The Who to play private party in L.A. [Reuters] [Pic]

Page K answered!

Yesterday I was among a group of games press-related folk sitting in on a presentation of Rock Band 2, the next iteration of the smash hit band simulator from MTV, Harmonix, and EA. After being presented with the game's new features and spending some lungs-on time with the title, one thing became perfectly clear – Rock Band 2 isn't about innovation. Rock Band 2 is about tweaking existing concepts and adding a few new ones to try and provide the most complete experience possible. Rock Band 2 is about perfecting the game. From what I've seen so far, they're well on their way.

You saw the complete track list that Leigh posted for the game on Monday? A truly impressive set of songs. Now add the Rock Band 1 music and the DLC, and you've got one hell of an iPod setlist. It looks very impressive plastered across the back wall of the tiny conference room the presentation takes place in, but the main draw is the tiny stage up front, where the plastic instruments await.

John from Harmonix takes us through the new features of the game. First up is the song listing. With over 200 songs available for the game including DLC and RB1 music, you can imagine scrolling through the entire list of songs to find one can be a real pain in the ass. To this end they've added several new sorting types. You can select songs from source, decade, artist, and album – and clicking the headers launches you into a playlist including everything in that category. Say you want to play all the songs you've downloaded from a particular The Who album. Just highlight the album title and you're off. A tiny tweak that not only adds to convenience, but adds to gameplay variety as well.

Next up are the instruments. No big changes for my weapon of choice, the microphone, but the guitar and drums have both undergone several tweaks. The guitar itself now features a woodgrain-looking neck to help maintain the illusion of actually rocking, while a new auto-calibration feature flashes a light in time with your TV screen to measure the delay and adjust accordingly.

The drums at first look pretty much the same, but when you start adding on expansions they shin. The cymbals in the Rock Band 2 drum set are add-ons that can be taken off or added as you please. What's more, you can unplug the controller from the drum heads and plug in an add-on that turns your RB2 drums into a fully working electronic drum kit. Other tweaks to the drums include a better feeling bass pedal and a drum tutor for the game that will help you get into the rhythm of things.

Probably one of the most exciting features of Rock Band 2 is the Battle of the Bands mode. Rather than just having two bands facing off against each other, the Battle of the Bands features bands from all over the world competing at once through a variety of daily challenges. Challenges appear in the game each day, such as playing through a certain set, performing songs from a certain artists, etc. You can check your band's performance against your friends list or the world to see where your band ranks once a challenge is complete. While you might not be the best overall band in the world, you can still be a challenge champion, something that gives everyone a chance to shine whether they start playing from day one or pick the game up months down the line.

Other tweaks include hireable staff that make a difference to how much money you make or how many fans you bring in, adding an element of strategy to the career mode, new venues to play in, a No Fail mode so your kids can play without feeling like that are losing, because that's somehow bad, and a jukebox mode, where you pick the band and set list and just watch them perform, perfect for parties!

As the presentation runs down I prepare to take the stage, grabbing the microphone while fellow members of the press take up the drums, guitar, and bass. The artist is The Foo Fighters. The rest is musical history.

Rock Band 2's tracklist is official. It resembles many of the leaks we've seen up until now, featuring over 100 songs — more than 80 songs plus 20 bonus tracks available as free DLC this fall.

We've got AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and my personal fave, Interpol. All the content will be backwards-compatible with all previous Rock Band DLC to date. It was also announced that "almost" all songs from the previous Rock Band disc can be transferred over.

Full list after the jump.

HARMONIX AND MTV GAMES UNVEIL SETLIST FOR ROCK BANDTM2 - THE ULTIMATE MUSIC GAME

Game to Feature Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and New Artists

Rock Band Platform to Encompass More Than 500 Songs by End of 2008

Los Angeles, Calif. – July 14, 2008 – Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company, and MTV Games, a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit the song set list for Rock Band™ 2, the next evolution of the groundbreaking Rock Band music platform. The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall. This builds upon the unparalleled depth and diversity of Rock Band’s original set list and its ever-expanding library of downloadable tracks. Comprised entirely of master recordings from some of rock’s most prolific and untouchable artists, including AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more, Rock Band 2 will deliver the most impressive and largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame ever.

• After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track “Shackler's Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.

• Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock.”

• For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue.”

• Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.

• Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay-the first time ever in videogame history! [1]

• With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!

“With Rock Band, Harmonix and MTV Games set out to create a powerful music platform for music fans, their friends and families to discover music in a way unlike ever before,” said Paul DeGooyer, SVP Electronic Games and Music, MTV. “We are honored that such legendary artists as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Dylan and more have chosen Rock Band 2 as a new platform for fans to experience their music. As our catalog of disc and downloadable songs continues to grow, we are determined to continue to provide the Rock Band community an unmatched ability to customize their musical experience with the artists and songs they love.”

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:
Artist Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s
Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

** The Rock Band 2 on-disc track list is comprised entirely of master recordings.

More news about music on the Rock Band platform will be announced during the coming months.

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for the PLAYSTATION® 3 and PlayStation® 2 computer entertainment systems and Wii™ later this year.

The Rock Band online Music Store recently surpassed 16 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007.With more than 200 tracks available to date on disc and via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

Rock Band 2 is rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

The nugget of info was couched in a broader report about the run-up to the 20th anniversary of the seminal sports simulation. Huge hat tip to reader Max for spotting and pointing it out to us.

Quoth Reuters:

Under the deal, "Rock Band" will feature music from the "Madden 09" soundtrack in its weekly downloadable songs update, a handful at a time, over several weeks, with each song carrying the "Madden" brand. Additionally, each soundtrack song will be available for sale via iTunes as part of a special "Madden" playlist.

Max provided a handy-dandy track list reminder (below), noting that two songs already are available as Rock Band DLC: "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed, and "Hammerhead" by The Offspring. The soundtrack:

Airbourne - Stand Up For Rock ‘N Roll
Busta Rhymes feat. Linkin Park - We Made It
Disturbed - Inside The Fire
Franz Ferdinand - Lucid Dreams
From First To Last - Worlds Away
Gym Class Heroes - I’m Home
Hollywood Undead - Undead
In Flames - The Mirror’s Truth
Innerpartysystem - Don’t Stop
Izza Kizza - Millionaire
K’NAAN - ABC’s
Kardinal Offishall feat. Lindo P - Burnt
Kidz In The Hall - Blackout
KOVAS - Wax On, Wax Off
Mindless Self Indulgence - Never Wanted To Dance
Rev Theory - Hell Yeah
Senses Fail - Wolves At The Door
Shinedown - Devour
The All-American Rejects - The Real World (Demo)
The Fashion - Like Knives
The Offspring - Hammerhead
Trivium - Into The Mouth Of…We March
Tyga - Diamond Life
Underoath - Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Wale feat. Southeast Slim - Breakdown
Young Dre The Truth feat. Good Charlotte - Workin’

Madden Football Marks 20 Years With New Offerings [Reuters]

The "other" drums are new to Rock Band 2, and are called the Ion Drum kit, licensed in collaboration with drum manufacturers Ion. It'll be sold separately, and be sold for a lot, because it comes with three electronic cymbals, adjustable pads, what looks like a metal frame as well as the ability to unplug it from the game and use it as a real electronic drum kit. You know, for those who need their Phil Collins Halloween costumes to look just right.

[Game Informer Magazine]

In other exciting Rock Band 2 news, reader Farnic let's us know that the official site for the game is now up. Don't expect much in the way of content, just a newsletter sign up form.

Rock Band 2 Standalone Drums [Amazon - thanks, Max!]

• Red Hot Chili Peppers "Snow (Hey Oh)"
• Red Hot Chili Peppers "Tell Me Baby"
• Rush "Closer to the Heart"
• Rush "Working Man" (alternate-take master)

Tracks are $1.99 each or 160 Microsoft Points and arrive this coming Tuesday for Xbox 360 owners, Thursday for the PlayStation 3 crowd. Thanks to Smidget for the quick tip.

"We're taking a radically different approach to that problem," he tells CNN. "It's something we wanted to take more time to do it right." Instead, Rigopulos says that the team at Harmonix is focused on community and other unspecified areas.

Harmonix bigwigs have gone on record in the past, saying that using user-created and custom track technology — as is done is Harmonix's iPod game Phase — may be applied to Rock Band in the future.

Get ready to jam with 'Rock Band 2' [CNN - thanks, Max!]

The list, with a best guest at the performing artists is after the jump.

"Panic Attack" by Dream Theater or Finger Eleven
"Chop Suey" by System of a Down
"Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters
"Kids In America" by Kim Wilde
"Ace of Spades" by Motörhead
"Hello There" by Cheap Trick
"Anyway You Want It" by Journey
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who

Keep in mind that these things may not be set in stone and are subject to change so consider this ru... OH GOD! JOURNEY! MOTORHEAD! AAAAAHHH!!

Small Song List on X-Play for RB2 [ScoreHero Forums - thanks, Max!]

[via IGN]

• Amazing Journey
• Baba O'Riley
• Behind Blue Eyes
• Eminence Front
• Going Mobile
• Leaving Here
• My Generation (LIVE)
• Real Good Looking Boy
• Sea & Sand
• Summertime Blues (LIVE)
• Who Are You
• Young Man Blues (LIVE)

Sure, we could complain that "Bargain" master tracks seemingly didn't survive from "Who's Next", but we already have "Won't Get Fooled Again" and look forward to "Eminence Front." We'll take what we can get! Full press release after the jump. Thanks to Max for the heads up.

ROCK BAND™ TAKES FANS AND GAMERS ON AN AMAZING JOURNEY

There have been several important dates in the history of The Who: May 23, 1969 – Iconic rock album Tommy is released and rockets to No. 4 on the U.S. charts. May 31, 1976 – The Who’s second concert at Charlton football ground earns them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the “world’s loudest rock band.” July 13, 1985 – The Who re-form to perform at Live Aid and whip Wembley Stadium into an absolute frenzy.

Now July 15, 2008 joins these dates as a dozen classic songs by The Who get new life as Rock Band™ game play. MTV Games and Harmonix announced today that even more of the legendary group's greatest hits will be added to the Rock Band catalog of downloadable content with the release of “The Best of The Who Rock Band Edition.”

“We’re really pleased to have our songs featured in Rock Band,” says Roger Daltrey, lead singer of The Who. “It allows our established fan base to interact with our music in a way that’s fresh and exciting, while also exposing our songs to new audiences.”

“I’m a fan of Rock Band,” says Who guitarist Pete Townshend. “I play the game with my son and girlfriend and love the way it brings different generations together through music. I like the idea that people of all ages will be having fun playing our songs.”

“The Who is consistently one of our most requested bands" says Paul DeGooyer, SVP Electronic Games and Music, MTV, "and it is great to be able to bring this unique compilation of their music to the Rock Band community.”

The 12 songs were selected by Harmonix and MTV Games after consulting with Townshend and Daltrey, who helped curate the track list. The downloadable tracks represent the meaty, beaty, big and bouncy best of The Who, including classics such as “Amazing Journey,”“Baba O'Riley,” “Sea & Sand,” three songs from the classic Live At Leeds album (including a special edited version of “My Generation”) and more.

Each track will be available for $1.99 per track (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) or $19.99 (1600 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for the entire collection of tracks.

The release of “The Best of The Who Rock Band Edition” coincides with the upcoming “VH1 Rock Honors” celebration honoring the legendary rock band. Premiering on Thursday, July 17 at 9pm on VH1, VH1 Classic and MHD, the show will celebrate The Who’s monumental legacy with a 2 hour tribute saluting the music and the lasting impact of this groundbreaking band. The influence of The Who will be felt through spoken tributes, filmed packages and performances by some of today’s premiere rock acts as well as the legends themselves. The night will feature tribute performances by Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, The Flaming Lips and Incubus as well as an electrifying grand finale performance from The Who.

Release date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 (Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and PLAYSTATION®Store)

TRACKS: The Best of The Who Rock Band Edition”
“Amazing Journey”
“Baba O'Riley”
“Behind Blue Eyes”
“Eminence Front”
“Going Mobile”
“Leaving Here”
“My Generation” (LIVE)
“Real Good Looking Boy”
“Sea & Sand”
“Summertime Blues” (LIVE)
“Who Are You”
“Young Man Blues” (LIVE)
(All tracks utilize the original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track or $19.99 (1600 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for the entire collection of tracks.

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PLAYSTATION®Network

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

With the addition of these tracks there are now more than 200 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc). Rock Band™ continues to fly off shelves and satisfy music fans and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock as more than 12 million downloads have been purchased since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band™ Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band™ library.

Rock Band™ allows online play and features that expand the boundaries of music gaming. Rock Band™ downloadable content is playable and integrated into setlists in all game modes including: Solo Tour, Band World Tour, head-to-head competition either locally or online, and from any Quickplay mode. In order to play downloadable content for head-to-head matches or multiplayer online, all players must own the same downloadable track. Downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will be available for purchase via Xbox LIVE Marketplace using Microsoft Points and is downloaded directly to the Xbox 360 hard drive. Downloadable content for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system's version of Rock Band™ will be available for purchase on the PLAYSTATION®Store through the free PLAYSTATION Network and is downloaded directly to PLAYSTATION 3 system's built in hard drive.

Rock Band™ is rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

For more information on Rock Band™ and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com

Other details provided by the survey promised improved "instruments, character creation, and online play" noting that drums would see some sort of undisclosed improvement.

Descriptions of the sequel to the original Rock Band also note that players will have the option to "develop and personalize artwork and apparel in the game, which you can then order as actual merchandise to be mailed to you." Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos talked up some of those features something we've seen little of in reality.

Ah yes.

Haven't been playing portables much of late as I'm at home all the time, so if I can squeeze in a game, it'll be GTAIV, CoD4 or MGS4 (yes, I started it, and yes, it's quite good!) Hrm, Mrs. Bashcraft plays Mario Kart DS like every damn day, so.................. She still seems to be in the thick of it. (If the thick of it is the year 2005.)

It's your last day at Kotaku Tower! We had a delightful time and appreciate you filling in while Crecente rides around in a boat. I'm sure next week will seem way more relaxing as you helm one site and not two. Also, while I can't speak for everyone, I forgive you for Hogan Knows Best. Maybe.

Thank Luke for the Photoshop. It's brilliant.

What you missed last night
New Adventure Island Coming, Maybe Star Soldier As Well
Amazon's Gold Box Kick Off With Super Cheap SSBB
Blizzard Splashwatch Day Five - Death Knights, Protoss, And Purple Penguins
Arise, Sirs Dan And Sam Houser?
Soul Calibur IV Features Hot Tag-Team Action
Ubisoft + Prince Of Persia + DS Is What You'd Expect
Big Exclusive White Knight Chronicles Coming Financial Year 2008
Did A Boy Really Kill Himself After His Wii Was Taken Away?
MGS 4 Moved Eight Times More PS3s In Release Week
Wii Castlevania Revealed! It's A Fighting Game?

Beatles Seeks Join [FT via Console Hero] [Pic]

[Pic]

Wii Rock Band Drum Kit Pics [IGN]

In other RB2 news, we've heard from our retail buddies that Rock Band 2 is showing up in databases 'round the nation with a November 2008 ship date. Thanks to BrocStoppable for the heads up on that. One other tidbit that recently crept out via reader Bryan was that the late Bo Diddley's "Billy-Bo-Jupiter Thunderbird" guitar from Gretsch will make an appearance in the sequel.

Survey reveals Rock Band 2 concept box art [Joystiq]

And what better company than Q Entertainment to handle the localization? I'm hoping this alliance between Harmonix and Q is only the beginning of what could be a very fruitful relationship for the developers and gamers alike. Hit the jump to read the full press release while I queue up my J-pop Winamp playlist and get incomprehensible for a bit.

Rock Band Goes to Japan

Harmonix and MTV to Partner with Q Entertainment for Rock Band: Japan

CAMBRIDGE, Mass - June 2, 2008 – Harmonix Music Systems, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), announced today that they will team up with Q Entertainment, a leading Japanese music game designer, to bring the best-selling music videogame Rock Band to Japan. The two studios will work together to develop the title, marking the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market. The game will feature Japanese musical acts as well as other localized assets.

Rock Band’s return to the birthplace of rhythm games will
benefit from Q Entertainment’s experience designing progressive and engaging games many of which have a heavy focus on integrating music elements into gameplay. Since its founding in 2003, Tokyo based Q Entertainment has become a leader in rhythm oriented titles, including the critically acclaimed music and luminary action puzzle game series Lumines,and the recently released Extend Every Extra Extreme (E4) and Rez HD for Xbox Live.

Today’s announcement was also featured Saturday at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards - Japan, where a Rock Band trailer was presented.

The US-version of Rock Band was also prominently featured backstage and at the afterparty, giving Japanese attendees a taste of what’s to come in the newly announced title.

Rock Band, which has sold over 3 million units in North America and Europe, is an all-new platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune, mastering lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.With more master recordings than any other music game, Rock Band features some of the world’s biggest rock artists and spans every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic
rock to heavy metal and punk.

Rock Band is a true music platform, with over 12 million songs sold as downloadable content since its initial release. There are currently over 140 songs available for download in the Rock Band Music Store and Harmonix continues to release new music every week.

Since its North American release in 2007, Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com .

Oh, the videos are not viewable for those logging in from Canada and the UK, so folks in those regions will just have to imagine these trailers.

Exclusive MGS4 Trailer [Mulitplayer]

First glimpse of the Rock Band Stage Kit [X3F]

We wanted to give people a choice, though. Splash £50 on the game and use any USB microphone to sing.

Rock Band dev defends price (again) [CVG]

Rock acts ringing up sales via video games [Reuters]

* Die Toten Hosen "Hier Kommt Alex"
* Blur "Beetlebum" (Cover)
* Muse "Hysteria"
* Oasis "Rock 'n' Roll Star"
* Tokio Hotel "Monsoon"
* Juli "Perfekte Welle"
* Les Wampas "Manu Chao"
* Playmo "New Wave"
* H-Block X "Countdown to Insanity"

That couldn't be more devoid of details, sadly. More interesting is the survey's data gathering on alternate pricing schemes, indicating that EA and MTV Games may be looking at giving you more Rock Band for your buck.

The full list of questions is as follows.

• How interested would you be in purchasing Rock Band 2?
• How likely would you be to consider Rock Band Special Edition if it is priced at $199, but included an extra guitar (two wireless guitars, drums and microphone included)?
• How likely would you be to consider Rock Band Special Edition if it is priced at $169 (one wireless guitar, drums and microphone included)?
• How likely would you be to consider Rock Band Special Edition if it is priced at $149 (one wireless guitar, drums and microphone included)?
• If Guitar Hero released a new game with full band play (guitar, bass, drums, singing) similar to Rock Band, which game would you be most likely to purchase?
• Now, which game would you be most likely to choose if one were priced slightly lower than the other?

We know that Guitar Hero IV plans to match Rock Band feature-wise in the instrument department, adding a drum set and vocals, so EA and MTV Games are going to have battle it out with above and beyond software tricks and appeal to gamer's wallets. For many current Rock Band owners, I have a feeling future purchasing decisions are going to come down to already owned hardware, but for those who haven't committed, we have to wonder what Harmonix has up its sleeve to keep fence sitters interested.

Later this year, folks who buy the South Park season 11 DVD set will be treated to a trio of unspecified Rock Band tracks alongside top shelf poop and dick jokes. Details? Scant! All this cross selling makes us wonder: Could Rock Band be the greatest cross promotion tool ever to grace the video game medium?

Best Buy Promoting Exclusive Rock Band X360 DLC; Tracks Will Be Publicly Available in June [Shacknews]
South Park - Interesting Bonus Item, Early Box Art forThe Complete 11th Season: Uncensored [TV Shows On DVD]

The farmacias and bodegas in East Holland, the Starbucks-esque cup in every hand, the prevalence of "Craplist" social interaction, even the thriving Russian community beside the boardwalk in Hove Beach where the story begins all capture that tickly feeling of home. But MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo notes that from Bohan to Schottler, there are a few things about New York that GTA IV gets wrong, and he's compiled a tongue-in-cheek list of eight key items that are, as he says, "grossly misrepresented."

1. We are not a car town: No sensible New Yorker uses a car as their primary means of transportation in the city, unless — maybe — they commute from the suburbs. Car ownership doesn't make much sense. There are never any parking spots. Parking garages are prohibitively expensive. And, most importantly, the subway is a faster, cheaper and more efficient means of transportation. We don't drive here. Niko, to be a real New Yorker, should rely on the subway. But what would he be left to grandly thieve?

True enough. Certainly, in New York, only rich commuters who live in swanky penthouses or in the outlying boroughs have cars. Rent here for the average denizen is pricey enough without the cost of gas and parking — and, that aside, I'd never even think of owning a car here just due to the crushing traffic and inconvenience.

But there are a lot of cars here nonetheless, and having been many times a pedestrian nearly clipped by some crazy speeder cornering badly, it's a fun turnabout to be behind the wheel this time. If you do happen to be in a car, people always seem to be wandering into the crosswalk at the worst of times — that, at least, is accurate.

Totilo picks more hangups: There are no dinosaurs at the Met! Times Square — er, Star Junction — should be much more congested with pedestrians, it's true. And bagels are a quintessential part of our diet, unobtainable in Liberty City.

8. We eat bagels: Have I missed something or is it not possible to eat a bagel in "Grand Theft Auto IV"'s Liberty City? Niko can eat burgers, hot dogs and go to diners. But bagels? The most famous New York City food? Never fear, visitors to our town, we have bagels that can be eaten and enjoyed, whether Liberty City acknowledges it or not. Burgers? Waste of time. You can eat them in any town.

And finally, where are Manhat— um, Algonquin's legions of tiny, tiny little doggies? It's the must-have accessory for Upper East Siders. We don't mean to quibble with such a fantastic game world, but, you know.

8 Things 'Grand Theft Auto IV' Gets Wrong About New York City, Including Bagels [MTV Multiplayer]

MTV Games, Harmonix, and EA will be releasing the Rock Band Track Pack Volume 1 for the PS2 and the Wii on July 15th. $29.99 at your local game purveyor nets you an additional 20 songs for the game, chosen from the DLC already available on the PS3 and 360. It's an okay mix I suppose, with some of my favorites - NIN's "March of the Pigs", Faith No More's "We Care A Lot", and Weezer's "Buddy Holly", but I much prefer being able to pick and choose my songs rather than be handed a chunk all at once.

I am going to assume these packs are standalone, going by the size of the files and both systems lacking a hard disk. Still, more Rock Band fun is more Rock Band fun, right? Hit the jump for the full track listing, and see where you fall between delighted and disappointed.

YOU CAN'T STOP THE ROCK!!

MTV Games, Harmonix and EA Announce "Rock BandTM Track Pack Volume 1" for WiiTM and PlayStation®2 System Will Be Available July 15, 2008

Cambridge, MA - May 5, 2008 - Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, and MTV Games, a division of MTV Networks, which is a division of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced plans to release Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 for the Wii™ home video game console from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The 20-Track Pack features an electrifying mix of classic hits and current favorites, including songs by Boston, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, and All American Rejects. The Rock Band™ Track Pack Volume 1 will be available on July 15th, 2008 for a MSRP of $29.99. Complete details are as follows:

Release date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Tracks:

30 Seconds to Mars The Kill
All American Rejects Move Along
Blink - 182 All the Small Things
Boston More Than a Feeling
David Bowie Moonage Daydream
Faith No More We Care A Lot
Grateful Dead Truckin'
The Hives Die, All Right!
KISS Calling Dr. Love
Lynyrd Skynyrd Gimme' Three Steps
Nine Inch Nails March of the Pigs
Oasis Live Forever
Paramore Crushcrushcrush
The Police Synchronicity II
Queens of the Stone Age Little Sister
Ramones Teenage Lobotomy
Smashing Pumpkins Siva
Stone Temple Pilots Interstate Love Song
Weezer Buddy Holly
Wolfmother Joker & the Thief

**All 20 tracks utilize original master recordings**
** All tracks are available as DLC on competing platforms**

Price: $29.99 MSRP

Rock Band is the ultimate platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune - all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world's biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock, to heavy metal and punk. Rock Band has garnered over 40 awards this year including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007 and three awards at The 11th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards including Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Family Game of the Year, and Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack.

Rock Band is rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, mild suggestive themes) by the ESRB.

Rock Band will be available for the Wii starting June 22, 2008. Rock Band is currently available on the PLAYSTATION®2 computer entertainment system, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®.

EA is the exclusive distribution and marketing partner for Rock Band.

For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com.

Viacom rocks with Rock Band [Reuters]
Photo by Lester Cohen of WireImage

Anticipating the comments, I'm going to point out that, yes, you could make such a contraption at home for less money. But given what we've already spent on Rock Band, what's another fitty?

Lightning Review: Rock Band Stand Keeps Your Guitars, Controllers and Mics in Check [Gizmodo]

While this is precisely the news that all Rock Band fans have been waiting to hear, it raises a ton of new questions. Is $14.99 the new standard album price? And how often can we expect new albums? Luckily, we had the chance to discuss the announcement with Harmonix's CEO Alex Rigopulos, who was more than happy to answer all of our fanboy questions. We posted an abridged, cleaned (sans-Mark's-question-stuttering-and-boring-parts) Q&A after the jump.

What took you so long?
...a big reason that it's taken us so long to get them to market is that the actual technical delivery of the assets required for any one song - they're actually pretty complicated. You're often dealing with masters for the older stuff that were recorded on analog. Often it takes a long time to even locate those masters. The right takes and the right edits have to be found, and in some cases old gear that's not in use anymore has to be resuscitated to transfer the stuff to digital. And so for any one song, the actual process of finding the right tape, resuscitating it and transferring it to the right digital format that we need and all that is an undertaking...

If you're just going for a handful of tracks by a particular artist and they're slow to locate one of them, well you just pick a different track and go on. Well when you're looking for a dozen tracks ina a particular album, you cant really release the album until you've tracked every one of those assets.

What happened to The Who?
We will have a specific announcement about that coming up soon regarding some work that we have coming down the pike with The Who in general that I think people are gonna be pretty happy about...and in general what you're gonna see sorta deep dives with particular artists, where with some artists...of the appropriate stature, you'll see us doing more than whole albums, potentially even entire catalogs.

What kind of schedule will album release be on?
For album releases, in particular, there isn't a set schedule like an album a month...we do want to release albums regularly...generally, the amount of content we release in a week you'll see growing over the course of the year substantially.

Will albums ever represent the majority of your music releases?
I don't think albums will be the dominant release. I don't think we're going to switch to primarily releasing albums, but I will say, in addition to these three we've just mentioned, we actually have MANY in the pike...suffice it to say, it will be a substantial portion of our content offering going forward.

So is $14.99 the new standard album price?
It's not a standard. There's not going to be a standard album pricing. It's going to be a function of how many songs are included in the album...essentially there will be a volume discount applied.

Do you think a variable price rate on albums is disadvantage, especially when stores like iTunes sell albums for a flat rate?
Perhaps, but I think...consumers have demonstrated that they feel that the value they're getting for a game level based at $2 is enormous...[and] there's quite a lot of appetite for music at $2 a song...[so] volume discounts for more music represents quite a good value for the consumers.

Will you ever offer 3-Pack discounts for album tracks?
At this time we're not...I'm not ruling that out as something we're doing in the future. It's just not something we're doing right now.

Would you ever consider releasing "greatest hits" albums?
I don't see any particular reason why we would rule them out...I think that for the right artist under the right circumstances, there's no reason we wouldn't consider doing a greatest hits album that either exists in the world already as a recorded compilation, or [as] in some cases, we've actually had artists come to us who are interested in kind of curating their own new greatest hits compilation for the purpose of Rock Band release. And so I think we're really pretty versatile to ideas of that sort.

So basically, a Rock Band Greatest Hits album?
Exactly.
(Ed note: Rigopulos later explained that they kind of did this with Grateful Dead tracks already, unofficially.)

At the end of the interview, Rigopulos let me know that Rock Band had recently surpassed 8 million song downloads. That's about 2 million just since their new store opened (and Still Alive became offered for free).

Oasis - Don't Look Back In Anger
The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret
The B-52s - Roam
The Police - Roxanne
The Ramones - Rockaway Beach

Eh. Remember, though, if you're feeling a little let down by this (and indeed the whole DLC/Wii mess in general), don't blame Harmonix, they're on your side. Blame Nintendo.
[Pic]

"Call Me" by Blondie (master)
"Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (master)
"Message in Bottle" by the Police (master)

Also of note, Harmonix reports that PlayStation 3 owners should get these new tracks this Thursday when the Sony's store comes back online, along with any other back tracks that have been missing from their store.

DLC Week of 4/15 [Rock Band Forums via GameInformer]

...we're not gouging you, primarily because doing so doesn't serve our interests. We can only build our franchise if you buy our games. You may conclude that Rock Band isn't worth the price charged, and that is your prerogative. But it's not magically going to get cheaper because you wish it to be so.

Sure, some might call it overkill. But we're calling it just enough kill. Hit the link for the full tutorial. Images seem to have been pulled (probably for bandwidth purposes).

Rock Band Stompbox [Bashhh via Engadget]