The iPhone is ending up with as many music rhythm games as the consoles themselves — various Tap Tap Revenge (or Dance) games, Guitar Rock Tour, and just last week — Guitar Rock Tour 2, along with the recent official Rock Band game, among other similar games available for the portable. Obviously, you’re not plugging in a drum kit, guitar, etc into your handset, so it’s all touch tapping to play these music rhythm games.

While I’m a big fan of Metallica, I won’t be getting this game for my iPhone. While any of these tap rhythm games offer on-the-go fun, there’s little to no new content over the console versions. Granted, there are TTR games focused on specific artists (nine inch nails, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, etc.) with new tunes, but the majority of the more general games duplicate all their content from the console Guitar Hero and Rock Band games.

Tap Tap Metallica

So anyone watching the NCAA tournament this past weekend probably saw the commercial below. With the first piano notes playing, I’m expecting Tony Hawk or Heidi Klum. Instead, Duke University’s Coach K slides into the doorway. I out-loud groaned. But it got better from there with Rick Pitino, Roy Williams (Go Heels!) and Bobby Knight sliding out, before they’re cut off from the boys from Metallica. Coach Williams didn’t even have to change shirts from the Carolina/Oklahoma game. Guitar Hero Metallica dropped today, and soon it will be mine. I played the four song demo of the game on Friday and it goes from easy to “holy shit” in a 10 seconds.

As much as I love all the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games out there, I’m so looking forward to the Van Halen Guitar Hero game coming out later this year.

It’s not actually going to be called Guitar Hero: Van Halen, but rather, Hard Rock Van Halen, possibly an offshoot of the Guitar Hero series. The Van Halen game will be the third game centered around a band – the first being Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. The second, being released in a few weeks is Guitar Hero: Metallica.

I’m really chomping at the bit to see the full setlist for the Van Halen themed game, but until then, I wanted to give my wish list of Van Halen tracks to be included in the game.

There are obviously some unknowns about the this game, including whether the tracklist will feature tracks from all three lead singers – David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone (for that single album). The set list below is based on the assumption that all three artists will be represented. I may revisit this topic with a setlist that encompasses only Roth tunes, as he’s the original and current singer.

The Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game featured 25 Aerosmith tracks, along with a trio of guitarist Joe Perry solo tracks. So we’ll say 28 artist tracks. The new Metallica game features 31 tracks. So let’s go with a nice round number, and assume 30 tracks in the Van Halen title.

1. Runnin’ With the Devil
2. Eruption
3. Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love
4. Eruption
5. Dance the Night Away
6. Beautiful Girls
7. And the Cradle Will Rock…
8. Everybody Wants Some!!
9. Mean Street
10. Unchained
11. (Oh) Pretty Woman
12. Jump
13. Panama
14. Hot For Teacher
15. Why Can’t This Be Love
16. Dreams
17. Best of Both Worlds
18. When It’s Love
19. Feels So Good
20. Finish What Ya Started
21. Poundcake
22. Runaround
23. Right Now
24. Can’t Stop Lovin’ You
25. Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)
26. Humans Being
27. Me Wise Magic
28. Without You
29. Fire in the Hole
30. It’s About Time

Man, just seeing that list makes me anxious for the game’s release! If they do make the [wrong] decision to go only Roth era, I can see going a lot heavier off their debut album, but I really think it’d be a mistake to not include Hagar era tracks, especially “5150″ and “For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge.”

Can’t wait for this game! The other questions I have regarding the game is whether or not they’ll include Michael Anthony, with their recent history of giving him the shaft. I sure hope they don’t erase him from the game either. Then again, I’m not sure if the Metallica game will include their two former bassists, Cliff Burton and Jason Newstead.

Those around me know I’ve got a bit of an obsession with Kelly Clarkson. Her tracks top my most played tracks in my iTunes library, alongside of seemingly congruent artists such as Van Halen, Metallica, Foo Fighters and a bunch of others. I didn’t even watch “American Idol” till I heard some clips of her singing in the first season. As it were, I don’t watch “AI” anymore.

Anyway, I’ve absolutely loved Kelly Clarkson’s first three studio albums, – especially the second and third albums – “Breakaway” and “My December,” respectively. I like the rock stuff more than the ballads, though I don’t mind listening to either album all the way through.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed her third album rocked as much as I did. Sales were pretty abysmal, and her fourth album, being released may be a return to safer waters of the pop styling.

This morning, I heard a 30-second audio sample of the first single, “My Life Would Suck Without You” on YouTube (that is no longer up BTW) and sadly I didn’t like what I heard. It was sadly pretty bland/generic pop and if this is the best track off the album, I’m really worried.

Kudos to RCA for doing some actual marketing for this album, but I hope it’s not to promote her weakest album yet. This first single will be released on Janury 16, 2008 . The album will be out March 17, 2009. I’ll definitely be grabbing both on said dates and really hope I’m pleasantly surprised.

This is some info I found on the new album, attribution unknown:

Masquerade is the upcoming fourth studio album by American pop rock singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson, due for March 2009.[1]

Clarkson has stated that she is working on a new album, and is working with producer and OneRepublic front man, Ryan Tedder. Tedder has confirmed that he is working on new material with Clarkson for her fourth studio album. Tedder told Digital Spy that Clarkson’s new songs will feature big choruses” and “heavy drum programming, and he mentioned that the songs are influenced by the band Garbage, while one song will feature an experimental bridge that was inspired by Mozart.[2] Also in an interview she stated that she had written a song called “Cry” with Jason Halbert.

Clarkson has since confirmed a name of a track recorded with Tedder, called “If I Can’t Have You”.[3] She has not stated that the track would appear on the album.

Album’s first single is called “My Life Would Suck Without You” and will be released for adds on January 19, 2009

It seems the rumors of a Metallica-based Guitar Hero game were true, making it the second band-themed Guitar Hero game following on the success of the Aerosmith game. Now I just want that red, black and white striped Van Halen-themed Guitar Hero.

Guitar Hero Metallica will be out sometime in 2009.

So things are looking up in the Guitar Hero universe for me. For Independence Day, they’re releasing the “Top Gun Anthem” for free on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. I’ll be downloading that for sure. But the better news are the rumors of future Guitar Hero releases. Rumor has it that on the heels of the recently released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, two more bands are in the works – both of which are tops in my most often played: Metallica and Van Halen. Sign me up for both please!

I’d rather have both of those as Rock Band, getting the drums in the mix as well, but I’ll settle for whatever I can get in playable content from those two.

Free DLC for GH III on July 3, GH: Van Halen in the Works?

So the game just came out today (some stores released it at midnight). There’a already a bunch of songs available for download. I think they’re slightly cheaper than the DLC for Guitar Hero II / III, but man, if you buy all the new songs, it’s easy to rack up money quickly.

I see multiple tracks in there though that I’ll get once I’ve got the game, starting with the Metallica pack. How about a Van Halen 1984 pack with “Hot for Teacher,” “Panama,” and “Jump?”

Rock Band DLC is Live

Not a big fan of the partial list of songs they listed for the 80′s edition of Guitar Hero. I’m thinking it needs bands like Poison, Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Warrant etc. The single artist concept brought up in the email is interesting. I haven’t jumped into the Guitar Hero craze (yet!!), but if there were a Van Halen or Metallica disc, I’d definitely be all over it!

Guitar Hero Rocking the 80s

So it’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Harmonix’s Karaoke Revolution series. They recently came out with a new game that has a guitar controller. I so want to get this. Maybe I can talk Amanda into getting it for my birthday or Christmas.

Here’s the track list, complete with a 30+ second sample of each.

Nice list, though it’s missing some good bands like Van Halen, Metallica, etc.

Man, this would be interesting. I wouldn’t blame Kirk Hammett if he were pissed though! It’d also be great if Jason Newstead were to return too!

Metallica Like You’ve Never Heard Before!