Konami trademarks 'Guitar Revolution'

  • By Patrick Caldwell, GameSpot
  • Posted Jul 10, 2006 3:57 pm PT

The maker of Guitar Freaks may be planning a new axe-based music game for US release.

Perhaps hoping to capitalize on some of the success of Red Octane's breakout hit Guitar Hero, publisher Konami has made a filing with the US government to trademark the moniker "Guitar Revolution"--a title that shares the nomenclature found in the company's other music and rhythm games.

The trademark, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office on June 29, is littered with selected keywords and phrases used to describe the company's new endeavor. Among the trademark's listed descriptions are "video game controller in the form of an electronic toy guitar, sold as a unit," "stand alone electronic game machines with electronic toy guitars," and "coin-operated video games."

If Konami does release a guitar-based rhythm game, it won't be unfamiliar territory for the Japanese company. In 1999 it released the arcade and PlayStation game Guitar Freaks, often seen as the inspiration for last year's Guitar Hero on the PlayStation 2. Red Octane's Guitar Hero has since spawned a sequel and scored critical praise, industry nods, and more than 400,000 copies sold, despite a hefty $70 price tag.

The name of Konami's trademark--"Guitar Revolution"--also fits snugly into Konami's current line of other Revolution music-based games, Dance Dance Revolution and Karaoke Revolution.

Konami had not responded to a request for comment as of press time.

53 Comments

  • Horrormaster

    Posted Aug 24, 2006 6:22 am PT

    GAY

  • AJmon13

    Posted Jul 21, 2006 7:56 am PT

    d00d! I just had a thought...what if they put Daikenkai into this Guitar Revolution game? It would work ^_^

  • beinss

    Posted Jul 20, 2006 11:44 am PT

    too bad the only system that can do drums perfectly would be the Rev.

  • GERARDAMO

    Posted Jul 18, 2006 9:50 am PT

    Darn... so much for Drummania, that could have been what made Guitar Freaks (...Revolution... ugh) more popular than Guitar Hero. I doubt I'll buy either game. This sucks, I really wanted Drummania.

  • Yankeefan320

    Posted Jul 16, 2006 5:17 am PT

    Gutar Hero 2 is gonna be awsome but i wish you could download your own songs and play those, that would be sweet.

  • EvilPizzaMan

    Posted Jul 14, 2006 3:21 pm PT

    Hmm, Konami's Guitar game will probably be good, but I doubt it will top Guitar Hero. The music in the Revolution games is usually pretty bad in my opinion. Can't really say what the gameplay will be like though.

  • senpuuken

    Posted Jul 12, 2006 1:14 pm PT

    this is gonna be awesome, the only thing i wish is too keep the soundtrack the same as the most recent japanese release, guitar freaks V2. Anything close to that as an home console, would be amazing. woot!

  • Binky42

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 9:58 pm PT

    "when all is said and done, I think Guitar Hero has done more for the rhythm genre than probably any other game that has ever come out, or will come out... hands down... the game is so near perfect only the sequel could ever top it..."



    ............


    Is that a joke??

  • Dominuss

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 8:33 pm PT

    Whatever the case may be - be it Konami ripping off Red Octane or vice versa - I just hope the have the sense to let us use the same controller for Konami's new game instead of buying a new one. That would be plain stupid on their side.

  • DDRMark

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 7:10 pm PT

    its about **** time!

  • montesol

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 3:37 pm PT

    the more chances I get to rock out with my, well to rock out while pretending to be on stage is fine by me.

  • Skylock00 Site moderator

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 1:02 pm PT

    Once again, those who think that this is Konami ripping off of Harmonix are a bit mistaken, as Konami was pretty much the first company to go full out with performance based music games, having made Guitar Freaks before the turn of the millenium. They've also made music games based on playing the drumset, keyboards, congas, in addition to their dancing games (DDR, DancemaniaX, ParaParaParadise), so Konami started this whole genre.

    Harmonix did a great job on Guitar Hero in making it for the Western Market, by having a solid interface, well formed note patterns, and a good song selection with relatively accurate renditions being used. The existance of two guitar simulation games isn't going to be that problematic, IMHO, and will only benefit the music game genre by appealing to a wider audience through different music library choices.

    At any rate, please keep comments either bashing either company, or making broadbased statements regarding music/culture from either Japan or Western countries to youselves to avoid needless heat. Thanks.

  • i_love_my_ds

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 10:45 am PT

    awesome! I've never played guitar hero, but it looks pretty cool

  • RazMasters

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 10:44 am PT

    "Guitar Hero is ripping off Konami. Red Octane just basically took the idea and threw in a bunch of trashy old metal to attract the Western audience."

    Someone's a little jealous.

    As a fan of Konami's music games, I've played all of them, except for "Pop N Music." "Guitar Freaks" is a game I really appreciate because I do love Japanese music, but it is in no way technically superior to "Guitar Hero." Furthermore, to say that Red Octane and Harmonix simply ripped Konami off isn't kind, nor deserved, as Harmonix has done favors for Konami in the past (including the creation of the "Karaoke Revolution" series). They have enjoyed a mutual relationship, not a bitter one, as your fanism would imply.

    Also, if you dislike the music in "Guitar Hero," you must not have a taste for rock, as there are many classics and good examples of talented guitar riffing in there. Either that, or your adoration for Konami has blinded you to the talent of the people at Red Octane and Harmonix.

  • Kodai_kun

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 10:07 am PT

    All the music in Guitar Hero is very popular in Japan. I wish Guitar Hero would incorporate songs of the great Japanese guitarists like Tak Matsumoto and Hide. There are a ton of amazing Japanese guitarists that people even inside J-music fandom never hear about because it's so hyperfocused on a few styles and artists. To choose a popular song, there's no way anyone wouldn't enjoy playing "Kurenai" by X on Guitar Hero. Awesome opening licks, killer solo (even better with GH2 because X was a 2 guitar group, often doing a lot of harmonizing with them) and very difficult middle. Or how about Art of Life?

    I seriously doubt that GR will be anythign close to GH in terms of quality. The people at harmonix are simply masters of the genre, and the fine-tuned touch they bring to it is superior to anything any other studio has managed to put out

  • BobbyBobby85

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 10:05 am PT

    Why is everyone calling this game a rip-off of Guitar Hero? If any of you presumed "gamers" had any REAL knowledge of the industry you cherish so dear, it wouldn't take a lot to know that Konami made Peripheral based guitar games FIRST. Sure they may have been arcade only, but if you want to get technical, Guitar Hero is ripping off Konami. Red Octane just basically took the idea and threw in a bunch of trashy old metal to attract the Western audience.

  • WolfSkill5544

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 9:53 am PT

    Wow, I'm really excited about Konami's news.

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 8:56 am PT

    black_cat19 said:
    "I'm not really interested on a guitar-sim if it doesn't (and there's NO WAY it will) have metal tunes on it..."

    I wish it had metal tunes on it, then I might actually play it. J-Pop's interesting in its own way, but it won't sway me to play this game like metal would.

  • ReyWing

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 8:18 am PT

    Gawd, dont forget about the DJ. Beatmania IIDX is where it's at. Plus, I dont think Guitar Hero was that revolutionary. THe GUI looks like Frequency's GUI. And the basic concept is just a USA version of Guitar Freaks. Guitar Hero is still a pretty awesome game that I need to play more of though.

  • Owt_Ytrof

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 6:09 am PT

    [insert narrow-minded, unfounded, presumptuous comment about how one game couldn't possibly be better/harder/easier/cooler/lamer than the other, because my view is the only valid one IN THE UNIVERSE]

  • gamestar412

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 3:26 am PT

    Wankese
    "I really think Guitar Freaks, or Guitar Revolution, will be for more of the off-beat gamer, while Guitar Hero II will be for the main-stream gamer."

    If you look at the track lists for Guitar Freaks this is true. It was mostly J-pop with one or two American tracks. Not that this is a bad thing because appearently little girls singing random garbage into a mic is extremely popular over there, as it is here too I guess. Anyway unless they make it for a rock or pop audience they'll never outsell GH. And since Red Octane already has a proven title to show nay saying bands they'll have a step up. All Konami has is a bunch of three button games featuring music Metallica and Hillary Duff alike would scoff at.

  • GCN49

    Posted Jul 11, 2006 12:57 am PT

    when all is said and done, I think Guitar Hero has done more for the rhythm genre than probably any other game that has ever come out, or will come out... hands down... the game is so near perfect only the sequel could ever top it...

  • starfoxmcleoud

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 8:52 pm PT

    An American Guitar Freaks........hope they bring the drums later. And the drum bundle they'll come out with would be interesting. Now if Red Octane did something like that, that would be insane. A guitar and drum game that can be played together via LAN. I'd get it just for that. Miss the arcade Guitar Freaks/Drum Mania

  • vaejas

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 7:51 pm PT

    Watch for it to get renamed to Guitar Wii before release.

  • mikedude_01

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 7:35 pm PT

    Why are so many people making it sound like Konami is making a Guitar Hero ripoff? "In 1999 it released the arcade and PlayStation game Guitar Freaks, often seen as the inspiration for last year's Guitar Hero on the PlayStation 2." Konami is ripping off an idea they created 7 years ago! Did anybody even bother to read that article? "Among the trademark's listed descriptions are "video game controller in the form of an electronic toy guitar, sold as a unit," "stand alone electronic game machines with electronic toy guitars," and "coin-operated video games." Sounds like a freakin' arcade game to me.

  • diablusx

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 7:27 pm PT

    All we need now is drum revolution and we can have a horrible, horrible sounding band. Thanks Konami for Dance/Dance, Karaoke, and the soon to be Guitar revolutions. Maybe you what Konami can do next is get some songs that can be played at the same time across all the revolutions. That will great for some youtube.com or gamespot.com images. Not that anyone would do such a thing.

  • Viper542

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:49 pm PT

    Of course, they would keep some of the DDR crossovers, so expect to at least maybe see Daikenkai and Break Down...

  • Bass7

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:43 pm PT

    Wow the TherealMantera. Just wow. Dude that's not cool, you say Jpop is for Jqueers? I'm Japanese, and I listen to Jpop. So you're calling me queer? Wow just wow.

  • rynmls

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:41 pm PT

    i havent played guitar freaks yet but i think its cool... maybe guitar revolution is for wii...

  • black_cat19

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:28 pm PT

    I'm not really interested on a guitar-sim if it doesn't (and there's NO WAY it will) have metal tunes on it...

    lol at the INCREDIBLY CREATIVE name! Way to go konami!

  • -o-o-o-o-o-o-ox

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 6:26 pm PT

    Sounds like a rip-off of Guitar Hero.

    It would be as if Bungie made a ball-rolling garbage-collecting game.

    Of course, it isn't a rip-off if they acctually do a good job!

  • ragingoptimistu

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:57 pm PT

    I'd love to see some healthy competition to GH. GH is my favorite game of all time, and I'm looking forward to GH2 more than I have EVER looked forward to a game, but I'd love to an actual competitor.

  • TheRealMantera

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:49 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • Foolio1

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:34 pm PT

    Unless I can get the game by itself and use my SG controller I won't be buying Guitar Revolution.

  • thebadoneandy

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:29 pm PT

    "it(guitar freaks) still had the amazing ability to be even harder than Guitar Hero could ever be. "

    You obviously never played *trippolette the hidden song on guitar hero. And in GH2 three finger chords are being implmented(GH could eventually allow for 4 button chords as well). The simple amount of key combonations available means that GH if tweaked to konami's style of difficulty would be disgustingly harder that Guitar freaks/revolution.

  • polsci1503

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:27 pm PT

    it's all about the tunes... and as long as Guitar Hero sticks with metal and rock, I'm there... got a feeling Guitar Revolution will have the mad licks of Maroon 5 and Hillary Duff's backup band.

  • Wankese

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:15 pm PT

    Personally, I feel the two games are two different worlds when it comes to gaming. While Guitar Freaks worked on a simple, three button configuration, it still had the amazing ability to be even harder than Guitar Hero could ever be. Even if Guitar Hero had five buttons, big deal, it just made it easier for me... I really think Guitar Freaks, or Guitar Revolution, will be for more of the off-beat gamer, while Guitar Hero II will be for the main-stream gamer.

    Still, I'm going to laugh SO hard if this ends up outselling Guitar Hero. I know I'll buy a copy. I was a wailing on Guitar Freaks WAY before the idea for Guitar Hero was even thought up! I sure hope this one doesn't go the ways of Beatmania....

  • stpid

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 5:05 pm PT

    I don't think it will come close to guitar hero. The latest DDR games have actually been pretty mediocre.

  • DreamworkS12

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:33 pm PT

    Well DDR has been a long running fan pleasing game to say the least Xanog1. Therefor I wouldn't expect anything less then great from the DDR team.

  • ShadowMatt

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:28 pm PT

    Well said ImaCarrot.

  • Xanog1

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:24 pm PT

    I have higher hopes for Guitar Hero II than this, especially considering that this will probably be made by the DDR team.

  • Nellynoway

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:22 pm PT

    yep... sounds like guitar hero allright...... im looking more forward to guitar hero 2 than this though....

  • keiblerfan69

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:21 pm PT

    Well I don't want anything to do with Guitar Freaks after playing Guitar Hero.

  • superdude159

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:20 pm PT

    I hope this music has so more modern music.Guitar hero is all about the old school music,guitar revolution should have the new school stuff

  • ronaldmonster

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:18 pm PT

    Harts right, it does. I whould love to see this war.

  • sushi_111

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:18 pm PT

    Meh, I'll take Ozzy over J-Pop any day

  • hart704

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:16 pm PT

    Looks like Guitar Hero has some competition coming.

  • slayerver1

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:12 pm PT

    This means the guitar game market is crowded (Guitar Hero series, Gitaroo-Man, and this one). I guess the licensed music of GH doesn't attract the Japanese audience since Guitar Freaks so it is probably a good idea for Konami to go back to making another guitar game/

  • dmfreak

    Posted Jul 10, 2006 4:10 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

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