In recent history, Activision--publisher of the Guitar Hero series--and Warner Music--a massive record label with songs included in the music-rhythm games--have publicly played out a drama resembling an abusive relationship.

Famed gaming analyst Michael Pachter at Wedbush Morgan has now chimed in on the troubled couple, bluntly telling Gamasutra that "Activision doesn't 'need' Warner Music at all."

Warner started the fire by publicly complaining that video game studios, whether selling Guitar Hero or EA's rival series Rock band, don't pay record labels enough money for the rights to use those songs in the games. Activision countered by saying that Warner lacked respect for Guitar Hero.

Pachter's reasoning is straightforward: "There are over one million songs out there--probably two million--and Activision is going to turn fewer than a thousand of them into Guitar Hero songs every year." ... Read more

Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand director Brett Ratner hopes that, one day, he can make a film based on Guitar Hero.

"I would love to do a Guitar Hero movie, if [owner] Activision would ever let me," the director told MTV. I'm trying to convince them, but why would you have a movie screw up such a huge franchise?"

"Not that I would make a bad movie," he added. "It could be about a kid from a small town who dreams of being a rock star and he wins the Guitar Hero competition. One of these dreams-[come-true] kind of concepts."

Currenly slated to direct the film adaptation of Sony's God of War series, Ratner is no stranger to video games, especially Guitar Hero. His consultancy firm was responsible for Guitar Hero product placement in several music videos, and he claims to have come up with the name for Guitar Hero World Tour, the next entry in the music game series.

"They said, 'come up with a name,'" he boasted. "I didit became Guitar Hero World Tour."

More footage of Tomb Raider: Underworld has arrived from publisher Eidos, showcasing more of the Thailand environment found in the action adventure game.

Developed by Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider: Underworld hits PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS on November 18.

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A television series based off Traveller's Tales' upcoming action game LEGO Batman is currently in production, beginning with a one-off short about 20 minutes in length.

While Warner Bros.-owned developer Traveller's Tales will have no direct involvement in the show, which is being handled by a separate studio in the United States, the series will utilize the same technology and assets that power the block-busting game.

"I think it's a 20-minute cartoon," game producer Rich Earl told GamesIndustry.biz. "I'm personally quite intrigued to see how it comes out. LEGO, every time they've had a new brand out, they've done some CGI stuff as well, but I think this will be quite different."

Earlier in the year, Traveler's Tales teased that it was planning a LEGO TV show based off its work, which includes LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones.

The LEGO Batman game is slated to hit PC, PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP in September, with the studio presently at work on LEGO renditions of other, unspecified Warner Bros. properties.

If you thought that the eternal struggle would end after Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball arrives on Xbox 360 as an Xbox Live Arcade download next week, think again.

Developer Blazing Lizard and publisher Gamecock today announced that they'll be bringing the fight to Wii this winter, complete with new story and challenge modes.

Though the Xbox 360 release will be downloadable, a Gamecock representative has confirmed to Shacknews that the Wii version will be a full-fledged retail release.

Apparently eager to participate in the spelling bee, EA Black Box has provided a a new trailer of Skate It. An offshoot from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 skating series, Skate It debuts on the Wii and Nintendo DS this fall.

The Wii version, depicted above and below, makes use of the Wii Remote controller and also supports the Balance Board accessory used by Wii Fit for realistic skating action.

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The upcoming game inspired by Frank Miller's beloved Sin City graphic novels is no longer being developed by Transmission Games, publisher Red Mile has revealed.

The Unreal Engine 3-powered title actually shifted development houses "quite a long time ago," a Red Mile representative informed GameSpot, though they offered no details on the current developer. "Transmission is focusing on Heroes Over Europe, which is quite an important title for us."

Formerly known as IR Gurus, Tranmission has helmed such titles as Lucinda Green's Equestrian Challenge (PC, PS2), Heroes of the Pacific (PC, PS2, Xbox) and Heatseeker (PS2, Wii, PSP). Its latest flight action game, Heroes Over Europe, is slated to hit PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 next year.

Few details on the Sin City game have surfaced since its initial announcement last May. The use of Unreal Engine 3 suggests PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 editions are likely, though reports have since indicated the title may also hit Wii, but not PC, by Christmas 2009.

Following widespread sentiment that Nintendo is neglecting its fans with a lackluster lineup of hardcore games, the company is now saying that those traditional titles are coming--just not anytime soon.

"We have never neglected our core gamers," said Nintendo in the October edition of Edge magazine according to Eurogamer. "We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years."

"These games are not ready to launch in early 2009 but are being worked on by all development teams," added the company.

After teasing a major hardcore announcement at E3, Nintendo's brief mention of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) and a new Pikmin title did little to satisfy fans.

Nintendo has been running damage control ever since, with president Satoru Iwata going so far as to apologize for the disappointing showing.

New entries in the multiplayer classic Bomberman and sci-fi themed pinball Alien Crush series are getting released on the WiiWare service.

Both games will receive graphical overhauls and new online multiplayer features. Bomberman Blast will feature 8-player internet multiplayer while allowing 4 players to play on the same screen. Alien Crush Returns, on the other hand, will include head-to-head online multiplayer and online scoreboards.

Developer and publisher Hudson Soft plans to offer online tournaments for both titles on its website, which will begin on the games' respective launch dates.

North American release dates or prices have not been given, but Alien Crush Returns launched today on Japan's WiiWare service for 800 Points ($8).

The possibility of a keyboard in Guitar Hero World Tour has apparently been shot down, a Joystiq interview has revealed.

As previously reported, Guitar Hero World Tour will be adding a new instrument to complement the already-included guitar, drums, and microphone, but the new peripheral would only be used in the game's new music creation mode.

When asked about a keyboard controller, Bright said, "A keyboard controller deserves to be introduced with its own game. This is something we're thinking about."

Guitar Hero World Tour will appear on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PlayStation 2, with Neversoft developing the PS3 and 360 versions, Vicarious Visions handling the Wii edition and Budcat on the PS2 release.

With the current console generation just now settled in most homes, many in the industry are thinking about the current set of machines lasting up to 2012, or even being the last set we ever need.

In the meantime, Nintendo's Wii might receive a facelift, says Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian as reported by EDGE Online.

Assuming the next console generation starts in 2012, Sebastian says Nintendo could use the next few years to "upgrade the Wii with faster processing power, DVD capability and/or greater storage."

Sebastian is far from the first to call out the Wii's common shortcomings compared to competing consoles like the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. He also recently called for the Nintendo DS to receive a refresh, a prediction echoed by other analysts.

Nintendo, per tradition, is keeping quiet on its plans. But with the company's reputation for surprising its audience with new hardware and providing hardware revisions, it's hard to imagine the maker following the rational predictions of an analyst.

Per its weekly tradition, Nintendo has issued details on the new downloads that will be available later today from the online Wii Shop Channel.

Today's update includes the WiiWare debut of Ghostfire Games' motion-controlled dancing game Helix, along with retro re-releases of SNK's NeoGeo fighter Samurai Shodown and Nihon Falcom's TurboGrafx-16 CD RPG Ys Book I& II.

WiiWare
• Helix (Ghostfire Games) - 1000 Wii Points ($10)
  
  Virtual Console
• Samurai Shodown 2 (SNK / NeoGeo) - 900 Wii Points ($9)
• Ys Book I & II (Nihon Falcom / TurboGrafx-16 CD) - 800 Wii Points ($8)

All three titles will be available for download beginning today at 9 AM PDT, 12 PM EDT. Keep reading for official descriptions of each game... Read more

Reversing the trend of the paltry past few weeks, this week is packed to the brim with new RPGs, sports games, and even some educational SAT preparation software.

Hit up the full list, or if you're looking for a particular system, feel free to skip right to the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP sections. Should you want to check out any past release lists, scope out our handy archive.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 will be in stores on Tuesday, August 26. Barring any unforeseen delays, the rest of this week's games should be at North American retailers by Wednesday, August 27.

... Read more

I can still remember the confused look on her face as I scrolled down the page. It was like watching a second grader open a Calculus textbook.

"What the hell is a Freezepop? Coheed & Cambria--isn't that somewhere in Polynesia? Oh, Iron Maiden! Like from Teenage Dirtbag, right?"

But a few weeks later, my friend was drumming along with Boston, growling out Metallica lyrics, and looking up the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on iTunes.

Rock Band and Guitar Hero get a lot of attention for their alternative uses. For instance, did you know those guitar games are actually getting kids interested in playing real music? They're helping to rehabilitate the handicapped, too. I'm sure somewhere out there, a scientist is desperately trying to figure out a way to solve global warming with a plastic guitar.

But lost amongst all of this press is the real power of Rock Band: the power to get your 12-year-old interested in The Who. ... Read more

Gearbox's maraca-shaking music game Samba de Amigo will be the first retail Wii release to support downloadable content, publisher Sega confirmed today.

New tracks will arrive in 3-song packs, all performed by the original artist, with pricing yet to be announced. The first bundle, slated to arrive when the game launches on September 23, will contain the following:

• Mambo Mambo - Lou Bega
• I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow
• Are you Going to Be My Girl - Jet

Other upcoming Wii games that support paid downloadble content include Vicarious Visions' Guitar Hero World Tour and Harmonix's Rock Band 2... Read more

In addition to guitar, drums and a microphone, it seems that Neversoft's Guitar Hero World Tour will be adding yet another instrument to the mix when it hits this fall.

Neversoft director Brain Bright reportedly told G4 that another peripheral is on the way, one that will only be used in the game's music creation mode.

No other details are currently available, with the outlet speculating that the new device is a keyboard. Neversoft previously revealed that players can use the guitar controller to map out keyboard notes and drum machine programming in the editor, which also allows players to share their tunes online.

Guitar Hero World Tour is in development for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii, with Neversoft on the PS3 and 360 versions, Vicarious Visions handling the Wii edition and Budcat on the PS2 release.

Harmonix today announced that the Rush album Moving Pictures will be featured as Rock Band downloadable content next week.

The DLC should be available on Xbox Live starting August 26, with release on the PlayStation Store following on August 23.

Priced at 880 Microsoft Points ($11), the album includes the following track list:

1. Tom Sawyer (Original Version)
2. Red Barchetta
3. YYZ
4. Limelight (Original Version)
5. The Camera Eye
6. Witch Hunt
7. Vital Signs

Owners of the Xbox 360 edition of Rock Band 2 will have to pay a small fee in order to import "most" of songs from the original, developer Harmonix has disclosed.

That fee will be no greater than $5, studio representative John Drake assured MTV.

Drake explained that the fee stems from licensing costs. The developer previously told Shacknews that similar licensing issues were the reason that it had yet to specify which songs from the first Rock Band disc will be playable in the sequel.

The fee does not apply to all of the downloadable Rock Band tracks that have arrived across the last year, which will be playable in Rock Band 2 at no extra... Read more

Now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace in all Live regions is a demo for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. A 905mb download, the demo includes a tutorial for using the Force Grip power, and a level set in a TIE Fighter construction facility.

The demo is also slated for release through the PlayStation Network soon. The retail version of LucasArts' action-adventure game where you play a secret apprentice of Darth Vader will be released September 16 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 2, PSP, and Nintendo DS.

Gearbox Software's efforts to bring maraca-shaking monkeys to the Wii will be realized when Samba de Amigo hits North American retailers on September 23 and European stores on September 19, publisher Sega has announced.

Along with the date, Sega issued a list of the songs contained within the Wii Remote-rattling music title and a couple new screenshots.

All-New Wii-Exclusive Songs:

• Pon de Replay - Rihanna
• Smooth - Santana*
• Mambo No. 5 - Lou Bega*
• Oye Como Va - Santana*... Read more