Activision announced yesterday that they would be releasing Guitar Hero Greatest Hits, which will take "fan favorite" songs from each of the current Guitar Hero titles and update them to work wih Guitar Hero World Tour instruments. The expected release date for the 360, Wii, and PS3 is "within the next two quarters".
Source: PrimoTech [ more info ]

I remember telling you guys my fears that Activision buying Guitar Hero would eventually lead to them whoring out the game. I mentioned it again recently when they said they'd be doubling the number of GH skus this year and tripling them by 2010. And now here we are being re-fed songs we've already paid for.

Sure folks who love the earlier songs will happy to be able to play the songs on the drums, and sing them, and there's nothing wrong with that. But the proper way to have handled this would have been to release the songs as Downloadable Content.

I know I know, negotiating the rights for a physical disc release is different from negotiating the rights to release a song via digital download. But they're already going to have to go back to the table to negotiate a second release and the addition of drum and vocal tracks, why not go ahead an do something that will allow fans of the series to make their own choices? You know, foster a little trust, community, and good will instead of laughing while they throw the milk bucket down in front of us. My wallet's tired dammit and the milking chafes.

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Today's Pimpage: he angry gamer is wearing "The Horror in Romantic Comedies" shirt from Threadless.Com.

Couldn't agree more. Sure, Guitar Hero is a great game which can make you play for hours. But I would never pay to play the same songs that I already have, but this time on other intruments. That idea goes right in the slammer as far as I'm concerned.

Not everyone has paid for these songs before. I started with world tour; I've never played the earlier versions. So. I'm looking forward to having these songs. Also, downloadable content is indeed a good way to release them, but by putting them on disc, Activision ensures that everyone who wants them can get them. I wouldn't assume all users can download the content.

I don't know who the dude, is but my wife's eyes are exactly the same way. She always has the one crazy Bright Jade green eye, and another bright sky blue eye. It's totally awesome though. It's crazy cool. i think it's medical term is complete heterochromia, or something crazy like that. Oh yeah i've given up on GH, and am sticking to Rockband.

I haven't assumed anything Deadalot.

The game is billed as Greatest Hits because they are "fan favories". There's nothing about that says "we're targetting people that haven't already played these songs". You're the exception not the rule. Sales figures of the titles bear that out. No asumption needed.

If Activision's goal was to ensure everyone that wanted the songs could get them, they would have announced the tracks as DLC and "also available as a standalone disc". I don't see anything in my writeup that even hints that "all users can download the content". Therefore there's no room for to call my comments on that matter an assumption.

I just want to sing a Pantera song and have the game judge my ability to do so while my friends do their best to keep up with it's insanity on the instruments.

:sigh: If it has Cowboys From Hell on it, I'll probably end up buying it.

I wish they would make these songs available for integration into the Guitar Hero: World Tour gameplay, at the very least for those who would be able to verify that they actually own the disk online. (IE: Package it with a Code that would allow you to download the song-rip software). It wouldn't work for people without an internet connection, but it would create a more appeasing product for those that do.

(original post withdrawn, I misunderstood the rules and am rephrasing to comply)

I'm looking forward to the title - as a longtime GH player who is still playing that game and not Rock Band, having some of these songs updated should be a good thing. I doubt they're going to pick up many/any new players with it or even bring back many old ones, but for those of us who never left it's pretty exciting. I'll buy it, play it through, probably play it for 10-12 hours, and probably put it back on the shelf, but I consider that adequate return on investment, so it should be fun.

There's no part of my gaming logic that helps me understand how talking about guitar hero equates to talking about a my little ponies game. And I am exactly their target demographic. I'm the guy that was willing to buy the full band flavor of Rock Band. And has bought most of the Guitar Hero games. If they can convince me that Neversoft knows how to make a music game then they've basically converted a lost revenue stream.

If I'm not mistaken, my writeup says they're feeding us songs we've already paid for, not content. If you're going to break the rules by not letting your comments stand on their own merits at least fault me for what I said, rather than what you thought I said.

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One of these days I'll actually manage to figure out why people who are fans of a game I criticize take my comments personally. Just because I'm not happy with Activision's direction with Guitar Hero doesn't mean I think you* are wrong for playing/enjoying the games.

* used generally not specifically

Hey, I am a long time reader, never bothered to post before. But I bring to you an interesting but probably not probable idea. While I own guitar hero 2 & 3 as well as world tour, I would consider buying this new release if they released all the old songs with the actual master tracks and not that cover garbage that has almost been totally done away with.

I mean, the slim chances of this aside since that would require them to purchase all new licenses for the songs, I think that I the only way I would see myself buying into it. What do you think?

Hello all,

I basically bought myself a PS2 to play Guitar Hero due to GUs hyping of it
(and loved it).

Then I acquired some more titles and I started to gag.
Finally I got a PS3 and the GH most recent: Aerosmith. OMG that was a mistake. That was it for me.

I have moved on to PS3 Rock Band and it is sooo much better. I have downloaded songs (namely anything by Offspring and metal), I will most definitely get RBII, but I will likely park it there.

My next purchase I swear will be Dance Dance Revolution, rock band style.
For those that do not follow the metaphor, that was the "final" dance game, where you could burn your mp3s from any source to CD and the game would auto generate the metadata for it on the "fly".

I mean, for stuff's sake, why do I have to pay to get my CD's, then the concert DVD's, then the iTunes, then the GH, then the RB, Sing Star.... etc
I like the content, but I am not retarded to pay 10 times for it just so I can enjoy it on a different shade.
What is needed is a standarized extensible format for all this game metadata on top of the media content, and then just get it from one single source.
Sure, if you want to make a multiplatform content cost twice as much, I can go with that, if I can download an updated version in the future so that it works with the next big hit: Underwater xilophon band and harmonica controllers. Without paying, yet again.

Sorry extensive post.