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360's Guitar Hero World Tour to be compatible with RB instruments
Plastic instrument rivalry news now, with Stephen Totilo of MTV Multiplayer confirming that the upcoming Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero: World Tour will happily work with non-Guitar Hero peripherals – including those from Harmonix's first Rock Band game. The fate of Rock Band 2's instruments has yet to be decided – they haven't become available for testing just yet.We're happy to see Activision tear down this wailing wall, even though we'll have to tweak our peripheral compatibility matrix for the umpteenth time. We're not quite sure how many an "ump" is, but we're thinking it's somewhere in the region of 119.
Overheard@E3: 'I feel kind of bad that we're turning people into drummers'
When we sat down to get a fresh look at Rock Band 2 at the Harmonix E3 booth, the musical members of the dev team were happy to tell us that many people who try Rock Band wind up pursuing real instruments as a result. When discussing the new drum trainer in Rock Band 2, Senior Designer Dan Teasdale told us, "I feel kind of bad that we're turning people into drummers." Teasdale, as it turns out, is a bass player bassist.
Harmonix clarifies RB1 compatibility to Rock Band 2
We spent some time with Dan Teasdale, senior designer of Rock Band 2, and asked him several questions -- but we really wanted to know what's the deal with transfers of Rock Band tracks to the new game. We wanted to know a little bit more about what Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos meant at the Microsoft press conference when he said most songs would be available for import.Teasdale tells us that the final list of songs not transferable to RB2 is still up in the air and it all comes down to licensing issues. We heard from a separate source that "it should only be a couple songs" and, although the company would love to just do the whole set from the first game, there may be some exclusivity issues. Harmonix apparently had to re-license every song over again for the RB2 transfers.%Gallery-27156%
Harmonix talks RB1 compatability with Rock Band 2
Earlier today, we got a chance to chit chat it up with Rock Band 2's senior designer Dan Teasdale and we confronted him about clarifying how many songs from Rock Band would be transferable over to Rock Band 2. Because we were previously informed that "most" of the tracks would transfer, but we aren't satisfied with "most", we need cold hard numbers.According to Teasdale, the number of tracks from Rock Band being transferred over to Rock Band 2 has yet to be solidified seeing that licensing deals are still pending and we're told Harmonix has to re-license each track. Hence the $5'ish price tag. Another Harmonix source mentioned that the number of Rock Band tracks not making the Rock Band 2 transfer should be quite minimal, possibly around the two to three'ish number of tracks. Not bad, seeing that we were thinking much more. Now that we think of it, Harmonix needs to re-license the tracks and if two tracks don't make it, we have a feeling Aerosmith and Metallica may be holding out. They're friends with other rockin peeps.
Booth Tour: Harmonix and Rock Band 2 at E308
It's time to detour off the E3 floor and take a booth tour with a certain group of developer rockers who actually have carry some real rock cred. We're of course talking about the guys over at Harmonix where they welcomed us into their comfy boot and demoing Rock Band 2, showing off the new instruments including the smoke and light kit and the customizable band swag that you can order (stuff like figures, tshirts, posters, etc.) We had a blast at the Harmonix booth, so we advise re-living our rockin' experience by checking out all the musical gallery pics below.%Gallery-27723%
Official Rock Band 2 web site launches
You've scoped out the new instruments, you've memorized the track list, new you can explore around the official web site for Rock Band 2. A quick perusal of the site reveals no real new information, but there is a nice high-res trailer for the game as well as some cool wallpapers and such to download.Interesting, the site links two two separate retailers for "official" pre-orders: One from Gamestop which lists the Xbox 360 special edition bundle at $189.99 and one from Amazon that lists it at $199.99. Gamestop also list a PS2 version at a discounted $179.99. A true rock star probably wouldn't care about these minor discrepancies, but for a struggling garage band, those are spare dollars that could go to cheetos and gas for the van.
E308: Rock Band 2 set-list revealed, song transfer 'under $5'
During the Microsoft Press Conference yesterday, Harmonix unveiled the full song set-list for Rock Band 2. Nearly doubling the set list size of the original release, Rock Band 2 will include 84 tracks (all master recordings) on the retail disc, plus there are plans to release an additional 20 tracks as free downloadable content after the game's release. The Rock Band 2 press release, which included the final set-list for the game, also mentions that Rock Band content from the original retail disc will be transferable to the sequel, but for a price. According to the release, "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!" A fee is required to unlock the content, which will be "under 5 dollars" according to the release. Also, as stated before, Rock Band 2 will support all downloadable content from the original Rock Band.Rock Band 2 is set to release exclusively on the Xbox 360 this September. With classic bands AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more added to the game, Rock Band 2 hasn't had us this excited about music since the invention of the compact disc. Wow. Totally just aged ourselves there.Full set-list for Rock Band 2 after the jump.
E308: Rock Band 2
Rock Band will debut exclusively on 360 with 84 songs on the disc which are all original master recordings, including Bob Dylan, AC/DC, Megadeath, Modest Mouse, and way more than we could list here (we'll update when we can). Plus all the DLC from the first game will be compatible, and most of the tracks from Rock Band 1can be ripped from the disc, meaning no disc swapping. All in all, that means that when Rock Band 2 launches it will have over 500 available tracks.
Rock Band disc content can be ported to RB2 for $5
The Rock Band 2 press release, which included the final set-list for the game, also mentions that Rock Band content from the discs will be transferable to the sequel, but for a price. The release states that "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!" You will need to pay an unlocking fee to do so, which will be "under 5 dollars."Rock Band 2 will also support full backwards compatibility for any downloadable songs that you may or may not have bought before now.
Rock Band disc content can be ported to RB2 for 'under $5'
The Rock Band 2 press release, which included the final set-list for the game, also mentions that Rock Band content from the discs will be transferable to the sequel, but for a price. The release states that "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!" You will need to pay an unlocking fee to do so, which will be "under 5 dollars."Rock Band 2 will also support full backwards compatibility for any downloadable songs that you may or may not have bought before now.
Rock Band 2 confirmed tracklist: 84 songs
No more speculation is necessary -- the tracklist for Rock Band 2 has been confirmed. Harmonix has announced that the much-anticipated sequel will contain 100+ songs. That's right, more than 100. A total of 84 of these songs will be included on the game disc, with another 20 coming your way via a free DLC later on.And there's more. In addition to DLC content from the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 will allow players to "export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay." However, this will cost $5.The entire disc tracklist right after the jump:
Rock Band 2 on-disc track list revealed, features over 80 songs
Harmonix has just unveiled the full song set list for the upcoming Rock Band 2. There will be a whopping 84 songs on the disc, and an additional 20 songs available as free DLC after the game's release. The set list is comprised entirely of master recordings, and features AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, Bob Dylan, Metallica, Pearl Jam and more.The entire list is available after the cut.
Portal: Still Alive, Lips, Uno Rush, Galaga Legions to be announced at Microsoft Press Conference
Gamerscore Blog has leaked Microsoft's announcements in their video RSS feed -- below is a list of games we'll see at the press conference today: Fable 2 Gears of War 2 Guitar Hero World Tour Rockband 2 Lips Uno Rush Galaga Legions Portal: Still Alive So looks like a sequel/sidequel to Portal is in the works for Xbox 360, as is another Uno game, and a Galaga sequel. More news to come, including what we can get out of the video that accompanies the leaked post.Thanks, William D.!
Rumor: Rock Band 2 to feature GNR Chinese Democracy track
According to The New York Times, the arrival of Rock Band 2 later this year will not only be accompanied by expected fanfare, but the belated blaring of scented weapon rockers, Guns N' Roses. Taken from the band's eternally upcoming album, Chinese Democracy, "Shackler's Revenge" will reportedly grace Harmonix's sequel, signaling the first time a new Axel-lent song has managed to find its way onto a disc in a very long time.While the Times views the track's in-game appearance as a portent of the band's album making it to store shelves before the great shelf extinction of 2019, less optimistic folks (that's us!) have simply accepted an unpleasant truth. Rock Band 2 is never coming out. [Via X3F]
Foo around with this Rock Band 2 gameplay trailer
Things don't look too different from the original in this first gameplay trailer of Rock Band 2. Sure, there are some more ... psychedelic elements to the visuals, and Everlong by the Foo Fighters. Though with 17 of the songs from the impressive leaked tracklist having been correct so far, more of the same isn't going to bother too many of you.
E3 Rumor: Rock Band 2 setlist includes GNR 'Chinese Democracy' track
The New York Times is reporting that, according to an anonymous source, tomorrow MTV Games will announce that a track from Guns N' Roses' ten year album in the making Chinese Democracy will be included on Rock Band 2's setlist. No joke!The track "Shackler's Revenge" is the song that's said to be a part of the game's setlist which releases later this Fall. Funny thing is, their album Chinese Democracy doesn't even have an official release date and is one of the most anticipated album releases ever. So, if this Rock Band 2 rumor ends up being true, this could also be proof that Axel and his jumbilation of a band could finally be releasing their album after nearly a decade in the making. We can't wait to hear what MTV and Harmonix have to announce tomorrow.[Thanks, Willenholly]
Madden 09 soundtrack headed to Rock Band
Looking to expand their already rich library, EA just announced some new Rock Band downloadable content that's headed our way as part of a partnership between them and Madden NFL 09. According to the press release, "'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." Though, at what price, which tracks from the album and when they'll release are all question marks right now. That said, we do know every track that is on the soundtrack (conveniently listed after the break) and it's also interesting to note that some of the Madden 09 soundtrack songs are already available as Rock Band DLC including The Offspring's "Hammerhead" and Disturbed's "Inside the Fire". Whatever happens, we say keep the DLC coming.
Ion's $300 "Drum Rocker" premium drum kit for Rock Band unveiled
Well, that was quick. We mentioned Ion's fancy drum kit yesterday, which will be released around when Rock Band 2 ships, but works with both Rock Band games, and now we've got a price and a press shot of the Drum Rocker. The $300 set has high-durability pads, which are supposed to play quiet and will register the velocity of your hits, but the real win is the re-configurability of the whole set -- much like a for-realises electronic drum kit. We're also really digging the metal-reinforced kick pedal, which seems a major improvement over the junky, difficult pedal packaged with the original game. Only $300? We'll take two.[Via Joystiq]
Fight the Foo with the Rock Band 2 gameplay debut
The second savory dish on the pre-E3 smorgasbord: the gameplay debut trailer for Rock Band 2. Unfortunately, this premiere video doesn't do a great job of highlighting the new features that were explained at last month's cleverly-named EA3 event, such as the online world tour and drum training modes. What it does show us is a few of the game's trippy new cutaway visuals, and that we're going to need to get some extra arms surgically attached to our torsos if we hope to play the drumming portion of "Everlong" on expert. Hopefully, we can undergo this risky Gorofication procedure before Rock Band 2's September launch on the 360.
Ion Rock Band Drum Rocker: Three c-notes
Well, $299.99 to be exact. That's how much you are going to have to shell out for the premium drum controller known as the Drum Rocker for Rock Band or Rock Band 2. Why would anyone want to pay 3/4 of a PS3 for a controller? Admittedly, it is a quality product with much attention paid to the details -- the pads are "ultra-quiet velocity sensitive pads" that are tougher. It comes with two cymbals, but the third one is sold separately. You can also position the snare, tom and cymbal pads in any way you want. The drum pedal is all metal and with the option of adding a second pedal. The best part is, you "can swap the game controller module with one of the professional drum brains made by Alesis" and you can use this as an actual electronic drum kit.Considering real drum sets cost at least $500 at the bargain level, this is a nice accessory for those trying to transition from gamer to musician. Otherwise, you are better off sticking with the normal version. Check out all the details and pictures over at the official website.
