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X06: Guitar Hero II rockin' 360s

RedOctane's guitar-driven game takes next-gen stage on Xbox 360; downloadable content confirmed for Xbox Live.

The X-Plorer controller.

The X-Plorer controller.

As music has made the generational leap from cassettes to CDs, so too will music games. RedOctane today announced that the sequel to its popular Guitar Hero game is going next gen on Microsoft's Xbox 360.

RedOctane and Activision, which paid almost $100 million to acquire RedOctane, conveniently timed the announcement with X06, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Vista powwow that's currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain. The game, along with RedOctane's new X-Plorer controller, will be shown off at the event.

The companies did not release any more details on the X-Plorer (shaped like and presumably named after the Gibson X-Plorer guitar), but the controller was built specifically for the Xbox 360. RedOctane did not state whether the X-Plorer was wireless or not. It is also unclear whether or not this is the Xbox 360's version of the wireless PlayStation 2 Guitar Hero controller that was listed on GameStop earlier this week.

Bringing Guitar Hero II to a new platform means some new features. As expected, Xbox Live Marketplace will serve as a cyber jukebox for Guitar Hero II.

"With its large integrated hard drive, Xbox 360 provides an incredible platform for facilitating downloadable content," said Dusty Welch, RedOctane's head of publishing. "We believe there is no better title to feature microtransactions than a music game like Guitar Hero II, where the content is the basis of your experience. The relationship with the Xbox Live Marketplace creates endless possibilities for exclusive content."

RedOctane has not announced a release date for the Xbox 360 version of the game, but Activision CEO Robert Kotick recently said that the franchise would hit new platforms next year. The PlayStation 2 version hits stores in early November.

220 Comments

  • Caboose7293

    Posted Jan 24, 2007 11:22 pm GMT

    I was actually thinking about getting a PS2 for this, now it's for 360!!!! I hope they make the songs from Guitar Hero one downloadable on Marketplace. GH1's songs were better than GH2's in my opinion... But now we get it for 360! Yay Microsoft. Achievement points will be awesome for this. Kinda steep price though... $79.99 last time i checked xD

  • chainsawstorm

    Posted Oct 1, 2006 12:54 am GMT

    Yeah i almost bought a PS2 to play this game but i will just get it on XBOX 360 i love my HI-DEF stuff

  • Tuffg

    Posted Sep 30, 2006 6:29 pm GMT

    totally gonna buy this when it comes out! it's gonna ROCK literally!

  • _Sam_

    Posted Sep 30, 2006 4:27 pm GMT

    I haven't played the original

  • xXmeatwad225Xx

    Posted Sep 30, 2006 4:23 pm GMT

    Dude i was just about to pre-order this game of ps2. Luckily someone got smart and released it on Xbox 360.

  • Crazy_McGee

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 7:58 pm GMT

    What would be an awesome feature would be online bands (sans the drums, obviously), competing in something like a "battle of the bands" ranked matches......newbie bands would gain "credibility" or "reputation" and be able to take on bands at their level......just an idea.

  • monkeycatch22

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 7:43 pm GMT

    I wonder how much it will coast???

  • soadnick947

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 2:21 pm GMT

    YUS!

  • sigma8

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 8:21 am GMT

    Neat. I hope the Wii gets one too! Especially since they will be getting their own marketplace going. Maybe they can it so you can dock your Wii controller into the guitar, and use its motion sensor for some extra-curricular rocking craziness.

  • Artemis_D

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 8:04 am GMT

    All you have to do is turn the guitar around, mate. I can play it that way, and I'm right handed.

  • xtcdukes

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 10:31 pm GMT

    Once again, Red Octane just screws over the left handed players with this design. How about a Flying V model with a tremelo bar that can be unscrewed and placed on either side?

    Thanks a lot.

  • JHG6784

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:45 pm GMT

    dude i'm so getting this!

  • redbeef88

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:33 pm GMT

    lol no way! imagine tuning into watch 2 ppl duke it out online :p

  • ey_son

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:28 pm GMT

    @ redbeef88...dude with live vision, that woud of been so dope!

  • redbeef88

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:26 pm GMT

    ey_son, that would be cool, playing on live with others. It would also be mad to have live video coming from the xbox live vision cam

  • Xa31nov1s

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:24 pm GMT

    @Killagorilla27

    Oh god, I hope you're just joking...

  • eyet00th

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:14 pm GMT

    Can't wait! Maybe they'll have little song collections in genres for $1 a pop.

  • ey_son

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:00 pm GMT

    imagine playing it live against others

  • Jir11

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:54 pm GMT

    Ah the joys of being a fanboy....

  • Multiplebogeys

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:27 pm GMT

    I agree with NVVinh. You're a child. Playstation has bought hundreds of games that were for other systems so why dont you just get the playstation version and stop crying

  • NVVinh

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 7:43 pm GMT

    Hey sony-boy-18,
    Don't hate on the fact that other people get to play your preciuos little game. PS3 is doing the same with Oblivion. It works both ways and I'm OK with that. The more people that get to play good games the better. Grow up.

  • catach

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 5:22 pm GMT

    wow!!! I love this game....the x360 wil rock out the box.

  • tinytim10

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 4:58 pm GMT

    I think this will pwn and i look forward to seeing more on it

  • Brimanrulzyou

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:57 pm GMT

    YES!!! GOD YES!!!

  • THEKING1337

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:25 pm GMT

    This is a kEY game that will help the XBOX 360 it will sell 5 million units

  • hungfar

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 3:14 pm GMT

    Hot damn! I ...can't... wait... drool...

  • bududubdubdubs

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:41 pm GMT

    WOOT! this is what ive been waiting for! and downloadable songs, too. The only thing that could make this bad is if the songs cost money. Im poor, so i hope they dont

  • smoov22

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:39 pm GMT

    Unfortunately the guitar will not be wireless.. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/736/736269p1.html

  • Tom1243

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:22 pm GMT

    nice

  • Killagorilla27

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:07 pm GMT

    That's pretty cool...Let's just hope they don't release "Sugar, We're Goin Down" on XBL...

  • BigDaveyDogz

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 2:00 pm GMT

    "SweetPandaLove
    i agree that they need an engine that will allow you to play along w/ your own songs. how awesome would THAT be..."


    It would be awesome, but they wouldn't do that because then there would be no need for a Guitar Hero 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 etc, etc... no money in it.

  • SweetPandaLove

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 1:37 pm GMT

    i agree that they need an engine that will allow you to play along w/ your own songs. how awesome would THAT be...

  • Riorio99

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 1:01 pm GMT

    Nice guitar. Wii version please.

  • metdevthegamer

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:48 pm GMT

    Awesome.

  • chchamp61

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:44 pm GMT

    It is spelled X-plorer, go look at the Gibson website.

  • luis7989_7

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:12 pm GMT

    LOL, LOL & LOL

  • Tremblay343

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:09 pm GMT

    WHAMMY BAR!!!!!!!!!

  • Hokkie

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 12:03 pm GMT

    ~gamestar412~
    "There most likely won't be a PS3 version until GH3. As you may recall the PS3 is going to be fully backwards compatible and it wouldn't make finnancial sense to relase another version to make less then the price it would cost to port and release it through downloadable content."

    Ok, well, GOODLUCK trying to connect your PS2 Guitar into the PS3....seeing as how there isnt compatability for it. Though Red Octane could release a PS3 connector thingy...or make you all buy another $40 guitar for it.

  • JOhkonut

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 11:59 am GMT

    "Lol it has a whammy bar. Coolies...but they spelled Explorer wrong. "

    Well they would have spelled explorer wrong if it was for the exbox 360

  • GogetaX

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 11:47 am GMT

    Lol it has a whammy bar. Coolies...but they spelled Explorer wrong.

  • Guiomar

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 10:00 am GMT

    DAMNIT!!! With the WIi and a bunch of other current-gen games comin out this fall (also with the eventual emerge of Xbox 360 Platinum Hits, and the orgy of Greatest Hits for PS2) I guess the game industry just wants me to go broke this fall. DAMN YOU REDOCTANE / HARMONIX................AND DAMN MY WALLET!!!
    -Q. GrayFox

  • gamestar412

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 9:00 am GMT

    There most likely won't be a PS3 version until GH3. As you may recall the PS3 is going to be fully backwards compatible and it wouldn't make finnancial sense to relase another version to make less then the price it would cost to port and release it through downloadable content.

  • Hellisunreal

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:47 am GMT

    wonder if it'll be for the PS3 as well..........isn't it already a given

  • Zkeptik

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:47 am GMT

    Perhaps an intuitive engine in the game where it could "learn" whatever music you add to it from YOUR OWN collection. That would allow them to bypass all that licensing crizap that prevents them from pushing anything from Metallica or Led Zepellin. Sure it wouldn't be perfect but if they allow us to tweak it and maybe customize are own tracks and upload the tabs to trade.....drooling. I'm tempted to e-mail this idea to Red-Octane but I'm sure they've already thought of it.

  • thisissami

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:43 am GMT

    "OH MAN!
    Now I really want a 360! What to do, what to do!!"

    chances are it'll come out on PS3 as well (since they did say every major platform) and that's better for 3 reasons. First, there's a larger hard drive which means there's more rooms for songs along with whatever else people have. secondly it means the original guitar hero and guitar hero II will work, and third, the guitar hero controllers will work (sony has stated that PS2 controllers will work on the PS3), using probably some sort of adaptor.

  • xXHackettXx

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 7:42 am GMT

    Yeah, i'll be playing Foxy Lady all night.

  • dr_taffin

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 7:34 am GMT

    Awesome. My real guitar is a red Explorer. Feel free to correct the minor spelling error, Tim.

  • trentn13

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 6:45 am GMT

    controller is sweet...my bro wanted to buy guitar hero but i gave away my ps2(to the needy) so yeah really happy its coming to 260

  • xBlitzerx

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 6:39 am GMT

    OH MAN!
    Now I really want a 360! What to do, what to do!!

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