It’s baaaaaaaaaaaaack. Rush’s Moving Pictures album is making a triumphant return to the Rock Band DLC catelog. After some technical issues and a few week delay, you’ll be able to grab it all for $10.99 (880 MS Points) or $1.99 (160 MS Points) each. Here’s the track list:
Tom Sawyer (orig version)
Red Barchetta
YYZ
Limelight (orig version)
The Camera Eye
Witch Hunt
Vital Signs
To go along with the full album, a bunch of individual tracks will also be available. It looks like Harmonix is really stepping up the DLC after the Xbox 360 release of Rock Band 2. Here’s what else you can grab:
Bad Religion - Sorrow
The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
Hot Hot Heat - Bandages
Kasabian - Shoot the Runner
Sleater-Kinney - You’re No Rock N Roll Fun
Stone Roses - Love Spreads
Standard pricing applies ($1.99 or 160 MS Points each) and everything will be available at the usual times (Tuesday on 360, Thursday on PS3). Rock it out, friends. Rock it out.
Harmonix released a patch for Rock Band this week which allows you to export your RB1 songs to RB2. For $5, you can send 55 of the 58 songs from the RB1 disk onto your hard drive. The 3 songs missing? They’re good ones.
“Enter Sandman” by Metallica
“Paranoid” by Black Sabbath (cover)
“Run to the Hills” by Iron Maiden (cover)
“Monsoon” by Tokio Hotel (a DLC song from the European disc)
I play Enter Sandman and Run to the Hills a lot on drums. I guess I’d probably move on with Rock Band 2 coming, but it’s sad to see them not make it over. I’m sure the reason for Metallica not making it is the deal they have with Activision for Guitar Hero. But Run to the Hills and Paranoid? No idea. Hopefully real versions make it to Rock Band 2 so these covers become pointless.
The full album releases for Rock Band started off slow, but have gotten better. Even with the technical delays of Rush’s Moving Pictures, it’s still a good time. For the sequel, Harmonix is already detailing some full albums that will get DLC releases.
Foo Fighters — “The Colour and the Shape”
Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”
Jane’s Addiction — “Nothing’s Shocking”
Megadeth — “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying”
Stevie Ray Vaughn — “Texas Flood”
No Doubt — Compilation album made specifically for Rock Band 2
Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m a big fan of all of these bands. And these are some of their best albums. It’s safe to say I’ll be buying all of them. I’m wondering if Guitar Hero Wold Tour will be able to match the quality and quantity (and price) of DLC in Rock Band?
Harmonix has a pretty good philosophy here, in my opinion. Put the customer first and let everyone get a piece of whatever music they choose.
We prefer not to sign exclusive deals with artists because while it seems like the competitive “business” thing to do, in the long run, it’s really not good for anyone. We think we should be working to get more music out to more people.
This move has lost them Aerosmith and potentially Metallica, but overall, I think it’s the right way to do things. What do you think?
Rock Band 2 is looking to top any competition in the plastic instruments genre and they are hoping that Guns N’ Roses debuting a new song from their long-awaited album Chinese Democracy will help spark some interest. Rock Band 2 actually strived to have 100 songs on one disc, but they ran out of room so to compensate MTV and Harmonix will release 20 free songs via downloadable content.
Here is the complete list of what will be available on the disc.
# Artists Song Title Decade
1. AC/DC Let There Be Rock 1970s
2. AFI Girl’s Gone Grey 2000s
3. Alanis Morissette You Oughta Know 1990s
4. Alice in Chains Man in the Box 1990s
5. Allman Brothers Ramblin’ Man 1970s
6. Avenged Sevenfold Almost Easy 2000s
7. Bad Company Shooting Star 1970s
8. Beastie Boys So Whatcha Want 1990s
9. Beck E-Pro 2000s
10. Bikini Kill Rebel Girl 1990s
11. Billy Idol White Wedding Pt. I 1980s
12. Blondie One Way or Another 1970s
13. Bob Dylan Tangled Up in Blue 1970s
14. Bon Jovi Livin’ on a Prayer 1980s
Well this isn’t a total surprise to anyone that has picked up a virtual guitar in the last year or so, with the launch of many different types of Guitar Hero comes the official announcement of Rock Band 2. Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 is set to ship for the Xbox 360 this September and for the PS3 later in the year, interesting how the PS3 gets a quick shot in the junk and has to wait? Also with the announce comes news that our European gamer friends will be getting the game within the same month as the stateside launch of Rock Band 2.
Some more notes of interest regarding the new RB2 is the DLC for Rock Band and Rock Band 2:
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.
As far as Harmonix is concerned, there’s no difference between “Rock Band 1 DLC” and “Rock Band 2 DLC” – we’re just releasing awesome songs every week onto the Rock Band platform, all of which are playable by the Rock Band titles that support DLC.
Also there is some foreshadowing of an online World Tour mode, but of course these are just whispers in the wind that can not be confirmed at this time, if it does not have this I doubt anyone will buy it.
I’m pretty sure John Drake (Harmonix PR Coordinator) will hit me if I confirm or deny anything, but I can say this: We’ve taken almost everything people have asked for in Rock Band and added it to Rock Band 2, as well as including some “first time ever” features. Our World Tour campaign mode is no exception to this.
Have you calibrated your TV to work best with the Rock Band inputs from your instruments? It seems the latest patch is causing some big issues with that. Sure, you get some fixes and the new in-game store, but if gameplay breaks, everything suffers.
Our friend sskitzzo put together a video showing what happens to the calibration on the Xbox 360 version of the game both pre and post patch. He notes that after the patch, he was getting horrible scores until we spent some time setting up the calibration. Not cool.
You know what Rock Band needs? Boston. Not the city, you dumb asses, the band. Turns out, Harmonix thinks to too. On Tuesday on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Thursday on the PlayStation Store, you’ll have six classic Boston tracks to choose from. Each song will run you $1.99 (160 MS Points) or you can pick up the six pack for $9.99 (800 MS Points). Here’s the tracks, all master:
“More Than a Feeling”
“Peace of Mind”
“Smokin’”
“Rock & Roll Band”
“Something About You”
“Hitch a Ride”
I’m pretty sure I’ll be buying this whole pack next week. Great tunes. Now where is that Shooting Star by Bad Company we all know is coming…
Since Monday is Presidents Day in the US and most people are off work, Harmonix announced this week’s DLC for Rock Band a bit early. Here’s the new tunes for the week:
Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots
El Scorcho - Weezer
Why Do You Love Me - Garbage
Songs are priced at the normal 160 MS Points ($1.99). I think this will be two weeks in a row I don’t pick up any Rock Band tracks.
If you’ve been clamoring to get your hands on some extra Rock Band instruments, your wait is nearly over. Harmonix announced that standalone rocking tools will be available starting in February.
The drum kit will be available for all systems on February 12th for $79.99. Guitar players will have to wait a bit longer until April 1st, when you’ll be able to spend $59.99 for a wireless Fender Strat. No official word on when the mic will be available on it’s own.
I still with Harmonix and Activision would get their crap together over letting instruments from their games intermingle. It would really help PlayStation owners who have both games.
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