Next installment in Activision’s popular rhythm game franchise bringing 85 new tracks to Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2.

Today, Activision pulled the trigger on its own official announcement for Guitar Hero 5, following on from Friday’s inadvertent reveal by one of the publisher’s European publicity partners. While much of the information contained in today’s announcement isn’t new, Activision’s official word did bring a few original tidbits of information. Namely, the publisher said that the next flagship installment in its popular rhythm game franchise will arrive this fall for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and PlayStation 2.

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No doubt as a result of the brand’s meteoric rise to fame, Guitar Hero has evolved into a bit of a video-game industry octopus. Bear with us here. While the core gameplay mechanics in Guitar Hero haven’t changed much between iterations, the financial juggernaut unleashed by its upward spiral in popularity has necessitated its evolution from an amorphous blob into something sprouting several distinctive sub-franchise limbs. Firstly, there’s the guitar-only brand that launched the game, and the format we last saw with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock. Then there’s the mobile version, Guitar Hero: On Tour, which has been specifically designed for the Nintendo DS handheld and takes advantage of a GBA slot peripheral. Next up is the multiplayer-focused band experience of Guitar Hero: World Tour, which launched late last year. The latter took the basic GH solo formula and added drums and vocals to the mix. Lastly, there’s the track-pack expansion arm of the Guitar Hero family with GH: Aerosmith, the recently launched GH: Metallica, and the freshly announced Van Halen game, all of which are built around showcasing individual super acts.

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Activision takes the wraps off its long-rumored skateboard-peripheral-based game, to be fully revealed at E3 June 2; Robomodo and Buzz Monkey developing.

Last June, the now-infamous Intellisponse leak took the wraps off the now-revealed Xbox Live Avatars, karaoke game Lips, and Guitar Hero World Tour neck slide. Now, yet another game accidentally unmasked by the market-research firm has been officially announced.

This morning, the Tony Hawk Ride Web site–http://thride.com/–went live, revealing the title, platforms, and developer of the long-awaited relaunch of Activision’s Tony Hawk series. As predicted by the aforementioned leak and subsequent reports, the game will use a skateboard controller and will be released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. As can be seen in the shot of the game, the peripheral will be a wireless full-sized skate dek, and it will have the buttons located along one side.

Not revealed in the Intellisponse leak was that Tony Hawk Ride will also be coming to the Wii, nor the indentity of its developers. Upstart shop Robomodo–which rose from the ashes of EA Chicago–is one of the shops working on the project, as had been suspected since Neversoft revealed it was no longer involved with the Tony Hawk series. Also present on the site is the logo for Portland, Oregon-based Buzz Monkey–which worked on Tomb Raider: Underworld (but not as the primary developer).

The game’s official site promises more information on June 2–the first day of the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Expo, which GameSpot will be covering live from Los Angeles.

Check out the source at GameSpot

Some experts claim it can’t do a whole lot, while others say with a balanced diet can provide the needed exercise for a healthy lifestyle.

MLB pitcher Heath Bell says you can. Bell credits the Wii Fit for losing 25 pounds. The San Diego Padre closer went on ESPN’s First Take yesterday to explain how he was able to get in shape during the off season. Bell also plays some Mario Kart: Wii, MLB Power Pros, and Guitar Hero with the kids. Now that’s my kind of guy.

Listen to what Heath Bell had to say about playing the Wii Fit and how he managed to lose 25 pounds…

Third installment in Activision’s portable rhythm series features 25 tracks from The Strokes, The Bravery, Tenacious D, and more.

First, there was the United States Patent and Trademark Office filing. Then, there was the Entertainment Software Rating Board stamping. That was followed by the Activision Blizzard postearnings conference call. And now, Activision has finally made it official–Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits is coming to the Nintendo DS, courtesy of Vicarious Visions.

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