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Activision has announced that it will continue to milk the Guitar Hero franchise, revealing that five new iterations, including one based off of the works of Van Halen, will make their way to store shelves in 2009, according to Eurogamer.

The releases of Hard Rock Van Halen, Guitar Hero 5, DJ Hero, and Band Hero will span four platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2) and should occur within the span of a few months during the second half of the year. Activision also has plans to release another Guitar Hero: On Tour title for the DS during 2009.

It seems that, for the time being, the oversaturation of the rhythm game market will continue unabated. 

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Prototype may have missed its 2008 release date, but Activision hasn't forgot about it, seeing as they've sent Joystiq a New York Comic Con invitation that contains this nugget:


Naturally, we'll keep you updated with any announcements made at the event, which begins on Friday and lasts until Sunday.

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After pulling out of the ESA and holding its own media event last year, Activision-Blizzard is headed back to E3, according to the current list of exhibitors for the 2009 event on the official E3 website.

Activision-Blizzard isn't rejoining the ESA, but it seems that they've managed to come to terms with the organization after an abrupt exit last year over reported displeasure with CEO Mike Gallagher.

Also, Joystiq is reporting that NCsoft will once again miss the event.

"While NCsoft has been a member of the ESA in the past, we are not currently an ESA member and do not expect to attend E3 this year. We will continue to evaluate how E3 fits into NCsoft's plans each year," a representative told the gaming blog.

The show will be held from June 2-4, so stay tuned for future announcements from the ESA and exhibitors. Hit the jump for a list of companies expected to attend.

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Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is Treyarch's first Spider-Man game not based on a movie. The gameplay, especially in combat, is a step up from previous Spidey titles but the story is short and unsatisfying. Too much emphasis is placed on a half-baked "choose your fate" branching storyline that quickly devolves into a non-stop series of boss fights. The ability to switch between red and blue Spider-Man and black-suited symbiote Spider-Man is novel, but wasted. People like me who pine for a game with Spider-Man 2's quality of web slinging with a decent game attached might be satisfied, but not impressed. This game is worth a rental for Spidey fans or any curious gamer, but at the end you wont be itching for more.



Click here for an explanation of our review and scoring format.

Spider-Man is probably the perfect character for video games. He can jump higher than anyone; he can walk, run, and sit on walls; he can beat up multiple attackers with blinding speed and feline agility; and he can swing around town on webs he shoots from his wrists. If ever there was an entity better suited for virtual representation, I'd like to hear it.

He's had a spotted past in games. I have no qualms saying that Spider-Man 2 on the Xbox is one of my favorite games to play. Altogether, the game is a wreck, but it's the web swinging I love. I could sit in front of that game for hours doing nothing but swing around its digital Manhattan. It just felt right in that game. You could feel the weight of Spidey as he grabs a fresh webline, feel the G-forces as he reaches the apex of a swing, feel the wind sheer off his body as he pulls his legs in and kicks out at just the right moment to maximize airtime and distance. That game is the perfect Spider-Man webslinging simulator. Every game since then has tried to be a better game, cramming in more story or more combo attacks and celebrity voices, abandoning the web mechanics altogether. Spider-Man 3 was a complete waste. How couldn't it be? It was rushed to come out with the movie, which itself was a waste.

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Turns out that the Wii won't be getting this week's Guitar Hero World Tour Jimi Hendrix pack after all, as a representative from Activision Blizzard has confirmed to MTV's Multiplayer Blog that the console won't be getting the download pack.

“Due to technical or licensing restrictions, the DLC offerings will not be the same for every console platform,” the representative told Multiplayer's Patrick Klepek. “For example, certain artists prefer to keep the integrity of the track pack rather than releasing singles and the Wii’s infrastructure only allows us the ability to release single songs as DLC.”

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Activision and Treyarch are hard at work on the next Spider-Man game entitled, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and today we were treated to three new screenshots. Peep them below. The title is expected to be released late October on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, PSP, DS, and PlayStation 2.

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Activision is almost set to release Monster Jam: Urban Assault and today they released the debut trailer showing off some of the visuals and gameplay. The game is due out in stores October 28 for the Wii, PSP, DS, and PS2.

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Following the ever-popular trend of releasing new music via Rock Band/Guitar Hero, the Smashing Pumpkins have announced that "G.L.O.W.," their new single, will be part of the set list for Guitar Hero: World Tour, according to 1up.

The single will packed in with two additional Pumpkins songs, "1979" and "The Everlasting Gaze," and will give you your first chance to hear the new song, as World Tour's October 15 release date is before the Pumpkins plan to have their new album finished. Also, group frontman Billy Corgan will be a playable character in the career mode.

It'll be fascinating to see how much of an effect the single inclusion in World Tour will have on album sales. After all, Dragonforce's sales didn't really take off until they allowed Activision to include Through Fire and Flames on Guitar Hero III.

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Activision has done fairly well at keeping fresh DLC in the channels for Guitar Hero III, and they are looking to keep the trend going, as it was announced today that a fresh track pack will be hitting the PS3 and 360 this Thursday.

Themed around virtuoso guitarists, the new pack will consist of songs by Joe Satriani ("Surfing with the Alien"), Steve Vai ("For the Love of God") and Buckethead ("Soothsayer"), who contributed the finger-blistering "Jordan" to Guitar Hero II.

A price wasn't disclosed, but past packs have cost $6.25, or 500 Microsoft Points.

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The first trailer for Call of Duty 5, now known as Call of Duty: World at War, has arrived, and with it comes these dire questions: Will the series' return to the played-out setting of World War II hurt this game when Call of Duty 4's modern setting worked so well? Can developer Treyarch make up for Call of Duty 3 by capturing the spirit of Infinity Ward's titles? Maybe Activision's same-time-as-E3 conference can provide answers, but for now just keep an open mind and watch.

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