Next week's Rock Band update will have everybody "working for the weekend," which will surely have folks asking: "Do you really want to hurt me, do you really want to make me cry?" Check out the full DLC details past the break.
To celebrate what would have been the legendary Roy Orbison's 75th birthday, next week's Rock Band DLC includes three songs from the artist. Don't fret, dream baby, if those tracks don't do it for you, there are already plenty of solid Orbison tracks available in the Rock Band store.
There are also a couple individual tracks from KISS. Both songs are live versions of their greatest hits "Rock and Roll All Nite" and "Strutter." Chewable blood packs and pyrotechnics sold separately. Head past the break for the full DLC details.
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix today announced that a three-pack of songs from Roy Orbison and two songs from KISS will be available beginning April 26 in theRock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer enter...
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix today announced that songs from Anberlin, Mastodon, Ohio Players, Relient K and Tommy Tutone will be available beginning April 19 in the Rock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 comp...
You may be asking: "Joystiq, why are you showing me Jenny's phone number on a modern phone? Shouldn't you have a video of it being dialed on a rotary phone?"
First off, congratulations for recognizing Jenny's number. We do like to think that we have some of the most culturally immersed readers on the internets. The reason for the modern spin is that the version of Tommy Tutone's famous 1981 hit, "867-5309/Jenny," in next week's Rock Band DLC is actually the re-recorded 2010 version off Tommy's album, Tutone-Ality. It seemed fair to point out. Check out the rest of next week's available tracks after the break.
You'll be singing just like the white-winged dove next week. That is, you will if you pick up the new Rock Band 3 DLC, a six-pack of songs including four Fleetwood Mac tracks and two from Stevie Nicks' solo catalog.
We suggest practicing your vibrato before the DLC arrives on April 12 -- or, at least, finding an electric fan to sing into. Full details of the track pack are posted after the break.
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix today announced that a six pack of songs featuring Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac will be available beginning April 12 in the Rock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entert...
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix, the world's premier music video game developer, and distribution partner Electronic Arts today announced that Rock Band 3, the next generation in the ultimate social and interactive music gaming platform, is now available for only $19.99 for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii...
If you're one of the many post-plastic rockers who, feeling a distinct sense of music genre malaise after so many years of clicky guitars and downloadable Miley Cyrus songs, found themselves unable to muster enough excitement to go out and purchase Rock Band 3 when it hit stores last year: congratulations. Your indifference toward one of the best games of last year has led to a tremendous discount for everyone. Way to go.
Harmonix today announced that going forward, all game-only copies of Rock Band 3 will be $20 at all major retailers, including the usual suspects like Amazon and Walmart. GameStop will probably get with the times eventually, but as of now, they're still selling for $49.99, because GameStop is jerks.
Incidentally, this new price puts Rock Band 3 $10 below the current retail price of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, a game that, despite being by all accounts dead, still continues to produce new DLC. Sort of like the part of the zombie brain that remains active and instinctively hungry for your money long after any identifiable humanity has ceased to be.
The disc part of this equation could be yours for the mere price of $19.99.
All Rock Band instruments are still sold separately--and appear largely undiscounted at this juncture--but with all the extra money you're not spending on a disc, maybe you can pony up for a keyboard and some brand-new downloadable Grand Funk Railroad and/or Joy Division songs. Or perhaps you could make up the difference with cheap copies of Green Day: Rock Band and one of the Rock Band Country Track Packs, each replete with exportable tracks. You'll create a playlist that's bound to confuse the hell out of everyone who attends your next Rock Band party, to be sure.
If you don't own a copy of Rock Band 3, or know someone who doesn't, now seems like the perfect time to get yourself or your stingy cohorts in on one of the best music games of all time. And I'm totally not saying that because I used to work for Harmonix, the developer of the Rock Band series. It's not like my name appears in the credits for that game, or anything. Who in their right mind would let a former Rock Band publicist write a news story ostensibly promoting the purchase of a game in that franchise? The very notion is utterly ludicrous, and not even worth thinking about, if you ask me.
Harmonix and publishing partner EA today announced that the third and best installment of the Rock Band series is now available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii for the low, low price of $19.99. More »
Harmonix has announced that the price of Rock Band 3 (game only) has dropped down to $20 on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii -- great for starving, wannabe musicians looking to jam to The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations." Or, you know, any of the other 82 songs available on the disc.
You can find the game for the reduced price right now on Amazon, Best Buy and GameStop -- or you can head into your local brick-and-mortar if you're looking for that immediate rock fix.
... and Harmonix swears it's not a joke! Next week's Rock Band DLC features individual songs from opposing sides of the mood spectrum -- an apparent nod to the dev's classic rhythm hell shooter Bipolar Attitude. Joy Division, meet J. Geils Band. J. Geils Band, Joy Division. FIGHT!
Prolific peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz has again teamed with The Who frontman Roger Daltrey to support the Teenage Cancer Trust -- and this time they've gotten Pete Townshend to leave his mark on this unique charity event. Both legendary rock gods have signed a pair of Mad Catz's Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster controllers (no strings attached) for Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band.
These cherry red rarities are up for auction on eBay -- one here and the other here -- until 9PM ET on Sunday, April 3. All proceeds will go to the UK-based Teenage Cancer Trust.
We do love contrast. Next week's Rock Band 3 update will include a downloadable "Days of Peace" pack, featuring patchouli-scented tracks from Blood, Sweat & Tears, Jefferson Airplane and Santana.
Next week's update will also bring a version of the infamous Guitar Hero face-melter "Through the Fire and Flames" to RB3. More importantly, and insanely, you'll be able to purchase a Pro Guitar upgrade for that track. That should take care of any lingering notion you had that you could actually play the guitar.
With the death of Guitar Hero, the song that launched a thousand YouTube videos makes the leap to Rock Band 3. DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames" hits on March 29, with Pro Guitar and Pro Bass support. Ouch. More »
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix today announced that a six-pack of songs from The Piano Man himself, Billy Joel, will be available beginning March 22 in theRock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertai...
The Billy Joel "critic spite machine" rolls on, as next week's Rock Band DLC adds another six of the piano man's legendary songs. Hang out with your bosom buddies and sing "My Life, " or pour a bottle of red, a bottle of white and experience "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." For those in a more melancholy mood, there's "She's Always a Woman."
‘Piano Challenge Pack’
- special six-pack from Billy Joel
- all new to Rock Band
- available March 22nd
• “I Go to Extremes”
• “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)”
• “My Life”
• “Prelude/Angry Young Man” X
• “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
• [...]
Next week's Rock Band DLC announcement is a day early (wonder why?), featuring four individual tracks from three different artists. Details after the break.
Cambridge, Mass. - Harmonix today announced that singles from OK Go, War and The Police will be available beginning March 15 in the Rock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Wii...
Find your "Personal Jesus" in next week's Rock Band DLC, featuring three tracks from iconic electronic music band Depeche Mode. If you're not in the mood to declare your "Policy of Truth," there will also be a single number from Death Cab For Cutie available.
Check out the full DLC details after the break.
[Pictured: Screencap of "Personal Jesus" music video; source: YouTube / WMG]
Though the cornucopia of Pro Guitar tutorials available on last year's Rock Band 3 possessed multitudes of promise, the absence of a solidly-built, authentic guitar controller squandered away my hopes of learning to more proficiently rock in the real world by taking lessons in a fake one. I've sustained myself over the past four months on the possibility that the MIDI-enabled Squier Stratocaster controller would capitalize on these possibilities. After spending a few hours with the axe, I'm happy to report that I wasn't disappointed.
Check out the video after the jump for the full scoop on the Rock Band 3 Squier, presented in a bold, groundbreaking audio-visual format. (How else could you be impressed by all my mad shredding skills, and my capacity for producing sweet, crunchy riffs?)
"There's no denying that Rock Band 3 hasn't yet sold to the level we hoped it would out of the gate," Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos admitted to Edge. "But on the flipside of that we also believe that it's a product that has a lot of life."
It may be difficult to share Rigopulos' optimism. Since the beginning of the year, Viacom sold Harmonix (back to Harmonix), MTV Games was shut down and Activision hit the pause button on its long-running Guitar Hero franchise. Still, Rigopulos offers a "glass half-full" interpretation of Activision's retraction from the genre, seeing a newfound opportunity to expand the developer's audience. "We think there are also a lot of devoted Guitar Hero fans who have probably never given Rock Band a try," Rigopulos told Destructoid. Harmonix wants to convert them and "let them know that Rock Band 3 is worth giving a try."
Rock Band 3 will continue receiving updates through the year, as Harmonix tries to "cultivate" the platform -- though Rigopulos added that "fundamental reimaginings of the Rock Band franchise" are being planned. "The marketplace is clearly demanding something very new," Rigopulos noted. "It's clearly demanding a dramatic evolution of the Rock Band franchise, I think, and I think that's actually exciting for us."
While rebooting the band genre will be an uphill battle for the company, there's still one bright star in the studio's portfolio: Dance Central. Finishing the sequel is an obvious next step, but it seems Harmonix has more motion-gaming ideas. "It's safe to say you'll see a lot more in that domain from Harmonix beyond Dance Central," Rigopulos teased. "We'd be absolutely open-minded about that."
With their future projects still shrouded in secrecy, it seems Rigopulos is confident that his team will easily bypass this dark era for music gaming. Contrary to industry perception, the company might have too much on its plate. "We have a lot of very cool new ideas in the works right now, looking out beyond both Rock Band and Dance Central."
Can the same game really teach you both industrial noise and chooglin'? That's exactly what Rock Band 3 will be capable of doing next week, with four tracks from the remastered version of Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine (one of which, "Head Like a Hole," includes Pro Guitar support) and Pro Guitar upgrades for legacy DLC including two Creedence tracks.
Find the full list of tracks available for your versatility training after the break.
In addition to the Mad Catz Mustang guitar controller and the upcoming Fender Squier Stratocaster, there is now a third option for realistic shredding in Rock Band 3, thanks to a firmware update for You Rock Digital's You Rock guitar. The You Rock guitar is similar to the Mustang in that it has real strings for strumming, though they don't stretch along the full length of the guitar. Unlike the Mustang's many, many buttons, the You Rock features a touch-sensitive fret board. The You Rock also functions as a MIDI instrument and includes many built in sounds and effects.
Those wishing to use the You Rock for Rock Band 3 will need to download firmware 1.2 from the You Rock website. Like the Fender Squier, the You Rock requires the Mad Catz MIDI adapter for use with Rock Band 3. The guitar is compatible with all versions of the game and, in addition to pro mode, it can be used to play standard modes as well. That's what we call a two'fer.
Amazon is offering a spate of gaming deals in its Gold Box today, revealing a new time-limited offer every couple of hours. Strangely, the discounts are about half Wii music-game themed -- things like the Wii versions of Michael Jackson: The Experience (the Deal of the Day at $30), Rock Band 3, and Dance Dance Revolution.
However, the non-Wii part includes savings on the DS version of Plants vs. Zombies,Dragon Quest VI, Civilization V and others, so the lack of a fully committed theme is forgivable. Find the list after the break.
A Pat Benatar six-pack is next week's Rock Band DLC offering. Oh, Pat Benatar. Her music and iconic videos during the early days of MTV traveled on parallel lines of logic. There's "Love is a Battlefield," forever remembered for its shoulder shimmy and then there's the toilet-papered land of "We Belong." Also, in retrospect, the drummer in that latter video totally looks like Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs.
Put the Benatar in the shopping basket next week! Full track-pack details can be found after the break.
[Pictured: Screencap of "Love is a Battlefield" music video; source: YouTube / GiraldiMedia]
