American exceptionalism! Don’t scenes like this make you proud of your country? Then again, maybe these people really wanted that copy of Guitar Hero World Tour? ::shoulder shrug::

This is the worst time to be a gamer. Yeah, it’s great that so many good games have come out recently (take your pick from New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed II, Left 4 Dead 2, etc.), but it’s pretty difficult to shell out $60+ every other day in the span of two weeks.

This list may help. It’s a bunch of older Xbox 360 games for up to 75 percent off the regular price. Granted, I don’t exactly see Modern Warfare 2 or Left 4 Dead 2, but I do spy veritable hits like GTA IV and Guitar Hero World Tour and Lego Batman and TNA Impact.

I’ve listed TNA Impact primarily as a joke, because as we all know, nobody watches TNA. It’s a shame since so many of those wrestlers (Kurt Angle, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Nigel McGuinness, etc.) are pretty darn good.

GameStop will be opening at 6AM on Black Friday, a good 10 hours before most hardcore gamers normally wake up. The good news is that you can basically just stay up an extra couple hours, make your purchases, and then go home and go to bed.

Here’s a list of the goodies that’ll be on sale. Doorbusters are marked with an asterisk and will be available until 11AM.

Digital Media Cards

SanDisk Memory Stick Pro Duo 2GB (PSP) – $14.99

SanDisk Memory Stick Pro Duo 4GB (PSP) – $19.99

SanDisk Wii/DSi 2GB SD Card (Wii) – $7.49

SanDisk Wii/DSi 4GB SDHC Card (Wii) – $14.99

Video Games

AC/DC Track Pack w/Rock Band Purchase – Free

Assassin’s Creed II (Xbox 360) – $59.99

Bakugan Battle Brawlers (DS) – $29.99

Band Hero (Game Only) (Wii) – $59.99 

Batman Arkham Asylum (PS3) – $39.99 *

Batman Arkham Asylum (Xbox 360) – $39.99 *

Beatles Rockband (Xbox 360) – $49.99

Ben 10 Alien Force (DS) – $9.99

Ben 10 Alien Force (Wii) – $9.99

Borderlands (PS3) – $49.99

Borderlands (Xbox 360) – $49.99

Buy 2 Get 1 Free On All Pre-Owned Games and Accessories – B2G1 Free

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (PS3) – $59.99

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Xbox 360) – $59.99

Call of Duty World at War (PS3) – $39.99 *

Call of Duty World at War (Xbox 360) – $39.99 *

Call of Juarez Bound in Blood (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Chicken Blaster w/Wii Rifle (Wii) – $29.99

Crisis Core – Final Fantasty VII (PSP) – $9.99

Dead Space (Wii) – $19.99 *

Dirt 2 (Xbox 360) – $49.99

Drawn to Life (DS) – $19.99

Drawn to Life (Wii) – $39.99

DS Duo Game Case & Stylus – $4.99

DS Lite Traveler Case – $4.99

Dynasty Warriors 6 (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Fallout 3 (PS3) – $49.99

Fallout 3 (Xbox 360) – $49.99

Family Game Night (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Fossil Fighters (DS) – $34.99

Game Boy Advance SP Pre-owned System – $29.99

Gears of War (Used) (Xbox 360) – $9.99

God of War II (PS2) – $19.99

God of War II (PS3) – $39.99

Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3) – $19.99

Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Gran Turismo 3 (Used) (PS2) – $1.99

Gran Turismo 5 (PS3) – $29.99

Gran Turismo (PSP) – $39.99

Guild Wars Trilogy (PC) – $24.99

Guitar Hero 5 (PS3) – $39.99

Guitar Hero 5 (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Used) (PS3) – $7.49

Guitar Hero Aerosmith (Used) (Xbox 360) – $7.49

Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock (Used) (PS3) – $4.99

Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock (Used) (Xbox 360) – $4.99

Guitar Hero World Tour (Used) (PS3) – $14.99

Guitar Hero World Tour (Used) (Xbox 360) – $14.99

Halo 3 ODST (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Jewelry Design (DS) – $19.99

Left 4 Dead 2 (PC) – $29.99

Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360) – $39.99

LEGO Rock Band (Xbox 360) w/Free Lego Keychain – $49.99

Little Big Planet (PSP) – $39.99

Littlest Pet Shop Starter Kit (DS) – $14.99

Madden NFL ‘08 (Used) (PS3) – $2.99

Mario and Sonic Olympic Winter Games (Wii) – $49.99

Mario Kart (DS) – $34.99

Mario Kart Super Circuit (Used) (GBA) – $19.99

Mario Kart (Wii) – $49.99

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS) – $34.99

Mario Party (DS) – $34.99

Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP) – $19.99

MySims Agents (Wii) – $19.99 *

My Sims Racing (DS) – $29.99

Naruto Shippuden Ninja Destiny 2 (DS) – $19.99

NCAA Football ‘10 (Xbox 360) – $49.99

Need for Speed: Nitro (Wii) – $19.99 *

Need for Speed Shift (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Nerf w/Controller (Wii) – $59.99

Nintendo DSi Limited Edition Brain Age Bundle – $169.99

Nintendo DSi Limited Edition Mario Bundle – $169.99

Nintendo DSi System – $169.99

Nintendo DS Lite Pre-owned System – $59.99

Nintendo DS Original Pre-owned System – $49.99

Nintendo Wii Console – $199.99

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers Sky (DS) – $34.99

Pokemon Platinum Version (DS) – $34.99

Pokemon Ranger (Used) (DS) – $12.99

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS) – $34.99

Prototype (PS3) – $29.99

Prototype (Xbox 360) – $29.99

PS2 Console – $99.99

PS2 Pre-owned Console – $39.99

PS2 Slim Pre-owned Console – $49.99

PS3 120GB Console – $299.99

PS3 120GB Holiday Bundle with 3 Games – $299.99 *

PS3 DualShock 3 Wireless Controller – $54.99

PS3 Energizer Controller Charger – $19.99

PSP 3000 Core Pack – $169.99

PSP Assassin’s Creed Bloodline Bundle – $199.99

PSP Go In-Ear Headset – $19.99

PSP Go System – $249.99

PSP Go Traveler Case – $19.99

PSP Original Pre-owned System – $79.99

PSP Road Gear Kit – $9.99

Rainbox Six Vegas (PSP) – $9.99

Rock Band Unplugged (PSP) – $29.99

Scribblenauts (DS) – $29.99

Sims 3 (PC) – $29.99

Sing It w/ Microphone (Wii) – $49.99

Smackdown Vs Raw 2010 (Xbox 360) – $49.99

SOCOM U.S. Navy Seals (Used) (PSP) – $9.99

Spider Man (Xbox 360) – $19.99

Spore Hero Arena (DS) – $29.99

Spore Hero (Wii) – $19.99 *

Style Lab Makeover (DS) – $19.99

Style Savvy (DS) – $34.99

Super Mario Bros. (DS) – $34.99

Super Mario Bros. (Wii) – $49.99

Super Mario Galaxy (Used) (Wii) – $39.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash-Up (Wii) – $29.99

Tekken 6 (Xbox 360) – $39.99

The Price is Right (Wii) – $19.99

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3) – $59.99

Various Charm Girls Club Games (Prom, Show, Mall) (DS) – $29.99

Various Littlest Pet Shop Games (DS) – $29.99

Wii Active – $29.99

Wii Energizer Power & Play Station – $19.99

Wii Fit Plus (Game Only) – $19.99

Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board – $99.99

Wii Motion Plus – $24.99

Wii Music (Used) (Wii) – $39.99

Wii Nunchuck – $19.99

Wii Play – $49.99

Wii Play (Used) (Wii) – $9.99

Wii Remote – $39.99

Wii Remote Controller Red – $29.99

Wii Sports Pack – $9.99

Wii Sports Resort – $49.99

Wii Sports Resort w/Free 2nd MotionPlus Controller – $49.99 *

Wii Zapper w/Link’s Crossbow Training – $24.99

Wireless Controller and Charger (Xbox 360) – $69.99

World of Warcraft Battlechest (PC) – $19.99

World of Warcraft (PC) – $4.99

World of Zoo (Wii) – $29.99

Xbox 360 Arcade Console – $199.99

Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle with 3 Games – $299.99 *

Xbox 360 Energizer Controller Charger – $19.99

Xbox Live 3 Month Gold Card – $19.99

Zelda (Used) (DS) – $19.99

GameStop Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

Read more Black Friday posts…

Blank Media

Maxell 50-Pack DVD+R or DVD-R Media – $9.49

Digital Cameras

Fujifilm A170 10.2MP Digital Camera – $69.99

GE A1250 12.2MP Digital Camera – $69.99

Kodak M341 12.2MP Digital Camera – $129.99

Vivitar V8025S 8.1MP Digital Camera – $49.99

Digital Media Cards

SanDisk 2GB microSD Memory Card – $6.49

SanDisk 2GB Secure Digital Memory Card – $6.49

DVD Players

Curtis Compact DVD Player – $17.99 *

GPX 8″ Portable DVD Player w/ Remote – $79.99

Electronics

Audiovox Under-Cabinet 10″ HDTV & DVD Player – $179.99

Belkin HDTV Starter Kit – $34.99

Coby 1.5″ Digital Photo Keychains – $9.99

DieHard Batteries (8 AA or AAA, 4 C or D, 2 9V) – $5.50

GPX Under-the-Counter AM/FM CD Clock Radio – $24.99

Jazz T55 Digital Camcorder – $49.99

Kodak 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $49.99

Kodak 8″ Digital Photo Frame – $99.99

Maxell Headphones (Assorted Colors) – $2.79

Memorex Ambient iPod / CD Shelf System – $79.99

Net 10 Motorola Prepaid Slider Phone – $29.99

Pandigital 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $49.99

Portable Karaoke System w/ Microphone – $29.99

RCA iPod Docking CD Shelf System – $59.99

Sakar iSpeakers for MP3 Players B1G1F – $9.99

Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Player – $149.99

Vtech DECT 6.0 Cordless 2-Handset Phone – $29.99

Wireless Gear Bluetooth Car Kit – $19.99

GPS Systems

Magellan RoadMate 1440 GPS Navigation System – $119.99

TomTom One 130 Portable 3.5″ GPS System – $79.99

MP3 Players

GPX 4GB Portable MP3 Player – $24.99

Mach Speed 2GB Clip MP3 Player – $11.99

Portable USB Storage

PNY 8GB USB 2.0 Mini Flash Drives – $9.99

SanDisk 2GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive – $6.49

Televisions

AOC Envision 24″ Widescreen 1080p LCD HDTV – $229.99

Element 40″ Widescreen 1080p LCD HDTV – $549.99

Samsung 50″ Widescreen Plasma HDTV – $699.99

Sylvania 32″ LCD HDTV w/ Built-in DVD Player – $349.99

Venturer 17″ Widescreen LCD HDTV – $119.99

Video Games

A Boy and His Blob for Nintendo Wii – $29.99

Assorted Nintendo DS Video Game 2-Packs – $14.99

Assorted Nintendo Wii Video Game 2-Packs – $14.99

Assorted Sony PS2 Video Game 3-Packs – $9.99

Assorted Sony PS3 Video Game 2-Packs – $24.99

Assorted Xbox 360 Video Game 2-Packs – $24.99

EA Active for Nintendo Wii – $39.99

Forza Motorsport 3 for Xbox 360 – $39.99

Guitar Hero Metallica for All Platforms – $39.99

Guitar Hero Smash Hits for All Platforms – $39.99

Guitar Hero World Tour for All Platforms – $29.99

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle for PS3 – $49.99

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle for Wii – $49.99

Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Bundle for Xbox 360 – $49.99

Halo 3 ODST for Xbox 360 – $39.99

Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 for Nintendo Wii – $29.99

Nintendo Wii w/ Free $25 Nintendo Gaming Coupon – $199.99

Sony PSP 3000 Core System w/ Free $25 Gaming Coupon – $169.99

Sony PSP Gran Turismo Pack w/ Free $25 Gaming Coupon – $199.99

Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board for Nintendo Wii – $99.99

Kmart Thanksgiving Black Friday Ad [BlackFriday.info]

See more Black Friday posts here…

We have another early entry into the wonderful world of leaked Black Friday ads with Sears opening at 4:00 AM on Friday morning and offering a pretty enticing list of door busters (available until noon) and other sale items to satisfy the rabid consumer in everyone.

Products include the following (door busters are marked with an asterisk):

Digital Cameras

Canon 980IS 12.1MP Digital Camera – $279.99

Canon Powershot SD780 IS 12.1MP Digital Camera – $179.99

Canon Rebelx XS Digital SLR Camera & Canon EF 75-300MM Telephoto Zoom Lens – $669.98

Disney Pix Micro Digital Cameras Designed For Just For Kids – $9.99 *

Fuji J29 10MP 3X Zoom 2.7″ LCD Digital Camera Bundle – $89.99 *

GE A1250 Digital Camera #0387779 – $69.99 *

Hi Pro Camera Kits #0354381/80 – 50% Off *

Jazz T20 4X Digtal Zoom 1.5″ LCD Camcorder #0339539/39540 – $19.99 *

Jazz T55 Camcorder #0339538 – $49.99 *

Kodak CD80 10.2MP, #x Zoom Digital Camera 2.4″ LCD 2GB Card And Case – $79.99 *

Kodak M1063 10.3MP Digital Camera – $89.99

Nikon Coolpix 12MP Digital Camera – $149.99

Nikon COOLPIX L20 Digital Camera – $99.99 *

Olmpus FE-4000 12MP Digital Camera – $99.99

Samsung C10 SD 1200 Digital Zoom 10X Optical Zoom 2.7″ LCD Camcorder – $149.99 *

Samsung Compact Full HD Camcorder – $399.99

Samsung SL40 12.2MP Digital Camera – $79.99

Sony 4GB Camcorder – $249.99

Sony 60GB Hard Disk Drive Camcorder – $299.99

Sony Cyber-Shot 10.1MP Digital Camera – $99.99

Sony Cyper-Shot 10.1MP Digital Camera – $249.99

Digital Media Cards

Sandisk 2GB SD Card – $5.99

SanDisk 4GB Memory Cards Or Flash Drive – $8.99 *

Sandisk 8GB SDHC Card – $14.99

Sony 2GB Memory Stick PRO Due – $12.99

DVD Players

Curtis DVD Player AR – $17.99 *

GPX 8″ Portabe DVD Player PD808BU – $79.99

GPX DVD/CD Boom Box 7″ LCD Display #5710084/BD707B – $99.99 *

Magnavox DVD Player With VCR #5757168/DV225MG9 AR – $49.99 *

Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player BD-P1600-A – $149.99

Sony Blu-ray Disc Player BDPS360 – $149.99

Sony DVD Player DVP-SR200P – $34.99

Sylvania 7″ Portable DVD Player #5757149/SDVD7015-BLUE AR – $49.99 *

Electronics

AT&T DECT 6.0 Cordless Phone System w/4 Handsets – $59.99

Coby 7″ Digital Photo Frame – $29.99 *

Coby 8″ Digital Frame – $49.99

iHome Portable iPod/MP3 Speaker System – $9.99

Karaoke CP398 – $29.99

Kodak 7″ Digital Frame – $49.99

Pandigital 10″ Digital Photo Frame – $69.99 *

Sony E10 Ear Buds Headphones – $4.99

Sony Wireless Headphones – $29.99

GPS Systems

Garmin Nuvi 205 GPS – $89.99 *

Magellan RoadMate 1220 GPS – $89.99

Magellan RoadMate 1440 GPS – $119.99 *

TomTom One 130 GPS – $79.99

TomTom XL325S – $99.99

Home Theater

Panasonic Blu-Ray Home Theater System #5798529/SC-BT200 – $399.99 *

RCA 5.1 Channel 250 Watt Home Theater System RTD317 – $99.99

Samsung 5.1 Channel 1000 Watt Single Disc DVD Home Theater System #5798659/HT-Z320 – $197.99 *

Samsung Blu-ray Home Theater System HT-BD1250 – $397.99

Sony Bravia 5.1 Channel 1000 Watt Integrated Home Theater System DAV-HDX589 – $329.99

MP3 Players

GPX 4GB MP3/4 Player – $32.99

iH4 iHome Alarm Clock For iPod #5792408/18 – $29.99 *

Mach Speed MP3 Player #5782229 – $24.99 *

RCA 1GB Sport MP3 Player #5731060 – $13.99 *

Televisions

AOC 32″ Full HD LDC TV – $379.99

Audiovox Under Cabinet Kitchen 7″ LCD DVD Clock Radio – $179.99

Eviant 7″ Hand Held TV – $89.99

LG 55″ LCD HDTV 55LH40 – $1499.99

Panasonic 42″ Class Plasma HDTV #5775529/TC-P42S1 – $649.99 *

Panasonic 54″ Plasma HDTV TC-P54G10 – $1499.99

Proscan 40″ Class LCD HDTV #5771379/40LC45Q – $539.99 *

Samsung 22″ Class LCD HDTV #5772015/LN22B350 – $249.99 *

Samsung 40″ Class 1080p LCD HDTV #5771409/LN40B500 – $599.99 *

Samsung 40″ LED HDTV UN40B6000 – $1399.99

Samsung 42″ Plasma HDTV PN42B400 – $549.99

Samsung 46″ 1080P Class LCD HDTV #5771419/LN46B500 – $899.99 *

Samsung 46″ Class LCD HDTV #5771079/LN46B650 – $1309.99 *

Samsung 46″ LED HDTV UN46B6000 – $1599.99

Samsung 50″ Class Plasma HDTV #5775129/PN50B430 – $699.99 *

Samsung 50″ Plasma HDTV PN50B530 – $899.99

Samsung 55″ LED HDTV UN55B6000 – $2469.99

Sharp 19″ Class LCD HDTV #5772149/LC19SB27UT – $179.99 *

Sony 32″ Class LCD HDTV #5771459/KDL-32L504 – $379.99 *

Sony 40″ Class LCD HDTV #5771439/KDL40S504 – $664.99 *

Sony 46″ Class LCD HDTV #5771449/KDL-46S504 – $854.99 *

Sony 46″ LCD HDTV KDL46V5100 – $1239.99

Sony 52″ LCD HDTV KDL52V5100 – $1599.99

Toshiba 40″ 1080P Class LCD HDTV #5771438/40RV525U/R – $589.99 *

VIZIO 32″ ECO HDTV VO320E – $349.99

Zenith 42″ Class Plasma HDTV #5775849/Z42PO2 – $499.99 *

Video Games

2-Pack Wii or DS Games – $14.99 *

2-Pack Xbox-360 Games or PS3 Games – $24.99 *

3-Pack PS2 Games – $9.99 *

Biggest Loser (Wii) – $29.99

Facebreak (Xbox 360) – $14.99

Guitar Hero World Tour For PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, PS3 – $49.99 *

Halo ODST (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360) – $39.99

Nerf Racing Wheel Wii – $9.99

Nintendo DS Games – $19.99 *

Nintendo DS Games – $29.99 *

Nintendo Wii w/Nerf Racing Wheel – $199.99

Playstation 3 120GB – $299.99

PS3 Blu-Ray Remote – $24.99

TNA Impact (PS3) – $14.99

Various Video Games – $14.99 or Under

Xbox 360 Elite Bundle – $299.99

Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Card – $49.99

Check out the entire list and ad scan over at BlackFriday.info.

More Black Friday deals…

Many may look at Guitar Hero 5 the same way people look at popular sports games like EA’s Madden series: the core game hasn’t changed that much at all but there are some new features here and there, plus 85 new songs to play and a slightly redesigned guitar controller.

Diehard fans of the series will likely go out and buy Guitar Hero 5 without much convincing, while people who are slowly (or quickly) growing weary of the near-endless crop of music games aren’t likely to find much here to change their minds. So let’s focus on those of us (myself included) in the middle – people who like music games enough to keep playing them but need some good reasons to keep shelling out $60 to $100 every other month (or so it seems).

New Features

If you’ve played any of the Guitar Hero games in the past, you’ll feel right at home with Guitar Hero 5 as the basic controls, modes, and features are largely unchanged from past iterations.

As for new stuff, though, the most welcome feature in my mind is that you can play any of the game’s 85 songs without jumping through all the Career Mode hoops first. That’s great because at this point, I’m not interested in career modes for music games any more. I’m 30 years old. Just give me the damn songs so I can RAWK OUT!

What’s more, you can now FINALLY import certain songs from Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero Smash Hits – at ten cents per song, mind you, due to licensing restrictions — and all the downloadable songs you purchased for those games are playable as well. Not all the songs are available, though, depending upon how the track is licensed. Guitar Hero World Tour has about 35 songs that can be transferred, while Guitar Hero Smash Hits has around 20 or so.

So taking the 85 songs from Guitar Hero 5 and assuming you’ll spend $5 to $6 to transfer the other songs over, you’re left with plenty to play with.

The game now also allows you and your friends to play the same instruments, if you so desire. If you’re all hell bent on singing, pick up four mics and sing away. Four drummers, no problem. Four bassists? Lame, but absolutely allowed. You can also join other players mid-song and change difficulty levels on the fly in the “Party Play” mode.

Finally, there are some new competitive game modes: Momentum, Perfectionist, Elimination, Do-or-Die, Streakers, and Pro Face Off. They can be online or in person.

The guitar controller is has technically been “redesigned,” although I didn’t find much about it different than the guitar that came with Guitar Hero World Tour. The buttons are pretty much the same, while the slider bar section has been tweaked a little bit.

Track List

I’m always hesitant to rate actual songs as it’s a totally subjective experience, but I can tell you that the track list in Guitar Hero 5 is all over the map. There’s definitely something for everyone here, but whether there’s enough of the same types of something that you actually like will be up to you. I personally don’t care for most of the songs this time around but if you’re looking to play along with friends, everybody will likely have their tastes accounted for.

The songs are all master tracks, which is nice, and the ability to import from the previous two Guitar Hero games along with the playability of previous downloaded songs is definitely a plus.

Famous Musicians

Yes, there are famous musicians this time around. Kurt Cobain has been resurrected, much to the chagrin of his late wife and loyal fans. Carlos Santana is in the game as well, along with Johnny Cash and a few other familiar faces. You can now import your own Xbox Live avatar into the game, too, so who cares about all these other famous yayhoos? You’re famous!

Presentation and Gameplay

The actual gameplay itself is pretty similar to past efforts, which is a good thing – it just works. Graphics and animation haven’t been overhauled by any means, either. If you were playing the game and someone walked into the room, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell if you were playing Guitar Hero III, World Tour, Smash Hits, or Guitar Hero 5. Activision seems to have found a tried and true formula. So again, not a whole lot of groundbreaking differences as far as the look and feel of the game is concerned, but if it ain’t broke yada, yada, yada.

Overall

You like Guitar Hero? Buy this one, especially if you like the track list. If you don’t like the track list, you can stick with World Tour or Smash Hits and not miss out all that much. If you’ve got three friends (lucky!) then the appeal is even greater as the revamped party mode and new competitive modes make the purchase more worthwhile. All in all, though, not much has changed. That’s not meant to be a criticism – it’s just that each successive release seems to be more and more about the actual music. And it’s all about the music, right?

Guitar Hero 5 [GuitarHero.com]

Logitech has announced a premium Guitar Hero drumset for the PS2 and PS3, priced at $229 and available soon. The kit features a stainless steel bass pedal and the drumheads and cymbals can be repositioned “to fit your reach and suit your style, helping you play faster and better.”

Without having actually seen the set, it looks like it’s maybe a step or two up from the set that’s included with GH World Tour but perhaps not as nice as, say, the ION kit that’s available for Rock Band. That one goes for $300, though.

Of course, this all begs the question: why no Xbox 360 or Wii versions as well?

Full press release:

Feel the Beat: Logitech Unveils Premium Drum Controller for Guitar Hero

Logitech Wireless Drum Controller Licensed for the PLAYSTATION 3 Computer Entertainment System

FREMONT, Calif. – July 15, 2009 – So you can really rock out to Guitar Hero® on the PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today introduced the Logitech® Wireless Drum Controller for the PLAYSTATION 3 system. Licensed by Activision Publishing, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), for the award-winning Guitar Hero franchise, the Wireless Drum Controller features premium drum heads with recessed rims – making it easy for you to play like a rock star.
“When you’re ready to experience a new premium drum controller or expand your band, you’ll want to rip on Logitech’s new drum controller,” said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech’s director of product marketing for gaming. “With the Wireless Drum Controller, you can mark time, keep the backbeat, color up your riffs and crash down on the cymbal pads. Joining the Logitech® Wireless Guitar Controller, the new Wireless Drum Controller lets you rock out to your favorite songs on the PS3 system.”

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller features three fully adjustable drum heads and two cymbal pads. Each piece can be positioned to fit your reach and suit your style. Offering a unique playing experience, the new Logitech Wireless Drum Controller provides quiet, responsive heads that deliver a lively feel, won’t distract you from the music, and are designed to let you take advantage of all the latest features of Guitar Hero games.
But Logitech did not just replicate typical drum heads. The recessed rims help make it easier to score points and avoid accidental rim shots. The kick pedal uses a stainless steel surface and an adjustable spring – providing a highly durable, responsive drumming experience.

Delivering up to 50 hours of battery life on two AA batteries, the Wireless Drum Controller gives you enough juice to perform a concert’s worth of hits, encores included.

Compatible with the PS3 system as well as the PlayStation®2 system, the Wireless Drum Controller uses a 2.4 GHz wireless USB receiver, so the connection is as steady as a drum beat. When you’re ready to play, the Logitech Wireless Drum Controller sets up quickly and folds flat in seconds. You can start playing within minutes of opening the box and when the show is over, the set can be easily stowed away. (Roadies are not required.)

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Wireless Drum Controller for the PS3 system is expected to be available in the U.S. beginning in July and Europe beginning in August for a suggested retail price of $229.99 (U.S.).

Product Page

Guitar Hero 5 will launch in September and with it, a slightly new and slightly-improved Guitar controller featuring, among other changes, an all-digital slider and colored dots along the neck of the Guitar which ought to make it easier to glance down and see where your fingers are.

Neversoft’s Brian Bright told IGN the following:

“The Guitar Hero World Tour guitar slider was sending analog values. The Guitar Hero 5 guitar controller’s slider is digital, reducing the chance for error and latency. On the surface of the slider we added slight reliefs (like the one on the yellow fret button) to the middle slider fret and the top and bottom slider frets. This way you can feel exactly where your fingers are. There are also colored dots on the neck of the guitar controller near the slider that correspond to the colors of the frets. This allows you to quickly look down and see where your fingers should be (if the reliefs aren’t enough for you). All of these changes to the slider allow you to hit the tapping sections with better precision – we also removed the purple rope in the tapping/slide sections of game play by the way :). For those who are musically inclined, GHStudio’s all new expressive guitar controller capabilities is where the slider will really shine.”

The strum bar has also been reinforced and will be made of a more textured material to ward off sweaty hands. And the fake tuning knobs apparently look all chrome-y now in order to class everything up along with the new cherry red motif.

Guitar Hero 5’s New Axe [IGN]

I’m no marketing wizard, but Guitar Hero Smash Hits could have been called Guitar Hero: Songs From The First Guitar Hero Games Before The Drums and Microphone Existed But Now You Can Play the Good Songs from Those Games on the Drums and Sing Too. Again, I’m no marketing wizard.

And Guitar Hero Smash Hits isn’t a bad game at all. It is what it is, though: a greatest hits game. If you’ve played all the Guitar Hero games before World Tour and you’re only interested in playing guitar, then you’ll find little of value here. But if you liked all of the early songs and have always wished you could play the drumming and singing parts, then Smash Hits is worth a closer look.

What’s Inside?

Smash Hits features 48 songs from five earlier Guitar Hero games: Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. All the songs found on Smash Hits are the master tracks from the original bands, whereas some of them were professional recordings from studio bands in the earlier games. There’s not a whole lot of difference other than that, though, except that you can now play the songs on the drums and you can sing using the microphone.

Everything else is your standard Guitar Hero game: Career Mode with a loose storyline, multiplayer, or quick play, plus you can take advantage of the built-in GHTunes track editor now if you want to take a stab at making your own song.

Why Not DLC?

Could all the tracks in the game have been made available as downloadable content and played on Guitar Hero: World Tour instead of inside of full retail packaging? Yes, absolutely. But Activision made an entire game out of it and you end up saving some money in the long run since you get 48 tracks for $60 — that’s assuming you like all of the tracks, though.

Who Would Like This Game?

This is a good game for people who loved the music from the first run of Guitar Hero games and want to be able to play the drum parts and/or sing the music parts.

It’s also a good game for someone looking to get into the whole Guitar Hero thing in the first place. I actually prefer the tracks in this game to the tracks in Guitar Hero World Tour. There’s not as much fluff here — all the bands and songs are easily recognizable and more rock-ish, whereas Guitar Hero: World Tour contained a bit broader set list as far as genres are concerned. This one’s got more pure rock and metal.

Who Wouldn’t Like This Game?

Anyone who just wants to play guitar and has already cruised through most or all of the Guitar Hero games before World Tour. You’d feel downright ripped off, as not a whole lot’s changed on the guitar and bass end of things.

However, you have access to all the songs without unlocking them first if you use the Quick Play mode and it’s easier to progress in Career Mode because you just need a certain number of stars for new venues to open up — those stars can be attained through a pretty big selection of initial songs, so play your favorites to move ahead quickly.

Finally, Guitar Hero Smash Hits doesn’t feature downloadable content aside from fan-made GHTunes tracks. So if you own GHWT and you’ve downloaded new songs, you won’t be able to play them in Smash Hits. That’s a big omission, in my opinion. Activision could have potentially enticed a fair amount of early fans to pick up Smash Hits even though they’ve already played all the songs before had they been able to download new songs to the game.

Conclusion

Guitar Hero Smash Hits is a standard Guitar Hero game through and through. There aren’t a whole lot of surprises here but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (as they say). It takes the early music of the series and leverages some of the gameplay features from Guitar Hero World Tour and Guitar Hero Metallica to make for a solid game with an above-average setlist.

If you like the series and you like the available songs, you won’t be disappointed. I think it could have been priced at $40 or made available as downloadable content but at $60, it’s still a good enough game to purchase if you’re new to the series and want to get set up with a good track list or if you’re a fan of the earlier games and want to play some of the earlier songs on drums or using the microphone.

Complete Set List

Guitar Hero Smash Hits [Activision]

If you haven’t purchased Guitar Hero World Tour by now, chances are you never will. Undeterred by your steadfast determination to not purchase the game, Amazon is selling the full band kit on all systems for $89.98 with free shipping.

It’s been priced down to $99 before, but this is the first time I’ve seen it at $89 on all the available systems at the same time — Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, even PS2. You get the game, USB microphone, wireless guitar, and the wireless drum set all in a gigantic box that’s unwieldy enough to wipe the smile off of any UPS or FedEx delivery person’s face. Especially now that it’s getting hotter out.

Guitar Hero World Tour [Amazon via dealnews]

I’m not sure how much faith we should put in these numbers, but here we go. Amazon has DJ Hero, of which I’m still deeply skeptical of, listed for $119.99. That includes the game and turntable.

In related news, Band Hero has been listed on Play.com for £149.99. That’s for the PS2 and Wii. The game is described as “featur[ing] Top 40 hits aimed at family audiences, and includ[ing] the full band play style of Guitar Hero World Tour.”

Again, these prices could well change, but it’s the best we’ve got so far.

Both games should be out this October.

Flickr

RedOctane — the official Guitar Hero store — is offering the following…

• Guitar Hero Metallica
• Guitar Hero World Tour
• Guitar Hero Aerosmith
• Wireless drum kit
• Guitar Hero World Tour T-Shirt

…for $139.99 but you can use promo code 0509 to cut it down to $99.99 with free shipping.

Now I must warn you: Guitar Hero Aerosmith seems out of place as it’s not pictured with the rest of the stuff. It’s listed under the “What is in the box?” tab on the product page, although the quick product description says “This package includes Guitar Hero Metallica and World Tour games plus Guitar Hero World Tour wireless drum,” without any mention of Guitar Hero Aerosmith.

Whatever the case, it’s still a good deal on the two games, the drumset, and the shirt. If it does indeed include the third game, then all the better.

Guitar Hero Metallica & World Tour with Wireless Drum Bundle – Wii [RedOctane.com via dealnews]

Oh my, take a look at this feat of ingenuity. Anyone who plays Rock Band or Guitar Hero World Tour and lives in a smallish apartment will appreciate how difficult it is to store the controllers without making them permanent fixtures in one of the rooms you use on a daily basis.

Believe it or not, my wife doesn’t care for the drumset that sits in our living room next to our TV. We have moderately nice furniture and then — BAM! — big plastic drumset. If I could turn back the clock, I would have pushed for this very ottoman instead of the faux rustic red wooden chest thingy we use as a coffee table.

See, this leather ottoman — the Rock Box — opens up and features a lift mechanism that pops your drumset out for some quick-and-easy rock. When you’re all done, just lower it back into the ottoman with an “easy one-hand motion.” It also has room for two guitars, the foot pedal, and a microphone. And at $200, it’s not outrageously priced, considering you’re also getting a handsome leather ottoman.

AK Rock Box Gaming and Storage Ottoman with Drum Lift (Black) [Amazon via GeekSugar]

This forum thread broke the news, and it appears there is a lot of shelf space being cleared off. No word on whether the prices will extend to BestBuy.com, but I seriously doubt it. Just be careful to check the box before you leave the store. And remember, there’s no guarantee that all these games are even going to be in stock. Chances are your selection is going to be mostly cannon fodder games.

Here’s the full list:

PS3:

007: Quantum of Solace
Blitz 2
Bolt
Bourne Conspiracy
Cliver Barker’s Jericho
Disney Sing It w/Mic
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
Ferrari Challenge
Fracture
Guitar Hero 3
Guitar Hero Aerosmith
Hail to the Chimp
Lost Planet: Extreme Conditions
MLB 08: The Show
NBA Ballers Chosen One
NFL Head Coach
NFL Tour
Overlord: Raising Hell
Pure
Rock Band
Rock Revolution
Singstar ABBA
Singstar Vol 2
Soul Calibur 4
TNA Impact

360:

007 Quantum of Solace
Alone in the Dark
Blitz 2
Bolt
Bourne Conspiracy
C&C 3: Kanes Wrath
C&C: Red Alert 3
Clive Barkers Jericho
Condemned 2
Devil May Cry 4
Enemy Territory Quake Wars
Fracture
Golden Compass
Hellboy
Infinite Undiscovery
NBA Ballers Chosen One
NFL Head Coach 09
NFL Tour
NHL 2k9
Operation Darkness
Pure
Ratatouie
Rock Revolution
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Solder of Fortune 3
Soul Calibur 4
Spiderwick Chronicles
TNA Impact
Too Human
Turning Point
Turok
Universe at War
Unreal Tournament 3
Wall-E
Warhammer Battle March
WWE 2008

Wii:

BATTLE OF THE BANDS
NAKED BROTHERS BAND W/MICR
PETZ CRAZY MONKEYZ
Popstar Guitar
RUBIKS WORLD
SAMBA DE AMIGO
TALES OF DESPERAUX
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

PS2:

Bolt
Dancing with the Stars
Disney’s High School Muiscal (It ends there, so I’m not sure if it’s 2 or what)
Disney Sing It w/ Microphones
High School Musical 3 (Two versions are listed??)
Monster Lab
Naked Brothers Band w/microphone
Shrek’s Carnival Craze
Singstar Country Bundle
The Golden Compass
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Think Fast with controllers

DS:

Cheetah Girls: Passport
Disney: Cory in the House
Energy Dance Squad
Engergy Gym rockets
Igor
Imagine Ballet Star
Imagine Movie Star
Imagine Rock Star
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon
My Fashion Studio
Naked Bros Band
Neopets
Ninja Gaiden: DS
Ninja Reflex
Petz Rescue Endangered
Prince of Persia
Quantum of Solace
Rock Revolution
Tales of Desperaux
Tecmo Bowl
Ultimate Band
WWE 2009 Smackdown

[via Destructoid and Giant Bomb]

You might me able to spot The Beatles: Rock Band in this clip if you have access to the Hubble. On Friday, Mr. Paul McCartney took stage at Coachella, and belted out a tune or two. In the background, quite possibly the game that will be all over the place come September.

I guess there’s two markets for the game: Beatles fans from back in the day (presumably they’ll be picking up the Wii version) and Rock Band addicts.

For $250, Paul McCartney himself had better pop out of a cake (fully dressed, thank you very much!) and start singing show tunes the moment you open the box.

Guitar Hero World Tour – Band Kit [Walmart via Slickdeals]

Short Version: If you’re a Metallica fan, this may quickly become your new favorite game. Drummers, too, will find the new Expert+ mode with double-bass pedal compatibility a welcome addition to the Guitar Hero series.

Long Version:

In less than a minute of playing Guitar Hero: Metallica, I was thirteen again — sitting behind my beloved drumset in the basement of my childhood home, cursing my Sony Discman for skipping while I was trying to play along to Sad But True on Metallica’s Black album, the first compact disc I ever purchased with my own money.

Perhaps I’m not the right person to review a game like Guitar Hero: Metallica. The band was with me through my formative years, I’ve been to three of their concerts, and, whether he knew it or not, Lars Ulrich basically taught me to play the drums. I am truly a child of the Metallica era. Few bands had been as influential on me as I was learning to play instruments, so to have most of their songs in a single video game is phenomenal. Perhaps if and when Guitar Hero: Nirvana and Guitar Hero: Green Day come out, I’ll have a couple  new games to gush about.

So if you’re into Metallica (or were into Metallica growing up), then you can stop reading right here and go pick up the game. You’ll love it. And if you’re a drummer you may also really like the game, as you can hook up a second bass pedal and rip through classics like One, Dyers Eve, and plenty of other tracks that’ll have you feeling like you’re running in place at breakneck speed. The new Expert+ difficulty level for the drums is amazingly challenging and ought to keep even the best drummers occupied for quite some time. If you’re a drummer who likes playing Metallica songs, I can tell you that this game justifies the purchase of an entire console and Rock Band drumset. Seriously.

Most of the games “features” won’t really appeal to anyone but true Metallica fans, so if you’re not into Metallica you’ll probably want to skip this one. It almost plays like an expansion disc or a big track pack that costs $60.

For fans, there are some nice motion-captured graphics of each of the band’s four members. Lars stands up and pounds on the toms during Creeping Death, James pumps his first into the air to get the crowd all riled up, and bassist Rob Trujillo does his signature whirlibird thing during Seek and Destroy. Kirk… well, Kirk never really did anything outrageous on stage anyway and most of his subdued mannerisms make it into the game just fine.

There are also some unlockable videos of “bootlegged” tour footage, some behind the scenes stuff from the game’s development, and a couple other fan videos, along with guest appearances by Lemmy of Motorhead and King Diamond.

The game is loosely held together by a cartoonish storyline about a Metallica cover band trying to make it big, and progression and unlocking songs is as simple as getting a certain number of stars on available songs to unlock new ones. So this is not really a new Guitar Hero game by any means, it’s basically a bunch of Metallica’s songs with a few outside songs from bands like Alice and Chains, Queen, System of a Down, and even Bob Seger sprinkled in for good measure. I’d gladly trade all the non-Metallica songs for more Metallica songs, though.

Aside from the cartoonish characters that make up your Career Mode band, the actual renderings of the members of Metallica are pretty cartoonish as well. The motion capture makes up for it somewhat by bringing each member’s mannerisms into the game, but it would have been cool if everyone looked more human-like. The music’s there, though, which is the most important thing.

The overall gameplay is impressive, especially if you’re familiar with Metallica’s music. I’m not an awesome guitarist by any means, but playing Hammet’s parts on the medium skill level felt natural and smooth. The drumming interface is outstanding and singing like James Hetfield is actually more challenging than you’d think. All in all, everything’s really well done from a pure note-to-note standpoint. The development team did a great job with this one.

Conclusion:

If you’re a Metallica fan, buy it. You’ll love it. Everyone else might think twice before shelling out $60, as the storyline is pretty weak and there aren’t a ton of new and varied tracks compared to what you’d get with a full blown version of, say, Guitar Hero World Tour. Drummers looking for a challenging drumming experience might find what they’re looking for in this game, and drummers who grew up on Metallica should have already left for the store by now.

Guitar Hero: Metallica [Activision]

Everyone get ready to pile into the den and gather around the computer table so we can all rock out together. Guitar Hero World Tour is coming to PC and Mac platforms this summer and will feature wireless controllers, online play, “and a Music Studio feature for composing and editing original rock and roll anthems.”

It sounds like it’ll be almost exactly like the console versions, except that you’ll play on your computer instead of in your living room on your big TV surrounded by all the comfortable furniture. Still, good news for console-less people who want to see what all the fuss is about and especially good news for Mac owners who almost never get any good games to play.

Here’s the press release: 

ASPYR MEDIA AND ACTIVISION UNVEIL GUITAR HERO® WORLD TOUR FOR WINDOWS PC AND MAC

AUSTIN, TEXAS – March 25, 2009 – Aspyr Media and Activision Publishing, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) have teamed once again to rock the computer gaming world with the announcement of Guitar Hero® World Tour for Windows PC and Mac. Transforming music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s® signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience, Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac offers state-of-the-art wireless controllers to computer gamers for the first time, new online and offline gameplay modes and a Music Studio feature for composing and editing original rock and roll anthems. Guitar Hero World Tour is the most complete music game to-date with 86 on-disc tracks from music legends such as The Eagles, Van Halen, Metallica, Michael Jackson and The Doors and features in-game appearances by world famous artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Corgan and Travis Barker.

“Guitar Hero World Tour is the standard for music games on consoles and we can’t wait to unleash this incredible experience on computer gamers,” said Ted Staloch, Executive Vice President, Aspyr Media. “With full band play, support for the new wireless controllers, the ability to create their own music and an amazing array of customization options, Guitar Hero World Tour will be the definitive music game on PC and Mac. We are proud to once again be working with Activision to extend this powerful brand to an eager audience of gamers.”

Guitar Hero World Tour delivers more ways to play than ever before. Virtual musicians can live out their rock and roll fantasies by playing either a single instrument in-game, or any combination of instruments within the game, in addition to the full band experience. Building on all of the online gameplay modes from Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero World Tour introduces Battle of the Bands mode, which allows eight players to join online and challenge each other band-to-band to determine who is the best of the best. In the Band modes, up to four players can jam together, online or offline, as they progress through the game. In single-player Career Mode, players can jam on any of the instruments in-game utilizing the controllers in branching venue progression enabling them to rock out in the order of their choice.

The game’s innovative new Music Studio lets players express their musical creativity by giving them access to a full complement of tools to create digital music from scratch, utilizing all of the drum kit controller and guitar controllers, and then play their compositions in the game.

Guitar Hero World Tour for PC and Mac will be available summer 2009. The game is rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

[via IGN]

You can also get the PS2 version for $109.

Guitar Hero World Tour [Amazon.com]

Here’s a pretty cool mod for the Guitar Hero World Tour drum set that allows you to trigger the kick drum by blowing into a tube. Modder extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn received "a request to build an alternative to the GH4 drum kit’s kick pedal for a person who uses a wheelchair" and managed to whip something up with a little bit of PVC pipe, some hot glue, and a rubber glove.

The GHWT kick pedal apparently contains "a piezoelectric sensor which creates a small voltage when impacted" and the idea behind the mod is to make it so the sensor reacts to air pressure instead of the pressure that’s created when your foot presses the pedal down.

If you’re handy and have all of the necessary parts lying around, it doesn’t look like this project would take too long — maybe half a day or so. Check out the full instructions here along with some notes on how this mod would work for the Rock Band drum kit.

Air Pressure Kick Pedal for GH4 [BenHeck.com via hack-a-day]