It looks like Activision's Guitar Hero franchise will be catching up to Rock Band in the next big update to the series after its upcoming foray into all things Aerosmith. Guitar Hero IV, due this fall for PS2, PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, will apparently add drums and vocals and then up the ante by letting you record your own instrumental tracks to share with your peers. There's not a lot of detail around the songs except a few bands names being dropped: The Eagles, Linkin Park, Sublime and Van Halen. And all songs in the game are reportedly masters, not covers. That's the good news. The bad? Well, the guitar is being redesigned with a new "input mechanic" (read: not compatible with Rock Band) and you'll probably have to buy all new drums too, since Activision is notorious for blocking Harmonix' instruments. As promising as the new direction sounds, they'll be battling an installed base of fans who are not keen to shell out and find room for yet another kit in their already crowded living room. Let's just say the game better be MUCH better than Guitar Hero III if it wants to climb that hill...
