Guitar Hero Champ Chris Chike Scores 100% on Hardest song in the game

The record setting teen is at it again! Chris Chike (known online and in-game as Iamchris4life) has broken his own Guinness world record of 840,647 points on the hardest song in the game, “Through the fire and the flames” and has now perfected the song with a flawless 100% (987,786 points and a 3722 note streak) on expert—AND caught the whole performance on video.

The video is currently one of the top viewed videos on Youtube and has just broken the 1.6 million view mark (currently stands at 1,609,299).

“I was almost in shock when I finished the song and had hit the 100%–I am so glad I caught it on video or even I wouldn’t have believed it happened,” said Chike. “It feels great to have accomplished it, and it is exciting to see so many people online watching me get a perfect score on the hardest song in the game.”

The teen, who recently signed with The Ant Commandos guitar and peripheral company to be their spokesperson and help them design their next guitar, was recently challenged for his Guinness World record title. But Chike has no doubt he will continue to be at the top of his game and will get the title back soon, declaring “It is pretty hard to beat 100%”.

Call of Duty: World at War Enlists for New Battles

Leave your packs and bring extra ammo, Activision, Inc. and Treyarch, announced today that they will be taking Call of Duty players deep into the South Pacific and European theaters this fall for Call of Duty: World at War, a gritty fight that will pit players against enemies that know no surrender and show no mercy. Utilizing the Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare engine, Call of Duty: World at War throws out the rulebook of war to transform WWII combat through a new enemy, new tactics and an uncensored experience of the climatic battles that gripped a generation. As U.S. Marines and Russian soldiers, players will employ new features like cooperative gameplay, and weapons such as the flamethrower in the most chaotic and cinematically intense experience to date.

“With Call of Duty: World at War, we’re re-defining what it means to play a WWII game,” said Mark Lamia, Studio Head for Treyarch. “We’re excited to give players a host of new enemies that employ entirely new tactics, as well as new, groundbreaking tools – like co-op and the flamethrower – to succeed in the epic fight.”

Call of Duty: World at War introduces co-operative play, bringing fresh meaning to the “No One Fights Alone” mantra with up to four-players online for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, or two-player local split-screen on consoles. Nintendo Wii will also support a unique co-op mode for two players. For the first time ever players will experience harrowing single-player missions together for greater camaraderie and tactical execution. The co-op campaign allows players to rank up and unlock perks in competitive multiplayer by completing challenges and earning experience points, adding continuous re-playability and team-based gameplay. Whether playing competitively or cooperatively – if players are online with Call of Duty: World at War – they will always gain experience points. Based on a player’s experience rank and rank of the player’s friends, Call of Duty: World at War will scale dynamically to provide a deeper level of challenge.

Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS Now Available

After playing to sold-out crowds in living rooms around the world, the blockbuster video game Guitar Hero is hitting the road with Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS, Activision, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) today announced. Available now at retail outlets nationwide, Guitar Hero: On Tour brings a new dimension to handheld gaming and gives fans the ability to shred along to their favorite tunes with complete portability.

Packaged with the revolutionary Guitar Hero Guitar Grip peripheral that fits snugly into Nintendo DS, and a unique Guitar Hero pick-stylus, Guitar Hero: On Tour delivers a unique experience by challenging handheld gamers to rock out and prove their shredding skills on one of the most diverse set lists ever offered in a Guitar Hero game, including master track hits from Nirvana, OK Go, No Doubt, blink-182 and Bloc Party.

“Guitar Hero: On Tour offers handheld gamers an all-new Guitar Hero experience letting them unleash their inner rock star anywhere, anytime,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “Utilizing the innovative Guitar Hero Guitar Grip peripheral and Guitar Hero pick-stylus, and taking full advantage of the unique voice and touch abilities of Nintendo DS, Guitar Hero: On Tour is going to again redefine how fans can experience music.”

Designed from the ground up specifically for Nintendo DS, the game continues to build on the franchise’s signature easy-to-play, yet difficult to master addictive gameplay, and now lets players take their experience wherever they go. Players use the Guitar Hero Guitar Grip, which mimics a guitar fret board, and the Guitar Hero pick-stylus on the touch screen to strum their favorite tunes and create their rock ‘n’ roll legacy in career mode. Fans can also join together to play co-op mode using a local wireless connection, or battle each other in a Guitar Duel using new Battle Items unique to Nintendo DS.

Guitar Hero: On Tour is developed by Vicarious Visions, is rated “E 10+” (Everyone 10 and older) by the ESRB and is available now at retailers nationwide. For more information about Guitar Hero: On Tour, visit www.GuitarHeroOnTour.com.

Harmonix, Activision brawl over Guitar Hero PS3 controllers

Guitar Hero III box

In what is a most amusing series of events, Harmonix and Activision are fighting like kindergarten kids over who’s responsible for not releasing a patch for Rock Band.

Harmonix, with some help from MTV, thought that releasing a patch for Rock Band, which would allow Guitar Hero III controller compatibility is a good idea. The idea did, after all, come after thunderous public request. However, it didn’t go down as well as they had expected. Harmonix’s patch was approved by Sony, but not by Activision, who supposedly objected to the patch.

This makes Harmonix and MTV heroes who want a free and liberal gaming area and where everything is good and compatible. Activision is suddenly a dark, evil EA-esque villain who wants the depraved gamers to buy Rock Band controllers. And because we need a fine background for a fight, we have Sony and their PlayStation 3.

Sony promptly replied that this is a matter out of their hands, and one that should be “amicably resolved” by Harmonix, MTV and Activision. Well, at least Sony has nothing to do with the whole fiasco. Then again, it’s the ill-fated, all-cursed PlayStation 3 that serves as a setting for this tale.

Activision struck back yesterday by saying that MTV/Viacom is unwilling to participate in a healthy tussle discussion about the issue. According to their press release, Activision were the good guys all along and Harmonix/MTV have been the ones who were not talking with Activision about their technology.

This fight is almost like the Silicon Knights/Epic brawl, except there’s no legal matters here and the subject is ridiculous. What’s bad is that the gamers are suffering in the long run. They are the ones who haven’t gotten the patch yet, while the big corporations talk about how they love gaming and want gaming to be accessible.

How will Harmonix/MTV respond? Is the PS3 really cursed? Isn’t watching this silly fight fun? Comment and conquer!

Call of Duty 5 heading to Pacific theatre?

SE Asia in WW2

As we have reported earlier, Activision has taken the dark corporate path of the EA, and will now most likely exploit two of the most succesful current franchises – Guitar Hero and Call of Duty, so that a new version of each game comes out every year. Check out the article above for more and the interesting rumour.

Call of Duty 5, is reportedly (but unofficially) under production at Treyarch, and some interesting rumours have invaded the Internet about it, saying that with no. 5, the CoD series shall return to its roots in World War 2. However, Kotaku has been tipped that not only will CoD 5 go back to World War 2, but it’ll actually give the Pacific theatre of the war a shot. Of course, we know nothing more than this, so we are left with speculation.

Since Call of Duty games have a tradition of letting you play the war from the perspective of various countries, I wouldn’t be surprised if the game took you to Pacific islands, to play as an American, and then Burma, China or other Asian countries, to play as a dapper Englishman. It would be interesting to play as an indigenous soldier fighting in the war, to see the war from his perspective (check the map I hijacked via Google above).

We are not sure if this game will turn out to be actually good, even though it’s taking a different angle at the War. The Medal of Honor series took a shot at this with Pacific Assault, which was somewhat lacklustre. Add the fact that Treyarch is developing this, whose CoD 3 is already considered the black sheep of the CoD line. Treyarch has a lot to prove, certainly!

Activision Blizzard Press Details (Update)

As an update to the current Activision Blizzard merger story we can announce
that for the foreseeable future all press announcements from Activision or Vivendi
will be kept separate apart from details on the merger. We can also report that
it is expected to be complete mid next year.