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New Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s tracks revealed; welcome to the Hagar era
Nex05.21.08 - 8:48 PM 49 comments

New Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s tracks revealed; welcome to the Hagar era screenshot

Gamers absolutely love the Guitar Hero franchise. It simultaneously satisfies their innate desires to rock things in ways generally attributed to hurricanes, while filling the void in their lives reserved primarily for shmups, X-Treme Needlepoint and any other activity that causes spiral fracturing of the metacarpals.

With that said, the track list for the upcoming Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is kind of a let-down. To wit, a snippet from a press release we just received detailing some newly announced tracks:

18 and Life (as made famous by Skid Row)
Bathroom Wall (as made famous by Faster Pussycat)
Lonely is the Night (as made famous by Billy Squier)
Nothing But a Good Time (as made famous by Poison)
Play With Me (as made famous by Extreme)
Shaken (as made famous by Eddie Money)
Synchronicity II (as made famous by Police)

Maybe it's the elitist in me that cries out for Slint, Dramarama, and the occasional ironic Huey Lewis cover, but the songs included here are the 80s equivalent of My Chemical Romance or Avenged Sevenfold! Oh, wait ...

Hit the jump for the full press release. 

ACTIVISION REVEALS ADDITIONAL FINGER-MELTING TRACKS TO BE INCLUDED ON GUITAR HERO™ ENCORE: ROCKS THE 80s™

Songs Made Famous by Artists Such as Skid Row, Poison, and Eddie Money Are Added to Enhance the Axe Shredding Experience

SUNNYVALE, CA - May 22, 2007 - Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced additional songs to be included in the latest installment of the critically acclaimed Guitar Hero™ franchise -- Guitar Hero™ Encore: Rocks the 80s™, available this summer exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The tour will continue with 30 awesome new songs from the classic era, allowing Guitar Hero fans to further experience the ultimate rock star fantasy. Additional tracks include:

  • 18 and Life (as made famous by Skid Row)
  • Bathroom Wall (as made famous by Faster Pussycat)
  • Lonely is the Night (as made famous by Billy Squier)
  • Nothing But a Good Time (as made famous by Poison)
  • Play With Me (as made famous by Extreme)
  • Shaken (as made famous by Eddie Money)
  • Synchronicity II (as made famous by Police)

For more information, please visit the dedicated community site www.guitarherogame.com.
About Activision, Inc.:
Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.  Founded in 1979, Activision posted net revenues of $1.47 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.
 
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Australia, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and South Korea. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's World Wide Web site, which is located at www.activision.com.
 
Cautionary Notes Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:  The statements made in this press release that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements.”  These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties.  The company cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Activision’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, without limitation, the findings of the special sub-committee, the effect of the special sub-committee’s review and conclusions on, and other developments in, the informal inquiry opened by the SEC in July 2006 and the derivative litigation filed in July 2006 against certain current and former directors and officers of the company, the possibility that additional claims and proceedings will be commenced, including additional stockholder litigation, employee litigation, and additional actions by the SEC and/or other regulatory agencies, and direct and indirect expenses and diversion of management time resulting from or relating to the special sub-committee review and related regulatory proceedings and litigation, the company’s ability to timely file required reports with the SEC, and the possibility that the company will be subject to delisting from The Nasdaq Stock Market due to its inability to timely file periodic reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or failure to satisfy other requirements for continued listing.  Other factors that could cause Activision’s actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, without limitation, other litigation (unrelated to stock option granting practices), sales of the company’s titles, shifts consumer spending trends, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, the company’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms (including next-generation hardware), declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of the company’s products, adoption rate of new hardware and related software, industry competition, rapid changes in technology and industry standards, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, vendors and third-party developers, international economic and political conditions, natural disasters, integration of recently acquired subsidiaries, and identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities. These important factors and other factors that potentially could cause actual future results to differ materially from current expectations are described in our filings with the SEC, including the company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.  Readers of this press release are referred to such filings. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to the company as of the date of the release, and the company assumes no obligations to update any such forward-looking statement.  The company may change its intention, belief or expectation, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in the enumerated factors or in the company’s assumptions, or otherwise, and forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the company’s control and may cause our actual results to differ materially from our current expectations.

 
“Guitar Hero™ Encore: Rocks the 80s™ & © 2006-2007 Activision Publishing, Inc.  Guitar Hero is a trademark and Activision and RedOctane are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. Game code © 2005-2007 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. Developed by Harmonix Music Systems. All Gibson marks, logos, trade dress, guitar models and related rights provided pursuant to license from Gibson Guitar Corp.
 
“PlayStation” and the “PS” Family logo are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc.  All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.  All rights reserved.”


MORE IN OUR PS2 SECTION

Latest comment by Falkonite |view all 49 comments
I feel it needs to be said again, Journey FTW! I'd play Wheel in the Sky until the soundwaves became a part of me...

 PS2 Gallery | (1) Images
Photo



Jim Sterling's Avatar
Jim Sterling at 05/21/2007 20:47

Apparently you get "Turning Japanese" too. I fucking love that.
LordRegulus's Avatar
LordRegulus at 05/21/2007 20:48

ZOMG Sychronicity II FTW batches!!!1!
jimjo's Avatar
jimjo at 05/21/2007 20:48

POISON FTW
LordRegulus's Avatar
LordRegulus at 05/21/2007 20:49

SyNchronicity, rather.

Woot, woot again, and double WW00000T!!!
bobthecat23's Avatar
bobthecat23 at 05/21/2007 20:50

they should realese this as a song pack for xbox 360 it would be awesome
twesterm's Avatar
twesterm at 05/21/2007 20:50

Now if only they would announce they're bringing it to the 360 I would be happy.
LordRegulus's Avatar
LordRegulus at 05/21/2007 20:51

I'd like to know when they add Siberian Khatru.
Cycophuk's Avatar
Cycophuk at 05/21/2007 21:00

18 and Life should have been Youth Gone Wild. Better song. 18 got too much play cause of the power ballad craze.
Scape's Avatar
Scape at 05/21/2007 21:06

At least we get more Police.
Tron Knotts's Avatar
Tron Knotts at 05/21/2007 21:08

Guitar Hero Hyper Fighting Kill Franchise By Over Milking It Edition?
dark_inchworm's Avatar
dark_inchworm at 05/21/2007 21:20

That is a fucking humongous disclaimer regarding "forward-looking statements."
thelowestpartisfree's Avatar
thelowestpartisfree at 05/21/2007 21:26

Um...Slint on GH2 would be AMAZING!!!
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 05/21/2007 21:51

how is that guitar hero is going the way of ea sports titles already? for anyone confused, i mean the way of LAME ASS "updates" instead of true sequels? gag me.
Bethla Garrison's Avatar
Bethla Garrison at 05/21/2007 22:16

My heart skipped a beat when I saw "New GH2 80's Tracks" next to the Slint cover. Fuck you and your trickery.

I finally made an account just to say that.
Pieceoftime's Avatar
Pieceoftime at 05/21/2007 22:28

I had to actually comment for once since this pretty much blows. I knew it wouldn't happen, but I really wanted some thrash. They could at least get even poppier 80's songs so at least they're kind of catchy. Meh, whatever.
madfigs's Avatar
madfigs at 05/21/2007 22:54

On both Guitar Hero I and II, there were at least 10 songs on each that made me think "I totally need to play this!" Of the 80s tracks, none so far. Unless they're saving all the best for later announcements (or maybe if this only costs like $20) my face will remain un-melted.
Christian's Avatar
Christian at 05/21/2007 23:28

It'll be on the 360 by 1st qtr of '08.
Kia's Avatar
Kia at 05/21/2007 23:38

Wow...this just might rival Elite Beat Agents as the worst tracklist in a music game ever.

Way to fucking go, Activision.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 05/21/2007 23:46

@ Nex: You don't seriously expect them to get a lot of lesser-known songs, do you? It's similar to Karaoke Revolution: mostly get popular songs that people are going to know and have fun with at parties. I'm sure there will be some lesser-known songs as bonus songs, but they're not going to brag about them in press releases, since most people won't care.
mispelt's Avatar
mispelt at 05/21/2007 23:50

I agree with LordRegulus

For me it's Yes, or no.
ultrantoday's Avatar
ultrantoday at 05/22/2007 00:16

I'm totally psyched about this one. I'm wondering if the one's that aren't are twenty or below? Did you hear these songs new?

I'm doubting it, and yes looking back on it if you didn't... they are pretty f'n ridiculous.... but so is most popular music if you fast forward 20's years. It's still fun though :)

Can't wait for Twisted Sister and Skid Row myself.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 05/22/2007 00:17

Needs more Journey.
Netik09's Avatar
Netik09 at 05/22/2007 00:31

I don't even feel like posting...but I'm gonna. FTW
Detry's Avatar
Detry at 05/22/2007 00:51

A few that would be on my list.

Slayer - South of Heaven

Metallica - Disposable Heroes

Megadeth - Peace Sells

Misfits - Die, Die My Darling

Anthrax - I am the LAW

Robert's Avatar
Robert at 05/22/2007 01:27

Yeah I was born in '88 so I missed most of these...

I'll probably just buy it anyway and judge it later. It's not a coincidence that most of my favorite GH2 songs AREN'T the ones I anticipated the most before its release (STP, Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, etc.). So even if these songs may seem sucky, I might not feel the same later.
wintermute's Avatar
wintermute at 05/22/2007 02:10

Extreme are the bomb yo.

I'll be really interested to see how they tab the solo from Play With Me on Hard and Expert modes.

Nuno Bettencourt is going to make you his bitch.
Detry's Avatar
Detry at 05/22/2007 02:34

Nuno Bettencourt is going to make you his bitch.

QFT.

And I'm purty sure that solo was inspired by flight of the bumble bee.

Just sayin'

Good luck with that.
Winston Churchill's Avatar
Winston Churchill at 05/22/2007 04:11

Imagine Good Morning, Captain!

That would be immense.
topFAPgearFAPgorillaFAP's Avatar
topFAPgearFAPgorillaFAP at 05/22/2007 07:10

I hope the next guitar hero is
Guitar hero: Quiet Indie Masterpieces.

Plinky sing alongs with your favorite in Indie! Emo! Alt/Folk/Country/Bluegrass! It doesn't matter how good you play, it's about how you emote!
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 05/22/2007 08:16

Yeah, I'm officially not buying this. This is starting to look like an 80's version of an EA Burnout track list.
galagabug 's Avatar
galagabug at 05/22/2007 08:48

oh man, isn't play with me the song from bill and ted's that starts off with flight of the bumblebee? thats gonna be fun stuff!
Doomtrain's Avatar
Doomtrain at 05/22/2007 08:50

While Guitar Hero is mad fun with it's older songs and focus on songs that, well, actually have a great deal of guitar in them, it would be really nice to see some more modern songs.

I want Guitar Hero 90's and 00's.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 05/22/2007 09:38

I added a shot of the package to Nex's, so you guys can bitch about that, too. :D

I'm surprised people expected something else from this soundtrack. Remember, there ARE 30 tracks, so we've only seen a snippet of them. These are not my favorite songs, and I wouldn't listen to most of them on their own, but in the context of the game. Someone mentioned it earlier: Elite Beat had an AWFUL soundtrack, but the game was a blast.

They've promised a wide variety of styles, so relax yourselves. Also, keep in mind and a) tracks aren't always able to be licensed and b) they need to try to appeal to the masses. They are trying to sell this game, you know.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 05/22/2007 09:40

"Nex's post"
Ins0mn1ac's Avatar
Ins0mn1ac at 05/22/2007 10:11

Hmm, 30 new songs...
If they keep with their XBLM pricing model, it looks like this game is going to cost about $50 for 30 covers of 80s B-sides.

Despite my best efforts, I really can't get excited about this one.
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 05/22/2007 10:34

@Nick

Actually even though it was fun, the track list for Elite Beat killed it for me to the point that I was wondering why everyone was raving about it. Except for the Bowie song and the Jamiroqui one, those songs were HOORRRRIIID. But I did enjoy the gameplay underneath that enough to want to try Ouendan.

As far as GH80's goes I really wasn't expecting much different. I was just hoping on the off chance that I was wrong.
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 05/22/2007 10:37

I should also add that it really isn't a big deal to me since this is only an expansion and not everyone is meant to like it. I'd love them to make a J-Rock expansion but I know not everyone would be down for that.
Nick Chester's Avatar
Nick Chester at 05/22/2007 11:12

The J-Rock expansion is called Guitar Freaks and it totally blows.
krozall's Avatar
krozall at 05/22/2007 11:32

Where the fuck is Europe's: The Final Countdown

And Van Halen's Jump

How are these not here?
GuitarAtomik's Avatar
GuitarAtomik at 05/22/2007 12:07

Yeah, Guitar Freaks is a little too hardcore for me :]
LostCrichton's Avatar
LostCrichton at 05/22/2007 12:23

All that's needed to polish this release is a new guitar to package with the game, something definitive to the 80's: The Keytar.
Analog Pidgin's Avatar
Analog Pidgin at 05/22/2007 13:30

:P~~~ Good Morning, Captain on GH, please?!

Slint's touring again, by the by...!
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 05/22/2007 14:18

@ krozall:

Listen to "The Final Countdown" again, it's almost entirely keyboard driven. Maybe if we get that keytar LostCrichton mentioned. :)

As rad as that song that is, I'd substitute "Ninja" from the same album. There's more guitar, and it's about ninjas, which are cool. And by cool I mean totally sweet. We'll probably end up with "Carrie" if we get anything from Europe though.
topFAPgearFAPgorillaFAP's Avatar
topFAPgearFAPgorillaFAP at 05/22/2007 15:25

maybe "Blister in the sun" by the violent femmes. Good bass line; hell, make it a melody with other stuff, cause that song is a bit short.
LostCrichton's Avatar
LostCrichton at 05/22/2007 15:50

don't forget this classic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0
LordGloom's Avatar
LordGloom at 05/22/2007 20:05

Fuck, why didn't I see that coming?
BrettCelinski's Avatar
BrettCelinski at 05/25/2007 07:29

Here are some songs they would add, if they weren't lame as fuck:

Husker Du- The Girl who lives on Heaven Hill, Indecision Time (solo is INSANE), Pink turns to Blue, a billion other fcking songs by them...

Minutemen- Shit in an Old Notebook, many songs off of Double Nickles

Mission of Burma- Academy Fight Song


I could go on forever
Reeper's Avatar
Reeper at 05/30/2007 17:10

where the fuck is the social distortion?

mommy's little monster, prison bound, and don't drag me down are definitely needed.
Falkonite's Avatar
Falkonite at 06/02/2007 08:01

I feel it needs to be said again, Journey FTW! I'd play Wheel in the Sky until the soundwaves became a part of me

You must be logged in to post a comment. Click here to login or create a user account now.

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