Late Night Consoling

In interviews with various sites published today, Kai Huang, president of Activision-owned Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane, revealed various details about Neversoft's upcoming Guitar Hero III, which was accidentally announced last week and which Huang confirmed for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii. Surprisingly, Huang also stated that a Nintendo DS version of the game is in the works.

All four main versions of the game will use wireless controllers and will feature downloadable tracks and online play, making Guitar Hero III one of few third party Wii games to be confirmed for online multiplayer. Contrary to some speculations, Huang confirmed that the Wii version of the game will use a full guitar controller, though he did also add, "We are really excited about the Wii game because there are so many options for the Wii remote." Huang's comment may suggest that the Wii controller will be a "shell" controller into which players will slot a Wii remote. Such shell controllers have been proposed by Nintendo as a way of selling less expensive peripherals which are still able to take advantage of the Wii controller's motion-sensing capabilities.

Though Guitar Hero II's downloadable tracks on Xbox 360 are currently drawn from Guitar Hero's setlist, Huang noted that new songs will come as well. "It's actually a complex process and a lot of work goes into each one," he said in regards to the timeframe and pricing issues surrounding Guitar Hero II's downloadable content. "We have to license the track, create the inputs for all the notes and, if it's a new track, re-record the tune. It's a relatively extensive process and that's part of the reason why the tracks cost what they do on the Xbox Live Marketplace." Presumably, the company went through a similar process for the original Guitar Hero game, which is sold at retail for a lower price than it would cost to buy virtual copies of all its songs through the Xbox Live Marketplace at current rates.

RedOctane plans to ship Neversoft's Guitar Hero III for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii in fall 2007. A Nintendo DS version is also planned for early 2008.

Dimps' well received 2005 effort Sonic Rush (NDS) was a boon to fans of old-school sidescrolling Sonic the Hedgehog action. Now, Sega has announced that is bringing its longtime mascot back to Nintendo's current portable for more 2D action with the Sega Studios-developed Sonic Rush Adventure. Like Sonic Rush, Sonic Rush Adventure features 2D gameplay during its main platforming levels, while introducing more 3D elements into the mix for its boss stages.

During the 2D stages, Sonic collects vehicle parts that sidekick Tails uses to construct bikes, hovercraft, submarines, and other vehicles for Sonic to use in ship-to-ship battles during the 3D levels. Players will also be able to take their vehicular creations online to race or battle friends via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.

Sega sent along several screenshots and some character artwork from the game. The publisher plans to ship Sega Studios' Sonic Rush for Nintendo DS in fall 2007.

During Capcom's Gamer's Day in San Francisco last week, the company informally announced that it had acquired the video game license to Cartoon Network's Williams Street-produced Adult Swim animated series Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law. Today, the company officially confirmed the game, also entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, which is being developed by High Voltage Software for PlayStation 2 and PSP. During last week's event, Capcom representatives described the game as an interactive story sharing gameplay similarities to the company's well received, and internally produced, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney franchise.

High Voltage will be drawing on past experience with humor-oriented games and licensed titles in developing the video game version of Harvey Birdman, which revolves around the former superhero Birdman (pictured left) and his current occupation as a practicing attorney. Previously, High Voltage Software was responsible for Family Guy Video Game! (PS2, Xbox, PSP), Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude (PS2, Xbox, PC), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (PS2, Xbox, GCN), and the video game adaptation of White Men Can't Jump (JAG).

Capcom has yet released no screenshots of the game, but did send over a few pieces of logo and character artwork. The company plans to ship High Voltage Software's Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law for PlayStation 2 and PSP this fall.

This week sees another three games released to the Wii's Virtual Console, one each taken from the libraries of the NES, Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16. Nintendo offers up Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream (NES, 1 player), the rebranded but identical version of the boxing classic Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, available for 500 Wii Points ($5). Sega releases AM2's fighting game Virtua Fighter 2 (Genesis, 1-2 players), priced at 800 Wii Points ($8). Finally, Hudson delivers Bonk's Revenge (TurboGrafx-16, 1 player), the second game in its sidescrolling platform series featuring the company's head-button mascot. All three games are available for download now.

As always, check back tomorrow for the official Shack word on all three titles.