Morello a villain in Guitar Hero III

In addition to a heavy reliance on master recording tracks, Activision and RedOctane have signed on a number of big-name rockers to appear as bosses in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. One of the major announcements coming out of the GHIII camp during this year's E3 Media and Business Summit was that Guns N' Roses thrasher Slash would be doling out his special brand of rock for the rhythm game. Earlier this month, Poison frontman Bret Michaels was named as the second legend of rock to take the stage.

The third epic rocker to lend his signature twang in person to Guitar Hero III will reportedly be Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello. Speaking to Rolling Stone, Morello reportedly confirmed his appearance as a boss character, saying, "Whenever I play Guitar Hero, my opponent always kicks my ass on my own riffs...Now that I'm actually in the game, I hope the digital me will win once in a while!" A RedOctane rep has since confirmed Morello's presence in the game, noting that "track(s) that involve Morello will be announced shortly."

Known for his funk-heavy riffs and synthetic guitar sounds, Morello jammed with politically minded rockers Rage Against the Machine from 1991 to 2000. He and the rest of Rage's instrumentation joined with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell to form supergroup Audioslave from 2001 to 2007. In 2003, Morello was named the 26th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone.

As for official news on Guitar Hero III, RedOctane has updated its site with a new preorder bundle for the upcoming game. The Guitar Hero III Elite Bundle will include the game, a wireless Les Paul guitar controller, a custom faceplate, a Guitar Hero III T-shirt, a 2-inch-wide guitar strap, a keychain, and a sticker pack. The bundle is currently listed for the $109.99 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and $99.99 on the Nintendo Wii.

Rated T for Teen, Guitar Hero III: Rock the Legends is slated for release this October. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game will retail for $59.99, or $99.99 with a packed-in guitar. On the Wii and PlayStation 2, GHIII will cost $89.99 bundled with a guitar.