Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock continues to build on Guitar Hero’s successful easy to play, but difficult to master gameplay mechanic to take the franchise to a whole new level. With master tracks from legendary bands like Sex Pistols, Guns ‘N’ Roses, Rolling Stones, Metallica, and Pearl Jam, along with original music composed specifically for the game by iconic guitarists Slash and Tom Morello, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock sports the greatest soundtrack to ever find its way into a videogame. Vastly improved graphics immerse gamers into their rock arenas and heighten their visual experience while the new wireless Gibson guitar controllers allow the players to channel their inner guitar gods. The arcade-inspired battle mode, expanded co-op career and boss battles add depth and extend gameplay for countless hours of shred time.

Beginning Nov. 2, 2007, fans 13 years old or older will be able to participate in a number of exciting activities online including a 72-hour Play & Win Sweepstakes where every hour winning axe shredders who register and play are awarded with special prize packages, such as a limited edition guitar faceplate signed by Slash, as they battle in a multiplayer showdown against the developers of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, as well as an exclusive Xbox LIVE leaderboard tournament to crown the top Guitar Hero player.

Before Guitar Hero fans sign up for this gnarly shredfest, they will have the rockin’ opportunity to practice their skills with a free game demo available for download on Tuesday, Oct. 23 exclusively through Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360. The free game demo, playable with either the X-Plorer guitar or Xbox 360 controller, will include the following 5 finger-melting songs:

• Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
• Lay Down (by Priestess)
• The Metal (by Tenacious D)
• Hit Me with your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benatar)
• Rock You like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)

To kick off Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Weekend, fans will have the coveted opportunity to secure the rare and elusive “Meet Your Maker” Xbox LIVE achievement, where axe-shredders can beat the creators at their own game, while competing online against the developers from Neversoft on Friday, November 2 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm EST. Be on the look-out for the following development team Gamertags:

• GH DesLead, Alan - Design Lead
• GH AsstProd, Lee - Asst Producer
• GH SrProdTech, Clive - Sr. Producer Technology
• GH OnlineEng, Mario - Online Engineer
• GH OnlineEng2, Tim - Online Engineer
• GH MidiDes2, Chris - Midi Designer
• GH MidiDes3, David - Midi Designer
• GH MidiDes4, Geoffrey - Midi Designer
• GH MidiDes5, John - Midi Designer
• GH MidiDes6, Brian - Midi Designer
• GH MidiDes7, Kyle - Midi Designer

More details on registering for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Weekend, and information regarding terms, conditions, and official rules will be available on Tuesday, October 23 through the official event page: www.xbox.com/gh3weekend. Open registration will begin when the site goes live and will end at 11:59pm (EST) on November 4, 2007.

Features :

• Featuring over 70% master recordings, spanning over 40 years of music across many rock genres, Guitar Hero fans have the opportunity to shred to one of the greatest compilations of music ever. Adding to the track list are some of the most legendary European anthems with a vast array of downloadable content post-launch. From Metallica to Muse and Rolling Stones to Rage Against the Machine, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers up a truly legendary set list.
• Multiple tracks that can only be found in the game include guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello contributing original guitar riffs for their boss battles. Also, the Sex Pistols re-entered the studio for the first time in 30 years to re-record “Anarchy in the U.K.” providing Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock an original recording not available anywhere else. Additionally, Living Colour re-recorded their Grammy Award winning “Cult of Personality” adding a solo that left legendary guitarist Vernon Reid grunting.
• Improving the graphics from the ground up have created a more intense visual element giving guitar heroes the sense of performing on their own rock stage. Slash, Tom Morello and Bret Michaels spent hours in motion capture suits so that their movements and styles were translated perfectly to their in-game characters. Venue light shows have been coordinated for each song along with choreographing the animations for each band member. Ultra-detailed textures in the fictional characters and multiple outfits give the option of customizing the guitarist to meet everyone’s inner grunge, punk, metal or anything in between.
• The arcade-inspired battle mode adds a new dimension to the Guitar Hero franchise. The idea isn’t necessarily to hit the most notes, but rather hit the right ones and learn the nuances of using the power-up attacks. With Guitar Battle, Star Power sequences are replaced with Battle Power sequences. Hit every note in the Battle Power sequence and receive a power-up that can be used to attack the competition.
• Battle mode lends itself to the boss battles featuring Slash and Tom Morello. After defeating a boss, unlock them as a playable character and continue to the encore for the set list, which is a master recording of one of their most legendary songs. After defeating Slash, the next performance is “Welcome to the Jungle” and Slash stays on stage to play with the gamer. Likewise for Tom Morello and the hard-hitting “Bulls on Parade.”
• Taking the co-op experience to the next level is the new Co-op Career mode giving guitar heroes the chance to progress through their career with a friend. Since not all songs play well for both the lead and bass tracks, only the best songs are pulled from the single player career mode with six co-op career exclusive encore songs.
• Compete head-to-head in any of the competitive game modes online to prove who the most legendary guitar hero really is. Or, for those looking for a more friendly experience, shred to a few tracks on the lead or the bass in co-op online.
• Wireless guitars on the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii will have the Gibson Les Paul guitar shape, while the PS2 will be receiving a new design in the Gibson Kramer Striker shape.
• All guitars will have detachable necks for easier portability as well as storage. Adding a new level of personalization to the Les Paul Guitar controllers are interchangeable faceplates giving guitar heroes the opportunity to show their style via their instrument.

For Wii:

• Now that’s a Guitar! – The Wii Gibson Les Paul guitar controller has a void in the guitar for the Wii Remote to snap into and connects to the Wii Remote via the Nunchuk port. By using the Wii Remote, the guitar controller utilizes the wireless technology and accelerometer.
• That’s Wii terrific! – Adapting the Wii Remote’s technology, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock uses both the rumble feature and the speaker on the Wii Remote. The rumble can be felt shaking the guitar when rocking out with Star Power. The speaker comes in handy when playing multiplayer as “clinks” are heard through the Wii Remote as opposed to being ported through the TV speakers.

Previously announced tracks :

• Same Old Song and Dance (by Aerosmith)
• Helicopter (by Bloc Party)
• Stricken (by Disturbed)
• Monsters (by Matchbook Romance)
• Before I Forget (by Slipknot)
• Kool Thing (by Sonic Youth)
• When You Were Young (by The Killers)
• Devil Went Down to Georgia (as made famous by Charlie Daniels Band)
• Sunshine of Your Love (as made famous by Cream)
• Holiday in Cambodia (as made famous by Dead Kennedys)
• Cliffs of Dover (as made famous by Eric Johnson)
• Hit Me with Your Best Shot (as made famous by Pat Benetar)
• Black Magic Woman (as made famous by Santana)
• Story of My Life (as made famous by Social Distortion)
• Pride and Joy (as made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughn)
• The Seeker (as made famous by The Who)
• Black Sunshine (as made famous by White Zombie)
• Miss Murder (by AFI)
• Minus Celsius (by Backyard Babies)
• Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
• Hier Kommt Alex (by Die Toten Hosen)
• Through Fire and Flames (by Dragonforce)
• In the Belly of a Shark (by Gallows)
• Welcome to The Jungle (by Guns N' Roses)
• Avalancha (by Heroes Del Silencio)
• Take This Life (by In Flames)
• Number of the Beast (by Iron Maiden)
• Ruby (by Kaiser Chiefs)
• Closer (by Lacuna Coil)
• Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
• One (by Metallica)
• Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
• Mauvais Garcon (by NAAST)
• Even Flow (by Pearl Jam)
• Lay Down (by Priestess)
• Bulls on Parade (by Rage Against The Machine)
• 3's and 7's (by Queens of the Stone Age)
• Suck My Kiss (by Red Hot Chili Peppers)
• Generation Rock (by Revolverheld)
• Raining Blood (by Slayer)
• Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
• Radio Song (by Superbus)
• The Metal (by Tenacious D)
• I'm in the Band (by The Hellacopters)
• Anarchy in the U.K. (by The Sex Pistols)
• Reptillia (by The Strokes)
• Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
• My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
• Slash's Original Boss Battle Recording
• Tom Morello's Original Boss Battle Recording
• School's Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
• Paranoid (as made famous by Black Sabbath)
• Cities on Flame (as made famous by Blue Oyster Cult)
• Slow Ride (as made famous by Foghat)
• Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)
• Rock and Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
• Mississippi Queen (as made famous by Mountain)
• Rock You Like a Hurricane (as made famous by Scorpions)
• La Grange (as made famous by ZZ Top)
• The Devil Went Down to Georgia (Steve Ouimette)

Venues

• Backyard Bash
• Desert Rock Tour
• Kaiju Megadome
• Lou's Inferno
• Mitch's Moose Lounge
• Shanker's Island
• Video Shoot
• Ye Olde Royal Odeon

Guitar Hero III Features

• Over 45 of the most legendary rock anthems of all-time
• Added multiplayer modes – arcade inspired battle and the dual shredding co-op career
• Challenge the legends of rock and roll in boss battles
• Take those axe shredding skills online and rock live around the world
• Expand upon your Guitar Hero experience with downloadable songs, themes and picture packs
• See how you match up against the best in the world on the Leaderboards
• All-new tricked out venues taking you to hell and back
• Your favorite characters freshly fitted with a few new faces

Guitar Hero III Les Paul/Kramer Guitar Controller Features

• Completely redesigned Gibson Les Paul/Kramer Guitar Controllers
• Wireless freedom to rock without constraints
• Swappable faceplates for maximum customization (available on the Les Paul Controller)
• Breakaway neck for easier transportation between performances
• Ultra-stylish start and back buttons