Last week we told you about how Activision was having some issues with turnaround time for the Guitar Hero III: Legends of rock discs for the Wii. The turnaround time was so bad that they are adding a refund to the list of solutions for the sound issues found with the original game discs. You might remember, the first batch of Guitar Hero III discs for the Wii only included stereo sound, as opposed to Dolby. Apparently Activision is taking 3-4 weeks to get new discs out to users. This sucks because you have to send them your old disc before they’ll send you a new one. Here are the details:

Activision and Nintendo re-mastered the game and will provide a replacement disc to consumers with Dolby digital surround sound. If you want a full refund instead of a replacement disc, you can download their refund form, which outlines the refund requirements.

This news should make both Guitar Hero fans and Aerosmith fans very happy. Activision announced plans to base an installment in the Guitar Hero series around America’s best selling hard rock band Aerosmith. The new title is scheduled for a June release and will be available for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and PS2.

Players will be able to play as the band’s guitarists Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and bassist Tom Hamilton. Just like other versions of the hit game, players will progress from an unknown band to rock legends, this time following the story of the band, with some Aerosmith concerts and venues. Interestingly, Activision has promised Aerosmith’s extensive back catalog, as well as other songs from other artists that inspired the group.

One look at eBay and you can see that “Guitar Hero III” or “Rock Band” are being sold for big bucks. These two rhythm simulators are among this year’s hottest holiday presents and are sold out at the retail level leaving the online auction house as the only alternative for snagging yourself a set. However one Australian youth’s dreams of a music-making Christmas have been shattered by his father as a consequence of being caught red handed smoking pot in the family’s backyard.

The trouble started when the father, whose identity is being withheld but makes his living as a school teacher, came home and caught his son in the company with some friends toking up. As a lesson the anti-dope Dad decided to place his son’s Christmas gift, the guitar/game combo of “Guitar Hero III”, on the eBay auction site and up for sale.

Two of the world’s biggest manufacturers and distributors of video games are merging in a deal that will make the new company larger than Electronic Arts, the current largest gaming company in the world. French software titan Vivendi SA will combine with Activision Inc., the Sunnyvale, CA. company to create Activision Blizzard. (The Blizzard part of the new film’s name comes from Vivendi’s ownership of Blizzard Entertainment, the company that makes the world’s number one massive multiplayer online game “World of Warcraft”.)

Vivendi’s stock will be converted into Activision common stock which will give the former a 52 percent share in the new company. Activision Blizzard will be worth $18.9 billion in assets and give it claim as the largest gaming company in the world. What this means for gamers is that popular titles like the “Call of Duty”, “Guitar Hero” and “Warcraft” series will now be released by a single entity. How the rest of the gaming industry will react to news of this super-merger will be spelled out in the coming months.

Today the Liverpool-based Bizarre Creations, one of the largest formerly-independent developers in the UK who are well-known for the Project Gotham Racing and Geometry Wars series, announced that they are becoming part of Activision alongside the companies other studios. In the announcement Bizarre assures us that this isn’t some act of desperation from a failing studio, but more a strategic move the help bring their games up to the “next level”. Bizarre Creations also states that they will continue to remain intact with no redundancies and that Activision will have a “hands off” way of running things.

Activison hit a home run when it came out with its “Guitar Hero” console games two years ago. A third title, “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock”, is scheduled for release this fall and Activision has just announced what sort of guitars you’ll get to play both in the game as well as in your hands. The company has signed an exclusive deal with Gibson Guitar Corp. so that you will be able to shred using several of the famous signature guitars that Gibson is known for. Over 20 classic and modern Gibson …