All good things must come to an end...

This blog, due to too much other stuff, will be taking a break. For how long I don't know. I am truly sorry.

What's to come for Guitar Hero in 2008: Part Two

Two days ago (sorry I had to post the article today. I had no time last night), I talked about two "side" games in the Guitar Hero series. Well, with the extreme success of Guitar Hero III, why not Guitar Hero IV?? Well, thanks to Neversoft, RedOctane, and Activision, we are getting that, and then some!! Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you Guitar Hero: World Tour (Otherwise known as Guitar Hero IV).

First of all, why would it be named World Tour?? Well, to compete with Rock Band, Guitar Hero has added two new instruments, drums and vocals, alongside the 3 they have already (lead guitar, bass guitar, rhythm guitar). Also, they changed the guitar a little bit, adding a so-called touch-sensitive Neck Slide that's great for solos. And no details have been revealed about vocals yet. But, what about drums? Well, the drums have a snare, two toms, a bass drum pad, and two cymbals on top of the drum pads. These cymbals make the drum look a little more realistic than the drums for Rock Band. Also, to activate Star Power on the drums, you smash both cymbals at the same time. Speaking of realistic, the drums also have "velocity sensitivity'. This means that the harder you hit the drum, the louder it is.

The career mode for this Guitar Hero is also reworked to fit the extra instruments. First of all, if a player is on a hard song and can't seem to beat it, they can drop a level for that song and still be in the same career. On the topic of difficulties, there will be a "Easy Rhythm" difficulty added to Guitar Hero: World Tour for young children to get into the game. Also, a player can switch their instrument in a career without having to restart the whole career!! Isn't that great? And, there's Band Career Mode, in which you can advance by yourself or with other people online. Finally, on the Band subject, Bands can battle against each other online!!!

Now, isn't that such a great game??? Can there be any more possibly added to it? My answer is, yes. Guitar Hero: World Tour has an "Advanced Studio" mode in which you can create your own songs (besides vocals)!!! And even further, you can share them with friends via GH Tunes!! Also, all of the songs in the game will be master recordings!!! Also, besides for GH Tunes, you can download licensed songs if you are playing on a Wii, PS3, or Xbox 360. By the way, this is the first time the Wii can download anything in Guitar Hero.

Well, that's Guitar Hero: World Tour for you!! The game is slated for release on October 27th, 2008 for the US. Hope you have fun with it!!!


By the way, I know I haven't been up to par with my posts that good, but I am in a busy time. And tomorrow, I have graduation, so I cannot post. I'm really sorry, but I will be sure to post the rest of the days!! And as for some good news, I am leaving you with the trailers for each of the games I mentioned\:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_QrPaI-nYA - On Tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyWM0zsjq6E - Aerosmith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QE-NSxGS4M - World Tour


Hope to see ya back here on Thursday!!!

What's to come for Guitar Hero in 2008: Part One

In the rest of 2008, many things are coming for the Guitar Hero franchise. And by many things, what can I mean besides video games?? That's right, three more games will be added to the lineup of Guitar Hero games this year.

Remember that game for the Nintendo DS called Jam Sessions?? Well, this first game brings a much better guitar experience to the DS. It is Guitar Hero: On Tour, which comes out in exactly a week from now, on June 22nd, 2008. But wait, how can Guitar Hero get onto the DS?? How would you hit frets?? Well, the game comes with an accessory called the Guitar Grip. This grip fits into the GBA slot of the DS and has you sliding your hand into it and then hitting the four frets on it. Oh, by the way, note that the DS would be in book mode while playing this. So, to play on the DS, you hit frets on the Guitar Grip, strum using the touch screen, and look when to press frets and strum on the display screen. What about Star Power?? Well, to activate Star Power, all you have to do is blow or yell through the microphone on the DS.

Guitar Hero: On Tour has 25 different songs, with over 85% of them being master recordings!!! Along with that, 5 of the songs in the game are from Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Besides those, the playlist has quite a number of recent songs for any Guitar Hero game!! By this, I mean songs such as This Love (Maroon 5), Are You Gonna Be My Girl (Jet), All Star (Smashmouth), and All The Small Things (Blink-182)!! The career mode is split up into five tiers, each including five songs. Also, the career mode lets you choose from six different characters. Four of these characters are ones from previous Guitar Hero games, while two are all-new to the Guitar Hero series. As you proceed through the Career mode, you unlock new venues and new looks for the characters.

Along with the Career mode, Guitar Hero: On Tour has Cooperative and Competitive play, thanks to the DS's local wireless capabilities. One mode in Competitive play is called Guitar Duel, in which you throw obstacles at your opponent, similar to Guitar Hero III's battle mode. These obstacles include having to blow out a virtual fire on your guitar, having to sign autographs, and having to fix a string on your guitar. People who have tested this game have said that this is their favorite mode. Speaking of autographs, Along with the game being sold separately, On Tour will be sold in two different DS bundles with the Guitar Hero insignia on the DS. So, that's Guitar Hero: On Tour for you!!

The next game doesn't really introduce new concepts, like On Tour. I am talking about another side game in the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which comes out June 29th, 2008 for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and PS2. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is basically the same as Guitar Hero III when it comes to gameplay (except for modifications on Hammer-On's and Pull-Offs). Although, when it comes to everything else, it is totally different. The game's career mode follows the history of Aerosmith, starting from high school to their Super Bowl performance in 2001. And to go along with that, this game has mostly tracks from Aerosmith, but also tracks from artist having to do with Aerosmith, like Run-D.M.C. and Joan Jett. Also, the venues are one's that are vital in the history of Aerosmith. All of the tracks in this game are master recordings, by the way. And if that wasn't enough, Aerosmith used motion capture to literally "put themselves into the game". Guitar Hero: Aerosmith will be released in a bundle pack, as well as a single game. And that is all for this game.


Now, there is one more new Guitar Hero game coming out in 2008, but I'll talk to you about it tomorrow. See ya then!!

How Far Wii've Come: A Look at the Wii's Success in the Past 6 Months

There's no doubt that the Nintendo Wii has been extremely successful over the time of its release until now. In 2007, games such as Wii Play and Super Mario Galaxy propelled the Wii. In 2008, three main games did this for the Wii.

First up is Mario Kart Wii. MK Wii came out on April 29th in the states and since then, it has been doing great. In its first week, Mario Kart Wii sold 1.12 Million!!!! Along with that, it brought a new way of control to the Wii, via the Wii Wheel. Lastly, Mario Kart Wii got great reception from reviewers, due to the large amount of content, as well as the smooth online gameplay.

Secondly, there's the revolutionary Wii Fit. Due to the limited shipments, Wii FIt sold out before even making it to stores!! Wii Fit uses a great system of control, using the Wii Balance Board. It has never been seen anywhere else before Wii Fit!!

Finally, Nintend's ace in the hole was released this year, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Brawl received 9's and 9.5's all over, and sold 2.7 million copies in America from release to April 1st. People were waiting years for this game to come!!! And now that it has come, everyone wants it. Therefore, it has that many songs.

Overall, the Wii has had quite a selection of games this year, with all of them doing great. I hope for this success to continue for Nintendo's sake!!

Sorry about Yesterday

I'm really sorry for not writing anything yesterday. My mind just blanked on me, I guess. So, I wrote two articles for today!! Enjoy them!!!

My version of MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game 2008 List

In Mid-May, the second annual MTV's Hottest MCs in the Game List was revealed. The list was made with material from the second half of 2007 and 2008 until then in mind. There's some stuff about the list that is 100% correct in my opinion. But, I have some disagreements with MTV's Brain Trust. So, today, I am going to review their list and make my amendments. First, let's start with the list, from bottom to top:

10. T.I.
9. Andre 3000
8. Young Jeezy
7. Lupe Fiasco
6. 50 Cent
5. Snoop Dogg
4. Rick Ross
3. Lil' Wayne
2. Jay-Z
1. Kanye West

Now, I will state my opinions about the list:

T.I. - If he hadn't been under house arrest, T.I. would have been higher on both this list and my list. Personally, I disagree with him being on the list this year. The only material he has put out himself is No Matter What, which didn't even hit big. He may have also been on Superstar (Remix) and Love In This Club's Unofficial Remix, but To be on my list, T.I. would have had to put out more material. Or at least make his latest single hot.

Andre 3000 - Andre's case is very similar to T.I.'s, except for the whole house arrest part. What material has Andre put out this past 12 months!?!? The Art of Storytelling Pt. 4?? Royal Flush?? Even though he did great on both of them, they aren't his singles!!!! So why is Andre 3000 hot this year??

Young Jeezy - This is a good spot for Young Jeezy. This year, he's had a major hit as a featured artist (Love In This Club), a few remixes (Dey Know, I'm So Hood, Umma Do Me, etc.), and his own single, which was starting to get attention (Put On). With all of this, he could have been higher, except for the lack of an album. IF he had an album out, then there would be no doubt that Jeezy would be higher.

Lupe Fiasco - Just like Jeezy, this is a good spot for Lupe Fiasco. This year, he has had a hit single (Superstar), and a hot album. And if that wasn't enough, he's on one of, if not, the hottest tours right now (Glow in the Dark Tour [Kanye West, Rihanna, N.E.R.D., and himself]). There's not much else to say.

50 Cent - Once again, the Brain Trust hit the nail on the head. 50 Cent, this year, has had one of the most successful albums, and a hit single to go with them (I Get Money would also be counted, but it was counted for last year). Along with that, 50 has been big on the mixtape scene lately, releasing such mixtapes as Elephant In The Sand. Finally, he scored two hits with G-Unit (I Like the Way She Do It and Rider Pt. 2). This has been a big 12-moth period for 50.

Snoop Dogg - What?? I mean, Snoop Dogg had a smash single (Sensual Seduction), and an album to match, but he didn't even write the album!! He let others write for him!! And for that, he doesn't deserve to be hot. The writers do. But still, he did have some hit material, so all I am saying is that he should be lower on the list.

Rick Ross - Now back to the correct channel. Rick Ross has been one of the hottest MCs of the year. I mean, two hit singles belonging to him (Speedin' and The Boss), an album with some pretty hot tracks (ex. Maybach Music, Luxury Tax), and a plethora of other songs and remixes (I'm So Hood and its remix, Beam Me Up, Umma Do Me's remix, Down in Tha Dirty, Out Here Grindin', and more)!!!

Lil Wayne - To have reclaimed the #1 title on the list, Lil' Wayne needed Tha Carter III out by then. Besides for that, he killed it this year!! He had a mega-hit single (Lollipop), some other hot tracks (A Milli, I'm Me, Gossip), and a ton of featured singles and remixes (Pop Bottles, Sweetest Girl, Duffle Bag Boy, Girls Around the World, In The Hood, I'm So Hood Remix, Love in This Club pt. II, and much more). Now, if the album was out by then, he would have definitely claimed the spot of hottest MC in the game. But, without an album, Wayne isn't as hot.

Jay-Z - In my opinion, this has been a pretty good year for Jay. He's had an extremely hot album with three hit singles and headlined two tours (one with Mary J. Blige). But, I don't think he's has as good of a year as Lil' Wayne.

Kanye West - Kanye has had an astounding year. First of all, his album went platinum within less than ten days. Secondly, He has had three major singles from the album since last year's list. But most of all, he has possibly the best one-man hip hop show ever. And yes, I am talking about the Glow in the Dark Tour. Along with that, he's been on a selection of songs, like Lollipop (Remix), Put On, American Boy, and Everybody Nose (Remix). He definitely deserves to be one.


Now, with that, here's my amendments:

10. Flo Rida
9. Snoop Dogg
8. Plies
7. Young Jeezy
6. Lupe Fiasco
5. 50 Cent
4. Rick Ross
3. Jay-Z
2. Lil' Wayne
1. Kanye West


I'm sure there are two you don't get by now, and those are Flo Rida and Plies. So, here we go:

Flo Rida - Flo Rida has established himself as a hot MC. He has had the biggest hit of 2008 so far with Low, and also has Elevator and In The Ayer. Also, he has some featured songs, like Speedin's remix, the Ayo Technology Poe Boyz remix, and more.

Plies - Just like Flo Rida but even more, Plies has made his place in the game. He's had such songs as Shawty, Hypnotized, and now, Bust It Baby Pt. 2. Along with those, he's had some featured songs too, like Ain't Sayin' Nothin', I'm So Hood, Dey Know (Remix), and Out Here Grindin'


Well, do you like my list?? Comment with your opinion!!!

Explicit Music and Mature-Rated Video Games: A Comparison

Once again, I'm sorry about the lack of a blog post yesterday. This is what would have been yesterday.

When it comes to Media (Music, TV, Video Games, Movies, etc.), parents worry about explicit content the most. Today, I want to take a look at Music and Video Games. There are several reasons why these two are similar, yet very different. First, let's take a look at music:

The main reason parents don't want their children listening to explicit music is because of curse words and sexual content. They don't want their kids learning about that kind of stuff through songs. But, kids can't really learn about graphic content through songs, in my opinion. On the other hand, they can learn curse words through songs. But enough about curse words. The reason people can't learn about guns and drugs and sex through songs is because it is all graphic content, as in content that is inappropriate when looked at. You can't look at something by listening to music.

The main reason parents don't want their kids getting mature video games is because of graphic content, like mass blood, shooting, and the such. So, unlike music, kids who play mature-rated games can see the material. And usually, kids learn abut things by seeing them, not hearing them. So, in the end, M-Rated video games tend to be more explicit than explicit music.

I know this was pretty short, but I figured that I needed a break after two extremely long articles. Thanks for reading!!