It looks like this whole Activision deal has really worked out in our favor! Activision has finally given us a slight glimpse into the upcoming Guitar Hero III set list with some “as made famous by” cover songs and many more original recordings. The following are the cover songs:

• Rock And Roll All Nite- Kiss
• School’s Out- Alice Cooper
• Slow Ride- Fog Hat
• Barracuda- Heart

Not too shabby of a list. Oh wait, there are still 7 songs that feature the original artist’s master tracks:

• Paint It Black- The Rolling Stones
• Cherub Rock- Smashing Pumpkins
• Sabotage- Beastie Boys
• The Meta- Tenacious D
• My Name is Jonas- Weezer
• Knights of Cydonia- Muse
• Cult of Personality- Living Colour

An odd choice of a Weezer song, but it definitely works (just be thankful we didn’t get “Beverly Hills”). Unlike previous Guitar Hero track lists, I am excited about almost every track on this list, especially “Cherub Rock.” Having a Smashing Pumpkins original recording makes me extremely grateful for not having to suffer through a cover artists’ impersonation of Billy Corgan’s voice, which would seriously be worse than watching a Uwe Boll remake of The Godfather. On that note, I think it might be safe to add a Queens of the Stone Age song to the list, although the exact song has yet to be announced.

Guitar Hero III will also feature boss battles (however that will work), multiplayer battle mode, authentic rock venues, unlockable content, online play (hopefully for the Wii, although it remains unspecified), and wireless Gibson Les Paul guitars.

For the full press release and a sexy Guitar Hero II video, hit the break. Trust me, you want to see this video.

ACTIVISION SHREDS NEW DETAILS ON NEXT GUITAR HERO TM GAME

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Come Out, the Third Installment of Guitar Hero Rocks to A Whole New Level

SUNNYVALE, CA – May 23, 2007 – After warming their amps in the basement garage to rocking sold out shows at Stonehenge, fans of Activision, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) wildly popular Guitar Hero™ franchise will now be able to shred like never before with the next iteration of the game that will be available this fall. The new game will be released on the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Wii™ video game system from Nintendo.

Turning it up to 11, Guitar Hero fans will channel their inner rock god using Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul and Kramer models as the industry standard. In addition, players will experience an incredible number of newly added features and explosive content including a new multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, grueling boss battles, a bevy of exclusive unlockable content and authentic rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer game modes will also allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true legendary rock status.

While continuing to retain all the key features from their prior legendary performances, fresh downloadable content will be offered on multiple platforms, and players can now shred to a killer set list from many of the gnarliest rock songs ever recorded. Delivering more master tracks than ever before, strategic partnerships have been secured with all the major and independent music record labels and publishers to allow unrivaled access to their deep history of music catalogs, along with supplying artists’ original recordings for even greater authenticity.

The initial list of face-melting awesomeness includes:

• Paint It Black (by The Rolling Stones)
• Cherub Rock (by Smashing Pumpkins)
• Sabotage (by Beastie Boys)
• The Metal (by Tenacious D)
• My Name is Jonas (by Weezer)
• Knights of Cydonia (by Muse)
• Rock And Roll All Nite (as made famous by Kiss)
• School’s Out (as made famous by Alice Cooper)
• Slow Ride (as made famous by Fog Hat)
• Cult of Personality (by Living Colour)
• Barracuda (as made famous by Heart)

For the first time ever, Guitar Hero fans will also be able to thrash and burn with new wireless guitar controllers available for each platform. The exclusive Gibson guitars will include innovative features such as removable faceplates that will allow fans to later personalize their guitars and make it their own, and a new button color design that will be integrated for an even greater authentic feel and rock experience. Gibson Guitar’s Les Paul model will be the battle axe of choice, and an industry standard for all rock gods on the Xbox 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 system, and Wii™. After much anticipation, PlayStation®2 system fans will also be receiving a new exclusive shape as well, the classic Kramer guitar, also a Gibson brand, popularized by hard rockers and known for its body design, pickups, electronics, and construction for furious finger fretting.

“The development team at Neversoft has been exceptional, and we’ve been able to incorporate a host of fresh new online and multi-player game play modes, along with exciting content into this version of Guitar Hero that our fans have been asking for. Also, many of the top bands and songs we’ve tried to get in the past are now on board, and we’ve definitely got some giant aces in the hole to say the least,” said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. “In addition, offering a new line of Gibson wireless guitars for each platform is going to truly add to the authentic rock star experience like no other.”

The next iteration of Guitar Hero, published by RedOctane® and developed by Neversoft, is not yet rated by the ESRB. For more information about Guitar Hero, please visit the dedicated community site www.guitarherogame.com.

Video source: TheBBPS