If you've been following the yearly to bi-yearly releases of music games, you know the genre is becoming increasingly competitive.  But could the over saturation of music titles be signaling a change in consumers wants?  Cowen and Company analyst Doug Creutz has put Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock sales numbers at 89,000 units for the first 5 days following launch.  It may not sound that bad, but lets look at some perspective.

Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock launched last week with over 90 tracks available on the disc.  While there's a wide range of music, as our review can attest to, there's always room for more.  Until October 19th, Xbox 360 Gold Members can download the Rocktober Track Pack for free.  

In many ways, Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock resembles another iteration of the franchise, Guitar Hero 3. Both have questionable subtitles, increased difficulty, and added traditional gaming elements to the established music game formula. Does the latest Guitar Hero stand on its own as a solid game?

Here it is late September, and we have our first Guitar Hero release of 2010.  Hard to believe, after the multiplicity of releases in 2009, isn't it?  Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock boasts a large playlist, a shredding Quest mode, and promises a return to the roots of the series.  If that's not enough for you, there are some impressive incentives to sweeten the deal available for early buyers.

Welcome to Beyond Co-Op, a weekly piece that talks about industry stories that may or may not be related to co-op gaming.

We've been keeping you updated on the new features of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.  The game releases on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Wii September 28th.  It will feature a new co-op quest mode.  This quest will have familiar characters taking on new, rock inspired personas and images.  Check out the new trailer. 

It's a good time to be a frugal music game fan with an Xbox 360.  Not one, but two demos are now available on Xbox Live for upcoming rhythm game releases: DJ Hero 2 (hitting retail on October 19) and Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock (coming to stores September 28).  Each demo has four tracks for you to check out, ranging from The Pussycat Dolls and Kanye West to Black Sabbath and the Foo Fighters.  Check them out now, and decide if either game is deserving of your gaming dollar this crowded gaming season.

Every fall the games industry starts a process in which it releases as many games in three months, as it does for the other nine in a year. This fall is no exception with numerous large titles from all the big publishers. How are we to find the co-op games we so desperately crave? Here's our top 5

With the release of the game a little over a month away, Activision has spilled the complete setlist for Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock.  A quick look over the list indicates a shift back to the heavy metal, shredding style of the early years of the series.  Multiple songs from Megadeth and Rush's epic masterpiece "2112" are among the highlights.  Warriors of Rock may not have keys like its biggest competitor soon will, but with a solid group of tunes, a souped up story line, and the Soundgarden album tie-in, it looks like a fine choice for co-op music game fans this fall.

The Wild Hogs sequel took a change of direction

The big innovation in this fall's Guitar Hero entry, subtitled Warriors of Rock, might just be Quest Mode.  This story-based progression through the catalog of tunes looks to spice up the experience a bit by incorporating more video game standards like character abilities and boss fights.  (Let's hope they are better done than the terrible boss battles of Guitar Hero III.)  We've got a video explaining what makes Quest Mode unique, as well as a fresh gallery full of screenshots.  There's no keytar to be found anywhere, but it does look like it could be a whole lotta fun.

The next Guitar Hero game, Guitar Hero Warriors of Rock will have a strong focus in rock, classic rock and metal music when it launches this fall.  Along with a co-op quest mode you'll have all your usual options of play for your band of face melting characters.  The latest trailer for the game showcases some of the songs you'll be playing and gives you a good look at the game in motion.