Any confirmation on 360 Guitar Hero 2 Online-y Stuff

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-03-19 01:36am

There is speculation that GH2 on 360 will use marketplace to provide additional tracks, in particular the GH1 tracks. Has this actually been confirmed? Obviously the 360 version looks better, but I much prefer the GH1 music to the limited, poorly covered selection in GH2. I'd like something a bit more solid than 'some guy said it might happen one day', though.

Can anyone hook me up here?

DarkSilver · Post by **DarkSilver** » 2007-03-19 02:45am

It's been reported ever since it the game was announced on the 360, that Red Octane would be releasing new tracks for download on the Marketplace, no word if they would actually release the GH1 tracks though.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-03-19 02:56am

I was actually looking for actual confirmation, not the same hearsay I've seen everywhere. Obviously they SAY they're going to use the marketplace to sell new tracks, but I own a PS2 and look on this with some cynicism until tangible confirmation.

Xisiqomelir · Post by **Xisiqomelir** » 2007-03-19 01:21pm

Stark wrote:I was actually looking for actual confirmation, not the same hearsay I've seen everywhere. Obviously they SAY they're going to use the marketplace to sell new tracks, but I own a PS2 and look on this with some cynicism until tangible confirmation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACTIVISION ANNOUNCES GUITAR HERO II FOR THE XBOX 360 IS READY TO ROCK

Make Sure the Neighbors are Warned, It’s Gonna Get Loud!

Sunnyvale, CA – March 16, 2006 – Get ready to crank up the speakers once again, as Activision’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero II™ prepares for its highly anticipated world tour onto next-gen videogame consoles by announcing it has gone green, and is now ready for production on the Microsoft Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Featuring a fresh and expanded set list of over 70 finger-melting fret burners, including 10 exclusive tracks for the Xbox 360, Guitar Hero II turns it up with a variety of deafening rock venues, HD remodeled characters, unlockable guitars, and different gameplay modes. Also, for the first time in the Guitar Hero franchise, competitive rockthusiasts will be able to go online to compare their scores and view how they rank through an intuitive online leaderboard, as well as download exciting content on Xbox Live Marketplace® such as gamer themes, picture packs, and most importantly, a consistent stream of new tracks.

“With all the new content and features we’re adding for our initial launch onto next-gen systems, Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 is definitely going to rock harder than ever,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. “Our online initiative is going to provide an incredible opportunity for our fans to extend the gameplay experience, and we have ambitious ideas to continue to fully support these efforts.”

Guitar Hero II, published by RedOctane®, is rated T for Teen by the ESRB and is scheduled to rock on the Xbox 360 on April 3rd. Pre-orders are now available, with a free Guitar Hero gig bag, through RedOctane’s online store: www.redoctane.com/store.html.

For more information about Guitar Hero II, please visit the dedicated community site: www.guitarherogame.com.

About Activision:
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.

The source is My Bosses at Sony though, so it might not meet your high "was this posted at Kotaku" standards for sufficient evidence.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2007-03-19 08:11pm

Is it wrong that it all sounds like handwaving around the issue? Like I said, I own a PS2, I know all about shit that was 'totally going to happen'. It just strikes me as a 'we'd LOVE to do this, but fuck knows how/when or if we will etc'. No schedule, few definate statements... it's all odd for a game that comes out in a week. Surely they'd know already if the GH1 songs were going to be available (and what reason could there possibly be for otherwise?)

Can someone tell me how the Marketplace stuff works for other games? They say that they plan on making GH2 the most Marketplace-y 360 title to date - does this mean that other games only have a small amount of marketplace content? How is it integrated - ie, is there a separate map list for downloaded maps, or is it fully integrated like on a PC? I am a massive n00b at 360, but GH2 is pretty much enough to get me to buy one by itself with these Marketplace plans.

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » 2007-03-20 08:21am

This is how you usually download game content. You go to the 360 dashboard, then to Xbox Live Marketplace. There's a section for games, you scroll down the list until you find the name of the game you want. Then you'll have another list with all the content you can download for said game (trailers, demos, add-on stuff, etc.). If it costs MS points it'll tell you, and if you don't have enough you can buy more without having to exit the process and start over again, which is certainly nicer than a lot of other services that make you buy fake money.