Netflix Watching Will Be Communal

Schappert: "I'm thrilled to announce that you can share your movies and tv shows with your Live party. We all can watch TV and movies together."

Verdict: Uh-uh. This was cut.

GTA DLC Will Be Huge Part Of 360 Fall '08 Line-Up

Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development (but at the time he was running the gaming part of Xbox: After hyping coming of Prince of Persia, Tomb Raider, Mirror's Edge, Pro Evo, Call of Duty, Tomb Raider, Need for Speed, which all came out, [Verdict: True], he said, "The release of the first downloadable episode for Grand Theft Auto IV later this year promises to be another huge event for Xbox 360 and Xbox live." [Verdict: Ugh. We think he meant to say "February 2009," not "later this year."

Lots of 360 Games Coming

Kim: All told, by the end of 2008 more than 1000 games will be available for the Xbox 360.

Verdict: Too tired to count this one, but we are not encouraged by the fact that the ESRB as of today lists only 703 rated games for the 360. Was he counting Community Games?

Fun Games For Families Too

Kim announced Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts, Viva Pinata, BK XBLA, Scene It Box Office Smash, You're In the Movies — all of these games are coming this holiday exclusive for Xbox 360. Also from Kim: "You're In The Movies will include an Xbox Live Vision camera when it ships this holiday.

Verdict: Correct!

Guitar Hero World Tour Will Be Great, Launch New Rock Stars

Kai Huang, co-founder of Red Octane, out to hype Guitar Hero World Tour: "On disc we're going to ship with the greatest number of master tracks ever from some of the best bands of all time, more than 85 songs with tons more at launch and beyond [Verdict: True].. Our new music studio in Guitar Hero: World Tour is going to for the first time let people make and share music from around the world. This is going to revolutionize the way people create, share, discover and play new music. And with GH Tunes when that launches it's going to be the premiere online distribution platform from where a community of aspiring artists are going to become the next big rock stars." [Verdict: Kinda hard to verify, but we're going to say…not yet?]

And GH Will Have REM

Huang: "Guitar Hero World Tour owners will be able to download an REM track pack featuring three songs from their new album before anybody else."

Verdict: True

And Metallica

Huang: "Metallica is joining forces with guitar hero in a huge way… for the first time in music and vg history. Metallica's highly anticipated new album death magnetic is going to be offered as downloadable content in its entirety at the same time the album is released. First for Guitar Hero 3 in September and then again when Guitar Hero World Tour launches in the fall."

Verdict: Not only true, but proven to be an understatement with the recent launch of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Lips Will Be Fantastic

iNis founder Keiichi Yano, hyping the holiday launch of the Xbox 360 karaoke game Lips: "It's breaking new ground by being the first game that lets you sing from your own music collection. It's going to be great. Imagine plugging in your Zune or your iPod into your Xbox 360 and singing along to all of your favorite songs. [Verdict: True, though not without complaints from reviewers that not all iPods synced with the game] Lips is also going to be the first game ever to feature these wireless mics that light up with your music performance. And these guys are also motion-sensitive so I can do stuff like this (cymbal hit) even when I'm not singing. So it's going to be fun Lips will ship this holiday featuring best songs from many regions and genres inclusion rock hip hop country r and b, pop a lot of your favorite artists you guys love to sing to. [Verdict: The rest was spot-on.]

Lips Will Be REALLY Fantastic

Kim: Lips is definitely going to be the gotta-have-it gift for this holiday for everyone.

Verdict: Oh, come on. Lips might have been fantastic, but he didn't really mean that, did he?

Rock Band Sort of Exclusive

Kim: Rock Band 2 will premiere exclusively on Xbox 360 this September.

Verdict: True, since he meant it would be a timed exclusive.

Rock Band 2 Will Have Rose, Dylan, ACDC

Alex Rigopulos, co-founder, Harmonix, discussing Rock Band 2, said, there would be 84 songs on the disc, every single one of them a master recording. He said Axl Rose's Shackler's Revenge will premiere in RB2, as would Bob Dylan's Tangled Up In Blue and ACDC. And, he said, "the soundtrack will also include 20 bonus tracks available for download in the fall."

Verdict: All accurate.

Rock Band 2 Will Also Have Fine Print

Rigopulos: "We've made all of the downloadable tracks from the original game forward-compatible into Rock Band 2.. furthermore, if you own the original Rock Band you'll be able to export almost all of those tracks into the Rock Band 2 game as well. So no need for disc-swapping… by the end of this year I'm happy to announce there will be over 500 songs available for play in Rock Band 2.

Verdict: True, just note that he said "almost."

Square-Enix Will Have Three RPGs For Xbox 360

Yoichi Wada, president of Square-Enix: dropped some release dates for Infinite Undiscovery — September 2, in NA, 9/5 in Europe, 9/11 in Japan and Asia — Star Ocean for the spring, and Last Remnant for November 11 with a TBD for it coming to Games For Windows.

Verdict : Wada nailed it.

Make That Four

Wada: "An Xbox 360 version of final fantasy xiii , the latest in the final fantasy series, that has more than 85 milion units shipped worldwide, is planned for release. We believe that releasing an xbox 360 version for Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide a game to even more fans in the two regions in North America and Europe."

Verdict: No reason to think this won't happen.

Note: No mention was made during the press conference of 2008 games Too Human, Braid or Dead Space, despite the latter two becoming two of the most acclaimed games on Xbox 360 in 2008.

To Sum Up.... Microsoft did a decent job predicting things, but whiffed big on Rockstar and 1 vs 100. We weren't promised any full games that we didn't get. And most of the hype for upcoming games' features was fair. Plus, they did the awesome thing of predicting that they would conquer Sony, which should be fun to follow in the future. For the sheer number of future-looking statements and overall accuracy, we're giving them a B.

Next Victim: Nintendo

[PIC]

While the quite lengthy press release goes into all kinds of details we already knew about the drum, the guitar and the songs you can use to play them with, it doesn't actually list a price.

Fortunately GameStop, which has the correct date, does.

According to the online retailer the Wireless Drum kit will sell for $100, while the guitar will sell for $70.

Rob Morris' Wii hack for his guitar gets quite a bit of play in Marros' Boston band Vivian Darkbloom, the Globe reports. Morris uses a remote, with the help of a laptop, to alter the pitch of his sound and add echo by tilting the guitar around.

Here's how he did it:

1. Attach the remote to the guitar Duct tape works. Velcro is a little fancier. Morris says the important thing is to make sure it doesn't fall off in the middle of a performance.

2. Make the Wiimote and computer talk Morris runs "Bluetooth Setup Assistant" on his Mac to synch up the Wiimote to the computer.

3. Get the right software Morris uses the Max/MSP multimedia suite to translate the controller's motions into any guitar effect he wants. Besides pitch and echo, he likes the "granular synthesis" effect, which can create blips and beeps that sound like old video games.

4. Convert to audio Plug the guitar and laptop into a PreSonus Firebox, which converts the computer signals into audio signals and spits them out through a guitar cable.

5. Turn it up Plug the guitar cable from the Firebox into your amplifier, and you're ready to rock.

His guitar's got game

Performance Designed Products Inc has issued a recall notice for 57,000 of the Guitar Hero controllers. A manufacturing fault means that improperly installed batteries can leak. PDP have been informed that one gamer has suffered chemical burns due to the fault.

The affected units are Blue or White and were purchased between June and September this year. If you think you have been affected, go to www.pdp.com, where you can apply for a full refund.

Rage Wireless Guitar Used with Nintendo Wii Recalled [Consumer Affairs]

Whichever of the selections is deemed unworthy of blockbuster status, one thing is perfectly clear: the demographic for this Wii and PS2 game does not include me. Should sell like hotcakes to preteen girls and their creepy admirers though.

XS GAMES TURNS UP THE VOLUME ANNOUNCING FOUR NEW BLOCKBUSTER TRACKS FOR POPSTAR GUITAR™

Master Tracks From Rihanna, The Jonas Brothers and Maroon 5 to be Featured in New Music Rhythm Game for the Wii™ and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system

NEW YORK, NY - September 10, 2008 - Videogame publisher XS Games announced today that hit songs from 2008 MTV Video Music Award nominees and performers Rihanna and The Jonas Brothers, will be featured as master tracks in PopStar Guitar, a new music rhythm game for the Wii™ and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. Players will be able to unlock their inner pop star as they perform live versions of these chart-topping hits by popular artists.

Pop Star Guitar # 1 Hits include:
· Shut Up and Drive by Rihanna
· SOS by The Jonas Brothers
· See You Again by Miley Cyrus
· Wake Up Call by Maroon 5
· Makes Me Wonder by Maroon 5

"To deliver an authentic pop music experience in PopStar Guitar, we knew we had to include original music from today's hottest artists," said Steve Grossman, chief executive officer of XS Games. "PopStar Guitar's music coupled with the innovative AirG peripheral for the Wii, will enable players to jam like a real star."

In PopStar Guitar, players assume the role of a lead guitarist on a musical journey, beginning in a garage band and eventually progressing to the main stage of a worldwide "Battle of the Bands" competition. The game features twelve playable characters, 25 visually stunning venues and more than 50 pop songs, including many # 1 Hits from the original artists. Players can customize their band and give them a unique look, as well as win a number of VIP vehicles, so their band can travel like real pop stars! With three difficulty levels, PopStar Guitar will feature a single player Career Mode along with single player and multi-player mini-games.

Developed by Broadsword Interactive, PopStar Guitar will be available for the Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version of PopStar Guitar will feature the AirG™, an exciting new peripheral that snaps onto the Wii Remote™ and transforms the controller into an air guitar. For PlayStation®2 system players, PopStar Guitar will function with any 5 button PlayStation®2 system compatible guitar.

Available November 2008, PopStar Guitar is rated "Teen" by the ESRB.

I crave this like I have craved no other plastic musical instrument before, to the point where I'm completely bypassing my own built-in safeguards against buying Mad Catz products and actively considering making the purchase. Scary, I know!

Mad Catz Ships the First-Ever Rock Band™ Bass Guitar
Fender Precision Bass Guitar Kicks Off a Full Line of New Rock Band Products

SAN DIEGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, announced today that it has begun shipping its Fender™ Precision Bass guitar for the Xbox 360™, the initial offering under its license with Harmonix and MTV Games to produce and distribute game peripherals and other products for the critically acclaimed Rock Band™ game.

“We are excited to be providing an opportunity for the millions of Rock Band fans to enhance their game-playing experience with our Fender Precision Bass guitar,” commented Darren Richardson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz. “This is the first in a series of Rock Band products we expect to release this fall, each of which we believe will add to the realism and enjoyment of this immensely popular game.”

This premium bass guitar provides gamers with a licensed, authentic Fender Precision Bass guitar to complete their ensemble. Compatible with both Rock Band and the upcoming Rock Band 2 games, the Fender Precision Bass can be used to play both lead and bass guitar portions of a selected track. Incorporating all the features of the standard guitar, including Solo Keys, Whammy, and Overdrive Mode, the Fender Precision Bass comes equipped with innovative features designed to enhance the Rock Band experience.

The unique Split Strum Bar allows gamers to strum and pluck notes faster and with more precision, vital for fast tempo tracks. The genuine Fender Precision Bass does not have a whammy bar. To respect the accuracy of the bass, Mad Catz has engineered whammy compatibility by discreetly incorporating it into the volume knob of the bass, providing gamers with essential functionality when playing both lead or bass guitar portions of the track while preserving the timeless authenticity of the original design.

Published by MTV Games and developed by MTV Network’s Harmonix Music Systems, Rock Band is a leading platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music, challenging users to master the lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals as solo artists or cooperatively as part of their own band. Built on deals with the world’s biggest record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and includes many master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time. Rock Band is currently available for the Xbox 360, Wii™, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 2 consoles in North America and for the Xbox 360 in Europe. Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for the PLAYSTATION® 3 and PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ later this year.

The difference with PopStar Guitar is the way you control it on the Wii. While the PS2 version is compatible with Rock Band or Guitar Hero controllers, the Wii version ships with something called the AirG, which attaches to your Wii remote to form "an electrifying air guitar." Sounds dangerous. Look, I'm all for competition in the marketplace, but you have to bring something more to the table than a one-shot accessory and more than 50 pop songs " including several masters performed by the original artists." Several?

XS GAMES ANNOUNCES POPSTAR GUITAR™, NEW MUSIC RHYTHM GAME FEATURING HITS FROM TOP POP RECORDING ARTISTS

PopStar Guitar For the Wii™ Includes the Unique AirG™ Peripheral,
Turning your Wii Remote into an Air Guitar

NEW YORK, NY - July 22, 2008 - Videogame publisher XS Games announced today its new music rhythm game, PopStar Guitar™, featuring songs from top pop music stars including 3 Doors Down, Simple Plan, Blink 182 and many more. PopStar Guitar allows players to unlock their inner pop celebrity and star as the lead guitarist in their very own band. Shipping in October 2008, PopStar Guitar will be available for the Wii™ and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The Wii™ version of PopStar Guitar will feature the AirG™, an exciting new peripheral that turns the Wii Remote™ into an air guitar.

"The popularity of music rhythm games is at an all time high, but to date the games have primarily featured hard core metal, classic and alternative rock music," said Steve Grossman, chief executive officer of XS Games. "With popular songs from today's top pop artists, PopStar Guitar is a game the whole family can enjoy. We've also created a dynamic new air guitar game play experience with our AirG peripheral for the Wii, allowing players to have a blast as they unleash their inner pop star."

PopStar Guitar features a single player Career Mode and two-player Co-operative Mode, along with single player and multi-player mini-games. The game takes the player on a musical journey that starts with forming a garage band to playing at 25 unique venues and eventually performing in the worldwide "Battle of the Bands" contest. Twelve playable characters are featured in the game and can be customized to give the band its own unique look. PopStar Guitar features over 50 pop songs, including several masters performed by the original artists.

Exclusively for the Wii™, PopStar Guitar will come with the AirG™, a peripheral that snaps onto the Wii Remote and turns the controller into an electrifying air guitar. For PlayStation®2 system players, PopStar Guitar will function with any PlayStation®2 system compatible guitar peripheral.

PopStar Guitar has not yet been rated by the ESRB.

I'm sure there are better people out there at Guitar Hero, but few have the personal vanity to call in Guiness and get the official sanction. I admire his sense of personal aggrandizement.

Also of note, this mod requires no external power (like batteries) and it can be toggled on and off for the times when you don't want to be an evil awful horrible cheater.

HOWTO Hack Your Guitar Hero Whammy Bar [Gogglemarks via MAKE]

Gamers of every system will likely be pleased with the line-up of new products announced by Nyko Technologies at CES. Wii fans should be especially pleased, as Nyko will be coming out with the Wireless Nunchuck, and The Frontman wireless guitar (you'd think some other third-party manufacturer would have jumped on this sooner, but hey, I'll take what I can get). Some of Nyko's upcoming and recently released products will be available for a hands-on demo at CES, although I imagine there won't be much of a line-up to try the new Charge Base 2, as recharging batteries isn't the thrill it once was.

Hit the jump for some early 2008 goodies.

The Wireless Nunchuck (MSRP: $29.99) has full accelerometer support and is fully compatible with all games that use the Nunchuck, and offers 30 hours of battery life on two AAA batteries. It's currently scheduled to be released early 2008.

The Frontman wireless guitar is available for the Wii and the PS3 (costing $49.99 and $59.99 respectively), and comes with all your standard guitar bits and notions of rock-and-roll grandeur, along with interchangeable pick guards. The Wii guitar is compatible with Guitar Hero III, while the PS3 version will work with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.

The Charge Base 360 is Nyko's offering of a convenient way to keep those Xbox 360 controllers charged. It comes with two custom-designed NiMH batteries, plus additional spaces to drop in and charge. The included docking station will charge two controllers for up to 25 hours of game play, and the whole unit should be available Q1 2008, for MSRP: $29.99.

For the PSP fans, there's the PSP Charger Grip (although it's only compatible with the PSP-2000), designed to simulate holding a controller and be more ergonomic. It also extends battery life by up to ten hours, thanks to the rechargeable lithium-ion battery built in. It's scheduled to be out Q1 2008 for MSRP: $29.99.

And the PSP gets another offering, with the TV-Link cable for the PSP-2000, enabling players to connect the system to their HDTV through high definition component cable. Those who want to see all the UMD action on the big(ger) screen, look for the TV Link in Q1 2008, for MSRP: $14.99.

Finally, Nyko announced one more item for the PS3, the Zero Wireless Controller. It has a metal polymer hybrid design, and provides up to 25 hours of gameplay with the included rechargeable NiMH battery. It also features a wireless range of up to 30 feet, durable backlit LED buttons, curved triggers, full six axis motion, dual vibration motors, and comes in three colours. It will be available for MSRP: $59.99 in Q1 2008.

Some good, scratch that, great news for Rock Band fans from Harmonix today. They wrote to tell us that gamers who are experiencing problems with their guitars (or any of the Rock Band instruments) should contact EA's customer support website and they will send out a replacement immediately.

As sometimes happens when new products first go into manufacturing, we discovered an imperfection with the strum bar in an early production run of guitars that were shipped at launch. We've since identified and fixed the issue in all subsequent production runs of the guitars. If users are experiencing a problem with their guitars or any of the Rock Band instruments, they can visit the customer support website ( http://support.ea.com/rockband) and we will send a replacement immediately. Harmonix is dedicated to creating 100% customer satisfaction and to the users who have encountered any hardware issues, we are sorry for the hassle.

Harmonix also took the time to address some of the concerns about the Playstation 3 guitars.

We've seen all the message board posts, discussions and stories regarding the PS3 edition of Rock Band—from issues with guitar compatibility to frustration that stand-alone guitars and drums for Rock Band have not yet hit stores. We want people to know that these issues have our full attention. We are listening and we read everything that is posted on our forums and we're committed to providing the best play experience possible. We're working hard to ensure that we solve these problems as soon as possible. We promise to keep the community updated and, in the meantime, we thank them for their patience.

Excellent. We all make mistakes, it's how a company deals with them that matters and this is exactly how it should be done.

Rock Band Support [EA]

ACTIVISION, PONTIAC AND HOT TOPIC PARTNER ON A NATIONAL PROMOTION GIVING GUITAR HERO FANS THE CHANCE TO WIN A PONTIAC G5

Details of Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock Tournament
Powered By The Pontiac Garage Revealed

SUNNYVALE, CA - November 6, 2007 - To support the launch of Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), Pontiac and Hot Topic are teaming up on a national promotion giving Guitar Hero fans, ages 16 and older, the chance to show off their fret burning skills and win a 2008 Pontiac G5. During the one month tour, consumers around the country can play the game that everyone is talking about at Hot Topic stores in the following cities:
Date City Mall
11/8 Orland Park, IL (Chicago) Orland Square
11/12 Paramus, NJ (New York/Newark) Garden State Plaza
11/15 Buford, GA (Atlanta) Mall of Georgia
11/19 Austin, TX Barton Creek
11/26 Phoenix, AZ Metro Center Mall
11/29 Las Vegas, NV Meadows Mall
12/3 Northridge, CA (Los Angeles) Northridge Fashion Center
12/5 San Francisco, CA San Francisco Center

Qualifying will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at each stop on the tour. The top eight scores from the Qualifying Round will proceed to the Semi-Final Rounds which will immediately follow.

Winners at each of the eight stops will receive a $100 gift card from Hot Topic. Additionally, winners will submit their high score on an undisclosed song to determine the two national finalists to advance to the Grand-Finals Round. The two Grand-Finals Round participants will win a trip for two to Los Angeles where they will compete in front of the game creators at Activision for the right to drive away in a 2008 Pontiac G5.

Individuals interested in participating can pre-register for the tournament by visiting the designated Hot Topic store starting at 10:30 a.m. five days prior to the tournament date. Pre-registration will close at 5:00 p.m. the evening before the tournament date. Pre-registering is highly recommended as space is limited.

For complete rules visit participating Hot Topic stores or www.guitarhero.com.

*"everyone" most probably refers only to those who pay to be part of this privileged group.

Foo Fighters

* "All My Life"
* "This is a Call"
* "The Pretender"

Velvet Revolver

* "Slither"
* "She Builds Quick Machines"
* "Messages"

Boss Battles

* "Tom Morello Guitar Battle"
* "Slash Guitar Battle"
* "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"

Forums on GameSpot and the official Guitar Hero site are getting hit with a number of complaints about faulty Guitar Hero III controllers. Apparently some of the buttons will flake out over time with some controllers. It seems that a lot of gamers suspect that the guitar's detachable neck is to blame.

There's a lot of speculation so far, but no official word from Activision or RedOctane, which is unfortunate. I contacted the company this morning for a comment and they've yet to get back to me. We'll update or do another post once we hear some sort of official word. What about you, have you had any problems? The 360 I demoed with was fine and the Wii guitar had a momentary problem but seems fine again.

Guitar Hero III: Problems with the Detachable Neck [Law of the Game]

REACT ADDS TWO NEW "HIGH-DESIGN" PS2 GUITAR CONTROLLERS

(MINNEAPOLIS, MN) Adding to their current line-up of charismatic guitar controllers, React will introduce their two newest wireless models, The Legacy and the Odyssey, in time for the 2007 holidays.

The Odyssey conveys a fresh, vibrant, and modern sensibility and is equally accessible to both male and females, while The Legacy is a vintage throwback with a timeless wood grain finish. And as a revolutionary add-on, The Legacy includes a wireless dual-effect pedal that allows the gamer to initiate star power or the whammy bar with a tap of their foot. Use of the pedal is optional, but highly encouraged.

The Legacy and Odyssey, the newest in the line of React "high-design" guitars controllers, will launch in November at all Best Buy locations nationwide.