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"With more sequels to both the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchise that we can shake a rusty spoon at, its time to take a long, hard look at these games and see where they are lacking. Both franchises are prone to releasing sequels which don’t introduce enough new features in them, but Guitar Hero in particular seems to churn out new games more often than most. Music games are becoming more and more like the FIFA music game, with a new iteration having to be released every year for seemingly l..."
"Harmonix’s Rock Band series is a casual party game to some, but there are others that will do whatever it takes to get that edge when it comes to their videogame musical prowess. It might be a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, but these people prove that you can’t take a shortcut to get there."
Are these the five best "number twos" of the current console generation? One site thinks so. Check out this list of the five best sequels on the current round of gaming hardware.
"The kids of South Park have had video games of varying quality over the year but their first Xbox LIVE Arcade foray, South Park Let's Go Tower Defense Play! is one of their better efforts. The tower defense game featuring the four boys fighting off waves of zombies, hippies, ginger kids, and more is on sale this week for 400 MS Points ($5). Half off it's normal price of 800 MS Points ($10)."
"Every once in a while, however, an achievement comes along that makes you think, "They want me to do what?!" Here is a list of 10 of the most ridiculously lengthy and/or challenging Xbox 360 achievements dreamed up by game developers. Try tackling any of them and you might wind up forsaking friends, family and even your sanity in the quest for higher Gamerscore."
"Two hot racing demos are now available with today's update of the PSN Store. Split/Second for the PS3 takes you for a spin around a track that's rigged to explode to take out your competitors while ModNation Racers for the PSP is a highly customizable kart racer."
"The important thing with all these is that you have fun! Don't force yourself into that 30th turn of Mario Party if you don't want to, just take a break and come back later. And most importantly, have a happy Cinco de Mayo!!!"
"Rock Band is answering fans’ requests for more alternative rock with six singles from a range of artists. This week’s Rock Band Music Store additions include “Feel Good Drag” from Florida alternative rockers Anberlin’s 2008 album New Surrender, “Live Life Loud” from Canadian punk rockers Hawk Nelson’s 2009 album of the same name, “Monster” from Grammy Award-nominated hard rockers Skillet, “Stand in the Rain” from American pop rockers Superchick’s 2008 album Rock What You Got."
This week's The Bender sees the return of Perry, which finds the cast talking more than usual (thus this week you get an extra half hour of show for free!). Mike has Mapathy moral issues, Richard will own every shooter game ever, and James brings the only good things that came from April Fools. Listen live/stream through iTunes - or with Zune - or download the mp3 directly here
"We actually ran into one of the developers there and tried to get some info on future plans for the Rockband series. He said “We want to try to take new steps in the franchise, someplace where no one would even guess we’d go”. We did exchange business cards with the developer and had received a strange email this morning with a picture of what looks to be an actual bundle for the unit!."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s classic album, Axis: Bold As Love, along with the new Jimi Hendrix single, “Valleys of Neptune” from the new album will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Additionally, Jimi Hendrix's music is now exclusive to Rock Band with more songs coming to its industry-leading platform in the future."
For next weeks DLC HMX brings us an album from the greatest guitarist of all time - Jimi Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love. Along with that, the new single from his recently released album, "Valleys of Neptune" will also be available for download. And not only that, but apparantly Hendrix has now become an exclusive to HMX games and we should be seeing more albums from him in the future.
"Harmonix and MTV Games has announced that a four pack of songs from American punk rockers X, three singles, including a free track, from British garage rockers Little Fish, as well as singles from Ace Frehley, Carrie Underwood and OneRepublic will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a four pack of songs from pop sensation Lady Gaga, as well as singles from 3 Doors Down, Mute Math, The Subways, and a special Lady Gaga cover by Comedy Central’s South Park’s own Eric Cartman will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. These are among the more than 400 artists currently available through the Rock Band platform."
Ra ra ooh la la, the Lady Herself is coming to Rock band, with four DLC tracks to be available next week: Bad Romance, Just Dance, Poker Face, and Monster. As a bonus, the South Park "Cartman" version of Poker Face will also be included.
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a three pack of songs from fan favourites The White Stripes, as well as singles from The Futureheads, The James Gang, Shaimus, and the one and only Hockey Theme Song, will be added this week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. These are among the more than 400 artists currently available through the Rock Band platform."
Time to get on stage and be a real Rock Band star. Cedar Fair and MTV have teamed up to take the venerable game on the road. Starting in Pennsylvania, Rock Band will be touring Cedar Fair parks throughout the summer of 2010.
HMX today announce that the Rock Band Network has now been opened for public use. With over 100 songs available today, and with thousands already being charted, approved, and accepted, be prepared for an onslaught of music pouring into the Rock Band franchise.
Artists released today include such well knows as 3 Inches of Blood, Flogging Molly, Lacuna Coil, and Suicide Silence.
Future artists set to make their debut on the Network include Flight of the Conchords, Smashing Pumpkins, All T...
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a three pack of songs from American rockers Disturbed, as well as singles from Silversun Pickups, The Mother Hips and TRUSTcompany, will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. These are among the more than 400 artists currently available through the Rock Band platform."
Next week HMX will be following up the HIM pack from last week with another healthy dose from Disturbed's debut album The Sickness. In conjunction with the 10th anniversary of the album, HMX will be giving us "Voices", "The Game", and "Meaning of Life".
Also, two singles from the Silversun Pickups (who are now on tour with Muse), two singles from The Mother Hips, and one from TRUSTcompany.
Enjoy.
"Video games have been getting a bad rap by a lot of people recently, and it seems that a good deal of women (who make good points) are becoming increasingly upset at their boyfriends for spending more time playing video games than they are spending on their relationship.
Now, I don’t want to argue that women are wrong about the situation or that men are at fault for playing too much; but men do have some very good and specific reasons for involving themselves with video games. For most men..."
"Harmonix and MTV Games has announced that a five pack of songs from Otis Redding, known as the “King of Soul,” as well as singles from All Time Low, Alphabeat, Brian Setzer and The Chemical Brothers, will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. These are among the more than 400 artists currently available through the Rock Band platform."
The Midnight Riders of Left 4 Dead 2 fame may be hitting a Rock Band near you. With the introduction of Rock Band Network, two of the Midnight Riders' hits, "Midnight Ride" and "One Bad Man" are being used to test the new setup. And whilst this doesn't confirm Smitty, Ox, Dusty, and Jake are heading into the game, one can speculate that it's quite possible.
"Frank Lantz is a disarming figure. He has a serious face with the sharp severity of a Classical bust. This impression is almost immediately undercut by a welcoming enthusiasm and playful grin. The contrast between stoicism and ebullience is entirely fitting for a man of his experience and ambition. Lantz is creative director and co-founder of Area/Code, a 'cross-media' entertainment company behind Pac-Manhattan, Big Urban Game and the recently launched Code Of Everand.
It’s good that there..."
There's been some talk going around lately about the relationship between Nintendo and third party developers. An example being difficulty with hardcore third party titles. Lee Evans has posted a blog entry going over some facts and figures in an effort to shed some light on the matter and the severity of the situation.
"Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. has pledged support for Teenage Cancer Trust, a UK charity which helps young people fight cancer by funding and developing specialist teenage cancer units. Roger Daltrey CBE, founder and lead singer of rock band The Who and patron of Teenage Cancer Trust has signed two Mad Catz Rock Band Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controllers to be auctioned on eBay. All proceeds from their sale will go to Teenage Cancer Trust."
HMX have announced next weeks DLC releases. And that release would be the very much requested Rust In Peace album by thrash band Megadeth. I'm sure most fans of GH2 will appreciate this as well since it contains one of that games most complicated songs - "Hanger 18". But for others, "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due" is where this album is really at.
"MTV Games and Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games and a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced that a special recording of the performance The Who plans to play during the Bridgestone Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show will be made available following the game to purchase, download and play in the groundbreaking music video game, Rock Band. “The Who Super Bowl S-mashup” will be available in the Rock Band Music Store immediately after the game on ..."
"Sorry for the slightly late DLC announcement this week. TGIF! The 6 tracks hitting Rock Band next week will be the remaining temporary exclusives from the Country Track Pack, finally available for download. We got a lot of questions about these songs when we released the last Country DLC pack, so we know there's lots of folks that will be excited for these songs. And for those of you looking for something else, rest assured that we'll have more songs to announce next week to add to the 1,000+..."
Today HMX announce the launch of their much praised and highly anticipated program (in Beta form) - the Rock Band Network. The RBN is a unique program that allows anyone to upload their own music directly into the Rock Band game. A special program released by HMX months back detailed how one would upload their music onto the program and chart each instrument accordingly, very similar to how HMX chart the music they release. Only several songs have been made available and will remain exclusive...
This week HMX will be releasing the 6 exclusive tracks from the long since released Metal Track pack, plus a bonus. In case people forgot, the Metal Track pack was released in September consisting of mostly songs found on the PSN/Rock Band Music Store. However there were 6 exclusive songs -
"Transmaniacon MC" - Blue Öyster Cult
"Bulls On Parade" - Rage Against the Machine
"Hair Of The Dog" - Nazareth (re-recording)
"Master Of The Universe" - Hawkwind
"Killed By Death '08" - Motörhead...
Next week from HMX we have the second pack of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers from their most recent release Live Anthology. With such hits as "Breakdown" and "The Waiting", and other deeper cuts as "Nightwatchman" and "Jammin' Me".
I'm still wondering why no "Learning To Fly"...
Also the much requested French band Phoeonix make their debut, along with Silvertide.
With all these "pack 02"es lately, I think HMX has something big around the corner...stay posted.
Next week HMX will be delivering on that second Alice In Chains pack that was promised when the first released. And I must say I'm surprised a little by their choices for this one. Two songs from their new album, Black Gives Way To Blue, "Your Decision" and "Last of My Kind". Along with those, three classic Alice In Chains songs, "Grind" and "Heaven Beside You" from their self-titled album, and "We Die Young" from their debut album Facelift.
And nothing from Dirt? You've got guts, HMX. Bu...
"Beginning today, January 5th 2010, Rock Band and McCartney fans will be able to download New York City Pack 01 in the Rock Band Music Store. McCartney’s solo debut on the Rock Band platform includes “Band on the Run (live),” “Jet (live)” and “Sing the Changes (live).” These tracks will be available today for the Xbox 360 and Wii and January 7th 2010 for PlayStation3."
Amazon.com just discounted Rock Band 2 Special Edition Bundle for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to $88 and $99, respectively. This is $40 to $50 off regular price and the close to $40 better than second best price at this moment.
The first week of DLC for Rock Band of 2010 has been announced. Included is a 3-pack from Sir Paul McCartney from his new live album Good Evening New York City. The pack will consist of the hits "Band on the Run" and "Jet" along with "Sing the Changes". Along with McCartney is the second pack from Blink-182, two singles by the Psychadelic Furs, and a single by The Ramones.
Now because the PSN was not updated Dec. 31, last weeks Country Pack will also be included with the update.
"You want more Weezer? You got more Weezer. A three pack of songs from the quintessential California rock band will be added to the Rock Band Music Store next week. Weezer Pack 03 features “Beverly Hills” the hit single from 2005’s Make Believe, as well as “Let It All Hang Out” and “(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To,” both from their new album, Raditude, which was released November 18th 2009 and debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Weezer is currently touring North America."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a three pack of songs from Green Day will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360 and Wii today, December 15th 2009, and on PlayStation 3 from Thursday, December 17th. Green Day is one of the more than 390 bands currently available through the Rock Band platform."
"Harmonix and MTV Games has announced that a three pack of songs from Green Day, as well as tracks from 30 Seconds to Mars and All-American Rejects, will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii this week. These artists are some of the more than 390 bands currently available through the Rock Band platform."
"Masked American metal band Slipknot make their Rock Band debut next week with a three pack of songs that includes “Duality,” from the band’s 2004 Platinum-selling album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), and “Psychosocial” and “Sulfur,” both from the band’s No. 1 2008 album, All Hope Is Gone. All Hope Is Gone also features “Snuff,” currently in the Top 10 at Active Rock and the Top 25 at Modern Rock. Slipknot has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards and won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Met..."
For the week of 12/8, HMX have decided to bring you one of the most diverse weeks in genres yet. A healthy dose of Slipknot and Simon & Garfunkel. And with them, a free downloadable track from Lights Resolve.
Not bad. Not bad.
For the wekk of 12/1, HMX have announced a 3-pack of Nirvana. Sure they just released a 3-pack off their Bleach album a few weeks back, but I think people will forgive them for what they offer this time -
"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
"Lithium" (Live at Reading)
"Come As You Are" (Live from MTV Unplugged)
Personally, I've been waiting for these songs since RB1 first came out. So kudos to HMX for actually listening to the pleas of millions of Rock Band fans
Oh, I almost forgot! They're ...
Celebrating the 360's fourth anniversary IGN takes a look at the top 25 games on the console including some new and old releases over the years. The list is comprised of a wide variety of genres and features XBLA games for those looking for something on a budget. 360 owners can see what they've missed out on and put on their list for the holiday season.
"10.) You Are Supporting the “Not Having Seven ‘Hero’ Games a Year” Movement.
While Harmonix does indeed offer DLC every week, they do not over-saturate the rhythm market to the point of it being in your face every other month.
9.) Easy Achievements.
Its those great kind of achievements that you get just by playing the game. No searching every level for a hidden skull or any crap like that, just play your best and you’ll end up with more than half of the 1,000 gamerscore points.
http:/..."
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that a five pack of tracks from AFI and singles from The Bangles and Them Crooked Vultures will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Tracks from Dead Kennedys and Sleater-Kinney will be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PlayStation Portable (PSP)."
This week's The Bender comes full force with everybody present and surprisingly attentive to all your gaming news, insight, theory, entertainment, and anything else we can pretend to do. Check out quote for show notes. Listen live/stream through iTunes here or download the mp3 directly here
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that a three pack of tracks from Nirvana, a four pack of tracks from Foo Fighters and a single from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store and the LEGO Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Tracks from Bullet for My Valentine and System of a Down will be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PlayStation Portable (PSP)."
This the newest The Bender, sees the return of the guys from Philadelphia. We chat about what shenanigans went on at the GameX convention (both good and bad) and also find time to catch up with the news of the week. Including that new DSi "Old People Edition", the sillyness that will come out of the Modern Warfare 2 leaked footage, and I think we might have snuck some PSPgo jabs in before the end. Enjoy!
Listen live/stream through iTunes or download the mp3 directly here
Here is all the rumored, confirmed, and upcoming content for the Playstation Network. This week, Infernal Pool and LocoRoco: Midnight Carnival hit the PSN.
"Below is a list of the top downloaded items from the PlayStation Store for the week ending October 22nd. This week Call of Duty: World at War and Fallout 3 both dominate the chart. The number one spot is occupied by the latest COD: WAW Map Pack for the second straight week. Fallout 3’s add on content has been very popular over the past few weeks. Check back each week for the lastest and most popular downloads from the PlayStation Store."
While Viacom, the owner of Harmonix's Rock Band game series, has been vocal in touting impressive sales numbers for the hit music title, what seemed to have been completely glanced over was a recent report by Credit Suisse which indicates that the game series simply has not been profitable since day one.
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that in celebration of the much-anticipated release of Double Fine Productions’ Brütal Legend, distributed by Electronic Arts, a three pack of songs of the Metal persuasion that are featured in the epic soundtrack to Brütal Legend will be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Tracks from Black Tide, Blink-182, Joe Satriani, Kansas and L7 will also be added to the Rock Band Music..."
"Nashville-based rockers The Raconteurs, composed of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler, will release three songs for Rock Band October 6th. The Raconteurs Pack 01 features "Steady, As She Goes" from the group’s first album, Broken Boy Soldiers, which was nominated for two Grammy Awards; as well as "Many Shades of Black" and "Salute Your Solution," from the group's Grammy Award-winning second album, Consolers of the Lonely."
If you are subscribed to the Rock Band Community Zine, you would have been greeted with a special treat today. Harmonix has revealed in this week's 'Zine' that the Queen 10-pack will hit Xbox Live on October 20, and the PSN on October 22! This news was not a huge surprise, given the announcement at Gamescom that Queen (as well as numerous other bands) would be appearing on the Rock Band platform by years end. But the announcement of the tracks so early was indeed a pleasant surprise. I think ...
"Breaking Benjamin will make their Rock Band debut next week with a three pack of songs available for download in the Rock Band Music Store. A five pack of songs from Alice in Chains, as well as songs from Kula Shaker and Just Kait will also be added next week to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system and Wii™."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that the entirety of Pearl Jam’s new album Backspacer will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii this week. The album hits shelves today, September 20th 2009, and will also be added to the Rock Band Music Store for Xbox 360 today, for Wii on September 22nd, and for PlayStation 3 on September 24th. Additional tracks from Megadeth and The Fratellis will be available for download next week..."
"Mad Catz has revealed a new officially licensed Rock Band peripheral, the Electro-Harmonix Overdrive Pedal for Rock Band 2 Guitar Controllers. Set to arrive in Europe in late September, Rock Band and The Beatles: Rock Band players will never miss a beat with this durable accessory for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that two three-packs of songs from bands appearing at the Penny Arcade Expo this weekend will be available for download in the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. The packs feature Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot, Paul & Storm and Freezepop."
"Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. (AMEX/TSX: MCZ), a leading worldwide third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, today announced the shipping of the Rock Band Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster replica guitar for use with the Microsoft® Xbox 360 videogame console.
Compatible with Rock Band™, Rock Band™ 2, the up coming The Beatles™: Rock Band™ game, alongside other music and rhythm games, the Rock Band Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster guitar controller is a true 1:1 replic..."
This isn't news per se, but a very credible source revealing some interesting tid-bits on the upcoming Lego: Rock Band, which as of now, looks to have an exportability option. If this isn't a great way to help boost sales, I don't know what else would.
The article also dates the release of certain song packs, including The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and highly anticipated Queen pack. And by the sounds of it, fans won't be disappointed with that one.
Mind you, this isn't official, bu...
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that a five pack of songs from new wave rockers Talking Heads, as well as singles from Avenged Sevenfold, The Jam, Oasis and Rage Against the Machine will be available in the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3."
EA has announced new content for Rock Band. The new downloadable content will feature artists like Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Jet and for the first time, Tom Petty. New tracks from Foo Fighters, White Zombie and Grateful Dead will be available for the Wii.
"Q: So for those tent pole releases, what happens after The Beatles game – what’s coming in 2010? Another major artist game? Or Rock Band 3?
A: We’re exploring both – and possibly will do both. The Harmonix development team are working on what is effectively the next game, or ‘Rock Band 3’. We aren’t standing still – we will keep moving into new areas and look at new technologies that our platform holder partners are also developing, such as Project Natal from Microsoft. We’re working with ..."
"Speaking at Gamescom 2009, Alex Rigopulos, CEO and cofounder of Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games and a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today confirmed release details for the three Beatles albums that will be available for purchase as downloadable content in The Beatles™: Rock Band™ Music Store by the end of this year. Abbey Road will be released on October 20, 2009, followed by the release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in November and ..."
"Rock Band DLC Additions for Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 Systems
The Foo Fighters three-pack is the second pack available from the American rockers for Rock Band fans and features All My Life and Lonely As You from the band’s Grammy Award-winning fourth album One by One, as well as I’ll Stick Around, from the band’s self-titled 1995 debut album. Founded by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters have won three Grammy Awards, with all six of their albums being nominated."
For today only, Amazon is offering the entire Rock Band 2 bundle for $89.99. Seeing as how the bundle usually retails for $159.99, this is a great deal you should not pass up on.
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced they will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release of This is Spinal Tap, by making available newly recorded versions of the song s featured in the cult classic film and its 1984 soundtrack album. The songs will be available in the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and Wii."
This is the overview of the weekly updates to the PlayStation Store. This week, the wait is over, Fat Princess is here. EA Sports brings you Tiger Woods content and Madden 2010 demo. Also DLC for Buzz and Rag Doll Kung Fu.
North America, Europe, Hong Kong and Japan is included.
"This is an exciting week because of all the new Dashboard preview but there’s more new items to take a look at on LIVE. The Xbox Summer of Arcades continues for the second week with Marvel VS. Capcom 2 along with some rocking new Rock Band tracks, the Far Cry Fortunes Pack Deal of the Week, Gears of War 2 map packs and more."
A grand episode of The Bender. Was posted on Saturday, but didn't get to Grep until now (my bad!) In this episode we touch on the "Black College Football Xperience" video game and how it is possibly racist in title, a bunch of random comic book news, information, and other stuff mentioned (thanks Comic Con!), and touch briefly on the news no one is covering enough, the chance to have your band in Rock Band! Stream/Listen live through iTunes or grab the MP3 here
(I suggest hitting up "...
"Looking at music games as part of our NPD analysis, Gamasutra has discovered that U.S. Guitar Hero/Rock Band revenues are down 49% year on year, as discounted hardware and over 20 SKUs flood the market.
June 2009 was the second consecutive month without a Rock Band or Guitar Hero title in the top 20 software titles. The last time the software charts went two months without one of these franchises was in September and October 2007, right before the launch of Guitar Hero II on the PlayStatio..."
This week is terrible!
Aside from Little King's Story (for which Neoseeker has an interview and preview) and those down with the Rock Band Country Track Pack, there are just two other titles, one we dare not mention by name, and the other which isn't really that great (The Watchmen), if reviews are to be believed.
See you next week!
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that indie rockers Kings of Leon and punk rockers Rancid will make their Rock Band debuts with three packs of songs that will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week, as will a three pack from Rise Against and a single from Lush, for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3."
The long and the short of this is, if you are the US, find a Pepsi with a yellow cap, enter it into the Rock Band/Pepsi web site, and get a free Rock Band Wii track, it gives you 200 points to download that track.... of course you can use that 200 points for whatever you want. I didn't believe it, when I found out, I made a quick video, if you don't believe it, click go to source and see me doing it (sorry, videos from Current do not embed on Grep).
"Reports on the opinions of Rhythm Action games from successful musicians have been fairly frequent since the grand success of the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, some of which have been fairly positive, and others not so. Jack White, of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and, more recently, The Dead Weather, has expressed his disinterest in the past, but it appears that may now have changed."
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that three packs from new power group The Dead Weather, metal legends Judas Priest and indie rockers Big Dipper will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3).
Additionally, back-catalogue tracks from The Pixies, Foreigner, The Killers, Spinal Tap and more will be available in the Wii Rock Band Music Store, and tracks from Radiohead and Killswitch Engage will be available for..."
With Activision seemingly creating every conceivable peripheral to support its games, it might be surprising to hear that MTV Games is a bit more cautious about introducing new peripherals to the market. MTV Games' General Manager, Scott Guthrie, talked with IGN about how the peripherals must enhance the gameplay and experience in a "meaningful way." But that doesn't mean that more perpherals won't be added; however, don't get your hopes up for a cowbell add-on for Rock Band.
"I don't think the top five games will be changing anytime soon. If anything, we can only hope that when Modern Warfare 2 releases, it will unite those who split from World at War and CoD4, so we can at least see some other games make their way onto the list.
However, I foresee a similar split between Halo 3 and Halo ODST users when that drops, probably taking the 3 and 4 spot, but that is quite a while away. I love seeing the strong support of Left 4 Dead despite the turmoil that game cr..."
"The Green Day tracks available next week are the first in an exclusive partnership between MTV Games’ Harmonix and Warner Music Group’s Green Day to bring the band’s songs to the Rock Band platform as DLC. These first songs, 21 Guns, Know Your Enemy and East Jesus Nowhere, are from the band’s latest album, 21st Century Breakdown."
"Three songs each from alternative rockers Pearl Jam and Punk favourites Mission of Burma will be added this week. Additionally, songs from The Offspring, Harvey Danger, Panic at the Disco, George Thorogood and more will be released tomorrow on the Wii Rock Band Music Store."
"The Warped Tour is an annual international music and extreme sports festival that began in 1994 and features a diverse line-up of bands, as well as pro-skating and BMX exhibitions. This week, five tracks from Warped Tour artists A Day to Remember, Bad Religion, Chiodos, Escape the Fate and Underoath were made available in the Rock Band Music Store, and next week, three more tracks from Warped Tour artists - Dear and the Headlights, The Devil Wears Prada and Thrice - will be available for down..."
"Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Call of Duty: WaW
2 Halo 3
3 Call of Duty 4
4 Gears of War 2
5 GTA IV
6 FIFA 09
7 UFC 2009 Undisputed
8 Left 4 Dead
9 [PROTOTYPE]
10 Rock Band 2
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1 Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers
2 Castle Crashers
3 Sonic The Hedgehog 3
4 Worms
5 Sam & Max Save the World
6 UNO
7 CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars
8 Peggle
9 Hasbro Family ..."
"Three songs each from West Coast favorites Weezer, alternative rockers Nine Inch Nails and punk staples Dead Kennedys will be added this week. Additionally, songs from Testament, Staind, Dashboard Confessional and more will be available from today on the Wii Rock Band Music Store."
Though it has been known for quite some time now that Led Zeppelin is not going to be putting their songs in a rhythm game anytime soon (yet Puff Daddy is okay to lend the music to), Jimmy Page and Jack White are both letting their views known about these type of games.
Note: Jack White has been featured in a music game before. I'm not referring to the upcoming Guitar Hero 5, but in fact that Disney game "Ultimate Band"
"The latest newsletter for the 2009 Warped Tour urges fans to be on the lookout for two new track packs for Rock Band, featuring tour artists The Devil Wears Prada, Bad Religion, and more."
"The first selection of Green Day songs to arrive on Rock Band as Downloadable Content will be a three-pack of songs from their latest release, 21st Century Breakdown on July 7th including: 21 Guns, Know Your Enemy, East Jesus Nowhere. Additional Green Day songs and projects will be announced at a later date."
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that a four pack of tracks from icon rock stars Spinal Tap, along with a three pack from Evanescence, will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content next week for the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3."
"The best part is that, finally, you can replace the "Run to the Hills" cover (from the first Rock Band) and the downloadable "Number of the Beast" cover with the originals.
1. Aces High (Live)
2. 2 Minutes to Midnight
3. The Trooper
4. Wasted Years
5. The Number of the Beast
6. Run to the Hills
7. Can I Play With Madness
8. The Clarivoyant
9. Powerslave
10. Fear of the Dark (Live)
11. Hallowed Be Thy Named (Live)
12. Iron Maiden (Live)"
"This being a Sunday, today’s weekly feature will be a light-hearted addition, in the form of the widely popular Top Ten list. This week’s edition will focus on those after pub treats, online endeavours and social extravaganzas; the Top Ten Multi-Player Games."
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that three tracks from industrial metal pioneers Ministry will be added to the Rock Band Music Store of Downloadable Content (DLC) next week for the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and Wii."
"Electronic Theatre has just received notice that the European release of the Wii version of Rock Band 2 has received yet another delay. Scheduled to launch on May 29th, 2009, the Wii release of Rock Band 2 has now been postponed til June."
"On with the content for next week!
Alice Cooper 6 Pack
“Under My Wheels” (Live)
“I’m Eighteen” (Live)
“Billion Dollar Babies” (Live)
“School’s Out” (Live)
“Poison”
“Vengeance is Mine”
And the Taking Back Sunday 3 Pack
“What’s It Feel Like to Be a Ghost?”
“Liar”
“MakeDamnSure”
(All tracks are original master recordings)"
"“Rock Band loves country music too, and these tracks are among the most fun to play of any we've released to date,” said Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games & Music for MTV Networks Music Group."
"Welcome to the weekly round-up of DLC content expected to hit Xbox LIVE in the week ahead. We have tried our best of compile all the planned updates into one, so if we forgot any, please forgive us. Not much is being released this week, but Fable II fans should be happy at least."
"Electronic Theatre has today received an updated release schedule for Electronic Arts’ forthcoming videogame titles. Obtained through partners in the independent retail sector, the schedule reveals the intended European release dates for a handful of titles due to arrive on shop shelves throughout both May and June."
"Hey gang,
Sorry for the slight delay in posting. Server issues... exciting! Here's the DLC announcement for tracks coming out next week. Hopefully there's a little something for everyone in this varied assortment of tracks. Dig in!
Social Distortion - Bad Luck
Social Distortion - Ring of Fire
Social Distortion - Story of My Life
Disturbed - Stricken
Disturbed - Stupify
Steely Dan - Black Friday
Steely Dan - My Old School
Elvis Costello - Radio Radio
The Replacements - Kids Don't..."
"Franz Ferdinand has produced a string of memorable, chart-topping hits since the band’s formation in 2001. The Scottish band’s signature song, Take Me Out, from their self-titled 2004 album will debut in the Rock Band Music Store next week. The Franz Ferdinand 3-pack also includes Do You Want To from You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) and Lucid Dreams featured on the album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009). The tracks will be available for purchase as a three-pack or as individual tracks."
"Harmonix and MTV Games announced a monster line-up of twenty new tracks coming to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of Downloadable Content for Wii today, including hit songs from American Metal outfit Megadeth, British Indie group Oasis and one of the most popular Pop Rock bands of all time, The Police."
"Next week’s Rock Band Music Store line-up will feature ten tracks from Nothing’s Shocking with Mountain Song from Nothing’s Shocking already featured on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack. The Downloadable Content (DLC) album includes the following tracks:"
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced 12 new tracks coming this week to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for Wii, including six tracks from superstar Toby Keith. This week’s new music line-up also includes songs from indie stars The Shins, American hard rockers Black Tide, Welsh metalcore outfit Bullet for My Valentine and Sweedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen."
"Styx and REO Speedwagon are two of the most commercially successful American rock bands from the late 70s and early 80s. The REO Speedwagon/Styx Tour ’09 Pack will include three of Styx’s biggest singles that were recently re-recorded, including Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) and Renegade originally featured on the band’s eighth studio album Pieces of Eight (1978), plus Too Much Time on My Hands originally featured on the band’s 1981 concept album Paradise Theatre, the band’s highest charting ..."
Great episode of The Bender here. Not a super long episode like last week, instead we are now on a real schedule, no chit chat, all game talk. We debate the downloadable content being on the disc as well as an old topic of review scores... plus all the gaming news of the week. Grab us on iTunes by clicking here or just get the mp3 by clicking here.
"The highly anticipated November 2008 release of Chinese Democracy was Guns N’ Roses’ first official music release in 15 years. It debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart, at #2 on the UK Albums chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 3rd, 2009. Chinese Democracy has already sold nearly three million copies."
"Now these mics will help people jam like never before with other great music games on Xbox360, first with Guitar Hero: Metallica. A title update this summer will also activate mic compatibility with Rock Band 2. Additional titles that support the Lips microphones will available later this year, and only on Xbox360."
"MTV games and EA partners have announced that the Rock Band franchise has officially brought in over 1 billion dollars in North America retails sales in its 15 month run. It’s also shocking to point out that over 40 million songs has been downloaded through their online store."
"Show notes:
Perry gets sucked into the video game reality tv show “WCG Ultimate Gamer” with James and Mike, so we recap our favorite soap opera.
Mike took an item out of a box. The crowd goes wild.
NEWS:
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Teaser!
Homosexual former Microsoft employee sues Microsoft
OnLive. It could be awesome. If it works.
Pachter says this is “Last Generation” of Consoles….
….Even as Blizzard and Microsoft talk about Xbox 360 successor
Utah Gov. Vetoes Ja..."
"Harmonix and MTV Games have announced it will add the Get the Funk Out 01 three-pack, which features music from Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire and James Brown, to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content. Next weeks line-up also includes music from a variety of rock artists such as Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach."
"Show notes:
Binge Gamer re-launch
Grab a piece of MegaCon swag - Also, George Perez (the comic book artist) is a prick
Mike's apology to The Behemoth/Castle Crashers - They are soooo not like Namco
NEWS:
MTV, Harmonix & Apple announce The Beatles: Rock Band with a worldwide simultaneous release!
MTV, Warner Music at odds over Rock Band Royalties
N'Gai Croal Leaves Gaming Journalism - Best of luck!
Midway ponders selling MK License - What developer/publisher should get ..."
"Rock Band instrument peripherals are also now available at new price points:
Stand alone guitars will retail at £39.99
Stand alone drums will retail for £49.99
An Instrument Edition including drums, guitar and microphone will retail for £89.99"
The NPD Group before the weekend released the top twenty software and top ten software by platform lists for the January 2009 sales numbers, showing the top rankings in software sales for the month. The top ten rankings for accessory sales are also available.
Numbers are inserted where known.
Top 20 Games of December 2008:
01. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 777k
02. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo) - 415k
03. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo) - 292k
04. [360] Left 4 Dead (Electronic Arts) - 243k...
"Isn't playing video games the language of love? What's that you say? Is isn't? Well, it should be, because we can hardly think of a better way to spend Valentine's Day - that's this Saturday, for the uninformed - than by playing video games. Of course, being a social event that you should be enjoying with your spouse or boy/girlfriend, you'll have to make sure that the game you're playing is interesting for the other party, whether they be taking part or not. Here's our list of the top ten ga..."
"MTV and rapper, icon, record producer, entrepreneur and actor, Snoop Dogg today announced a first-of-its kind global deal that will bring the entertainers personality to television in a new variety talk show, Dogg After Dark, and his music to fans with a new album release and into the best-selling music video game Rock Band®.
Premiering on Tuesday, February 17th at 9pm ET/PT on MTV, Snoop Dogg will host Dogg After Dark, a new jam packed weekly variety talk show from Los Angeles ho..."
"Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of seven new tracks from progressive rock band Rush to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for Wii."
"Harmonix has just unveiled next week's batch of Rock Band downloadable conent, and no, it's not Gun N' Roses' Chinese Democracy album. That's not out until the spring.
Instead, users will find the following tracks from Scottish indie rock group The Fratellis"
Rock Band 2 Will be getting the whole new Guns N Roses album coming some time this Spring, following the tune 'Shackler's Revenge', which has already been released. While some may be looking forward to this, i know i for one am not getting it, as i just don't like their new stuff. The album will contain all songs apart from 'Shackler's Revenge' as it is already on Rock Band 2.
"Wii fans can expect a rollout of the previously released downloadable content until the entire back catalogue of more than 550 songs is available. In addition, the regularly scheduled future Downloadable Content releases for Xbox360 and PLAYSTATION3 system will also be available for Rock Band 2 Wii owners soon."
"Show notes:
MIR-12 Agent killed - the story explained.
Asian girls don't be rude - have sex with that zombie dude! - Is this even viral?
Superbowl - James has money on the Cardinals, wtf!?!
Tiger Woods, Geoff Keighley, Major Nelson, Derek Jeter in Orlando Feburary 3rd
NEWS:
Analysts say Wii could see "sudden collapse"
Platinum Games loves NeoGAF fan ads
Sony: PS3 will remain the most expensive console - Time to let go of Blu-Ray?
Activision announces DJ Hero - Great..."
Another press release screw-up, this time with Rock Band. The stories circulating around the net about 5000 or so songs being released for Rock Band turns out not to be entirely true. An update for the release reveals otherwise.
"Rock Band owners currently have upwards of 600 songs to choose from, counting all of the songs in Rock Band, Rock Band 2, the AC/DC disc, and all of the DLC.
According to Billboard, now MTV has said that they hope to have 5000 songs available for Rock Band by year's end.
5,000!
Now while this may seem like an extraordinary number of songs, they may be trying to gauge the future of music distribution.
Being able to choose from such a huge catalogue, and not just from the 3-6 songs,..."
"Here's the complete list of tracks on the way:
Steve Miller Band -- "Space Cowboy"
Steve Miller Band -- "Take the Money and Run"
Steve Miller Band -- "The Joker"
Godsmack -- "I Stand Alone"
Belly -- "Feed the Tree"
Ghost Hounds -- "Wind Me Up"
Mute Math -- "Typical"
Rob Zombie -- "War Zone"
Each track can be purchased individually for $1.99 (160 Microsoft points) and the Steve Miller Band 3-pack can be had for $5.49 (440 Microsoft points)."
"My initial intention was to check out the "Halo Wedding" (a couple who met playing Halo online and now were getting married publicly at Otronicon) and my other reason was to play on "The Ultimate Rock Band Drum Kit."
Both my dreams came true and much more. I had been to Otronicon in the past, being held at the Science Center and not being as big, it really felt more like an exhibit than a video game convention. This year, it felt a bit bigger and slightly more organized."
The Bassist of Nirvana never really played Rock Band, but he knew that Nirvana has released a few songs on the game. So he decided to check it out. Little did he realise he was terrible at. And then a little kid started playing right after him and played extremely well, little did the kid know the person from that band was watching him cream his score.
"
"
Russ Frushtick and Chris Plante delivers a debateable list of the games that offer infinite replay - the most value for your gaming dollar. Personally, I feel there are some glaring omissions including grind-heavy and replay friendly titles like Disgaea 3, Pixeljunk's Eden and Monsters, SPORE, NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2 (because of the ugc adventure packs) *stern look thrown Plante's way* and Way of the Samurai 3 (though I'm the only one in the office with the import and can hiragana/katakana and s...
"There's little doubt in my mind that almost $150 of my own money has been spent buying new tracks for "Rock Band," whether it's an entire Foo Fighters album or cherry-picked favorite songs from a pack for The Who. But I haven't played almost any of those songs, yet I compulsively sign on and buy more of them because "I need them...eventually.""
"Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that the inimitable singer-songwriter and producer Lenny Kravitz will bring four of his greatest hits to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content. The multi-talented Kravitz has sold more than thirty million albums and won four consecutive Grammy awards for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance 1999-2002, setting a record for most wins in a single category. Kravitz' classic rock star style and one-of-a-kind, smooth sound that blends the best of soul,..."
"In years past, NeoGAF has done their favorite moments in gaming, using only MS Paint to show you. Looking back at 2008 brings us some of the coolest moments, great memories that can look amusing to just plain epic, even when in Paint. I purposely left out the names of the games as half the fun is guessing (but if you cant figure it out, right click and hit properties to see the file name where I put the game)."
"However, Rigopolous says that we wont be seeing Rock Band 3 this year as the team is making a choice to break out of the annual release cycle for Rock Band this year. He explained further stating, [This is] partly because the annual cycle places limits on the choices you can make as a developer. Were trying to take a long term view.
Of course that sounds a bit too much like PR BS, but this Harmonix and theyre cool dudes. Thus Rigopolous admits that its also because the company want..."
This new peripheral from ezGear looks pretty darn sweet - it is called the You Rock Guitar and is part Guitar Hero/Rock Band controller and part real guitar to use on your PC as a MIDI instrument. It features a touch-sensitive full fret board and strings to strum. It is a pretty pricey instrument at $149, but that is cheaper than most real guitars.
"Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of one of the most influential pioneers of rock and roll, Roy Orbison, to the Rock Band Music Store catalogue of downloadable content. Grammy Award-winning Roy Orbison was a singer, songwriter and performer whose distinctive sound scored him an astounding nine Top 10 hits in four years in the early 1960s. Orbisons historic career began in the 1950s and saw a huge resurgence in the late 1980s, when he became a prominent influence on artis..."
"We just announced on Friday that we'll officially be shipping out the Wii version of Rock Band 2 on December 18th. This is just 2 months after our September 14th launch on Xbox 360, and we're really pleased with the game we were able to put together.
As most of you know, we're avid readers of our forums, and we place a lot of stock into what our fans think. We've seen that many users in the Wii community have been unhappy with the period of time between Rock Band's release on other platfor..."
"Harmonix, the world's premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks, today confirmed that Ten, the debut album that sold twelve million copies and introduced the world to Pearl Jam in 1991, will be offered for download in the Rock Band Music Store day-and-date with the re-issue of the album..."
A nice quick and to the point write up from Primotech that includes all the winners from the show on top of some random news blips (such as Pearl Jam's full album Ten coming to Rock Band, Brutal Legend confirmed for 2009, GTAIV DLC trailer, Gears 2 maps coming, Fight Night Round 4 coming 2009). See quote for full list of winners, go to source to see some more news from the event.
Two videos on how to fix your Rock Band drum pedal (First video if your pedal is broke mid-section, the second video if the pedal is broke at the base). I made these myself, I didn't even post these on my own web site they are so horribly bad... BUT... they served their purpose in showing how to fix the pedals, while at the same time showing how NOT to edit a video. Enjoy!
"PC
Rise of the Argonauts
PS2
Rock Band 2
PS3
Rise of the Argonauts
Xbox 360
Rise of the Argonauts
Wii
Deer Drive, Neopets Puzzle Adventure, Rock Band 2 Rock Band 2 Special Edition (Rock Band 2, Wireless Guitar,Wireless Drum Set, Microphone)
DS
Burger Island, Candace Kane's Candy Factory, Cate West: The Vanishing Files, Dreamer Series: Horse Trainer, Dreamer Series: Puppy Trainer, Learn Math, Matchstick, Mystery P.I. Portrait of a Thief"
"We have been playing:
Assassins Creed (PS3), PixelJunk Monster (PS3), Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360), Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360), Street Fighter HD Remix (PSN), Playstation Home Bowling (PS3), Lost Planet Extreme - Extreme Colonies Edition (Xbox 360)
Playstation Home talk
The NEWS:
Atari buys Cryptic Studios
Ubisoft is not pleased with this news
Team Ninja and the Smash Bros. Brawl guys working on a new TMNT
Capcom is on to those RE5 rippers
Is Jill dead!?!?
UGO to buy 1UP?
..."
X-Play has a video up detailing the best games of 2008. Sure, it ain't over yet, but it seems like the best of it done with. Oddly, Fable II wins game of the year, but is beaten by Fallout 3 for RPG of the year. Huh?
Other categories include Best Handheld Game, Best Action/Adventure Game, and Best Music/Rhythm Game.
"Harmonix and MTV Games today announced the rock-pop pioneers of No Doubt will bring thirteen tracks to the Rock Band music catalogue of downloadable content expanding the Rock Band library to include more than 500 songs!
No Doubt's The Singles 1992-2003 pack will include thirteen master tracks..."
"
"
"-We have been playing:
Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360), Fallout 3 (Xbox 360), Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360), Tetris Splash (XBLA), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
-VGXPO '08 quick recap
-NEWS:
*RE5 to have console-specific exclusive content
*How to get the Resident Evil 5 Japanese demo on your American Xbox 360 (Including how to get unlimited 48 Hour Gold Trial Cards!)
*Nintendo denied the "Wii Remote" patent
*Megadeth doesn't care for bands that don't get Rock Band
*Speaking of Rock B..."
"...Gene Simmons has a lot to say about it.
I never do anything half way. My AXE controller is the closest thing you can have to being onstage in KISS. I created and designed the Gene Simmons AXE bass guitar and I cant wait for the fans to experience it for themselves," said Gene Simmons. The Gene Simmons AXE guitar is such a recognizable symbol - people have been asking for a gaming replica ever since Guitar Hero was first introduced."
Rini of gamegirl.com has made a more heart felt top list in response to Thanksgiving Day. This list is made of some games to keep you and your family happy during the reunion.
Wario Ware: Smooth Moves topped the list with Wii Sports coming seventh. The Wii and Nintendo in general is finally getting recognised in a positive light for the casual gaming attitude.
"Mad Catz Interactive, Inc., a leading third-party interactive entertainment accessory provider, today announced that it has begun shipping its range of premium licensed accessories designed for use with Rock Band® and Rock Band® 2 videogames for the Xbox360..."
"While you would expect to see a bunch of computer-related deals from Dell, they are also offering an Xbox 360 Arcade with a bundled copy of Rock Band 2 for $199.
Or, to summarize: An Xbox 360 Arcade with a free copy of Rock Band 2. It's a good deal if you don't already own an Xbox 360, or are looking for a gift for your kids or friends.. it's also safer than going to the store on Black Friday, which is akin to suicide."
Rock Band 2 Review by dimdot1212 of Extraammo.com
Rhythm games have become a phenomenon, and with popularity comes choice. Even with more and more of the genre coming out, Rock Band 2 has been able to stand out from the rest.
"There are few people who haven't, at one time or another, harbored dreams of chucking it all and hitting the road as a musician, which has surely played a substantial role in the massive success of Rock Band. Rob Kay has effortlessly allowed millions of guys to tap into their inner musician, and as a result the man has become an integral part of the current renaissance surrounding video games. Along with such touchstone titles as Wii Fit and the Grand Theft Auto series, Rock Band has proved i..."
"Well the Apple Corps/MTV presser has ended and its now officially official: MTV/Harmonix have entered into a partnership with Apple Corps which will allow the game developer to produce a Beatles-centric rhythm game. Details are scant at this point. The game will deliver an experiential journey through the bands career, encompassing their work from Please Please Me all the way to Let It Be. Note that this doesnt necessarily mean that every single song from the catalog will be featured..."
"Now you youngin's might not know the band, but that is okay, just know that with this announcement will come some EA stock rising and a crapload more units of Rock Band being sold (and possibly more PS3s, 360s, and Wiis, seeing as how their core fanbase might not own such items).
Expect a full on major announcement sometime later today with full press release action."
"Rock Band 2 will release in the UK on November 21 for Xbox 360 and a week earlier in some European territories.
The game has an Xbox 360 "exclusive launch window" in the region and will set you back £49.99, with standalone Rock Band 2 hardware set to follow at the beginning of December.
The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs at launch, and developer Harmonix and its partners EA and MTV Games are keen to stress that the new game's no Rock Band 1.5."
News hit today concerning the Rock Band 2 Free DLC pack that comes with the purchase of Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. MTV Games and Harmonix are set to release the 20 song pack on November 4th, focusing on lesser known bands from all around and expanding the Rock Band 2 library even more. The best part is? You got it free if you bought the game new, which makes it that much better.
"Thank you MaineRocker of YouTube for not hiding your rocking out to the world. Lord knows I don't have the huevos to pull this off myself (nor a program with the awesome video effects) even though I look the same in my room, minus any pants. I hope you make it on that new Rock Band Mtv show!"
"PC
Backyard NFL Football '09, Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp, Bully Scholarship Edition, Dead Space, Deer Hunter Tournament, Europa Universalis III Collection, Far Cry 2, NBA 2K9, NHL 09
PS2
Backyard NFL Football '09, Barbie Horse Adventures: Riding Camp, Disney Sing It, Disney Sing It Microphone Bundle, The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Monopoly, The Naked Brothers Band: The Video Game, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows - Amazing Allies Edition, SpongeBob SquarePants Featuring Ni..."
The NPD Group has released their hardware and software numbers for the month of September, representing sales for the United States for the five week period of September 1st to October 6th.
The notables this month:
Hardw...
This DLC is gonna make you feel all-right!
A classic album revisits us on Tuesday, and that album is Mötley Crüe's "Dr. Feelgood". This album will be the full album, minus "T.N.T."
For those of us too young (or too old) to remember the tracklist, this is it;
Dr Feelgood
Slice of Your Pie
Rattlesnake Shake
Kickstart My Heart
Without You
Same Ol' Situation (SOS)
Sticky Sweet
She Goes Down
Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)
Time for Change
The album will be 1280 MS points ($15...
"Harmonix are truly after my wallet more than ever before. Wasnt weekly DLC enough guys!? Now with a new photo creator you can take the characters/bands you have customized in your game, and pose them to buy posters and t-shirts. Or get yourself in toy form! The pricing is where the only downfall to all this awesomeness comes, and not even with all items...."
Here is the top list of games that have sold all over the world, for this week.
Wii
In North America, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit came out on top. In Japan, Wii Fit and Disaster Day of Crisis finished on top. And in Europe, Wii Play and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 came out on top place.
Xbox 360
On the 360, Star Wars the Force Unleashed come out as second in both North America and Europe. Rock Band 2, Raiden IV, and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 came out on top.
Playstation 3
In North Ameri...
Next week's Rock Band track's have been revealed, Harmonix is upping how much DLC they release each week, because they made a promise that 500 songs would be available by the end of the year. Here are the songs for this week:
* The Offspring "Gone Away"
* The Offspring "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)"
* The Offspring "Self Esteem"
* Against Me! "Stop!"
* Free "All Right Now"
* George Thorogood and the Destroyers "Bad to the Bone"
* Harvey Danger "Cream & Bas...
Gamer 2.0 has posted an article consisting of the top 10 songs most wanted for the popular music game Rock Band 2. Their choices were made through levels of popularity in terms of both the cover band and the original band, along with the obvious requirement of the song being very well known. The list ended up at about 30 so the article creators cut it down by personal selection.
Is this a list you'd choose?
After the USA Today wrote a rumored report about the Wii version of Rock Band 2 containing DLC and online multiplayer, the MTV Multiplayer blog went further and had Harmonix - the developers of the Rock Band series - confirm this.
Here are the games that sold the most in week 39, 2008. On the Wii, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit game out on top in most regions, along with Wii Play, and Star Wars: The Force Unleahsed. On the 360, the top games were Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Rock Band 2, and Janline. Again on the PS3, Star Wars: The Force Unleahsed is doing incredibly well, finishing first in two regions, not in Japan.
Go to the source for the full list.
Owners of Rock Band and RB2 will have access to the Red Hot Chili Peppers album Blood Sugar Sex Magik next week as DLC. The album will be priced at 1600 MS Points ($20), with individual tracks going for 160 MS Points ($2).
GDN takes the new game, plugs in the amps, turns it up to 11 (we have that on the amps here in the office) and rocks out, or do we simply blow a fuse and call it a day?
Earlier today, Microsoft announced that the biggest Xbox marketing campaign since the release of the original Xbox has kicked off today. You will see ads plastered on billboards, on the T.V., radio, and a lot of other places!
In addition, there will also be game ads. A specific one that is being used will be the popular music game titled Rock Band 2.
After playing the 360 version of Konami's Rock Revolution that is supposed to compete with World Tour and Rock Band 2, UGO was not even close to being impressed. To start it all off, there are only forty songs to rock out on, while the two other music games contain more than half of that.
The drums are supposed to the main part of the game. They feature six pads and a kick. That may seem like a good thing, but the design of the drums is so bad that the drummer will have to look down to mak...
The list of the top selling games has been once again released. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has come out on top for pretty much every system, doing really well. For the Wii, Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit came out first and second. On the 360, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Tales of Vesperia, and Rock Band 2 came out in the lead. For the PS3, again, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed game out on top along with Afrika in Japan; Grand Theft Auto IV and Metal Gear Solid 4 came high as well. To see t...
Even though Rock Band 2's drums are quieter then the first ones, people living close to you may still have trouble with the noise.
Patrick Klepek is one of those drummers. Since the apartments he is living in are so close to one another, he can't play the recently released music game without one of his neighbors tapping the ceiling.
What would you do if the noise from a game was bothering your neighbor?
MTV Games and Harmonix sent out a press release today which reveals all the companies who shall be making instruments, such as microphones and guitars, for Rock Band 2.
Visit the source for the full list.
"Guys, I have a confession to make. I am a Wal-Mart employee. There, I said it.
Whew, wow. Now that that's out of the way, today we received some material concerning promotional efforts for the forthcoming AC/DC studio album (sold exclusively at Wally World), "Black Ice". In it was a bunch of stuff about selling hats, and t-shirts, and AC/DC branded stadium seats, and- WAIT! What's this!?"
Will Rock Band 2 live up to it's name ? Is it worth the purchase ? Find out when Gametrailers review Rock Band 2 !
( For reference Rock Band received 9.3 from Gametrailers ).
[Rock Band 2 Forum]
In typical Stephen Colbert fashion- it just keeps getting better and funnier. Gamers have created a band full of Stephen Colbert avatars- and then rocks them out to the hit 'Charlene'.
Today on the Xbox Live Arcade you will be able to download a few things. One of them is Feeding Frenzy 2, which is available in every region for 800 Microsoft points. You will as well be able to play Domino Master, which is again available in every region and 800 Microsoft points. There is also some Rock Band Downloadable content, ranging from 80-160 Microsoft Points, and they are songs.
"Move over, air guitar -- if you're looking to fake rock, you're looking to play Rock Band. The stunning debut from the power trio of MTV, Harmonix and EA blew open the music game genre by turning living rooms into practice pads, delivering not only the first legit contender to perennial blockbuster Guitar Hero, but possibly the best party game of all time. That's a tough act to follow.
So Harmonix did what any smart band would do after releasing a hugely successful first album: buy a rad h..."
The games should start arriving this week at retailers Wednesday, September 17, and they should have a good truckload this time. Tons of stuff out to coincide with the fall season, and a nice bit of it is very promising. From Dragon Quest IV to Star Wars: The Force Unleashed to Crysis Warhead to WAR to Rock Band 2, gamers won't have trouble finding their blockbuster title of choice, though the trouble may be in finding how many one can afford.
Xbox 360 Fanboy has posted up the weekly gaming deals for us, which include the Gears of War PC version for $15, a free Force Unleashed t-shirt if you buy the game at Best Buy, and tons more.
Hit the source for the rest.
vE3tro got their little hands on Rock Band 2, and have given the game a test drive. Hopefully this will persude some of you who are edgy about buying the game.
The first thing they did when they opened it all up was inspect the hardware. If you remember, when the first Rock Band launched, the instruments were a bit faulty, causing key sticking and other things. This time around, "Its safe to put your Rock Band drum kit on ebay." Hit the quote to see how all of the hardware has been upgrad...
"Welcome to New Releases for the Week!
The summer drought is officially over as a busy new release week is upon us with quality releases on every platform. The highlights this week include Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS), Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360), and Dragon Quest IV (Nintendo DS).
Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 14, 2008 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, S..."
"Rock Bands ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by years end."
"After a week of benevolent nerdcore fan-service, Harmonix is shifting gears and giving metalcore fans a shot in the arm. Next week's Rock Band DLC will offer a three-song track pack for All That Remains, featuring two new songs from their forthcoming new album, Overcome, and one from their 2006 album, The Fall of Ideals. The songs include (all master recordings):
* "This Calling"
* "Chiron"
* "Two Weeks""
"As of September 4th, the title update will add an export disc tab under the extras option in the Rock Band menus, allowing owners of the original Rock Band to expand their Rock Band 2 library to include 55 tracks from the original Rock Band track list for the nominal fee of $4.99 (400 Microsoft Points). In addition, this patch is required for all future downloadable content releases for Rock Band. Previously purchased DLC will not be affected.
The selection of 55 exportable Rock Band tra..."
"The selection of 55 exportable Rock Band tracks joins the weekly downloadable content list of over 200 songs to date and Rock Band 2s forthcoming setlist of over 100 songs [2] adding to the ever expanding Rock Band Music Library."
"Following on from the news that Line 6 technology had been dropped from the Wii version of Guitar Hero World Tour, a little more bad news has unfortunately emerged from Activision which affects both World Tour and EA's rival product, Rock Band 2.
Rock Band 2's instrument peripherals will not be compatible with the Wii version of Guitar Hero World Tour, and similarly Guitar Hero World Tour's instruments can not be used with the Wii version of Rock Band 2. Brian Bright, Guitar Hero World Tou..."
"While there's been a lot of talk over the last few years about the inevitable death of the album format, the videogame industry doesn't appear to be listening. On Sept. 12, Metallica will release a gameplay version of their new record, Death Magnetic, through Guitar Hero, and two days later, Rock Band 2 debuts, and with it, the promise of 500 tracks by year's end. Stocking the digital bins, EW.com has learned exclusively, will be seminal full albums by Foo Fighters (The Colour and the Shape),..."
"Ah, the Rhythm Action genre. Bashing away on a fake, plastic instrument or leaping around like a loon on a bunch of arrows while a banging track plays in the background. Do it well and youre a rock god on stage in front of thousands or the very ghost of Timberlake himself, throwing down some awesome shapes. For some people, this is escapism at its height. For others, well, they just dont get it."
According to the main image (->) it is speculated that the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band 2 will arrive in stores on September 14th whilst the Playstation 3 owners will have to wait over a month later at a date of October 19th.. whilst in addition the Nintendo Wii owners will have to wait an additional month on November 18th.
"It means, first, that classic acts can make an easy paycheck licensing their back catalogs to rhythm games, although both publishers are becoming less willing to accept anything except master tapes. With both games shipping with an in-game music store that allows players to browse, listen to tracks, and purchase new songs for the games, the ability to make money pushing classic and up-coming bands is virtually limitless.(Right now the holy grail of music licensing seems to be the Beatles, and..."
End of the world conspiracy theorists must be having a field day. Often the butt of music industry jokes, Guns N' Roses oft-delayed, 13-year-in-the-making album Chinese Democracy seems to be on the brink of release, with leaks appearing everywhere and the band gaining a new management team.
Harmoix, the makers of Rock Band 2, revealed that an as-of-yet unheard new Guns N' Roses track from Chinese Democracy, entitled Shackler's Revenge, will be making it's debut in Rock Band 2. The news has ...
According to the official online store for all things Rock Band, there are two different release dates for two different editions of Rock Band 2. Just the game itself is releasing November 30th, while the Special Edition is releasing October 19th. The 360 has the same release date on the official online store for the Special Edition, but I cannot seem to find the game itself, while the Rock Band 2 Special Edition for the Wii has a release date for November 18th. Amazon has both editions for t...
After the E3 showing of the first two, and the announcement of the third newcomer (Rock Revolution) gamers will be frustrated as to what their next rythem game purchase should be. Should they stay loyal to their Guitar Hero or Rock Band? or perhaps try out this new guy Rock Revolution.
Either way - Popular Mechanics goes through a short video review of each with a decent write up to boot.
According to the NPD Group research firm, the Sales of music- and dance-related video games climbed to 17 million units in the United States last year, from 4.7 million units the year before. The phenomenon has been fueled by the games "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band," in which gamers score points while playing simplified plastic guitars and other instruments in time to music.
"- Fender Stratocaster Controller takes on a new authentic look plus adds a reinforced strum bar, quieter buttons, wireless functionality and a built in calibration tool that automatically sets your AV setup to an ideal setting for maximum rock.
- Drum set goes wireless while also featuring quieter, velocity sensitive drum pads and a metal reinforced pedal.
- Microphone showcases authentic styling and weight.
Kick up the intensity with officially licensed third party instruments..."
"The Konami patents, issued in 2002 and 2003, relate to simulated musical instruments, a music-game system and a ``musical-rhythm matching game.'' Konami also makes the ``Karaoke Revolution'' music game with microphones, as well as the ``Metal Gear Solid'' espionage game.
...
Konami is demanding cash compensation, plus an order that would block Viacom and Harmonix from using the inventions, according to the complaint, filed yesterday in federal court in Marshall, Texas. The suit names H..."
Guitar Hero World Tour won't be the only music game to feature wireless drums. A product listing on Amazon has revealed that Rock Band 2 will have its own wireless drum set. Rock Band 2 is coming out on September 14th.
Free DLC - it's not too common but when it comes down to the survival of a franchise you have to do what you have to do... And Harmonix could be doing just that with the possibility of the wholesale givaway of all of the first Rock Stars' song list.
![Box shot of Rock Band 2 [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvWGJveF8zNjAvUmh5dGhtXyZfTXVzaWM=/rock_band_2_frontcover_small_Zc4WeGFwjSdvOxY.jpg)