Source: infendo.com

Still having trouble with your Guitar Hero: World Tour Drum kit? Drum pads not sensitive enough? Activision has taken notice of these problems and is acting quickly to support frustrated customers.

Hit the jump for instructions. Did I mention it’s free?

Like many of you, I too had a few unresponsive drum pads, specifically the green and orange. Once word broke that RedOctane had released a drum tuner program, many gamers questioned the means to connect the kits to a PC. The tuner program requires a Midi-to-USB cable that simply plugs into the rear midi port.

Thankfully Activision’s extremely helpful customer service is providing free cables by simply filling out a request here (Must request cable within 90 days of purchase). Not only will they send you the cable, but they are also shipping it overnight 1-day FedEx for no cost. My cable unboxing below…

Once you receive your drum kit cable, download the ‘Drum Kit Controller Tuner Software’ from Activision here. Instructions are included with the package, but here’s a clearer run down of the exact steps you must take to set the desired sensitivity for the drum kit.

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1) Boot up Guitar Hero World Tour and connect the Drum kit to the Wii wirelessly.

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2) Making sure the drums are powered on, connect the Midi-USB cable to the back of the Drum kit (I/O section on rear.). Vista found drivers instantly.

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3) Go to the ‘Recording Studio’ under the ‘Music Studio’ mode in World Tour. Select ‘Drums’ as instrument.

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4) Install the ‘Drum Kit Controller Tuner Software’ on your PC (Currently no Mac version, sorry!) Launch the software when done installing.

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5) Select the appropriate USB input audio device in the Tuner Software.

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6) Click “Test”. This syncs the Drum pads with the tuner.

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7) You should now be able to drum freely in the Recording Studio as well as tune the sensitivity via PC.

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Each pad is set at default sensitivity ‘10′. The range runs from “0” to “20” with “20” being the most sensitive. Tune to your liking until it feels just right.

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9) Click “Save” which saves sensitivity settings to the Drum kit.

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10) Remove Midi-USB cable and have fun with some extremely responsive drums.

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My Guitar Hero World Tour experience can now be fully realized after following the above steps. I can no longer blame unresponsive drums pads when I’m booed off stage. Thanks Activision, RedOctane, and FedEx for some impressive customer service.

(Note: Those of you suffering from dead drums, or guitars should contact Activision customer support for assistance.)

Source: infendo.com

Yes, it’s finally here: Guitar Hero World Tour debuts this weekend, but what else is coming out for Wii & DS?  MySims Kingdom is out for Wii & DS and who would want to miss the new DS games Ninjatown or Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ?!

Full release list after the break.

Wii
Guitar Hero World Tour
All Star Cheer Squad
Dora The Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess
Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game
FIFA Soccer 09 All-Play
Imagine Party Babyz
Monster Jam: Urban Assault
MySims Kingdom
Petz: Horsez Club
Pirate’s Quest: Hunt for Blackbeard’s Box
PopStar Guitar
Pro Bull Riders: Out of the Chute
SCORE International Baja 1000
Shrek’s Carnival Craze
Six Flags Fun Park
Twin Strike: Operation Thunder
Goosebumps HorrorLand
Ultimate I Spy
SBK-08 Superbike World Championship
North American Hunting Extravaganza

DS
Go, Diego, Go!: Great Dinosaur Rescue
The Wonder Pets!: Save the Animals!
Bella Sara
BEN 10: ALIEN FORCE The Game
Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ
Monster Jam: Urban Assault
My Baby Boy
MySims Kingdom
Ninjatown
Petz Rescue Ocean Patrol
Petz Rescue Wildlife Vet
Rubik’s Puzzle World
Shrek’s Carnival Craze
Smart Boy’s: Winter Wonderland
Smart Girl’s: Winter Wonderland
Travel Games for Dummies
Zenses Ocean
Zenses Rainforest
Theresia: Dear Emile
Doodle Hex

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Activision has recently registered “Guitar Hero: Modern Hits” in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database. This is no doubt one of the many planned sequels to Guitar Hero 4: World Tour. As the name suggests it’s a Guitar Hero: Aerosmith-like spin-off focused on modern-day music.

Here’s how the newly registered trademark for Guitar Hero Modern Hits is described: “An interactive videogame comprised of a cartridge or DVD sold as a unit with a videogame controller”, which 1UP states confirms that just like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith this game will ship as a boxed, retail product rather than as downloadable content.

Source: infendo.com

Blabbermouth has posted footage of an early teaser trailer for the forthcoming Metallica version of Guitar Hero due out in 2009.

The video prompts players to “unleash your inner metal god” while Metallica’s seminal 1986 thrash classic “Master of Puppets” plays in the background. Very metal, though it shows no in-game footage.

Widely considered the “Heavy Metal CNN,” Blabbermouth reports the footage is included on the Guitar Hero: World Tour game disc.

Metallica’s latest album Death Magnetic will be available as DLC for Guitar Hero: World Tour, which also includes the individual song “Trapped Under Ice” from their 1984 album Ride the Lightning.

Source: infendo.com

Activision last week released 12 new screenshots for the Wii version of Guitar Hero World Tour, including the Wii Music knock-off mode that’s sure to obviate the purchase of Miyamoto’s latest (perhaps only) failed idea. Why buy Wii Music when you can play the full version of World Tour, plus a Wii Music bonus emulator with licensed tracks (aka not Yankee Doodle midi quality)? The mind, it boggles. Screens after the break.

Source: infendo.com

Everyone else? Not so much.

You see, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was not intended for rhythm game fans. Maybe not even music fans. It was made for die-hard Aerosmith fans.

Like all previous Guitar Hero games, the Aerosmith version is technically sound with gameplay you’ve come to expect. But unlike other games in the series, the inaugural spin-off features half the number of playable tracks (40 in all) and a lot less artist variety, obviously.

And that’s largely where Guitar Hero Aerosmith fails from a subjective standpoint. The track list just isn’t compelling enough for most gamers to warrant a full-price purchase. Sure, I enjoy playing Dream On and Pink by Aerosmith, but playing the included Joan Jet, Cheap Trick, Lenny Kravitz, and Stone Temple Pilot singles is more fun.

Sadly, even some Aerosmith fans may be left wanting more, as there are several eponymous ’90s songs (the ones with videos starring Liv Tyler and Alicia Silverston) glaringly missing from the tracklist.

That said, I like the idea behind Guitar Hero Aerosmith — an interactive Behind The Music of sorts. I just would have preferred Led Zepplin, Van Halen, or Red Hot Chili Peppers for starters.

Three stars out of four if you’re an Aerosmith junkie. Two stars for everyone else.

See also:

• Review: Guitar Hero 3 on Wii plays like a headliner but sounds like an opening act
• Review: Guitar Hero On Tour

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Wannabe rockers can now jam on the go with the second DS music-rhythm game Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades set for a fall 2008 release. It’s a follow-up to Guitar Hero: On Tour. The game will be developed by Vicarious Visions, who are building in the ability to share songs between On Tour and On Tour Decades by using the DS’s local Wi-Fi capabilities.

Watch the Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades video announcement from the E3 2008 Nintendo Conference.

Source: videogamesblogger.com

Does exercising with the Wii really make you healthier? Well $2 million in grants to study and research how playing video games can impact your health will eventually give us scientific evidence showing exactly how video games actually effect us.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced Thursday the first round of funding awarded to American researchers through its Health Games Research national program to study the health effects in various forms of gaming.

Twelve different research teams will be awarded up to $200,000 each, located in California, Florida, Indiana, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Vermont, and Washington, with more than $2 million in grants awarded in total.

As you may expect, at least two of the teams will be exclusively studying the Nintendo Wii and it’s health benefits.

Meanwhile a team at the University of North Carolina will research the “physiological measures of energy expenditure” (which is the motivation to expend energy) of subjects playing traditional games compared to those playing “active” games that involve using “a dance pad, balance board, or guitar” (such as Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit, and Guitar Hero 3, and Rock Band).

While a team at the University of South Carolina will study what effects Wii and Eyetoy games have on patients who have chronic mobility and balance deficiency as the result of having a stroke.

Other research teams will cover a wide slew of different gaming, including both mainstream games and highly specialized programs designed to help in specific situations. Such as an RPG-like game designed to teach recovering substance abuse patients how to avoid relapses and a “breath biofeedback game” designed to help cystic fibrosis patients (a disease that can cause lung infections) improve the self-administration of inhaled medicines and respiratory exercises.

“Health Games Research gives us a tremendous opportunity to advance the field,” said Health Games Research program director Debra Lieberman. “Previous studies and clinical trials have shown that well-designed interactive games can significantly improve players’ health-related knowledge, skills, behaviors and outcomes. The 12 new studies will give us deeper insights into how and why certain game designs are compelling, fun and effective, and for which types of people.”

The 12 studies are planned to span one to two years each, and are only the first in what will be an ongoing program. Health Games Research plans to award another $2 million in grants for a second wave of studies in 2009.

Via 1-Up

Source: infendo.com

Activision has updated the official Guitar Hero: On Tour Web site with new content, including 16 custom skins for the DS plug-in grip.

Among the new designs are multi-colored variations of the Guitar Hero logo, a hard-rocking alien robot and a hellish motif with chains, bones and a fist rising above the flames.

Head over to the Guitar Hero: On Tour site to download a design, print it out and customize your cramp-inducing plastic grip.

Source: infendo.com

With the new Aerosmith edition of Guitar Hero out now and a Metallica edition due early 2009, we want to know which band you think deserves the full game treatment.  Give us your pick in comments and include reasons why they deserve to get their own edition of the game.  We’ll be discussing our choices and yours on the next Infendo Radio.