When Neversoft's Guitar Hero IV (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) arrives this fall, it may compete with Harmonix's Rock Band (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) for more than just retail dominance--the battle of the bands may very well extend into your living space.

As revealed earlier this week, Neversoft's Guitar Hero IV (PS2, PS3, X360, Wii) will bring drum, vocal, and music creation support to the franchise. Now it appears GH4 may not be compatible with the Rock Band drum kits that are already in the homes of many gamers.

A picture of the wireless Guitar Hero IV drum kit, located within the pages Game Informer magazine's June issue, reveals it to have three drum pads, two cymbal pads and a foot pedal. That gives the kit a higher number of inputs and a different physical arrangement than the Rock Band drum set, which has four drum pads and a foot pedal.

Given these differences, it does not appear likely that Guitar Hero IV will be compatible with Rock Band's drum kits, especially taking the companies' past feuding into account. Shacknews has contacted both Harmonix and Neversoft owner Activision for comment.

The PlayStation 3 hardware has sold over 12.85 million units worldwide since its 2006 debut, Sony has revealed. The figures were included within its results for the 2007 fiscal year, which concluded on March 31, 2008.

As both Nintendo and Microsoft have already chimed in with their worldwide sales figures as of March 31, 2008, the worldwide install bases of the three major home consoles are:

1. Wii - 24.45 million
2. Xbox 360 - 19 million
3. PlayStation 3 - 12.85 million

In its 2007 fiscal year, Sony's Game division had an operating revenue of $12.83 billion and posted a $1.24 billion loss.

Across that time, Sony sold 13.73 million PlayStation 2 units, 13.89 millions PSP units, and 9.24 million PlaySation 3 units. Lifetime sales were not available for PS2 and PSP, as this is the first year Sony reported sales figures instead of shipment... Read more

At the EA Spring Break press event in San Francisco, we had a chance to give EA Black Box's motion-centric Skate It a test run in both its Wii and Nintendo DS incarnations.

While we were grinding our faces into the pavement, we also managed to chat up the designers on bringing the Skate franchise to Nintendo's systems and the development of the new control schemes.

"It took between a month and a half to two months to reach that 'really, this is the game we want to make' kind of point," said designer Dana Fortier. "Up until that point, we really weren't even sure we wanted to pursue it. Once we hit that point where... Read more

Not content to let Microsoft hog the media spotlight, Electronic Arts has released another character trailer for EA Canada's cartoony boxing title FaceBreaker.

The footage introduces the chubby and ninjastastic boxer Steve, who can be seen taking out his aggression on a young schoolgirl.

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Developed by EA Canada, FaceBreaker is planned to hit PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii in September.

Following yesterday's initial screenshots, Electronic Arts has sent out more media from Skate It, the skateboarding game in development for Wii and Nintendo DS. There are Wii and DS screenshots, and for both platforms we also have videos focused on game controls.

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Neversoft's Guitar Hero IV (PS3, PS2, X360, Wii) will feature custom song creation and multiple instruments when it arrives this fall, according to the June issue of Game Informer magazine.

As relayed by trustworthy NeoGAF user SolidSnakeX, the fourth Guitar Hero title will expand the series' offerings to include drum and vocal gameplay in addition to bass and guitar. It is not known if the controllers for Harmonix's multi-instrument music title Rock Band will be compatible.

The song creation functionality will somehow allow users to customize everything but vocals, though the specifics of this remain unclear. Users will... Read more

A new entry in the classic action-adventure series Pitfall will be released on the Wii this fall, publisher Activision has revealed.

Titled Pitfall: The Big Adventure and developed by Pitfall: The Lost Expedition (PS2, Xbox, GCN) veteran Edge of Reality, the game is said to incorporate motion-sensitive controls with reptile dodging, vine swinging, and clever puzzles across its 60 levels.

"What could be more fun than using the Wii Remote to swing on a vine over blood thirsty crocodiles as retro-cool Pitfall Harry," pondered Activision representative Dave Oxford.

First released on the Atari 2600, Pitfall represents one of Atari's longest-running franchises.

Electronic Arts has announced that it is developing a direct sequel to EA Black Box's skateboarding title Skate (PS3, X360), referred to as simply Skate 2, along with separate Wii and Nintendo DS entries titled Skate It.

The Wii and Nintendo DS iterations of the series (both pictured below) are due out later this year. The Nintendo DS version will use the portable's touch screen to control tricks.

Along with motion-sensitive controls that "mirror actual skate flips and moves," the Wii edition of Skate It will support the Wii Balance Board that comes packed with Wii Fit.

As for Skate 2, it was only revealed that the sequel is due on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Released last fall, Skate and its thumbstick-centered control scheme outsold the competing Tony Hawk game by a ratio of 2:1, prompting Activision to halt its annual Tony Hawk iterations and rework the series. EA had previously noted that it planned more Skate games.

Staying true to its long ago promise, Nintendo today launched WiiWare, its storefront for original downloadable Wii games, with six titles:

• Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King / 1500 Wii Points ($15)
• LostWinds / 1000 Wii Points ($10)
• Defend Your Castle / 500 Wii Points ($5)
• Pop / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack / 700 Wii Points ($7)
• TV Show King / 1000 Wii Points ($10)

Accessible from the Wii's online Shop Channel, WiiWare joins the platform's Virtual Console service, which offers downloadable retro classics. Due to WiiWare's arrival, there will be no Virtual Console release this week.

As has been the case with Virtual Console, new WiiWare titles will release on Mondays. Upcoming games include Dr. Mario Online RX, Tetris, and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People.

Keep reading for more details of today's releases, including screenshots.... Read more

Publisher Game Factory has unveiled new details concerning Two Tribes' time-waster send-up Rubik's World (Wii, NDS), and released a pair of accompanying screenshots.

Both the Wii and DS versions of the title feature 8 distinct games each, said to mix puzzles, quizzes, music and sound activities, in addition to the classic Rubik's Cube game.

The press release issued by the publisher also states that "the better ... Read more

The next entry in the Activision-owned wartime shooting franchise Call of Duty will take place in a "new military theater," according to Activision Publishing CEO and president Mike Griffith.

Speaking during a conference call yesterday, Griffith said that the unnamed sequel, which many unofficially refer to as Call of Duty 5, will arrive on PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS later this year.

The CEO did not elaborate further on the game's setting. His comments suggest that, contrary to past reports, the title may not return to the World War II setting featured in the first three Call of Duty titles.

As pointed out by Gamasutra, no details were provided as to which studio is developing the game. Job listings have indicated that Call of Duty 3 developer Treyarch may be returning to the franchise, with speculation that series creator and Call of Duty 4 developer Infinity Ward is already working on Call of Duty 6.

Publisher Electronic Arts is looking into the development of a Wii fitness game, Eurogamer reports.

Speaking at an event, EA Sports president Peter Moore remarked on the opportunities created by Nintendo's Wii Fit, already launched overseas and aimed for release in North America on May 19.

"We're watching very closely what the Wii Fit board does," Moore said. "We think we have to have a role to play with that mum—the kids have gone to school, she's got 45 minutes on her own, the Wii is there, it's the first console she's ever liked because she can do things herself. And we're working on stuff, trying to work out how we can use EA Sports applications there."

But Moore noted that if EA were to create a Wii fitness title, the exercise activities offered therein would be tailored for Western audiences and geared towards more active workouts than Nintendo's Wii Fit.

"I don't think the [Wii Balance Board] is going to take a pounding," he added. "We need to look more at western fitness in which I can actually be moving and start to sweat a little bit, and that's what we're working on right now."

Publisher Sierra has announced that video game based off the upcoming film The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor will hit PlayStation 2, Wii, and Nintendo DS on July 22, a few days shy of the movie's August 1 release.

The Nintendo DS version of the third-person action title is being handled by WET creators A2M, while Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown developer Eurocom has been tasked with the PlayStation 2 and Wii editions. The game is also said to feature "hieroglyphic decoding gameplay elements."

The title continues the Brendan Fraser-centric franchise's tradition of cross-marketing video games alongside the films. The first movie was accompanied by a video game release on the PlayStation, the sequel had PlayStation 2 and Game Boy Color renditions, and the Scorpion King spin-off appeared on PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.

Publisher THQ announced today that it has acquired the license to create a game based on Marvel's "burgeoning, kid-friendly" Super Hero Squad property.

Aimed at young children, the Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise presents happy big-headed renditions of classic Marvel characters, such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wolverine, The Incredible Hulk, and the planet-eating Galactus (pictured left).

The Marvel Super Hero Squad game is slated to arrive on unknown platforms in fall 2009, coinciding with the 2009 launch of the television show. Action figures are already in stores, with a dedicated comic book series planned for the fall.

According to THQ, which recently lost $35.3 million and is axing 200 employees, Marvel Super Hero Squad "further strengthens its position as the pre-eminent creator and publisher of kids video games."

Nintendo of America has revealed that the downloadable Wii entry in its virus-busting puzzle series Dr. Mario will be known as Dr. Mario Online RX, and will carry a price tag of 1000 Wii Points ($10) when it arrives in North America.

The information was tucked away within a video found on the Wii's recently-released Nintendo Channel, which contains detailed information for many Wii and DS titles along with downloadable DS game demos.

No North American release date for Dr. Mario Online RX has been announced, though the title and its online multiplayer component are already available in Japan.

Nintendo's downloadable WiiWare platform debuts in North America next Monday, May 12, though the company has yet to provide a set list of launch titles.

Long-time Nintendo programmer Colin Reed has left Nintendo for a position at Microsoft, Shacknews has learned.

During his 11 years at Nintendo, Reed served in many key programming roles, including technical lead on NST's Metroid Prime: Hunters (NDS) and main system programmer on Nintendo EAD's Pikmin (GCN).

Reed will be joining the team at Microsoft responsible for the racing-sim series Forza Motorsport, which is headed up by internal studio Turn 10. Prior to his departure, he was working with NST on an undisclosed project.

His resignation marks the latest high-profile departure from Nintendo. In late April, Metroid Prime series developer and wholly-owned Nintendo subsidiary Retro Studios lost three pivotal staff members.

Nintendo of America has released a new Channel for the Wii, enabling owners to download DS game demos and transmit them to the portable system.

Dubbed the Nintendo Channel, the free download also provides more detailed information on certain games and enables users to buy titles from select online retailers via the console's Internet Channel.

The Nintendo Channel is currently available for download from the online Wii Shop Channel.

Publisher Ubisoft today announced Protothea, a top-down vertically scrolling shooter, for Nintendo's WiiWare downloadable gaming platform. The game will launch alongside the service's May 12 debut in North America.

Developed by Sabarasa and Digital Builders, Protothea boasts an easy-to-play gameplay style coupled with full use of Wii Remote functionality. Protothea pits players against a political faction called "The Core", and utilizes dynamic ... Read more

Monolithic publisher Electronic Arts today launched the EA Sports Freestyle sub-brand, a new label aimed at what the company describes as "a growing, more casual sports gaming audience."

The company says that games released under the EA Sports Freestyle brand will be inclusive, casual, pick-up-and-play titles. The first title to debut under the label will be EA Canada's toonish boxer FaceBreaker (PS3, X360, Wii), which the company revealed will be released in September of this year.

In addition to the EA Sports and EA Sports Freestyle labels, the company also publishes its unrealistic, over-the-top sports titles such as the SSX and NBA... Read more

Box art for Gearbox Software's Samba de Amigo (Wii) on games retailer GameStop's website indicates that the game will support some sort of pay-to-play content.

Unearthed by the internet detectives at gaming forum NeoGAF, the box art—while not necessarily finalized—is the first Wii box shot to feature the red Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection logo, which indicates pay-to-play functionality in the game. Given Samba de Amigo's maraca-shakin' rhythm roots, the evidence seems to... Read more