Last year, true and wannabe rockers moved there fingers like maniacs as they worked their way through songs to be told, “You Rock!” This was the life of many gamers as they fought through the expert mode and eventually became a true guitar hero. Now that they have mastered the game, what do they do? Go and play Rock Band of course, because not only could they became guitar hero’s, but they could also become drum and singing hero’s too. So basically Rock Band kicked the crap out of Guitar Hero 3 last year. So this year, the guys over at Red Octane are deciding to follow more closely in Rock Band’s footsteps which is why Guitar Hero 4 will be receiving a dramatic overhaul. Here are some details of new features appearing in Guitar Hero 4.
First off, Guitar Hero 4 will be featuring more instruments then just a guitar. It will also include bass, singing, and a six-peice drum set with 2 cymbals (take that Rock Band!). You think thats good? Wait until you here this. Players will now be able to create their own songs and share them with players around the globe, thanks to the a new service called Guitar Hero Tunes. But these user created songs will not include singing. Players will also be able to create their own band members, album art, and instruments from scratch.
This time Guitar Hero’s guitar will not be a brand named guitar but instead Red Octane will be design their own axe for players to rock out on. And While no songs have been confirmed just yet, we can expect to see Sublime, Van Halen, Linkin Park, and The Eagle to be appearing on Guitar Hero 4.
Don’t worry, we will see Guitar Hero 4 by years end and it will be coming onto the 360, Wii, and PS3. There is no word yet whether or not it will make it onto the PS2 but I don’t see why not.
Well, thats all the details out right now, but keep checking back to My Wii News for more Guitar Hero and Wii info!
It’s been heavily rumored that both Microsoft and Sony are looking to create their own Wii Remotes for their systems. It’s an obvious move. The Wii has done incredibly well, so logic dictates that a Wii Remote-like controller for the other systems would do well too, right? So everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and getting motion control. Does this scare Nintendo? Hardly.
In a recent statement to investors, Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata said:
“…what matters to us is whether or not we can continue to constantly create and offer new surprises one after another. If we can, then (other attempts to mimic the Wii Remote) should not be a big threat. The efforts in this field to try to appeal to a wide variety of customers are something in which we saw potential early on and that we have been working on the longest, so there appears to be no reason whatsoever why we need to be concerned.â€
I say this is absolutely true. Of course Iwata fails to mention that these added-on motion controllers for the 360 and PS3 will probably also lackluster since they’ll likely garner little developer support, and will probably fade off into gaming history like so many needless peripherals before them. The reason the Wii Remote works and works so well is that it is Nintendo’s main focus, not a secondary form of control. Developers are forced to work with the innovation, not just encouraged to. There is a difference between committing yourself to an idea and being involved in it. It’s like my rowing coach use to say, “The difference between commitment and involvement can be seen in a breakfast of eggs and bacon. The chicken was involved; the pig was committed.” The point? Motion controls and ideas like the Wii need to be all-in or they’re just going to suck.
Also, it’s a well known fact that the first to the party always does better than the late comers looking for a quick buck. Fashionably late does not apply to the world of gaming.
Analysts are funny things. They’re kind of like modern day soothe sayers, predicting what will happen, but instead of determining loves fate they deal with the all-important dollar. The latest prediction from a top analyst in the gaming industry is from Daniel Ernst of Hudson Square Research who believes that the Wii will remain on top for 2008 as well (hooray!). He points out the fact that, unlike the 360 and PS3, the Wii still has a surprisingly large amount of momentum behind it. Ernst gives Hudson Square’s prediction of sales for each console based off sales figures for fiscal year 2008. The company believes that Nintendo is on track to sell 23 million Wiis, while Microsoft will only sell 11.2 million Xbox 360s. Coming in last will be Sony with somewhere around 12.5 million PS3s sold. According to them, the Wii won’t only come in first, but will outsell both the PS3 and 360 combined!
“Microsoft got the jump on the industry with a one-year headstart, but nine months after its the launch, the Nintendo Wii overtook the Xbox 360 on a global basis. While the PS3, has struggled out of the gate, we note that since last fall, the console has been outselling the Xbox 360 in Europe, and in the first two months of this year has even outsold the Xbox 360 on its home turf, in the U.S. (In Japan, overtaking the Xbox 360 was almost immediate). With its strong slate of software scheduled for the coming year, we expect a material acceleration for the PS3 this year, but we believe the Wii will sell more than the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined this year.”
This is a Wii site and as such we’re all big fans of the system, but even I have to wonder how true this can be. Shortage reports are still cropping up, major games are coming out for both the 360 and the PS3, and at some point everyone who wants a Wii is going to own a Wii. I’m no analyst though, so what do I know? Wii Fit is sure to move even more consoles and third parties are starting to produce better and better games for the system, so even with the aforementioned problems we could still see some truly great sales for the Wii. Only time, or the next analyst prediction, will tell.
Lukatoll | May 15, 2008
