Sex, Drugs, Rockband

Not many big-name musical acts have avoided the music-gaming craze.
Yet another titan in music - AC/DC - joined the rhythm-based game genre last week with the announcement of “AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack.” AC/DC had avoided the games altogether until licensing “Let There Be Rock” for “Rock Band 2″ in September. It’s clear now that the track was licensed as a precursor to the now-announced bigger product.

“AC/DC LIVE: Rock Band Track Pack” will be released exclusively at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club on Nov. 2. AC/DC’s new album, “Black Ice,” will also be released only at Wal-Mart on Oct. 20. The track pack will include 18 songs from the band’s iconic performance at Castle Donington in 1991. The game can be played as a standalone product. It will also include a code to export the songs to “Rock Band” or “Rock Band 2.”
This should be great news for fans of both AC/DC and “Rock Band.” The excitement, however, is tempered by the cost. The game will cost $39.99 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Wii, and $29.99 for PlayStation 2. That price might not seem high to those who regularly buy games at $59.99. But the price is out of line for the fans of “Rock Band.”… Read More at macon.com

Drum Rocker High-End Drum Kit Doubles as Standalone Electronic Drums CUMBERLAND, R.I., Sept. 12
CUMBERLAND, R.I., Sept. 12 — ION (ionaudio.com), a leader in consumer audio and entertainment technology, announces that Drum Rocker, the officially licensed Premium Drum Set for the Rock Band 2 video game, is now shipping to customers and retailers. The Xbox 360 version is shipping first, and models for use with other gaming systems are planned for release in the coming months.
The revolutionary drum set, which was developed specifically for Rock Band 2, is also compatible with the original Rock Band video game, as well as Guitar Hero: World Tour, thanks to the fact that GH:WT will be supporting Rock Band peripherals. Read the rest of this entry »

I hope it is bug free, but we will see… (M&C)

Harmonix and MTV Games, along with distribution partner Electronic Arts, today announced that ROCK BAND 2 has shipped to retailers nationwide.
The Rock Band 2 standalone software will make its debut on the Xbox 360 on Sunday, September 14, 2008 with an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 standalone wireless drums and guitars will also arrive at retail later in the week.
Rock Band 2 allows includes to export most of the songs from the original Rock Band disc, Online World Tour, daily Battle-Of-The Band Tournaments, Auto-Calibration to eliminate TV lag, wireless drums, quieter, velocity sensitive drum heads, support for up to three cymbals (sold separately), advanced voice detection technology, No Fail Mode, and a real Drum Trainer. RockBand 2 also includes the ability to export your in-game band avatar to the internet and order custom RockBand merchandise including apparel and figures.
Shipping and pricing information (Week of September 14, 2008):
- Rock Band 2 Standalone Software (Xbox 360) $59.99 MSRP
- Rock Band 2 Standalone Wireless Drums (Xbox 360) $89.99 MSRP
- Rock Band 2 Standalone Wireless Guitar (Xbox 360) $69.99 MSRP
- Mad Catz Bass Guitar Controller - $69.99 MSRP
- ION Drum Rocker - $299 MSRP — A real electronic drum kit with up to three color assignable cymbals that functions as a RockBand game controller. A drum conversion kit is also available to transform the kit from a game controller to a real instrument (sold separately).
Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack from artists such as AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more.
With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end.

SPECIAL NOTE ON THE RB FORUMS FROM HMXSEAN!

Hey all,

So there is a 360 title update coming out for Rock Band today, PS3 will follow and we’ll let you know when we have an idea when it will drop. What’s in it? A couple of things.

First of all - it updates RB1 so you will still be able to purchase DLC from the Rock Band store. Downloading this patch is required if you’d still like to do that.

Second - Lowers the threshold on gold stars making it easier/possible to gold star songs. This won’t affect leaderboards as it only affects the threshold, not the score.

Third - Lately a few songs have had unhittable notes. This should be fixed now.

Lastly - It will allow you to export your songs from the RB1 disc to the hard drive for play in Rock Band 2. Official language follows for this feature-

Nominal fee of $4.99 (400 Microsoft points) required for export of Rock Band 1 soundtrack to compensate music licensors for expanded use.The following Rock Band disc tracks will not be available for export into Rock Band 2: * “Paranoid” as made famous by Black Sabbath, * “Run to the Hills” as made famous by Iron Maiden, and “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. In addition, the title update will also be released simultaneously in Europe. Tokio Hotel’s “Through the Monsoon” from the European disc release of Rock Band will not be available for export into the future European release of Rock Band 2. (* Indicates a cover song, all other songs are original master recordings.) Expanded usage rights for these particular tracks were unable to be secured from the music licensors for this feature.

Come on. Tell me Rock Band is just a game for kids. You can tell by the younger generation albums coming out for RB2…
kotaku.com

While going into a music store to buy a full CD is becoming a thing of the past, there is a place where full albums are thriving, and that place is Rock Band. The trend looks to grow following the release of Rock Band 2 as Entertainment Weekly exclusively reports on not one but six new full album downloads to be released in the coming months for Harmonix’s baby, and it’s a damn fine lineup if you ask me. Foo Fighters’ “The Colour and the Shape”, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik”, Jane’s Addiction’s “Nothing’s Shocking”, Megadeth’s “Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying” and Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Texas Flood” are all in queue, along with a special No Doubt best of collection compiled just for the game.

“We’re surprised by how many people opted to get full albums,” says Paul Degooyer, Senior Vice President at MTV Games. “But it’s a good value proposition. Talk about something that’s been lost and forgotten.”
As if the holiday season stand-alone games weren’t going to cost me enough already. Thanks a lot, Harmonix.

PSX Extreme
When it comes to music games, many hardcore fans simply want to prove how skilled they’ve become over the past few years. And when Rock Band 2 releases in October - with Trophies - for the PlayStation 3, there will be more incentive than ever to out-riff your buddies.

IGN has the complete list of Trophies for the hotly anticipated sequel, and they surround all game modes and target just about every area of skill and ability. You’ve got a long road ahead of you if you wish to secure the Platinum Trophy, so if you plan to make a go at it, we strongly suggest you clear your calendars for a few weeks and prepare for complete immersion in Rock Band 2. Anyway, it seems as if the drum trainer Trophies are indeed retroactive to a point, because if you “play at a high level it is possible to unlock more than one.” The only information we don’t have right now is which of the listed Trophies there are Bronze, Silver, or Gold, but it’s enough for now to have the detailed list, in our estimation. We do know it’s going to be tough to nab ‘em all, though; the likes of Flawless Fretwork (100% a song on Expert guitar), Million Point Club (get more than one million points in a song), and One Million Fans (reached one million fans in Band World Tour) could prove ultra-challenging.

But hey, that’s why we got these Trophies, right? It’s what many of us wanted all along, and now, you’re gonna have to work your tail off to get them in Rock Band 2. Good luck!

Ultimate Guitar
Harmonix has announced recently that they have taken the criticism for the first game and fixed and fined tuned the areas needed, like the instruments. Harmonix has improved each and every one of the Rock Band instruments for Rock Band 2, however you can use the instruments from the first game or most similar instruments (for example, guitar hero guitars or microphones from Sing Star or Karaoke Revolution).
Read the rest of this entry »

Rock Band 2
Start A Band, Rock The World!
Developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music videogame company, and published by MTV Games, Rock Bandâ„¢ 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 in Rock 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.
Read the rest of this entry »