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Funny or Die introduces us to Seinfeld: Rock Band
Look, we know Funny or Die Team UK's latest gag video, which reveals that the next single-artist iteration of Harmonix's rhythm franchise will be based upon Jerry Seinfeld's prolific sitcom, isn't actually real. We can totally recognize a joke when we see one, especially when said joke is hosted on a website dedicated to the distribution and adjudication of jokes. That being said, though we wouldn't necessarily have much interest in a Rock Band game dedicated to Seinfeld's slap bass-heavy soundtrack, there's no amount of money we wouldn't pay for a Classic Sitcom Theme Songs: Rock Band. Think about it! Golden Girls? Perfect Strangers? WKRP in Cincinnati? Full House? We must have it.
The Beatles: Rock Band value bundle for 360 just $51 on Amazon
Back when The Beatles: Rock Band's Special Value Bundle was first announced, we had some reservations about how much of a "special value" it really was. However, a recent Amazon discount has made its description irrefutable: For just $51.08 (shipping included), you can grab the 360 version of the bundle, which includes a copy of the game and a set of instruments from the original Rock Band. If you can deal with the calamitous clicking and clacking of the series' original drum kit, that's one heck of a deal. There's no telling how long this discount will be offered, or how many copies of the bundle are still available, so prospective mop-toppers should act swiftly. [Via CheapCollegeGamer]
Jam with the Band includes Wii Speaker Channel compatibility
Nintendo of Europe sent a press release out, offering the first details and track listing for the European release of Jam with the Band, confirming that this release is based on the sequel, Daigasso! Band Brothers DX. The DS music title supports Band Brothers DX's downloadable WiiWare channel, which allows music made in the game to be played through the Wii, and thus through your TV's sound system. This way, bands of up to eight DSes can play together and hear the combined result. The cartridge will include 50 songs, including "The Final Countdown," "We Are the Champions," and a fairly random assortment of popular music from the last few decades, as well as medleys of Nintendo music. You can find the tracks announced so far after the break. Nintendo will release around 50 additional songs, and user-created performances, as free DLC. [Via Videogamer]
DJ Hero price scratched down to $50 at Toys 'R Us
If you skipped out on last year's crossfading, record-scratching simulator DJ Hero due to its once-outlandish price, you're running out of excuses to not pick it up. Toys 'R Us recently knocked the price of the 360, Wii and PS3 (but puzzlingly, not the PS2) versions of the game down to a scant $49.99 -- a significant decrease from its launch price of $120. Still wondering whether the game's worth your hard-earned Grantpaper? That's a decision you have to make on your own -- though, wait! Dizzee Rascal is here to help! Oh, and so's Chuck Brown! And look, it's Daft Punk! How nice of them to aid you with your soul-searching.
Full Green Day: Rock Band track list revealed
Over the past few months, we've received a handful of confirmations of tracks appearing in Green Day: Rock Band, but Entertainment Weekly's Music Mix blog just got its hands on the whole kit-n-caboodle. You can find the game's full 47-song track list just past the jump. Looks like we're in for sizable chunks of American Idiot, Dookie and 21st Century Breakdown, with light smatterings of Warning, Nimrod and Insomniac. The songs will be split among three different venues signifying different periods during the band's career. The American Idiot tracks are played at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, where they recorded their live DVD Bullet in a Bible. More than a dozen tracks will be played at the Fox Theater in the band's hometown of Oakland. Finally, songs from Dookie will be played at the "Warehouse" -- a mock-up of the "house parties and squats" at which the band got its start. Also, if you're laughing because we wrote "dookie" and "squats" in the same sentence, then congratulations, you're eleven years old. [Thanks, Jake]
More 'Splosion Man songs coming to Rock Band Network
We wish we possessed the kind of thought processes required to make the mental association between the release of the Rock Band Network and the catchy, quirky ditties from 'Splosion Man. The game's theme is already up on the RBN Store, but that's not the extent of the musical 'Splodiness -- in an interview with SavyGamer, Twisted Pixel CEO Mike Wilford revealed two other tracks from the game would soon hit the Network: "The 'Splode Beneath My 'Splosion" and "Donuts Song." No time frame has been given for the songs' release, but that hasn't stopped our excitement for the vocal part of "T'SBM'S" from growing to catastrophic, earth-quaking levels.
Green Day: Rock Band features all of 'American Idiot'
In a recent interview with G4TV, Harmonix's Chris Foster revealed that Green Day's dumbest album will be featured in its entirety in the band's upcoming dedicated rhythm game. Yes, Green Day: Rock Band will feature all 13 tracks from the rock outfit's 2004 album "American Idiot," which features the song "American Idiot," which starts, "Don't wanna be an American Idiot." We know there are plenty of youngsters who prefer "American Idiot," but we'd much rather hear that all of "Dookie" or "Insomniac" would be included in the game. Or all of "Vox Humana." Which -- nope, wait. Yeah, that's Kenny Loggins. We mixed up Green Day and Kenny Loggins again.
Just Dance moves to the beat of two million sold worldwide
We've said it before and we'll say it again: we just don't get it. Somehow, Ubisoft's Just Dance has managed to become a full-fledged phenomenon -- we think two million worldwide sales means it's appropriate to call it that, right? Not only has Ubisoft received the honor that is boatloads of cash, but also the honor of having "the fastest-selling new intellectual property from a third-party publisher on Wii." Perhaps the appropriate course of action isn't to try and dissect this, but to just close our eyes and go with it. Some of the songs aren't that bad, right? Or should we avoid sipping the Kool-Aid and quietly move to the side?
Line 6 peripheral brings MIDI and iPhone closer than you ever expected
It's no amplifier substitute, but Line 6 has come up with something potentially even better for the budding songwriter buried deep within your rhythmic veins. The MIDI Mobilizer for iPhone and iPod touch is an app-based peripheral that lets you record, playback, store, and transfer MIDI sequences and parameters using the MIDI Memo Recorder software. While it does sound convenient in theory, we'll have to wait until we can try the dongle out for ourselves. At this point in time, price of the Mobilizer is TBD and the release date is the ever-vague Spring 2010. As for the recorder app, it's currently available on iTunes free of charge, although it's more or less useless without the complementary hardware. For now, you'll just have to settle with living vicariously through the promo video, after the break. [Thanks, Fred]
Rock Band Network sales analyzed, top 20 songs calculated
We haven't gotten much of an indication of how successful Harmonix's recently launched Rock Band Network platform has been during its first few weeks in operation. I mean, we'd consider the Rock Band-ification of The Slip's timeless Guitar Hero classic "Even Rats" to be a huge success, but we're pretty sure they measure it in dollars and cents. RockBandAide recently did a bit of calculation and educated guesswork to come with the amount of cash the RBN has brought in so far -- according to the site, Harmonix has grossed over $107,000 in sales from user-generated tracks alone. RockBandAide also estimate that regular DLC has brought in roughly $161,000 in revenue on the 360 since the Network went live -- a slightly larger sum, though the profit margin on Network tracks is supposedly much higher than that of regular DLC. The site also compiled the top 20 purchased RBN songs thus far, which we've posted after the jump. Keep in mind -- these numbers aren't official, but they're the best we've got to go on thus far. [Thanks Tommy!]
Mega64 pokes fun at The Beatles: Rock Band with a little help from a friend
Mega64 gets back to its roots in the troupe's latest video, enlisting the aid of John and Jane Q. Public to create another minute and a half of comedy based on The Beatles: Rock Band. You're probably asking yourself how the trio can recreate the full British pop quartet. To answer that, we offer this: through the aid of a surprise guest, of course! Head past the break to see who. We're pretty sure you'll never guess who it is. [Thanks, Brock]
GDC: Harmonix on the ups and downs of creating the Rock Band Network
Eleven days ago, Harmonix delivered on a concept many of us had fantasized about since the very first time we ever played Rock Band: It democratized the track-making process. For the first time in the franchise's history, any schmo off the street with a bit of MIDI engineering experience and a song in their heart could put that song on the Rock Band Store for the world to see (and hopefully purchase). At GDC, Harmonix senior sound designer Caleb Epps and Rock Band Network producer Matthew Nordhouse sat down to speak about the challenges that came with opening up the game to user-generated content, and how its dedicated community has organically evolved the song-sharing process.
Harmonix gets its 'Brain Stewed' by Green Day: Rock Band
The one track we were most looking forward to from Green Day: Rock Band was, of course, "Brain Stew/Jaded" from the outfit's 1995 album. It's a powerful, triumphant tune -- and, apparently, it's also super hard. The Harmonix crew attempted the song during last night's "Rock Band Bar Night" event at GDC, and -- well, it ended in tears. Or rather, jeers. You can check out some off-screen footage of their tremendous failure above, or footage of them actually playing the game past the jump. To be fair, the drummer didn't see the flurry of notes coming at him, due to his attempt to refresh himself with some libations. You know who else was enjoying a few beverages? The drunk dude who kept trying to throw the devil horns up in front of our camera while we were filming. Really, drunk dude? Really?
Rock Band 3 out this holiday season
Rather than, we don't know, a press release or any other professional method of disseminating a message (Twitter, perhaps?), Harmonix took to Facebook to tell friends and friends-of-friends that Rock Band 3 will be released "this holiday season." The announcement is brief and detail-free, but reveals that EA will distribute the game -- apparently having renewed its Rock Band distribution deal with Viacom. With Rock Band 3, the developer promises to "innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band." If previous comments by Dhani Harrison are to be believed, you may even learn something from playing RB3! [Thanks Helloimbob!]
ESRB outs 'Lips: I (Heart) the 80s'
For those of you looking to put your '80s singing chops to the test, it would appear that iNiS will be offering you just that chance if a recent ESRB listing for a fourth installment in the Lips series is to be believed. "Lips: I (Heart) the 80s" was recently spotted by IGN over on the ratings website, sporting a description that reveals at least two tracks from the 1980s-centric title -- The Police's "Roxanne" and Rick James' "Super Freak." The game is also said to feature "depictions of men and women in revealing outfits performing provocative choreography -- for example, women in negligees, black bras, panties dancing inside a classroom; large amounts of exposed cleavage, some grinding dance moves; and background images of storefronts/signs reading '25 cent Peepshows,' 'Live Sex Theatre,' and 'Topless Girls Dancing.'" Gosh golly! Regardless, with the recent release of Lips: Party Classics and today's ESRB listing, we have to imagine the official announce of Lips: I (Heart) the 80s is just around the corner. We'll be prepping our boom boxes with plenty of Public Enemy until then. [Via IGN]
You should probably watch this Bit.Trip Runner trailer
Gaijin Games has released the first trailer for Bit.Trip Runner, the fourth game in the WiiWare Bit.Trip series. Now we can see what the developer means by calling it a "rhythm platformer." The layout of the stage, from enemies to terrain, is all designed in accord with the chiptune soundtrack, and Commander Video, the franchise hero, jumps, slides, and collects gold at super-high speed -- all to the beat of 8-bit-inspired music. We wanted to point to one specific moment in the video (posted after the break), but, as trailers tend to be, this one's full of moments. So, see if you can spot Super Meat Boy! Check out that Pitfall level! Watch out for the ... giant miner? ... Who shoots fireballs at you from a lantern? While you're on a treadmill?
Beat City screens are nice and confusing
We suggested our enthusiasm for THQ's Beat City may be reduced upon seeing actual screenshots of the rhythm-based minigame collection. We're delighted to report that in addition to sounding like a neat idea, we think it looks pretty interesting as well! It's got an unusual geometric art style. You can inspect the style of Beat City for yourself in our gallery, and even see storyboard-style sequences that are ... intended to explain the gameplay. We see an assembly line of crows being turned into parrots. We see a loving couple wearing outfits that grow spontaneously more ren-faire. We don't feel illuminated. %Gallery-86760%
Rock Band Weekly: HIM, Marilyn Manson, The Police
Last week, the Rock Band Store got a few healthy slices of Americana with tracks from Otis Redding and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. This week's offerings are much more foreign -- there's a three-pack from Finnish rock band HIM, a song from Britain's One Night Only, a track from The Police, and a song from Marilyn Manson, whom we all know actually descends from an extinct alien race whose name our human tongues could never hope to pronounce. Click past the jump for the full list of new additions!
Rock Band Weekly: Otis Redding, Brian Setzer Orchestra, The Chemical Brothers
Eclectic might be a bit of an understatement when it comes to next week's Rock Band Weekly offerings, which run the gamut from soul to electronica to swing. Otis Redding dominates the majority of the new tunes, which is just fine by us. As for the rest, well you're just going to have to hit the jump to see!
Harmonix heads honored in USA 'Character Approved' awards
USA -- the television network, not the nation -- has selected Harmonix founders Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy as the two most important "New Media" figures in its annual Character Approved Awards. According to USA's announcement of the 2010 winners, the awards are designed to "honor the real characters who are changing the face of American culture." Considering we haven't been to a social gathering in two years that didn't turn into an impromptu Rock Band party, we think Rigopulos and Egozy are deserving of the honor. Check out the pair's award page to find out more about their personal history. We didn't know Egozy is actually a classically-trained clarinetist. Where's that peripheral, guys?
