Activision Publishing has squeaked out a projected release date for the next themed entry to the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero: Van Halen.

Following in the footsteps of Aerosmith and Metallica themed editions of the series, Guitar Hero: Van Halen will aim to provide a similar experience, focussing on the band’s career and songs.

Guitar Hero: Van Halen is said to be releasing on December 22nd on the PS2, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360. Check out a full list of songs to be included with the game below:

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The short review is this: If you are a Metallica fan this game is made for you, you will love it and cherish it. If you are not, your capacity for noise will be tested, your patience in the face of songs that never end will be stretched, and your left hand will be very angry with you. Being somewhere in between those extremes – a person that likes approximately 4 Metallica songs – I found it a polished, well packaged Guitar Hero game worthy of a part-time metal fan’s time. But if your favourite songs in the previous games have been the ones by Boston then you’re probably not going to find too much to suit your taste and had better wait for Guitar Hero: East Coast Classics.

Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Guitar Hero: Metallica.

Thanks to everyone who entered El33tonline’s Warbeast/Guitar Hero: Metallica competition. It’s reassuring to know that there’s so much talent out there in South Africa, albeit leaning a bit towards the crazy side at times!

We have been keeping our avid Warbeast fans waiting it seems so, without further ado, let’s reveal the winner and what is surely destined to become something of a cult classic…

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Time is running out to enter our WarBeast/Guitar Hero: Metallica competition.

It couldn’t be easier, simply head over to our WarBeast competition page and let us know why you think you deserve to win this amazing prize. To earn yourself an additional five entries send us a cool video clip of you playing the air guitar.

The WarBeast is a full size wireless guitar, complete with glowing strumbar, detachable faceplates and skull fret inlays. You can fire it up with PS3 and PS2 Rockband and Guitar Hero games including Guitar Hero: Metallica which features 49 tracks from both Metallica and a diverse range of heavy metal bands. Read more about our impressions of the WarBeast in our review if you need any more convincing.

Good luck!

Activision Publishing have announced that European gamers will have the opportunity to buy a region-exclusive Guitar Hero Metallica Solo Guitar Game bundle when the game is released on May 22nd in Europe (and Australia) and May 29th in the UK.

The bundle includes an exclusive guitar controller faceplace (featuring an iconic Metallica skull motif), a wireless guitar controller and, of course, a copy of Guitar Hero Metallica.

Guitar Hero Metallica features full Guitar Hero World Tour kit support (drums, mic, guitars) with over 45 tracks from Metallica and a carefully selected group of 20 associated artists.

The game also features an Expert drum difficulty setting (for those of you with a double-bass pedal), as well as something called Metallifacts, which allows you to experience a virtual Metallica concert as facts and trivia show up on the screen. Sounds great!

Oh, also, if you live in South Africa, be sure to enter El33tonline’s amazing Guitar Hero Metallica competition, in which you can win a copy of the game as well as the awesome, full-sized Guitar Hero controller, The Warbeast!

MTV Multiplayer Blog have posted up a list of things you simply have to try once you get your hands on the latest entry to the Guitar Hero franchise, the suitably metal themed Guitar Hero: Metallica, releasing at the end of May in Europe, but today in the US.

Lead designer on the title, Alan Flores, provided eleven things to do in the game to squeeze out the maximum experience. What does he have to say for himself?

“Check out old Metallica set lists in the photo gallery.

• “There are a couple of images of old Metallica set lists in the Extras for the game. If you’re in a band, seeing that Metallica didn’t always get paid is encouraging.”

Band members are sure to enjoy that one. Read the rest of the list below, which includes some challenges that even the best Guitar Hero players will have difficulty with:

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A demo for Guitar Hero: Metallica has recently hit Xbox LIVE Marketplace, and with it, the following explanation:

“Get ready to thrash with Metallica and other rocking bands. Unleash your inner metal God and showcase your skill on guitar, drums, vocals and bass. Featuring the music of Metallica, Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters, Motörhead and more.”

To help you along your path to download the demo, here are a ton of videos from the game, featuring gameplay and vignettes featuring star rocker talent and some famous songs you’re sure to remember. Let’s start with an ‘Unforgiven’ gameplay clip and work our way down:

Look on down below for an additional four Guitar Hero: Metallica videos:

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During their earnings call yesterday, Activision Blizzard revealed their intended release line-up for 2009, including new Guitar Hero games, new franchises and new entries to old franchises.

To start, the company intends to release a bevy of Guitar Hero (and just plain Hero) titles this year, including the already announced Guitar Hero: Metallica, a new DS title called Guitar Hero: Greatest Hits, the possibility (and inevitability) of something along the lines of Guitar Hero: World Tour 2, as well as their DJ-inspired title, DJ Hero.

The Blizzard portion of the company has dedicated itself to releasing one ‘frontline’ title per year, although it isn’t yet clear whether 2009’s frontline title from Blizzard will be Starcraft 2, Diablo III or perhaps another World of Warcraft expansion.

As a result of poorer than expected sales for James Bond: Quantum of Solace, the company will be moving the release of the next entry into the James Bond series of games to 2010, to avoid Activision Blizzard’s own titles cannibalizing each other’s sales, as they believed happened with the release of Call of Duty: World at War in a similar timeframe to Quantum of Solace.

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Lead designer at Neversoft, Alan Flores, currently working on finishing up Guitar Hero: Metallica, has posted an item on the US PlayStation Blog talking about the importance of thrash metal and, of course, Metallica, in his life, making his work on Guitar Hero: Metallica seem like a dream come true. Choice quotes from the blog entry include:

“… I was reading a music magazine. Inside was an article on the history of thrash metal which listed what they felt were the quintessential 12 thrash metal albums of all time. I looked over the list and realized that I have nine of these records on vinyl and one on CD.

“Yeah, thrash metal, especially Metallica, played such an important role in my life when I was in high school, and now 20 years later being able to work on a Metallica game is nothing short of a dream project.”

It’s nice to read about a developer’s enthusiasm for a game that they’re working on, that doesn’t sound like marketing speak, and this is a good example of that. Read through the full entry at the US PlayStation Blog over here.

After Guitar Hero: Metallica was confirmed to be in existence after an unlockable trailer was placed on Guitar Hero: World Tour, not a whole lot else has been revealed regarding the title.

Now, Metallica and Activision Blizzard have seen it as prudent to release the full tracklist for the game, comprising 49 tracks from both Metallica and a diverse range of heavy metal bands. From Metallica’s site:

“Another piece of the Guitar Hero puzzle … the track listing! In case you’re just tuning in now, the all ‘Tallica Guitar Hero will be hitting the streets on March 29 with some really cool features like different classic venues such as the L.A. Forum, Tushino Airfield, and The Hammersmith Odeon, the ability to play as us or in single instrument mode, and even the Expert+ setting with double bass drum kick pedals.

So without further ado, here are the songs on the game … both from us and from some of the bands we admire and even call friends:”

You heard him! Full track list below:

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A trailer for Guitar Hero: Metallica has been discovered in unlockable, easter-egg form on the Guitar Hero: World Tour disc, leading to all kinds of excitement from Metallica and Guitar Hero fans.

The trailer has since been revealed to be a confirmation that Guitar Hero: Metallica is indeed on the way, with a release date of ‘2009.’ While it’s not yet clear whether or not this new version will follow the lead of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith in terms of format and presentation, it is clear that you’ll get to “Unleash your metal god,” when the game releases.

Watch the trailer below. Warning - Intense metal ensues: