Harmonix's "Rock Band"

[Hell Toupee]

Unfortunately, the only system I have is a PS2, and apparently they haven't made it for that. Bastards.

I'm free tonight, by the way. Just sayin'...

Actually, they are making it for the PS2, although you won't be able to download extra content on that version.

It's supposed to be ready in December.

Happy hunting.

Unfortunately, I work for the airlines and they own my soul, so I'm not free until Saturday.

[Wherle]

Checking my social calendar, I'm apparently a recluse with very few friends willing to meet me for drinks and/or debauchery, so am also available Saturday. Again, just sayin'...

[Marlowe]

the word on the street is that those who have guitar hero III are sad & pathetic anachronisms, and the real way to go is to get yourself some rock band action.

all i can say in my defense is that i bought guitar hero III before i knew about rock band, and i can't justify spending the money to pick up RB, even though i may be losing my cred by not doing so...

that said, GHIII is still pretty rockin' and i appreciate that they continue to release new songs for d/l.

[Hell Toupee]

Well, details about Rock Band 2 are out:

The title will release with an exclusive launch window for Xbox 360 and later this year to the Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and Nintendo Wii.

Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.

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!

With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!

Local and global online modes to connect the entire Rock Band community

World Tour mode, now online, simplifies the best of gameplay from the original Rock Band by fusing Solo Tour and Band World Tour modes and cranks it up a notch with an all new collection of opportunity gigs, challenges, cities, venues and hirable staff

Tour Challenges that offer rockers a chance to play through mini-campaigns focused on the best songs by instrument, decade, genre, artist, album and more

Battle of the Bands mode challenges players to go head to head against other bands in constantly refreshed contests* created by Harmonix (*internet connection required)

Quickplay makes it easier than ever to get in and jam without hassle while allowing for new prefab characters or customized characters that can play on any instrument plus lets you make your own set lists and organize your song lists in a variety of categories (genre, era, etc.)

Customizable Set Lists keep the music rolling and your band rocking in Quickplay mode

Drum Trainer mode gives players the fundamentals of different beats and fills, translating gameplay into real drumming skills

Character Creator completes your look with all new choices in clothing, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, instruments and more to keep your unique rock avatar playing the full rock part

Backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date

The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs - with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall .

Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and Emerging rock acts including Pearl Jam, Metallica, Allman Brothers, Motorhead, Devo, Jane's Addiction, Megadeth, Paramore, Modest Mouse and more.

Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock”

After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track, “Shackler’s Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy

For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue”

Fender Stratocaster Controller takes on a new authentic look plus adds a reinforced strum bar, quieter buttons, wireless functionality and a built in calibration tool that automatically sets your AV setup to an ideal setting for maximum rock.

Drum set goes wireless while also featuring quieter, velocity sensitive drum pads and a metal reinforced pedal.

Microphone showcases authentic styling and weight.

Fender Telecaster Controller features soft buttons with lower action to help you shred faster than ever.

Fender Bass Controller, the first bass guitar controller ever, takes the shape of the Fender P-Bass with extended length, tuning pegs and a split strum bar to replicate finger-bass style picking.

Full-sized Squire Stratocaster Guitar Controller multiplies the authentic guitar experience by featuring a controller built into an actual Squire Stratocaster body.

Cymbal Expansion Pack is a straightforward but amazing upgrade to the Rock Band 2 drum set featuring add-on cymbals.

ION Drum Rocker (sold separately for $300), a real electronic drum kit that functions as a game controller, brings the Rock Band fantasy to life featuring a simple substitution that takes the drum kit from a controller to a real instrument.

Rock Band 2 On-Disc Track List:

Artist Song Title Decade

1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s

Bonus Artist Bonus Song Title Decade

76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s

Furthermore, this list is comprised 100% of original recordings.

[Nate]

Yes, one of the Chinese Democracy tracks are on there.

[Wherle]

Stupid question: how do I play bass in solo mode? I don't see an option for it anywhere when starting the game.

[Hell Toupee]

When you choose to play guitar, it should ask you if you want to play guitar or bass, then it asks for difficulty.

[Wherle]

So far, it has not asked me if I want to play anything. I assume it's just going by what peripheral I have plugged in at the time, and automatically goes that route. It's never given me the option to choose guitar or bass, it just defaults to guitar.

[Hell Toupee]

Muahahahahaha.... Harmonix has realeased a TON of downloadable songs to compliment their initial lineup for Rock Band 2, but nothing quite like what's available Tuesday.

Prepare Cockney Rebel for takeoff.

Siouxsie & the Banshees “Hong Kong Garden” ($1.99/160 MSP)

Bwuahahahahahaha.

I might have to buy this for the sheer thrill of it.

[Wherle]

So far, it has not asked me if I want to play anything. I assume it's just going by what peripheral I have plugged in at the time, and automatically goes that route. It's never given me the option to choose guitar or bass, it just defaults to guitar.

This is still the case, by the way. I've never been able to play bass. Booooo...

[Cockney Rebel]

Siouxsie & the Banshees “Hong Kong Garden” ($1.99/160 MSP)

That's $2.99 too much

[Hell Toupee]

LEGO Rock Band song list, for those interested:

All American Rejects, “Swing, Swing”
The Kooks, “Naïve”
The Automatic, “Monster”
KoRn, “Word Up!”
Blink-182, “Aliens Exist”
KT Tunstall, “Suddenly I See”
Blur, “Song 2”
Lostprophets, “Rooftops”
Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name”
P!NK, “So What”
Boys like Girls, “Thunder”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
Bryan Adams, “Summer of 69”
The Primitives, “Crash”
Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
Queen, “We Are The Champions”
The Coral, “Dreaming of You”
Queen, “We Will Rock You”
Counting Crows, “Accidentally in Love”
Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway”
David Bowie, “Let’s Dance”
Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters”
Elton John, “Crocodile Rock”
Razorlight, “Stumble and Fall”
Europe, “The Final Countdown”
Spin Doctors, “Two Princes”
Everlife, “Real Wild Child”
Spinal Tap, “Short & Sweet”
Foo Fighters, “Breakout”
Steve Harly, “Make Me Smile”
Good Charlotte, “Girls & Boys”
Sum 41, “In Too Deep”
The Hives, “Tick Tick Boom!”
Supergrass, “Grace”
Iggy Pop, “The Passenger”
Tom Petty, “Free Fallin”
Incubus, “Dig”
T-Rex, “Ride a White Swan”
Jackson 5, “I Want You Back”
Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”
Jimi Hendrix, “Fire” OMGOMGOMGOMG HENDRIX
We the Kings, “Check Yes Juliet”
Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby”
The Zutons, “Valerie”
Katrina & The Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”

Also, Rock Band (the regular version), gets 10 Queen songs for download on Oct. 20th.:

Another One Bites the Dust - 1980
Crazy Little Thing Called Love - 1979
Fat Bottomed Girls - 1978
I Want It All - 1988
I Want to Break Free - 1984
One Vision - 1985
Killer Queen - 1974
Somebody to Love - 1976
Tie Your Mother Down - 1977
Under Pressure - 1981

[Hell Toupee]

Back in January, Harmonix released the materials for anyone with enough patience to build and sell their own Rock Band tracks through something called the Rock Band Network. Today is the release of the full version of it out of its beta period, and to commemorate the occasion, they released the first 100 tracks up for sale. Most on the list are neither here nor there, but there's some decent stuff in here in case anyone was interested.

3 Inches of Blood - Battles and Brotherhood
Alias Unknown - Top Back
Amberian Dawn - He Sleeps in a Grove
Amberian Dawn - River of Tuoni
Andrew Buch - Trippolette
Audio Fiction - Race The Hourglass
Bif Naked - Sick
Blackmarket - Tongue Twister Typo
Bojibian - Still There
C&O - We Are the Best
Chaunce DeLeon and The Fountain of Choof - Tadpole Search and Rescue
Children of Nova - The Complexity of Light
Color Theory - If Not Now When
Dear and the Headlights - Talk About
Despised Icon - Day of Mourning
DnA's Evolution - The Heist
Error 404 feat. CJ Watson - If Trucks Drank Beer
Fake Shark-Real Zombie! - Angel Lust
Fake Shark-Real Zombie! - Horses in Heaven
Fake Shark-Real Zombie! - Running for the Razors
Fake Shark-Real Zombie! - Sestri Levante
Five Finger Death Punch - Burn it Down
Flogging Molly - Drunken Lullabies (Live)
Flogging Molly - Requiem for a Dying Song
Foreword - Watch It All Go Down
Free Spirit - Far Away from Heaven
Full-Source - End Quote
Full-Source - It's Not You, It's Everyone
Full-Source - Red Sky At Morn
Furly - Icarus' Song
Gandhi - Arigato
Giant Target - In Memories
Giant Target - Signs
Glass Hammer - Hyperbole
Glass Hammer - Sleep On
Heaven Ablaze - Parhelia
In This Moment - Mechanical Love
James William Roy - Paper Valentines
Jonathan Coulton - Creepy Doll
Jonathan Coulton - Ikea
Jonathan Coulton - The Future Soon
KMFDM - A Drug Against War
KMFDM - Juke Joint Jezebel
Kristin Hersh - Fortune
Kristin Hersh - Mississippi Kite
Lacuna Coil - Survive
Lead the Dead - Rip'er
Longwave - No Direction
Marillion - Whatever Is Wrong With You
Matter in the Medium - Persistence of Vision
MC Frontalot - Goth Girls
Nick Gallant - Inside Out
Nick Gallant - Turn Yourself Around
Of Last Resort - Fade Away
of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
Pink Flag - Nancy Drew
Ron Wasserman - Fight Back
Rose of Jericho - Buried Cold
Scratching The Itch - Lemon Juice
Scratching The Itch - The Buddy Disease
Scratching The Itch - You're My Everything
Senses Fail - Lady in a Blue Dress
Skeletonwitch - Crushed Beyond Dust
Skindred - Stand for Something
Speck - Grumpytown
Speck - VP of Booty Reports
Stars of Boulevard - Limousine
Stephanie Hatfield and Hot Mess - Can I Stay
Steve and Lindley Band - Backyard Buildyard
Steve Vai - For the Love of God (Live)
Steve Vai - Get the Hell Out of Here
Steve Vai - The Attitude Song
Stroke 9 - Kick Some Ass '09
Stroke 9 - Little Black Backpack '09
Suicide Silence - Disengage
Surprise Me Mr. Davis - Sissyfuss
The Cold Goodnight - Give
The Dirty Love Band - Moonboy
The Everybody - You Got That
The Fisticuffs - Liverpool Judies
The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis
The Humans - It's Good
The Kimberly Trip - California
The Main Drag - Cease and Desist
The Main Drag - Don't Let Me Down (Slowly)
The Main Drag - Dove Nets
The Main Drag - Homosuperior
The Main Drag - How We'd Look On Paper
The Main Drag - Love During Wartime
The Main Drag - Megatron
The Main Drag - Talk Them Down
The Main Drag - Teeth, Face, Outerspace
The Main Drag - Tricky Girl
The Main Drag - What's Your Favorite Dinosaur?
The Shins - Australia
The Slip - Children of December
The Slip - Even Rats
Ultra Saturday - Not My Fault
Ultra Saturday - Superhero!
WaveGroup Feat. Becca Neun - Liquid Smog (StompBox Remix)
Wounded Soul - Rx
You Shriek - Lilith in Libra
You Shriek - No Heroes
Zack Wilson - Another California Song
Zack Wilson - Ox

[Kwyjibo]

Meh