Guitar Hero Walks Aerosmith’s Way

Activision has announced it will ship Guitar Hero: Aerosmith this June, focusing on the tunes and career of the long-lived rock'n'roll outfit.

"Not only is songwriting a bitch, but then it goes and has puppies."

So noted Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler as Game publisher Activision announced it will offer Guitar Hero: Aerosmith for sale this June, marking the first time a music video game will focus on a single band. The game will put players in the roles of Aerosmith members Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, and Tom Hamilton as the band progresses from a fledgling act all the way to the top eschelons of rock music royalty.

"We are extremely excited that Aerosmith chose to team up with Guitar Hero, bringing one of the world’s all-time best-selling artists together with one of the biggest video game brands," said Activision’s head of publishing Dusty Welch, in a statement.

During Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, players will be able to play along to some of Aerosmith’s biggest hits, along with songs from artists Aerosmith has either played with or been inspired by in the course of their career. The Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game will also showcase important venues and some of the bands more historic moments. The game will ship for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation 2.

To celebrate the collaboration between Activision and Aerosmith, owners of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will be able to download Aerosmith’s classic "Dream On" from February 16 to 18 on Xbox Live and the PlayStation Store.

"We’ve put a lot of ideas into the game so that fans can have fun interacting with our music, getting inside our body of work and learning about the band’s history," said Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry. "It’s great for rock since the record companies are struggling to make sense of how things are changing. Fans want to get and experience music in new formats—and there are going to be some of them who will play the game, then pick up the guitar for real and start bands. It’s what’s happening now, and it’s only going to build more momentum in the future. It’s a massive change for the music business."

No rating or pricing information on the game has been announced.