Late Night Consoling

As suggested by retailer listings last week, Activision subsidiary RedOctane confirmed that its popular Guitar Hero franchise will see an edition centered around music from the 1980s. Developed by series creator Harmonix, Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s will be released on PlayStation 2 later this summer.

The announcement also provided the first glimpse of the game's 30 songs, including a mix of tracks performed by the original artists and "as made famous by" covers:

- I Wanna Rock (by Twisted Sister)
- I Ran (by Flock of Seagulls)
- Round and Round (as made famous by Ratt)
- I Want Candy (as made famous by Bow Wow Wow)
- Metal Health (as made famous by Quiet Riot)
- Holy Diver (as made famous by Dio)
- Heat Of The Moment (as made famous by Asia)

When asked about the chances of tracks from Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s appearing on the Xbox 360--possibly as downloadable content for Guitar Hero II--RedOctane representative Bryan Lam issued a statement that neither confirmed nor denied that possibility. "We recently launched the Xbox 360 game, and will continue to offer downloadable content for Xbox 360 users," Lam told Shacknews. "Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s provides a unique opportunity for our PlayStation2 fans who don't have the same online capabilities to enjoy fresh new content. We're strongly committed to offering the greatest game play experiences possible on all platforms."

Sega AM2's Ghost Squad, the company's top-earning arcade gun game in 2005, is on its way to the Wii this holiday season. An enhanced port of the arcade version, the Wii edition allows gamers to gun down terrorists and defuse bombs via the Wii Remote with up to three other players. Up to 25 different weapons--including machine guns, pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles, and crossbows--are available throughout the course of the game.

"Ghost Squad brings the classic light gun blaster experience that SEGA made popular in the arcades to the Wii," said Sega of America marketing VP Scott Steinberg. "With a more robust multiplayer experience than even the arcade version and numerous unlockable items and stages adding replay value, Ghost Squad will be the ultimate shooter experience for the Nintendo Wii console."

Formerly announced for the PC, Petroglyph's RTS Universe at War: Earth Assault will be hitting the Xbox 360 as well. Unlike many other RTS games, Universe at War's persistent world tracks environmental damage across multiple battles and environments, enabling players to return to a previous location and find it still in shambles. Players can customize their weapons and defenses in the midst of battle to be more effective, as well as partake in a number of multiplayer modes.

Responding to queries as to how Petroglyph came to the decision to bring Universe at War to Xbox 360, creative director Adam Isgreen told Shacknews that consoles are an appropriate fit for Petroglyph's design philosophy. "We always like to approach games with a console attitude in the first place," he explained, "keeping things approachable and intuitive."

Published by Sega, Universe at War: Earth Assault is scheduled for a PC release in holiday 2007 with the Xbox 360 version following in Q1 2008.

A new entry in THQ's open ended crime-centric Saints Row series is in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the company announced today. As with the original, the followup will be handled by developer Volition and should arrive at some point in 2008.

"The original Saints Row earned critical acclaim for its stunning graphics, unparalleled customization options and the genre's first-ever online multiplayer," announced THQ executive VP of worldwide publishing Kelly Flock. "The game's worldwide success shows the growing fanaticism for open-world gaming and our talented team at Volition is now using their proprietary technology to revolutionize the genre yet again."

Though an additional Saints Row release was first mentioned during a conference call in February, it was not known at the time if the executive was referring to a new title or the upcoming PlayStation 3 version of the Xbox 360 original.

Namco Bandai and Koei today unveiled plans to bring PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Dynasty Warriors:Gundam to North America in late summer. Previously released on the PlayStation 3 in Japan as Gundam Musou, the game combines developer Omega Force's penchant for large-scale battles and mass destruction, as seen in its Dynasty Warriors games, with the ever-popular robots and mythology of Sunrise's mech-tastic franchise. Spanning multiple Gundam time lines, Dynasty Warriors:Gundam includes a number of different mobile suits and pilots to control across its official, original and versus game modes.

LucasArts sent along the first details on developer Rebellion's Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron. Exclusively for the PSP, Renegade Squadron will represent the only original entry in the Star Wars Battlefront series this year when it releases in the fall.

Building off Savage Entertainment's PSP version of Star Wars Battlefront II, Renegade Squadron replaces the traditional class system with the option to customize a character's weapons, equipment and special abilities. The game also supports online matches of up to 16 players, with maps ranging from Korriban's Valley of the Sith to the remains of Alderaan.

Author Lorenzo Carcaterra is working with developer Eden Games to help pen the studio's upcoming revival of the classic survival horror series Alone in the Dark, which is in development for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Carcaterra--who has written books such as Chasers, Apaches, and Sleepers--is said to bring his expertise of the New York City area and experience of over 20 years in writing fact and fiction to the project, which centers around a conspiracy involving New York City's Central Park.

"Alone in the Dark was a challenge which allowed me to bring a realistic feel to an apocalyptic situation facing New York City and really dig into the Central Park conspiracy idea," explained the author. "It also allowed me to write for hard-edged characters, some good, some bad, all forced to confront a force whose power they could never imagine. The story never stalls, always moves in overdrive and the characters zoom right along at warp speed, stopping long enough along the way to say a few lines that keep driving the plot forward. The end result is, I hope, a roller-coaster of a thrill ride that should be tons of fun to play."

Neither developer Eden Studios nor publisher Atari has suggested a target release date for Alone in the Dark.

The latest entry in the Growlanser RPG series, Growlanser: Heritage of War, will make its way to North America in late summer care of publisher Atlus. Following the appearance of an impassable veil on its borders, a small island becomes plagued by war, famine, and monsters. As players struggle to save themselves and their country across the game's five chapters, they will find themselves tackling a number of strategic party-based battles and interacting with a magical fairy companion. As with most recent Atlus releases, the game will come packaged in a special edition box loaded with bonus materials, which will be unveiled at a later date.

Mondo Media's disturbingly cute and exceedingly violent Happy Tree Friends animated series has entered the interactive realm thanks to Sega and developer Stainless Studios. An action-puzzle game, Happy Tree Friends False Alarm puts players in control of one of three characters--Flippy, Lumpy, and Handy--as they use items such as concrete, ice, gasoline, and nitroglycerin to modify the surrounding environment in hopes of preventing an untimely demise.

Happy Tree Friends False Alarm will hit PC and Xbox Live Arcade this fall.

Sony Online Entertainment has announced High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition, a downloadable PlayStation 3 title for the PlayStation Network. Along with five different types of poker--Texas Hold'em, Super Hold'em, Billabon, Tahoe, and Shanghai--the game offers 6 person multiplayer and support for compatible USB camera, including the PlayStation 2 EyeToy. SOE expects High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition to arrive in the PlayStation Store later this summer, priced at $9.99.

After a few unexpected delays, David Jaffe's cops'n'robbers-inspired Calling All Cars! is now available for download from the online PlayStation Store. Developed by the Utah-based Incognito Entertainment and featuring both local and online multiplayer of up to four players, Calling All Cars! is priced at $9.99.

As reported yesterday, Sony Online Entertainment's edition of Midway's Rampart also arrived in the PlayStation store today, selling for $4.99.

Microsoft and developer Realtime Worlds today released a title update and detailed two new pieces of Crackdown downloadable content slated to arrive within the next week. The update resolves several issues with the game, such as indestructible fire hydrants and ramp problems, and adds the option to repopulate the city's gangs.

As for downloadable content, the first pack, "Free-For-All", is available free of charge and grants players the Keys to the City--a cheat mode that allows players the freedom to do just about anything, from spawning ramps and activating infinite ammo to further enhancing the capabilities of their agent. The in-game garage has also been redesigned to accommodate more vehicles.

The other piece of content, the "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack", sells for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Included in the premium pack are a number of new vehicles--the Agency Buggy, Agency Racecar, Agency Armored Vehicle--as well as new weapons--the MSK mini-rocket Lobber, EX1 "Proximity Charge", HRX "Harpoon", MZ360 "Mini-Gun", VS1 "Cloaking Device. New game types--Street Racing, Max-Agility Rooftop Races, Stockpile, Checkpoint Chase, Rocket Tag--and new achievements are also added. Furthermore, should a player that has not purchased the "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack" enter into a co-op game with one that has, they will be able to preview the extra content for the duration of that session.

Along with the announcement, Microsoft also provided a number of movies showing off the new content and modes. For a full list of all the additions and changes, check out Major Nelson.

Update: Both the "Free-For-All Pack" and "Getting' Busy Bonus Pack" are now available from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Microsoft dropped word that Turn 10 Studios' Xbox 360 race sim Forza Motorsport 2 has gone gone and will definitely be in stores on May 29. As mentioned last night, Xbox Live Gold subscribers can now download a free demo of the game from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

The release of developer Artifical Studios' top-down action game Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia has been pushed from May 15 to May 29, publisher SouthPeak Games noted today. Meanwhile, last month's Xbox Live demo is still available.