Is your Guitar Hero 2 Guitar being a villain?

Looks like some Guitar Hero 2 Guitars for the Xbox 360 are defective. If you have the following Guitar with the model number 95065 or 95055 Red Octane says to return it where you bought it from for an exchange or if you bought it online from Red Octane you can fill out a warrany claim here.

Red Octane has issued the following statement on their website:

We have been informed of a possible calibration issue with Guitar Hero II for the Xbox 360’s whammy bar. We believe this may stem from a feature put in place to ensure accurate scoring. Guitar Hero II features a complex control scheme that requires precise calibration between the game and the guitar. We are currently investigating the situation further; however, if you are experiencing these issues, we recommend that you try the following steps:

1. Turn off the power to your game console
2. Make sure the whammy bar is moved away from the body of the guitar and not depressed
3. Make sure the guitar is securely connected to your console
4. Then turn the console’s power back on
5. Load the Guitar Hero II game and begin playing

If the above steps do not resolve your problem, please feel free to contact our customer service department using the following information:

Phone: (310) 255-2050

You can call our 24-hour voice-mail system for answers to our most frequently asked questions at the above number. Contact a Customer Support representative at the same number between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Internet: http://www.activision.com/support

Our support section of the web has the most up-to-date information available. We update the support pages daily so please check here first for solutions. If you cannot find an answer to your issue, you can submit a question/incident to us using the online support form.

Source: http://www.redoctane.us/support-center/index.php?x=&mod_id=2&id=128

NINTENDO’S FIRST MARIO GAME FOR WII LEAVES A PAPER TRAIL OF EXCITEMENT

Super Paper Mario Flips between 2-D and 3-D Perspectives

REDMOND, Wash., April 9, 2007 – Today’s launch of Super Paper Mario™ for Nintendo’s red-hot Wii™ system transports players into another dimension. Like a story ripped from the pages of a paperback novel, Mario has the ability to switch between a 2-D and 3-D perspective. With the motion-sensitive and pointing abilities of the Wii Remote™, this first Mario™ game for Wii delivers the goods.

At the start of the story, a mysterious villain kidnaps Princess Peach and Bowser, and forces the unlikely couple to get married without any paperwork. Mario, always the hero, sets out to save the day before a rift of dark energy tears the universe apart.

“This is one of the most remarkable Mario adventures you’ve ever seen,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “Millions of Wii owners will be happy, because this game appeals to everyone by providing a fresh perspective on gaming.”

Players solve puzzles, perform new actions, learn fresh abilities and beat bosses using the innovative and action-sensitive remote. Players can even navigate through parts of the game as Peach, and of course, Bowser, whose devastating fiery breath burns like lemon juice on a paper cut.

Super Paper Mario, Rated E for Everyone, launches today. For more information about the game, visit www.SuperPaperMario.com.

The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™, Nintendo DS™, Game Boy® Advance and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 387 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario™, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zelda™ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com

Source: http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=11900

Three New Classic Games Announced for Wii Shop Channel

Do you have an itch to blast bug-shaped space fighters? Have you ever wondered whether Dr. Bomb was a medical doctor or a Ph.D.? Do you resolve all your disputes with a heated round of Rock, Paper, Scissors? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll want to pay a visit to the popular Wii™ video game system’s Wii Shop Channel.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week’s new games are:

Galaga™ (NES®, 1-2 players, 500 Wii Points): Players control their fighters, with their unique ability to combine with other fighters and shoot down the invading aliens. Aliens attack in formations using a variety of attack patterns. Rescue a captured fighter to combine with it, forming a Dual Fighter with twice the firepower. Earn Perfect Bonuses more easily by using a Dual Fighter on the Challenging Stages. Galaga was released in 1981 and became an instant classic with its innovative fighter-combination system and varied enemy attack patterns.

BRAVOMAN™ (Turbografx16, 1 player, 600 Wii Points): The village of Nitta has been invaded by the army of Dr. Bomb, an evil scientist who is plotting to take over the world. Facing this crisis is Bravoman, who received his powers from Alpha Man to stand up against Dr. Bomb in the name of justice. The village of Nitta consists of 22 stages – action stages that take place on the ground and shooting stages that take place underwater. Action stages use a unique control system in which the height of a jump and the distance of an attack changes depending on how long players hold down the button. Players collect the Luck Symbols that appear when they defeat enemies and give them to Lottery Man to get recovery and power-up items. Stop Dr. Bomb and bring peace to the village of Nitta and the rest of the world.

Alex Kidd™ in the Enchanted Castle (Sega Genesis, 1-2 players, 800 Wii Points): When King Thor was kidnapped, his son, Alex Kidd, held out hope that his father would return to their kingdom on Planet Aries. Finally, it was revealed that he was being held captive on Planet Paperock. As Alex, players race to his rescue through 11 levels, battling enemies and avoiding obstacles while winning coins that will buy special items and vehicles. At the end of each level, players encounter a boss and enter into a match of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Throwing the right symbols puts players ever closer to bringing King Thor home; throwing the wrong symbols squashes them beneath a heavy weight.

Source: http://press.nintendo.com/articles.jsp?id=11863

Pictures of the New Xbox 360 Text Input Device

John Porcaro over at the Gamerscore Blog has posted up 11 pictures of Microsoft’s new Text Input Device for the Xbox 360 which is due out this Summer. Here are two of the pictures:

To see the rest of the pictures click here.

Cool!

Stay tuned to Next-Gen Gamer for a exclusive interview with John Porcaro about the newly announced Spring Update and the New Xbox 360 Text Input Device.

New Gears of War Update to be released tonight!

Gears of War Title Update to Feature New Multiplayer Mode

Don’t let the lull in gunfire and grenades fool you. “Gears of War ®”, rated M for Mature, is readying its next deadly onslaught with an upcoming title update, currently set to siege Xbox LIVE on April 9 at 4:00 p.m. PDT. In addition to the small-arms fire of a few impactful adjustments to the title’s multiplayer battles, the “Gears of War” title update will deliver an explosive and game-changing new multiplayer mode known as Annex.

In Annex, gamers seize victory by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points. Every map contains two to five identified objectives available for capture, with one objective active at a time. Objectives are based on map weapon-spawn locations and have a potential value of 60 points toward either team’s score. Teams collect those points by maintaining ownership of an objective until all 60 points have been distributed. Every second that a team controls an objective, the team gets one point. When an objective falls to zero points, the next objective is selected at random.

COG soldiers and the Locust Horde alike can visit www.gearsofwar.com for further details.

And while defending their objectives against the onslaught of Xbox LIVE opponents, gamers may notice the following minor adjustments to “Gears of War”:

* VGA Cable Support: Monitor resolution widths greater than or equal to 1280 now render as letterbox. In particular VGA users running at 1280×1024 will now see the game in full 720p (1280×720) resolution in letterboxed form.
* Adjusted Assassination Multiplayer Gametype: Leader no longer has to unlock weapons and now has to be executed to die.
* Adjusted Boomshot: Splash damage to be more effective rendering targets down-but-not-out
* Adjusted Hammer of Dawn: Aiming will be more forgiving of moving targets
* Adjusted Roadie Run: Reduced frequency of accidently grabbing cover while running
* Kill Message Ticker: Ticker can now be seen while down-but-not-out and spectating
* General: Addressed a number of possible exploits in multiplayer

Grab your grenades and ready your rifles as “Gears of War” improves its aim and prepares to continue the battle!

Source: http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2007/04/09/543835.aspx

SWEET!

Loco Roco PS3 Released Date Revealed?!?!

Over at PS3 Fanboy they got their hands on a screenshot that shows the release date for Loco Roco PS3. Here is the screenshot:

source & Image from: http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2007/04/08/sony-eu-extranet-reveals-loco-roco-date/

So what do you think all? Real or Fake? Leave your comments!

Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard Update Features Confirmed!

Today Microsoft announced the details for their Spring update for the Xbox 360.

Instant Messaging Comes to Xbox 360, Expanding the Largest Social Network on Television

Xbox 360 owners can connect with more than 260 million Windows Live Messenger users on Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs and Windows Mobile-powered devices beginning the week of May 7.

REDMOND, Wash. — April 8, 2007 — Your Xbox LIVE® friends list is about to get a whole lot bigger. Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Windows Live™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft® Windows®-based PCs and Windows Mobile®-powered devices. With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 20 billion relationships and more than 260 million active accounts.

Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 Spring Update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox LIVE social network. Members of the 6 million-strong Xbox LIVE community currently send more than 2 million text and voice messages a day and can now use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to six people on their contact list at one time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Text chat adds to the variety of options friends and families already have to communicate with on Xbox LIVE, including voice and video chat.

Current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE will be unified on Xbox 360 and users will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags, instantly expanding the breadth of connected experiences they can share online.

“Bringing the largest IM community in the world, Windows Live Messenger, to Xbox 360 makes sense, as Xbox LIVE has really become the largest social network on television,” said Jerry Johnson, product unit manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft. “For our growing community of 6 million on Xbox LIVE, using Xbox 360 is a very social, connected experience. They are using Xbox 360 to play games, music and movies while simultaneously communicating with one another through video, voice and text chat. With this announcement we are simultaneously expanding the access of Xbox LIVE users to existing friends and family while introducing Windows Live Messenger users to the benefits of Xbox 360.”

Beginning the week of May 7, users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will text chat using the virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging.

Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Spring Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements including the following:

To read the rest of the press release and features click the link below.