Guitar Hero 5 allows song imports from previous games, features playable Johnny Cash
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Aug 8th 2009 at 11:00AM } 
For those who aren't particularly thrilled by this piece of news, try this one on for size: Johnny Cash will be a playable character in Guitar Hero 5. There's a video of the black-suited man performing "Ring of Fire" after the jump. We suggest checking it out -- but only if you like things that are completely badass.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Jake @ Aug 8th 2009 11:05AM
go on cash, work the crowd and the camera!! tbf it looks very much like him, legend!
Maulok @ Aug 8th 2009 12:40PM
But where's his harelip?
(a joke, I love some Johnny Cash!)
Brendan H @ Aug 8th 2009 12:59PM
It looks like him NOW, 6 years after his death.
Zombie Cash!
charlie b. @ Aug 8th 2009 7:46PM
in a fight between Chuck Norris and Mr. T, who wins?
Johnny Cash, that's who.
Wack Pack @ Aug 10th 2009 1:05AM
he...just like Elvis, stole music from southern blacks and never gave them credit
Samz2 @ Aug 8th 2009 11:06AM
No thanks.
Blind Io @ Aug 9th 2009 9:34PM
thanks for letting us know
PR0F3TA @ Aug 8th 2009 11:06AM
whats the point? the minute i transfer all my music into GH5 it will be time to transfer all my music in GH5 to GH6.
FAP FAP FAP @ Aug 8th 2009 11:21AM
i see what you did there..
T @ Aug 8th 2009 1:32PM
But it's entirely true. Why would I pay for the exportation when it's entirely possible that in 2-3 months they're going to churn out yet another GH title and I'll have to pay again?
And we already have GH5, BH, and GHVH this holiday season. So it's not entirely a stretch to expect another game so shortly.
False @ Aug 8th 2009 5:12PM
The songs would actually go into your hard drive, so a second transfer would be mostly necessary. In a similar way, songs imported from RB1 would stay in your hard drive for the day RB3 comes out. The only transfers that would be necessary would be GH5 to GH6 and RB2 to RB3.
John @ Aug 8th 2009 8:00PM
Wrong answer. there is a licensing fee to pay each time the songs are transferred into another game. DLC is different.
you are paying for licensing, not the privilege of copying your own data
The Dark Wayne @ Aug 8th 2009 11:11AM
Wow he looks very real, are all the characters gonna look like that or the traditional style?
The Baron @ Aug 8th 2009 11:52AM
They've gone for a much more realistic graphics style this time from what I've seen.
The Baron @ Aug 8th 2009 7:55PM
Well, until Half Life 2 you only had a choice of blotchy-looking or stylised-looking.
Karlito @ Aug 8th 2009 11:16AM
Johnny Cash is cool but i will stick with rock band
Luddiz-Boi @ Aug 8th 2009 11:48AM
Johnny still cool! YOU PAY LATER!
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 8th 2009 11:16AM
Sorry Activision, but you need to show me a LOT more than a country singer to get me into the game. Then again, you guys did make GH Metallica which was awesome so I don't really feel the need to buy another GH game this year, specially one with such a bad track list.
MystileArmor [Wiizer Sweatshop Bathwater and Sam Raimi Specialist] @ Aug 8th 2009 11:19AM
"show me a LOT more than a country singe"
You really come off a bit uneducated there man.
MystileArmor [Wiizer Sweatshop Bathwater and Sam Raimi Specialist] @ Aug 8th 2009 11:20AM
*country singer
Stupid comment box eating letters.
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 8th 2009 11:23AM
That's what he is, and I despise country. I literally can't listen to it, it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. That goes for all country, past and present.
MystileArmor [Wiizer Sweatshop Bathwater and Sam Raimi Specialist] @ Aug 8th 2009 11:27AM
See, I don't like country either. But that's not what he is. He's was a pioneer of rock 'n roll, if you want to label it anything. Sure he had alot of country influences, an occasional "country"-grounded song, but that doesn't make him a country singer.
By your standars Metallica is a country band as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGN_ZBMnljo
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 8th 2009 11:33AM
He's considered one of the biggest country stars ever by his own people
and for the record, we Metallica fans don't give that era any attention. That was a rough decade.
Ridgecity @ Aug 8th 2009 11:52AM
rock and country and folk are just blues variations using a determined set of instruments and tempo. The categorizing came from the music industry so they can have a lot of artist going number one at the same time, and the methods of dividing music is what they are struggling now. It was great 50 years ago but now, it's irrelevant since most "genres" as they been called are back together where they started. Except rap because the only good instrument there is the vocals and the computers playing random noise.
That's like saying classical music for strings it's different from classical music for horns. Classical music is one massive genre where everything fits. The music from the past 50 years have been divided to dead so everyone can have their own style and buy a lot of crap from one genre, "because that's what they like" and secretly hide they also like Lady Gaga.
captainprotonx @ Aug 8th 2009 12:27PM
@tmacairjordan87
You sound and write like a dipshit.
Jonny Cash was Rock n' Roll. He did his thing, and didn't give an ass about the critics. That's more than most crap musicians can even dream of doing today.
"We Metallica fans..." Who the fuck made you Captain of the Metallica Fan Club? I have every Metallica CD, even there last floundering attempts. Don't talk about "a bad era in music" without having that comment being smashed back in your face.
tmacairjordan87 @ Aug 8th 2009 12:29PM
"Who the fuck made you Captain of the Metallica Fan Club"
I did.
Mr Khan @ Aug 8th 2009 1:28PM
You all doubt tmac's powers to unilaterally warp reality in his favor?
:P
Sly @ Aug 8th 2009 3:05PM
"Except rap because the only good instrument there is the vocals and the computers playing random noise."
actually, a lot of hip-hop & rap songs have great bass guitar parts, but i get what ya mean.
Drew @ Aug 8th 2009 5:14PM
Rockabilly. HAPPY NOW?
t_m @ Aug 8th 2009 11:53PM
No one in their right mind can stand listening to country.
But Johnny Cash rocks.
Peter Moore @ Aug 8th 2009 11:17AM
Wow, you won't hear this from me a lot, so here it goes: Nice work, Activision/Neversoft.
This is pretty cool, and for anyone who has stuck with the Guitar Hero franchise of games this is great news. Are they doing this sole because of Rock Band? Probably, but whatever. A good deed is a good deed, regardless of the reasons.
I however haven't played a Guitar Hero game since Guitar Hero II, and have invested to much time and money into Rock Band so far for this to matter much to me, but still pretty cool, none-the-less.
Jake @ Aug 8th 2009 12:02PM
why are you pretending to be peter moore....
Peter Moore @ Aug 8th 2009 12:03PM
I am Peter Moore.
Jack_Jackington @ Aug 8th 2009 12:22PM
what did you say, Jake? what the fuck did you just say?! you don't question Peter Moore you blind son of a bitch. I oughta beat your ass, you hear me?!?! do you know who Peter Moore is? he's Peter fucking Moore. kids and their constant disrespect. a thousand apologies, Sir Peter
The Baron @ Aug 8th 2009 12:55PM
Damn right he's Peter Moore, and don't you forget it.
Dr. steve brule @ Aug 8th 2009 2:00PM
peter . . . fucking . . . moore
Jack Tretton @ Aug 8th 2009 3:20PM
I am Jack Tretton.
Glen Quagmire @ Aug 8th 2009 4:49PM
and I'm Glen Quagmire
heh ohhright (moves head back and forth)
MystileArmor [Wiizer Sweatshop Bathwater and Sam Raimi Specialist] @ Aug 8th 2009 11:17AM
As much as I like Johnny Cash I'm going to have to pass on this. The only song in the game that really had my interest was Brianstorm, but I'm not going to buy a $60,- game for one song.
A playable character although fun at times, really doesn't grip my interest for too long.
By the way, I heard rumors of Matt Bellamy and Shirley Manson being playable character as well.
libertine @ Aug 8th 2009 11:31AM
Holy crap I didn't know Brianstorm was in GH5!
Heres hoping ther'll be an Arctic monkeys song pack released!
MC Double Def DP @ Aug 8th 2009 12:02PM
you got my hopes up thinking you meant the band Brainstorm.
alienterrorist @ Aug 8th 2009 2:01PM
They confirmed Shirley Manson and I also heard a rumor about Matt Bellamy.
I really hope they dont get Matt because then there is an even smaller chance of him getting into rock band.
Danny @ Aug 9th 2009 12:26PM
Try Kurt Cobain. My website has news a few days earlier than it is released to Joystiq.
www.mgu.weebly.com
baby sea tuna @ Aug 8th 2009 11:24AM
Rolling, grave, etc.
zingle @ Aug 8th 2009 11:25AM
No Metallica Transfer.... WTF.... i was looking forward to the song transfer but got demolished by this ... would like to play some GHM songs in a band on expert without bieng thrown out by the crowd. A Pass then for me but great job nonetheless.
Linkb8s (XBL: Tenku no Link) @ Aug 8th 2009 12:03PM
...As much as I hate to defend Activision/Neversoft...You are bitching about Metallica songs not transfering? I can almost assure you that is because of Metallica and no one else. Especially considering that Enter Sandman didn't transfer to RB2 because Harmonix couldn't get the license (Metallica probably wanting too much money), it's no surprise that Activision couldn't get en entire game to transfer as it too will probably cost way too much money with them for the license to transfer between games.
OwningXylophone @ Aug 8th 2009 4:20PM
"Enter Sandman didn't transfer to RB2 because Harmonix couldn't get the license (Metallica probably wanting too much money)"
Or maybe it was because Metallica had just signed the deal with Activision to make GH:Metallica, which I'm pretty sure would have included a clause preventing the songs from appearing in RB2, apart from Battery which I'm guessing was agreed back when they allowed Enter Sandman in RB1...
Hafkie @ Aug 8th 2009 3:22PM
You see, that makes sense, but Train Kept A Rollin' was exportable to RB2 and it was in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. So that may not entirely be the case.
False @ Aug 8th 2009 5:16PM
Yeah, I would also blame Metallica themselves for GH Metallica not being importable. But the IGN piece did say they were doing some ongoing negotiations. At the very least, it'd be nice to be able to import the non-Metallica songs from the game. Importing The Sword, Kyuss, Alice In Chains, Merciful Fate, and Queen would be more than good enough for me.
Young_Nastyman (a.k.a. Thor von Clemson) @ Aug 8th 2009 5:23PM
or, you know, it was allowed because TKAR in a cover in RB