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Stellar: Incubus track pack heading to Rock Band in August
Please, pardon us while we potentially spoil some of the Rock Band DLC offerings for August, but Incubus manager Steve Rennie already went ahead and did that on his Twitter feed. Responding to a fan request for info on Incubus tracks coming to Rock Band 3, Rennie replied, "August. 5 tracks 'Megalomaniac,' 'Pardon Me,' 'Stellar,' 'WYWH,' 'Adolescents.'" Harmonix weighed in on its own forums, which pegged the DLC as a three track pack instead, including "Adolescents," "Pardon Me," and "Wish You Were Here." The post added, "Not sure where those other two tracks came from (we may be talking with them about licensing them) but they're not part of the pack in August and they're not on the DLC spreadsheet in the near future." Fans will no doubt be happy to hear the news, as this will (bizarrely) be the first Incubus track pack for a Rock Band title. Previously, only "Drive" was available through Guitar Hero: World Tour., and "Dig" is in Lego Rock Band (exportable). We've reached out to Harmonix for pricing info and release date, but expect it to be around $5.50, given past pricing for three-song track packs. [Thanks Lewis and Sean!]
Rock Band Weekly: Poison, 3 Doors Down
Separated by a generation, this week's two Rock Band 3 DLC music groups couldn't be more different -- except for when it comes to drunken sing-along-ability, that is. Both Poison and Three Doors Down have that going for them in spades, making each a perfect fit for the world of Rock Band.
Several Dance Central 2 tracks boogie loose, assets shake out
After officially revealing the multiplayer follow-up to Dance Central this morning in -- surprise, surprise -- Dance Central 2, Harmonix today released a developer interview detailing the game's new features. Beyond news of multiplayer functionality, a handful of tracks from the game were unveiled, ranging from Rhianna's "Rude Boy" to Bananarama's "Venus" (full list after the break). If that weren't enough, Harmonix also dropped a mess of new assets from the forthcoming sequel, which we've dropped into a gallery below and a video after the break. And hey, maybe you'd like to play the game before it even has a release date? Come by our E3 reader meetup this Friday and have a go!%Gallery-125472%%Gallery-125468%
Come hang out with Joystiq (and play a bunch of great games!) at our E3 2011 reader meetup
We love you, Los Angeles, you know that. Sure, it's been awhile since we last hung out, but we wanna make that up to you. And not just any boring old dinner-and-a-movie kinda thing either, a full blown party! Next Friday, June 10, Joystiq will take over the La Cita bar in downtown LA between 5:30 and 9:00PM PST for a game-filled, giveaway-packed reader meetup. As our staff will be all up in your city for the duration of next week, we took the liberty of renting out a bar for a few hours so you -- our best friends -- could hang out, talk about the week's big news, play a bunch of great games, and take all the game swag that's been piling up in our domiciles. Chris Hecker will be swinging through with SpyParty, as will Andy Schatz with Monaco, to name just a few of the games/game devs at the event. And how about a chance to play Harmonix' next project before anyone else? 'Cause that'll totally be there too. Unfortunately, for our friends under 21, the event space is restricted to those of us with legal access to alcohol. We're really sorry and we still love you! It was, as they say, out of our hands. An extra big thank you to all of our participants! SpyParty, Chris Hecker (@SpyParty) Nidhogg, Mark Essen (@Messhof) Unannounced Project, Ska Studios (@SkaStudios) Monaco, Pocketwatch Games (@MonacoIsMine) Retro City Rampage, Brian Provinciano (@RetroCR) Q.U.B.E., Toxic Games (@qubegame) Unannounced Project, Harmonix (@Harmonix) Still with us? Head past the break for details, and make sure to RSVP on our Facebook event page so we know how many of you to expect!
Dance Central DLC hollas back tomorrow with Gwen Stefani, Fatboy Slim tracks
With L.A.M.B. bags in tow, Gwen Stefani will be making moves to the Dance Central DLC store tomorrow alongside Fatboy Slim, Keri Hilson and Paula Abdul. Tracks run $3 apiece and will be available via the "all new in-game store." As you likely inferred from the headline, Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" is being given the dance treatment, while Paula Abdul will be whoa-oh-oh-oh-ohhhh-ing into our hearts once more with "Straight Up." Head past the break for full details of the four-track offering.
Harmonix hit with layoffs, intended to align with 'current product development plans'
A Harmonix spokesperson confirmed this afternoon to Joystiq that the company has laid off an undisclosed number of full-time employees, in an effort to bring the studio "into alignment with our current product development plans." Outside of an unnamed 3DS music title currently in development, it's unknown what Harmonix is currently working on. Sources close to the situation noted that future projects and downloadable content for both Rock Band 3 and Dance Central are unaffected by the cuts. The official statement specifically notes that the restructuring affects the studio's full-time employees, adding "we sincerely appreciate the work of each and every of one of these employees." We understand that approximately 12 - 15 percent of the studio's approximately 240-person staff have been affected by the restructuring. The full statement from Harmonix can be found after the break.
Rock Band Weekly: Linkin Park six track pack
The first track pack from nu-metal group Linkin Park, featuring six songs from across the band's discography, will come to Rock Band 3 on January 11 for $10. All the pertinent details for next week's DLC release can be found just below the break. You'll note the selections differ from the newer ones available in Guitar Hero, so if you want to play as many Linkin Park songs as possible, you'll need to indulge both video game rhythm rivals.
Mad Catz reveals Rock Band peripheral pricing
A press release from Mad Catz has revealed pricing on several of the new Rock Band 3 peripherals -- and also revealed an interesting gameplay quirk about the highest-profile new instrument, the keyboard. The keyboard ($79.99 by itself, $129.99 with a copy of the game) can be used not just to play piano or keyboard tracks, but can also be used to play lead guitar or bass. That adds even more variation to Rock Band 3! The Fender Mustang Pro-Guitar Controller (the one with all the buttons, not the real electric guitar) will retail for $149.99, which means that the Squier Stratocaster is likely to be ... pretty expensive. The Pro Cymbals Expansion Kit, which adds three newly-designed cymbals to the existing drum kit, will be $39.99, as will the MIDI Pro-Adapter for connecting any MIDI keyboard or drum set to your game console. In addition, Mad Catz will announce revised versions of the existing Rock Band instruments soon. Essentially, not only will Rock Band 3 have more options than ever, it'll also have more ways for you to spend a lot of money. %Gallery-94903%
Hands-on: Rock Band 3
Yes, there is a keytar peripheral (though in the game, it's just called "keys"). Yes, there is a Rock Band Pro mode, complete with its own 102-button guitar, that's more complicated than anything you've ever seen a plastic instrument do. Yes, a full band now consists of seven different instruments: two guitars, three vocalists (harmonies included, thanks to The Beatles), drums and a keyboard. But all of that stuff already reported by USA Today isn't what makes Rock Band 3 worthy of a plus one to the version number. It's everything else. Harmonix has reimagined their premiere title. They've fixed problems with the game (including the most common problem players have faced), smoothed out the rough edges, and added a ton of little extra features and fun. From the menu screen on, Rock Band 3 is very clearly, as the developers said during a pre-E3 event a few weeks ago, "a clean slate design of Rock Band. Nothing was sacred," they told us. "We decided to build the ultimate music game." %Gallery-94904%
Harmonix employees harmonize during a cappella Paramore song performance
Since only a fraction of Joystiq is headquartered out of Boston, MA we unfortunately aren't eligible to be honored with "Top Places to Work" awards like Beatles: Rock Band developers Harmonix, nonetheless host a company-wide singing contest. If we could though, we'd like to think our singing chops would at least match the five gentlemen (four from audio and one engineer) found singing Paramore's "That's What You Get" after the break. Winning first "among mid-size companies" and third overall in The Boston Globe's "Top Places to Work" survey, the 320 employee-strong music/rhythm-game studio was praised for its studio-wide a cappella singing competition. "I would do a lot to stay here," says senior writer Helen McWilliams. "It's really hard to imagine going from this company to any other company." That whole "making successful games" thing probably doesn't hurt either. (Thanks, DarkArchon)
