Guitar Hero v. Rock Band: The Battle Rages On

It's the Space Race of the 21st century, only now it's all about the stars. As we inch closer towards the release of the star-studded Rock Band II, Guitar Hero announces that it too has a little surprise in store for their fans.

When game developer Harmonix released Guitar Hero in 2005, few could have anticipated what was to follow. Two years later, Guitar Hero's development was handed over to Neversoft, who would release Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock later that year. By that time, Harmonix had already released Guitar Hero II and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The '80s.



Harmonix responded to Guitar Hero III with Rock Band, one of the most engaging video games of our time. It allows players to use a variety of instrument-inspired controllers (drums, microphone, guitar and bass guitar) to play a plethora of popular songs, interacting with one another as if they were in a real rock band.

The latest game has come from Neversoft, with the release of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which came out last month. Based on a feature in GH3 allowing players to play as guitar legend Slash, players now have the entire Aerosmith lineup, as well as a hefty chunk of the band's setlist, at their disposal.

So what is next? Well, Harmonix recently announced the tracklist for the upcoming Rock Band sequel and it is impressive to say the least. The game will feature more cochlea crushing tunes than you can shake a plastic guitar at, coming with 84 songs, in addition to the ability to transfer content over from the original Rock Band, not to mention the influx of downloadable content that will undoubtedly follow the game's launch, reports IGN. The big news? Players will now be able to shred to the likes of AC/DC, Bob Dylan and Talking Heads! The game will also feature/unveil "Shackler's Revenge," a brand-new Guns N' Roses single from the long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy.



Rock Band II will set the bar unbelievably high for future Guitar Hero releases, but the folks at Neversoft have come prepared. The newest addition to the Guitar Hero family, called Guitar Hero: World Tour, will follow in Rock Band's footsteps with the inclusion of multiple instruments. More importantly, they have two words for Harmonix: Jimi Hendrix. GH:WT has been granted the rights to Hendrix's music and likeness, and the game is expected to include tracks such as "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Purple Haze," in addition to more Hendrix songs that will be available for download, reports the Associated Press.

Both games are set to release in the fall.