Power Gig: Rise of the SixString Guitar Shot 1

The special guitar that is being developed for Power Gig: ROTSS is a fully functioning real electric guitar produced by First Act (company known for making beginner-level musical instruments). It is 2/3 the size of a normal electric and uses a special string dampener that will hold the strings in place to prevent them from actually ringing out during gameplay. The dampener can be removed and the guitar will function like a normal electric guitar when plugged into an amplifier.

In-game, the guitar will have two modes. On the neck of the guitar are colored frets similar to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. In the normal mode, colored frets will appear onscreen and you have to play that fret on any string. In advanced mode, the colored frets will also include a number telling you which string you have to play. It isn't nearly as advanced as Rock Band 3's Pro Guitar mode, but it is certainly a step up from typical plastic instrument music games.

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SixString Guitar Review

Rock Band 3 is getting all of the attention, but there is already a videogame on the market that works with a real six string guitar in Power Gig: Rise of the SixString. We take a look at First Act's SixString guitar in this hardware review.

Hardware Details

The SixString is a 3/4 size (the size you'd get a kid for their first practice guitar), plastic body, single humbucker pickup, six string electric guitar. It uses a unique two part tailpiece and bridge assembly that does offer some limited adjustability on bridge height, but not intonation. It has 19 frets and a short 14 1/2" scale. The neck is a bit on the thick side, despite being a 3/4 size axe. Seriously, it is slightly thicker than the neck on my full size Les Paul. Presumably it is thick because of the videogame controller gadgetry in the neck to make it touch sensitive. That gadgetry has another effect, though, in that it makes the guitar extremely neck heavy. Expect it to nose dive towards the ground if you ever let go of the neck while you play.

The tuners are par for the course for lower end guitars, which means they don't offer a ton of precision, but you can get it dialed in fairly well. And I haven't had any problem with them coming out of tune, which is a good sign.

Because it is also a videogame controller, there is a special block that raises up and down where you'd usually find a pickup on a normal guitar that serves to hold the strings and keep them from vibrating when you play a game. It doesn't get in the way of the strings vibrating when it is down, and does a good job holding the strings in place when it is up.

Extra Strings

The guitar comes with three heavy picks and one set of replacement strings for the G,B,E strings (the thin ones). Extra six string replacement sets will be available at retailers that are pre-cut to the right length for the guitar, but they cost about $12 a set. I recommend just buying standard "light" strings (about 9-42's or so) for less than $4 a pack instead.

How Does It Sound?

Unplugged, the guitar sounds just like you'd expect. It sounds like a plastic hollow body guitar. Kind of like a ukulele. Plugged into an amplifier, however, (I used a Line 6 Spider IV 75) it actually sounds pretty decent when you use some distortion. Clean settings through an amp sound like I mentioned above (like a plastic hollow body guitar). Distortion muddies things up enough that it sounds halfway decent. A friend of mine who has played guitar for 10+ years picked it up and was fairly impressed when I switched the amp to the "Master of Puppets" setting and let him wail away. So, basically, sound through an amplifier isn't terrible. Plus 1 for the SixString.

How Does It Play?

Playability is a little suspect on the SixString, however, because it isn't very adjustable. The strings are crazy, crazy high off the fret board, and even though the bridge does offer some adjustability thanks to two screws you can use to raise and lower the action (string height), the pickup is also set insanely high so if you lowered the strings down enough to where it was actually comfortable to play they would hit the pickup (which is a BAD thing). On a normal guitar, this would be okay since you'd just lower the pickup height via a couple of screws. You can't do that with the SixString, at least not in an easy, accessible way because there are no screws to adjust. It is just hard mounted in a plastic shell that pokes through the top of the guitar. You might be able to take the back off the body and adjust it from inside, but I'm not keen on risking breaking the thing by trying.

Update On Pickup Adjustment Possibilities - Thanks to one of our readers, Ryan W, who was brave enough to actually take his SixString guitar apart, it seems like modifying the pickup on the SixString will be a lot more trouble than it is worth. He found that a long metal bar runs the length of the guitar, from the nut all the way to the tail, and the pickup is underneath that bar, which means there isn't any room to reposition the current pickup. You could replace the pickup, presumably (though I'm not 100% sure on the role, if any, the pickup plays in the gameplay aspect so you might not be able to replace it at all), but it looks like it would take a lot of work. When fixing your "fake" guitar is more work than doing the same thing to a real guitar (and, believe me, putting a new pickup in a real guitar isn't nearly as involved as it looks like it would be on the SixString) it just isn't going to be worth the effort. Oh well, thanks a lot to Ryan for giving me a much more definitive answer on this matter!

Why String Height Matters

When strings are too high it makes a guitar more difficult to play because you have to push the strings down harder and further on the frets to get a clear sound. Low strings let you play faster and easier, which is why most rock guitarists prefer low action even if they do get some fret buzz (which is covered up by distortion so you don't notice it). Lets do some math. This guitar sounds best with distortion. Distortion generally means rock or metal music. Guitar can't have low enough action to be played comfortably for rock or metal music. Thus, the guitar can't really play the only type of music it actually sounds good for. Uh oh. I'm not saying it is impossible to get used to and play, but for me the action is about twice as high as my normal guitars, which isn't a good thing.

We have more information on how the SixString functions as a videogame controller on the next page.

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Guitar Hero World Tour Songs

Activision-Blizzard have released the official Guitar Hero World Tour songlist/tracklist and have announced a release date: October 26, 2008. The battle of the virtual bands is officially on, and Guitar Hero World Tour has stepped up to the fight with this official 86 track setlist.

While 86 songs is impressive, what really sets Guitar Hero World Tour apart from the Rock Band soundtrack is that they are all master tracks. I can only imagine the begging and legal nightmare it was, but the on-disc music is the original stuff, offering the one of the biggest, most varied music-rhythm videogame songlists to date.

Guitar Hero World Tour will have you jamming as Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Van Halen, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Michael Jackson and more of the greatest rock artists of all time. The GHWT setlist spans over 40 years of rock history. But enough with the hype, this is what you came here for, the official 86 track Guitar Hero World Tour songlist: 311 - "Beautiful Disaster" 30 Seconds To Mars - "The Kill" Airbourne - "Too Much Too Young" The Allman Brothers Band - "Ramblin' Man" Anouk - "Good God" The Answer - "Never Too Late" At The Drive-In - "One Armed Scissor" Beastie Boys - "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" Beatsteaks - "Hail to the Freaks" Billy Idol - "Rebel Yell" Black Label Society - "Stillborn" Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Weapon of Choice" blink-182 - "Dammit" Blondie - "One Way or Another" Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band - "Hollywood Nights" Bon Jovi - "Livin' On A Prayer" Bullet For My Valentine - "Scream Aim Fire" Coldplay - "Shiver" Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Up Around The Bend" The Cult - "Love Removal Machine" Dinosaur Jr. - "Feel The Pain" The Doors - "Love Me Two Times" Dream Theater - "Pull Me Under" The Eagles - "Hotel California" The Enemy - "Aggro" Filter - "Hey Man, Nice Shot" Fleetwood Mac - "Go Your Own Way" Foo Fighters - "Everlong" The Guess Who - "American Woman" Hush Puppies - "You're Gonna Say Yeah!" Interpol - "Obstacle 1" Jane's Addiction - "Mountain Song" Jimi Hendrix - "Purple Haze (Live)" Jimi Hendrix - "The Wind Cries Mary" Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle" Joe Satriani - "Satch Boogie" Kent - "Vinternoll2" Korn - "Freak On A Leash" Lacuna Coil - "Our Truth" Lenny Kravitz - "Are You Gonna Go My Way" Linkin Park - "What I've Done" The Living End - "Prisoner of Society" Los Lobos - "La Bamba" Lost Prophets - "Rooftops (A Liberation Broadcast)" Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama (Live)" Mars Volta - "L'Via L'Viaquez" MC5's Wayne Kramer - "Kick Out The Jams" Metallica - "Trapped Under Ice" Michael Jackson - "Beat It" Modest Mouse - "Float On" Motorhead - "Overkill" Muse - "Assassin" Negramaro - "Nuvole e Lenzuola" Nirvana - "About a Girl (Unplugged)" No Doubt - "Spiderwebs" NOFX - "Soul Doubt" Oasis - "Some Might Say" Ozzy Osbourne - "Crazy Train" Ozzy Osbourne - "Mr. Crowley" Paramore - "Misery Business" Pat Benatar - "Heartbreaker" R.E.M. - "The One I Love" Radio Futura - "Escuela De Calor" Rise Against - "Re-Education Through Labor" Sex Pistols - "Pretty Vacant" Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye" Smashing Pumpkins - "Today" Steely Dan - "Do It Again" Steve Miller Band - "The Joker" Sting - "Demolition Man (Live)" The Stone Roses - "Love Spreads" Stuck In The Sound - "Toy Boy" Sublime - "Santeria" Survivor - "Eye of the Tiger" System of a Down - "B.Y.O.B." Ted Nugent - "Stranglehold" Ted Nugent's Original Guitar Duel Recording Tokio Hotel - "Monsoon" Tool - "Parabola" Tool - "Schism" Tool - "Vicarious" Trust - "Antisocial" Van Halen - "Hot For Teacher" Willie Nelson - "On The Road Again" Wings - "Band on the Run" Zakk Wylde's Original Guitar Duel Recording In addition to the amazing soundtrack, Guitar Hero World Tour features a newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller (with crash cymbals) and a microphone. GHWT also differentiates itself from Rock Band with the included "Music Studio" track creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own songs with others to play online via GHTunes where one can download user created songs for the game. The virtual music business is really heating up.

The information used to write this article was provided by Activision-Blizzard via a press release. They also offered the following regarding who is developing which version of Guitar Hero World Tour: "Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION 3 computer entertainment system. The Wii version is being developed by Vicarious Visions. The PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat." No word yet as to a PSP, DS, iPhone, or Atari 2600 version of Guitar Hero World Tour.

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Guitar Hero III PS3 Review

The good news is that they didn't break it. Despite having a new developer (Neversoft, of Tony Hawk fame) Guitar Hero III (3) Legends of Rock is most certainly a Guitar Hero game. Don't worry, there are plenty of new twists in the old GH formula, but it is essentially the same game with a fancier guitar. Unfortunately being that this is the third time we've seen this game you'd expect a more polished product. There are some graphical issues, and 90% of the gameplay is the same as before. Complaints aside, it still has the magic. GH3 is a party right out of the box, just like the last two versions.Let me get to my chief complaint. Why can't I use my old guitars? Seriously? Why can't I use the new PS2 guitar with the PS3 version? And why the heck do we need a dongle? I understand the the Xbox 360 uses an evil protected wireless technology, but the PS3 uses Bluetooth, no real reason for a dongle here folks. Activision, a word of advice, a little good will goes a long way, sell an adapter for the PS2 guitars and your fan base won't even blink at the Rock Band. But to be frank, if I have to purchase a second PS3 guitar when I already own two PS2 guitars I may as well put that cash towards Rock Band. Alright, scolding complete.

Let's do the bottom line up front this time. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a ton of fun and you will have a blast playing it. Yes, there are some issues, but this is the Halo of music games, you want it, they know you want it, and with good reason, it's fun.

Now that you know it's great, let's get to some issues the game has. NEXT GEN GAMES SHOULD LOOK GOOD! Got it? A game that is the third of a series appearing on a next gen system should look superb. Guitar Hero III looks mediocre. The cut scene animations are nice, thank you. But the crowd models look like Pitfall Harry, all jaggy and bumpy. I had to pause the game to laugh at the staircase-like fingers on one of the models, I seriously thought I was playing Guitar Hero PSone Retro Edition.

On the plus side, the boss battles and battle modes are superb. Don't listen to the other whiny reviewers. These play modes are fun, creative, and require skill. One of the toughest things about puzzle/rhythm games is adding new gameplay without breaking the system, this worked perfectly.

Finally, the music is varied and sounds superb, as you would expect. The game is much harder, so be prepared to work for your fun.

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Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Review (PS3)

It feels like Guitar Hero. It sounds like Guitar Hero. Chances are good it even smells like Guitar Hero. It does not however look like "Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" finally gives us a game visually worthy of this generation of consoles. That combined with an eclectic group of rock songs and new game modes has produced a version of the game that is addictive as any of its predecessors, if not more so. Warriors of Rock provides almost everything veterans of the franchise have come to expect, as well as offering new game play modes to entice new comers to the game. If you are a fan of Guitar Hero, "Warriors of Rock" certainly won’t let you down. The game at its core really does feel like part of the franchise, with a shiny new topcoat. A lot of the classic game play is still there, with new modes and options to bring a greater depth to the way the game can be played. Now you can take your rock star self online and play with people when your friends are busy doing mundane things like working. The Party mode exemplifies what a game should become when people want to play casually. The ability for players to jump in and out of a song that you can’t be booed out off really creates the invitation to get everyone to play, instead of just the regular music loving gamer.

The new songs provide a spectrum of relatively difficult to ridiculously challenging. The music isn’t as Rock specific as you might expect, while there are many classic rock and rock songs included on the list there are also some odd ball choices coming from punk, pop and indie genres. The title of the game shouldn’t scare off those players who prefer mainstream music, there is as much for you in this game as there is for the most hard core of rockers. Aside from what ships with the game it is possible to import songs from previous Guitar Hero games, not to mention the ridiculous amount of songs available through downloadable content.

The game is worth checking out just for the graphics. The great characters, and customization options are really just the tip of the iceberg. The game is much more cinematic. Not only does it look better, but also everything just feels better. The lip sync on the characters would put any pop star to shame, not to mention that every song you play looks like an actual concert. Now there is one thing that even the best graphics in the world can’t save. A terrible story line.

"Warriors of Rock" is supposed to be driven by the story line of the main play mode. However the story line is ridiculous and relatively boring. It’s a bad case of trying to force two genres together that don’t match well with each other. People want to play killer songs, not turn their characters into robots to defeat a boss. However the storyline isn’t a huge deterrent, you can just button mash your way through the irrelevant text, watch some nice cut scenes, and get back to playing the music.

"Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" for the most part is extremely challenging, so if you are considering purchasing this game be ready to pour some serious sweat into the game.

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Guitar Hero 3 Cheats Xbox 360

The following cheat codes can be used in Guitar Hero 3 on the Xbox 360 video game console. Please note that the use of cheats in GH 3 will deactivate achievements.

A special note on Guitar Hero 3 cheats.
The codes below look a bit odd when compared to your usual Xbox 360 cheats. These codes represent the colors on the guitar.

When two colors are listed together (like 'BY' for blue and yellow) then both colors must be strummed at the same time.

Also, pay special attention to the timing when entering these codes, it may take a bit of practice to get it right.

The following Guitar Hero 3 cheats are entered within the Options > Cheats menu of the game.

Air Guitar Cheat Code
BY, GY, GY, RB, RB, RY, RY, BY, GY, GY, RB, RB, RY, RY, GY, GY, RY, RY,

Hyperspeed Cheat Code
O, B, O, Y, O, B, O, Y

Performance Mode Cheat Code
RY, RB, RO, RB, RY, GB, RY RB

Precision Mode Cheat Code
GR, GR, GR, RY, RY, RB, RB, YB, YO, YO, GR, GR, GR, RY, RY, RB, RB, YB, YO, YO

Unlock All Songs Cheat Code
YO, RB, RO, GB, RY, YO, RY, RB, GY, GY, YB, YB, YO, YO, YB, Y, R, RY, R, Y, O
Note: it is recommended that you create a new band when you use this code, this way you will not have to purchase any of the songs, etc.

Guitar Hero 3 achievements are listed on the next page, these include the secret achievements.

source from About.com

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock x360

The following cheat codes are available for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on the Xbox 360 video game console. Cheat codes are entered within the game's menu system (options, cheats, enter new cheats). Once a cheat has been entered correctly it can be toggled on or off.

Unlock All Venues
Cheat code: Red, Blue, Blue, Red, Red, Blue, Blue, Red.

Unlock All Characters
Cheat code: Blue, Green, Green, Red, Green, Red, Yellow, Blue.

Always Slide Notes
Cheat code: Blue, Green, Green, Red, Red, Yellow, Blue, Yellow.
Note: Prevents achievements from being unlocked and has no effect online.

All Hammer-ons and Pull-offs
Cheat code: Green, Green, Green, Blue, Green, Green, Green, Yellow.
Note: It seems obvious from the cheat name, but this code turns almost all notes into hammer-on or pull-off notes (where pressing fret keys is not needed).

Focus Mode
Cheat code: Green, Yellow, Green, Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Green.
Note: Focus mode will blacken the background.

Performance Mode
Cheat code: Red, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Red, Blue, Green, Red.
Note: Performance mode removes the HUD and the tracks.

HUD Free Mode
Cheat code: Green, Green, Red, Green, Green, Yellow, Green, Green.
Note: Similar to performance mode this removes the score display, rock meter, and the star power gauge.

Invisible Rocker
Cheat code: Green, Green, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Yellow, Blue, Blue.

Air Instruments
Cheat code: Yellow, Red, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Green, Green.
Note: Instruments are almost invisible with this mode activated.

Color Shuffle
Cheat code: Blue, Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, Red, Yellow.

Mirror Gems
Cheat code: Blue, Blue, Red, Blue, Green, Green, Red, Green.

Random Gems
Cheat code: Green, Green, Red, Red, Yellow, Red, Yellow, Blue.

Super User 2
Cheat code: Green, Blue, Red, Yellow, Yellow, Red, Blue, Green.
Note: Code only works on pre-release versions of the game.

Absolutely Nothing
Cheat code: Green (8x).

The following achievements can be unlocked in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock on the Xbox 360 console. To unlock an achievement simply complete the indicated task from the list below.

Accomplished Astrologer (10 GS points).
Earn a total of 500 Stars (QP+).

Ace Astrologer (60 GS points).
Earn a total of 2000 Stars (QP+).

Adept Astrologer (40 GS points).
Earn a total of 1000 Stars (QP+).

Altered Virtuoso (20 GS points).
Earn 40 Power Stars on a single song (Quest).

Amateur Astrologer (10 GS points).
Earn a total of 100 Stars (QP+).

Anthemic Archivist (10 GS points).
Expand your song library to at least 115 songs of any type. Be creative!.

Apostates of Orthodoxy (10 GS points).
5-Star any song as a 4-player Non-Standard Band, with all players on Medium or higher (QP+).

Axe Claimer (30 GS points).
Regain the Legendary Guitar (Quest).

Bearers of the Standard (10 GS points).
5-Star any song as a 4-player Standard Band, with all players on Medium or higher (QP+).

Champion of Challenges (20 GS points).
Target another person's score on any Challenge and earn a higher grade than they did (Local QP+).

Chosen One (20 GS points).
Beat Fury of the Storm as a solo Drummer on Hard or higher difficulty (QP+).

Diamond Master (20 GS points).
As a single player, earn Diamond on two or more Challenges on a single play of a song (QP+).

Divine Liberator (30 GS points).
Free the Demigod of Rock (Quest).

Gem Collector (20 GS points).
Hit a cumulative total of 75,000 notes (Quest).

Gem Hoarder (30 GS points).
Hit a cumulative total of 150,000 notes (Quest).

Giant Slayer (10 GS points).
Beat Holy Wars... The Punishment Due as a solo Bassist on Hard or higher difficulty (QP+).

Gold Master (20 GS points).
As a single player, earn Gold or higher on three or more Challenges on a single play of a song (QP+).

Gold Standard (20 GS points).
As a Standard Band, earn Gold or higher on 2 Band Challenges in a single play of a song (QP+).

Hand Mutilator (30 GS points).
Beat Black Widow of La Porte as a solo Expert Guitarist (QP+, no Powers).

Lucifer's Accountant (10 GS points).
Beat any song with a final score which is evenly divisible by 6 (QP+).

Manager of Fate (10 GS points).
Create and play a custom playlist of at least 5 songs, and earn 5 Stars on 5 of the songs (QP+).

Mathematic Sharpshooters (10 GS points).
Beat any song with a final score ending in 000 as a Band (QP+).

Mocker of Fate (10 GS points).
Create and play a 5-song random playlist, earning 5 Stars on each song (QP+).

Motivated Improviser (10 GS points).
Play 100 notes in a single GH(tm)Jam session.

Mythical Millionaire (20 GS points).
Earn 1,000,000 points or more in a single play of a song in a Power Challenge (QP+).

Nauseous Numerologist (10 GS points).
Beat any song with a final score of 133,337 (QP+, Competitive).

Partial Perfectionist (20 GS points).
Dominate any 4 chapters of Quest (Earn all the Power Stars from any 4 chapters of Quest).

Patron of the Arts (10 GS points).
5-Star any GH(tm)Tracks song containing at least 200 notes (QP+).

Perfect Perfectionist (60 GS points).
Earn all the Power Stars from all character chapters (Quest).

Player of the Ear Worm (10 GS points).
Play any one non-GH(tm)Tracks song 10 or more times (QP+, Quest, Competitive).

Poor Boys (10 GS points).
Beat Bohemian Rhapsody as a band with all on Medium or higher, and at least 2 vocalists (QP+).

Pseudo Perfectionist (20 GS points).
Dominate any 2 chapters of Quest (Earn all the Power Stars from any 2 chapters of Quest).

Quick Learner (10 GS points).
Full-Combo any tutorial exercise (no missed notes or overstrums).

Savior of Rock (50 GS points).
Defeat the scourge of Rock (Quest).

Scions of Excess (20 GS points).
Earn an 11x Band multiplier with any 4-player Band configuration (QP+).

Seasoned Competitor (20 GS points).
Play Pro Faceoff, Momentum, Momentum+, Streakers, Do or Die, and Perfectionist at least once each.

Self Improver (10 GS points).
Target your own score on a Challenge and earn a higher grade than you did previously (Local QP+).

Stellar Centurion (20 GS points).
Deploy Star Power a total of 100 times (Quest).

String Twins (30 GS points).
Complete a song with only a Guitarist and Bassist, both earning the same score (QP+).

The Brute (20 GS points).
Release Warrior Lars (Quest).

The Dynamo (20 GS points).
Liberate Warrior Echo (Quest).

The Eternal (20 GS points).
Awaken Warrior Axel (Quest).

The Exalted (20 GS points).
Summon Warrior Pandora (Quest).

The Meek (10 GS points).
Beat 2112 Part 4 as a Standard band with 3 or more members, all on Medium or higher difficulty (QP+).

The Recluse (20 GS points).
Invoke Warrior Austin (Quest).

The Siren (20 GS points).
Recruit Warrior Judy (Quest).

The Trickster (20 GS points).
Unleash Warrior Johnny (Quest).

The Vigil (20 GS points).
Charm Warrior Casey (Quest).

Tracker of Deeds (10 GS points).
Follow any five Hero Feed items (Xbox LIVE only).

Ultimate Answerer (30 GS points).
Earn all Stars from any one song (excluding the Power Challenge) (QP+).

There may be additional cheats, codes, hints and tips for this game listed in our forums or our cheat code index.

Have another cheat code, hint, or tip for this game? Let us know and we will add it to this page. You can submit a cheat directly to us, or post in the Video Game Cheats forum.

source from About.com