...in the early days of the Wii when it was first announced, we contemplated using the Wiimote for a drumming interface. We backed away from it because we found that the tactile element of actually hitting a surface when you're drumming is a fairly critical part to the visceral feel of actually playing drums. So when you're air drumming, it was a critical element you're missing in the experience. So that's one of the reasons we backed away from it and decided to build a custom drum peripheral.

Plus, you know. When you're drumming against a drum, you're a lot less likely to make a complete arse of yourself.

Interview: Alex Rigopulos on Rock Band 2, Competing with Guitar Hero and Evolving the Music Genre [GameDaily]

The video is after the jump!

Nine Inch Nails 3-pack - $5.49 or 440 Microsoft Points
“Burn”
“Capital G”
“Last”

Shinedown - $1.99 or 160 Microsoft Points each
“Devour”
“Junkies For Fame”

Who's getting what?

By Brian Crecente

Last night Harmonix made E3 history, hosting a private concert at LA's historic Orpheum Theater with The Who. Frontmen Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend took the stage to the thunderous applause of the more than 1,000 invited guests. The front six rows of the venue were packed with hand-picked VIP.

We landed a seat front-row center next to MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John, GameLife's Chris Kohler and analyst Michael Pachter thanks to a bit of VIP pass flashing and general running when the door opened.

When the lights flared up Townshend and Daltrey were joined by keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, bassist Pino Palladino, drummer Zak Starkey and guitarist Simon Townshend. The group worked through their music for an hour or two taking breaks to joke with the crowd and tease audience members.

At one point Townshend, who insisted on saying that Viacom was throwing the party, asked who in the audience was responsible for the color selection of the fret keys of the Rock Band guitars. When the designer, who was sitting in the front row, jumped up and waved his hands around, Townshend said the colors were awful.

Later Townshend said that everyone should buy their children the new Aerosmith Guitar Hero bundle, then a second later added, oh, that's the other one.

That's right, one of my bets came true. After the concert wrapped up a roadie throw out Starkey's drumsticks and I managed to snag one. Then, walking out of the venue I bumped into former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade and after talking to him for a few minutes, snagged a pic with him.
I think I can cross "best night ever" off my lists of things to do in my life.
Hit the jump to check out two very short video snippets of the group pumping out power rock. And then pause a moment for "it" which they totally killed with their curtain-dropping performance of Pinball Wizard.

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.

Activision: ‘Guitar Hero: World Tour’ Is Compatible With ‘Rock Band’ Instruments [Multiplayer]

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.

Rock Band 2 Exclusive Gameplay Reveal [Gametrailers]

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]

* Note - Phil Collins cosplay getup sold separately.

MTV News received a response from an MTV spokesperson on the matter — which, in my mind, was shouted across cubicles — who said the lawsuit was "extremely surprising." The rep further noted that "successful products such as 'Rock Band' can often become targets for baseless litigation." We agree, especially when the entity filing suit is showing up extremely late to the party with its own stillborn excuse for a rock game. At least those poor unfortunate litigation lawyers will finally get a few bucks coming to 'em.

Further details on the suit at MTV News.

'Rock Band' Creators Sued By 'Rock Revolution' Publisher Konami [MTV News]

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]

Konami Sues Viacom Over `Rock Band' Music Video Game [Bloomberg] [Pic]

In less than a week Electronic Arts will be showing off Rock Band 2 to the world's gaming press at this year's E3. To get your motor running a bit early, Harmonix dropped this fat fact sheet and these images on us.

First things first: If you already own Rock Band and you buy Rock Band 2 all of your songs will transfer over automatically and free o' charge.

Rock Band 2, which hits the Xbox 360 this September and the PS2, PS3 and Wii later this year, includes a number of new tweaks both to the software and hardware. Some highlights:

The new and improved drums and guitar peripherals will be compatible with the original Rock Band and original instruments will work with Rock Band 2. The new guitar will have a sturdier strum bar, quieter buttons and be wireless. The new drum kit will include a metal reinforced pedal, quieter pads, velocity sensors and... be wireless.

New Mini-Campaigns
Custom Set Lists
Online World Tour
Drum Trainer

That's right, Rock Band 2 will literally teach you how to play drums.

We weren't allowed to play with the new instruments when the game was showed off to press last month, but I did manage to grope the drum kit for a few seconds when no one was looking. The pedal looked like it would stand up to more abuse and the drums themselves had a thicker rubber like feel to them. I'm certain they would be much quieter. The guitar, well the guitar looks just kick ass.

Hit the jump for tons of details and a pic of the fancy new instrument.

Start A Band, Rock The World!

Developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music videogame company, and published by MTV Games, Rock Band™ 2 is the next evolution of the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music videogames. Rock Band 2 builds upon the original, challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals, and raises the bar to include an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and exhilarating features.

Rock Band 2 will feature more than 80 tracks on disc – but it doesn’t stop there. Players will have access to all DLC tracks, packs and albums released to date as well as future DLC releases; that’s more than 200 song choices and counting. The music inRock Band 2 features all master recordings and spans all genres of rock from punk, metal and alternative to classic and southern rock.

Rock Band 2 will be released on Xbox 360™ videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and will 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 Nintendo Wii™ system later this year.

Key Features
Rock the World!
Rock Band 2 offers new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before, both locally and globally.

Rock in Style!
Rock Band 2 introduces a new variety of instrument choices all with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs. All Rock Band 2 instruments are fully compatible with the original Rock Band. Conversely, all Rock Band peripherals will be fully compatible with Rock Band 2.

Unrivaled Song Library!
Rock Band 2 features the biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.

Complete the Look!
Rock Band 2 delivers new clothing, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, instruments and more to keep your unique rock avatar playing the full rock part.

Battle it Out!
Go head to head competing against other bands with Battle of the Bands contests that will be generated by Harmonix on a regular basis.

Stay on Top!
Stay the undisputed leader board champion with real time alerts updating you when another rocker or band has surpassed your score!

Take on Tour Challenges!
Play through mini-campaigns focused on a specific instrument, your favorite artist, your preferred genre, or a particular album.

Customizable Set Lists!
Create your own set lists in Quickplay mode to keep the music rolling and your band rocking!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Never Dies!
Rock Band 2 offers backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable content- all previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 play list!

Game Modes
Quickplay
Now easier than ever to get in and jam without hassle.
- New prefab characters
- Your customized characters can now play on any instrument
- Make your own set lists
- Organize song lists by a variety of categories (alphabetical, genre, era, etc.)

World Tour
Solo Tour and Band World Tour join forces to create the ultimate band touring experience!
- World Tour is now online
- No more band leaders! If you need to fire your guitarist but keep the band going, fire away!
- Switch up instruments throughout world tour
- All new collection of opportunity gigs, challenges, cities, venues, and hirable staff

Tour Challenges
Take your band on tour in a whole new way with specific music challenges.
- Focused mini-campaigns featuring the best songs by instrument, decade, genre or artist
- Automatically generated DLC challenges
- Album specific challenges

Battle of the Bands
Put your band to the ultimate test by competing against other bands, both on your friends list and around the world!
- Dynamic content with regular new contests designed by Harmonix
- Matches up your score against overall competition and friends’ bands - with REAL TIME feedback
- Get updates on new battles from your Band Profile, as well as notifications when your score has been topped!

Drum Trainer
A true teaching tool that gives players a step-by-step lesson through the basic beat and fill vocabulary any real world drummer would know.

Music
Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists with hits from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s. The Rock Band 2 disc will feature more than 80 rock hits—all master recordings! Plus, Rock Band 2 owners will have access to the growing Rock Band DLC catalog of more than 200 tracks. Below are just some of the amazing tracks and artists you will get on disc with Rock Band 2.

2000s
Dream Theater “Panic Attack “
System of a Down “Chop Suey”
1990s
Foo Fighters “Everlong”
The Muffs “Kids in America”
Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away”
1980s
Motörhead “Ace of Spades”
1970s
Cheap Trick “Hello There”
Elvis Costello “Pump it Up”
Journey “Anyway You Want It”
1960s
The Who “Pinball Wizard”

Key Players
• Developed by Harmonix – the world’s premier music videogame company– and published by MTV Games.
• Distributed and Co-Marketed by Electronic Arts, the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company.
• Master Recordings provided by EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group’s Universal Music Enterprises and Warner Music Group’s Rhino Entertainment.
• Rocked out even harder by YOU and millions of drummers, guitarists and vocalists around the world. Groupies not included!

Product Specifications
Publisher: MTV Games Developer: Harmonix Distributor: Electronic Arts
Category: Music/Rhythm Game
Ship Date: September 2008 (Xbox 360) 2008 (PS3, PS2 and Wii)

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!]

Also, an IGN Insider interview (transcript provided by reader Max) let slip that buyers of Rock Band 2 will have access to all of the songs off the original Rock Band disc, available as free DLC. Full details on both after the jump.

Says IGN 360 editor Nate Ahern:

Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour create an interesting situation for gamers. If you bought Rock Band 1 then chances are you'll feel cheated by the release of RB2, thus you'd think that GHWT would be the way to go as it somewhat redefines the music gaming genre. However, if you didn't buy the first Rock Band then I would absolutely agree with notagoth. Immediately upon purchasing Rock Band 2 you'll have the ability to download a huge library of songs, as well as all of the songs off of the original disc as a free download. Then again, Guitar Hero World Tour does allow users to create and share their own songs, so it's really only a matter of time until the Rock Band library is eclipsed. At the end of the day it could come down to which series has earned your allegiance over the last year since RB's original release."

And on to the leaked track lists. The first is from Demp, a commenter on 8bitfix, and he's got the FOAF who saw the email source. That's like fourth-hand hearsay, but whatever, this ain't court.

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

And then from Loading Reality, which notes that this numbers only about 60. Some of the tracks are the same as the list above, just in a different order. "Keep in mind, some of these could easily be DLC that's in the works," Loading Reality writes. A wise caveat.

1) Tangled Up in Blue (Bob Dylan)
2) Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood)
3) We've Got the Beat (Go-Gos)
4) Bad Reputation (Joan Jett)
5) Pinball Wizard (The Who)
6) Dammit (Blink 182)
7) That's What You Get (Paramore)
8) The Trees (Rush)
9) Ace of Spades (Motorhead)
10) Chop Suey (System of a Down)
11) Testify (Rage Against the Machine)
12) Spirit In the Sky (Norman Greenbaum)
13) Ramblin' Man (Allman Brothers)
14) Rebel Girl (Bikini Kill)
15) Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)
16) Panic Attack (Dream Theater)
17) Everlong (Foo Fighters)
18) One Step Closer (Linkin' Park)
19) Lump (Presidents of the USA)
20) Come Out and Play (Offspring)
21) Drain You (Nirvana)
22) Carry On Wayward Son (Kansas)
23) Peace Sells (Megadeath)
24) Souls of Black (Testament)
25) Livin' On a Prayer (Bon Jovi)
26) Round and Round (Ratt)
27) New Kid In School (The Donnas)
28) Alright Now (Free)
29) Today (Smashing Pumpkins)
30) Man In the Box (Alice In Chains)
31) Any Way You Want It (Journey)
32) Holiday In Cambodia (Dead Kennedys)
33) Give It Away (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
34) White Wedding (Billy Idol)
35) Hello There (Cheap Trick)
36) Cool for Cats (Squeeze)
37) Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
38) ? (Devo)
39) One Way or Another (Blondie)
40) De-luxe (Lush) [dare to dream, shoegaze in Rock Band!]
41) Push It (Static-X)
42) Pump It Up (Elvis Costello)
43) Master Exploder (Tenacious D)
44) Bandages (Hot Hot Heat)
45) PDA (Interpol)
46) My Own Worst Enemy (Lit)
47) Float On (Modest Mouse)
48) Aqualung (Jethro Tull)
49) Spoonman (Soundgarden)
50) Bodhisattva (Steely Dan)
51) Suffer (Bad Religion)
52) I Was Wrong (Social Distortion)
53) American Woman (The Guess Who)
56) You Oughta Know (Alanis Morrissette)
57) Mountain Song (Jane's Addiction)
58) Stop! (Against Me)
59) Hungry Like the Wolf (Duran Duran)
60) Alabama Getaway (Grateful Dead)

So there you have it. Could be real, could be bs, again that's the fun of rumors. But even if this is in-progress thinking, and not final stuff, it shows Harmonix is not F-in around, and will move to counter Guitar Hero: World Tour's peripherals and custom song features with outstanding content.

Rock Band Two Rumored Track List [8bitfix, in comments]
60 Rock Band 2 Tracks Leaked [Loading Reality, thanks Max]

'Rock Band' Guitar Work With 'GH: Aerosmith' [G4TV]

UPDATE - Thanks to all the readers who let us know, after testing, that this only applies to the 360 version. Sorry PS3 owners.

One of the artists that continues to elude both Activision and Harmonix is Led Zeppelin. It's been chalked up to a lengthy licensing process, but a recent write-up from the Wall Street Journal helps shed more light on the British band's absence.

According to their management, the band isn't "comfortable" giving up access to its master tapes, the very thing required to edit these things down to Rock Band and Guitar Hero ready formats.

"It ain't about the money," says Peter Mensch of Q Prime Management who handles Led Zep's interests.

In better news, the Wall Street Journal writes that hold outs like Van Halen, Steely Dan and Guns N' Roses all have "deals of varying types in the works" to bring more of their music to gamers. In far, far worse news, so are the Eagles.

Aerosmith Stars In Guitar Hero Videogame [WSJ - thanks again, 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.

The full list of supposed leaked songs (obviously still only a fraction of the game's total) contains a couple you may have heard whispered about before, but here it is anyway:

"One Step Closer" by Linkin Park
"Peace Sells" by Megadeth
"Testify" by Rage Against The Machine
"American Woman" by The Guess Who
"White Wedding" by Billy Idol
"You Oughta Know" by Allanis Morrisette
"Aqua Lung" by Jethro Tull
"Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
"Drain You" by Nirvana
"Man in the Box" by Alice In Chains
"Spoonman" by Soundgarden
"We Got The Beat" by the Go-Gos

If legit, our brains won't be able to repel greatness of this magnitude.

"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!]

No Euro date for Rock Band 2 after all [Eurogamer] [Pic]

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

"Their music really comes alive when you're playing it," said Rigopulos. "We were trying to release 'Who's Next' in its entirety, but we were unable to locate all the masters. So in the face of that, Pete (Townshend) and Roger (Daltrey) helped curate this best-of soundtrack of everything we were able to find."

The best of what's left - awesome! Still, any Who is better than no Who. The full pack will be available July 15th for $19.99, with the individual songs available at $1.99 a piece.

'Rock Band 2' to include new online modes, songs [Yahoo! News - Thanks Mr. Pointy]

We've been working hard with Microsoft and Sony to develop a way to share content between games, and we're really happy that we'll be the first game to support fully functional cross-title DLC.

Rock Band 2: The Opening Act [IGN Thanks everyone who sent this in!]

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.

“Down At The Whisky” by Mötley Crüe
“Time Is Running Out” by Papa Roach
“Who’s Going Home With You Tonight” by Trapt

The Crüefest Pack will set you back 240 Microsoft Points or $2.99 via the PlayStation Store. Each individual track is priced at $0.99 or 80 Microsoft Points. In addition to that low priced bundle, Rock Band fans can enjoy “Promised Land” by Vesuvius for free. All this rock will be available starting Tuesday of next week.

Klepek reports that Konami, makers of the upcoming Rock Revolution do not believe in proprietary peripherals.

"Compatibility is a big issue for music games," Konami Digital Entertainment associate producer Keith Matejka told MTV News. "Peripherals are expensive for the user and they are expensive to produce. The existing peripherals all deliver only a slightly different gameplay experience. Different teams have varying perspectives on what should be compatible with each game. I think all guitar- and drum-based games need to be compatible with each other to some level."

More Klepek goodness at the link, including some counter-arguments about why compatibility doesn't make sense for the big publishers.

Side note: He reported in just to me that they don't have real showers on the Warped Tour. Whoops! Now, I guess he's reported that to all of you as well.

'Rock Band'/ 'Guitar Hero' Rivalry Heats Up, Draws Third Competitor [The place that pays my bills]

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

This band game light is both peripheral and original music free, using only cover bands so the developers would be allowed to tweak the music to better fit the game. Those tweaks include the ability to have the lead singer be either a man or a woman, no matter who originally sang it.

The Disney folks told me that they did a number of focus tests during their development of the game. In them they asked potential gamers which of nine versions of the game they would want to play. The options ranged from a peripheral-heavy version of the game with original music, to the game they ended up producing. All of the tests showed, they told me, that gamers wanted a game that didn't require peripherals.

To play Ultimate Band gamers use the remote and nunchuk to strum, drum and flick their way through songs on a bass or lead guitar or drums.

To play lead guitar a player strums with the remote to the beat, matching the on screen timing, while holding different buttons or no buttons on the nunchuk. Depending on difficulty settings, you can guitar with just rhythm strumming or with as many as four virtual frets. The frets are triggered by holding the C, the Z, the C and the Z buttons or no buttons.

Bass is played by flicking the nunchuk and strumming while drums are played by drumming straight down with both controllers for standard drums, to the side for cymbals and then twirling the controllers in the air to mimic grandstanding.

A fourth option for playing, called frontman, consisted of dancing with the controllers. Because the game is peripheral free there is no way to sing in the game.

It may sound like the recipe for a douche simulator, but I actually found the game quite a bit of fun. The biggest problem I saw was that it was far to easy for even the most novice of Guitar Hero or Rock Band players.

I play guitar on medium usually (yes, I suck) but even on the expert setting in Ultimate Band I was able to score above 80 percent.

Hopefully this is something that can be tweaked, though it may be they'll be satisfied trying to drawn in younger, less dexterous gamers instead.

ULTIMATE BAND FACT SHEET

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Fall Line Studio
ESRB Rating: E10+ (anticipated)
Audience: Tweens, teens and music fans

Coming Holiday 2008 for Wii™ home video game console

It’s no secret that the music video game genre has exploded in recent years. While the attention of this genre has focused mainly on creating music simulation games for an older demographic, Disney Interactive Studios has been developing a performance-based music video game that will appeal to tweens, teens and families alike. With songs that represent new favorites and old classics, truly interactive venues, and innovative controls using only the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ (no peripherals), Ultimate Band for Wii will round-out any family’s entertainment library: right music, right console, right price.

Why Disney Interactive Studios?
Video games rated E through T represent an $11 billion market and no one knows the audience for those games better than Disney Interactive Studios, especially when it comes to developing third party titles for Nintendo platforms. From January to November 2007, Disney Interactive Studios was the No. 2 publisher of Nintendo DS™ games in North America according to NPD. Also in 2007, the company sold 3.4 million units of Nintendo DS video games in the United States alone (source: NPD Data). Fall Line Studio, which is developing Ultimate Band, is Disney Interactive Studios’ Nintendo-dedicated entity, focusing exclusively on developing games for Wii and Nintendo DS™. Fall Line Studio co-developed last year’s Hannah Montana: Music Jam video game that introduced new music mechanics to Nintendo DS titles through its unique “Creative Play Mode” where players could compose original songs using four different instruments. It also helped solidify Disney Interactive Studios’ position as a leader in creating music video games for tweens and families.
The Gameplay
· In Ultimate Band, there are four band roles that players can take on – drums, lead guitar, bass guitar and a band front man - all with unique motion mechanics using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.
· Players can either follow a unique narrative story mode or stand up and jam to any songs and venues they’ve already unlocked.
· Ultimate Band offers group and family entertainment through multi-player modes that include head-to-head competition or cooperative play.
The Music
· 30+ songs made famous by artists such as The White Stripes, The Who, The Jonas Brothers, Weezer and more.
· All of the songs are re-mastered so they are performed in the gender of the front man and lyrics are age-appropriate.
The Atmosphere
· Players can customize their bands by creating characters that look just like them, or by selecting from different character genres.
· Imaginative and real-life venues, such as a haunted mansion or a garage, come to life during gameplay and react to how well fans perform.

The new drum heads are also velocity sensitive, which registers lighter and harder hits depending on how hard you bring down the drum stick. You can also mute the cymbal pads, for dramatic Tommy Lee style moves that coincide with a stick point at the imaginary camera man filming your performance.

Did I mention it's also wireless? The full sized kit is pictured after the jump.

It really came home for me when we were in Munich for our global marketing meeting and we took over the Hard Rock Café for the night and had a Rock Band competition... There were a hundred of us and it was like a real rock concert. It was a blast. I stood back and I thought that this was an incredible cultural phenomenon... The crowd were going wild, but all we were doing was playing on toy guitars, toy drums and singing badly into a microphone. Now the beer might have had something to do with it, I don’t know, but it was a great social thing. And I said, ‘Boy, this product is going to change the way we think about games.’

Boy was he right! Rock Band also changed the ways game execs can embarrass themselves at E3 press conferences.

Peter Moore Interview [CVG via videogaming247] [Pic]

Mad Catz Rock Band Instruments Releasing Next Week [RockBandMods, via Go Nintendo]

I wouldn't say I am a big fan of The Offspring, but I sometimes get in the mood for Dexter Holland's unique vocal stylings, especiall