Half-time during any football game, especially during the Super Bowl, is a great time to stock up on more booze, cook some more food or purge, but with The Who scheduled to perform you might want to actually stick around. I know I won’t be missing this year’s half-time show but if you happen to miss it don’t worry, you can play it on Rock Band immediately after the game. That’s right, Harmonix and MTV will be bringing you a “special version” of the performance which you will see on Sunday.
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There’s an army on the dance floor. Or maybe just my favorite Rock Band track additions yet. I always get rather giddy when announcing that the song catalogue is going to grow, but this particular set of tunes has me giddy like a schoolgirl. Paul McCartney’s live tracks, classic Blink-182 jams, hits from the Psychedelic Furs and The Ramones go live on January 5th and January 7th, depending on which console you rock out on. I’m lovin’ this way for sure. It’s a new road. (more…)

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In the fight over dominance in the band rhythm game genre, today Rock Band dropped a bomb. According to Harmonix and MTV games, there are now over 1,000 songs out there for you to download or own. With more than 390 bands, and available on all systems, Rock Band seems to have delivered on their promise of being able to own and play more songs and artists than ever imagined.

“When we launched Rock Band two years ago, we made a promise to create a music gaming experience that delivered on a weekly basis more songs and artists than ever imagined,” said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix Music Systems. “We’re extremely proud to pass this remarkable milestone of over 1,000 songs in Rock Band and will continue to innovate and bring more of the best music to Rock Band players all over the world.”

Also announced in the release is that new content and new tools to help with authoring your own songs for release on the Rock Band Network, are coming soon.

With all the dinks and dunks of songs coming out through their weekly releases, I had no idea that Rock Band was coming close to this milestone. As opposed to releasing new software every few months, releasing small packs of songs on a weekly basis seemed to be a good move on Harmonix’s part. I haven’t had the time to check out Rock Band’s ever increasing song base lately, but with this announcement it seems like as good a time as ever to go see what I’ve apparently been missing.

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What do you get when you combine the innocence and hilarity of the LEGO universe with one of the most successful music simulation titles going right now? A bona fide hit, of course. The latest entry into the Rock Band saga, LEGO Rock Band, is a fresh look at the franchise, as well as a great place to start for younger gamers or those of us who just love toying around with LEGOs. Was its release necessary? The gaming populace will say no, but frankly, I’m thankful this project came to be. It’s cute. It’s wacky. It’s just what you would expect from the world of LEGO, and I’m actually quite pleased.

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Because Queen sure did, despite the rampant homosexuality (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).  EA and Harmonix announced next week’s Rock Band track list, and it includes a whopping 10 song bundle from classic rockers Queen, as well as a little Blink 182 and Offspring for Rock Band Unplugged.  Unfortunately, the list does not include the chance to re-enact any scenes from Wayne’s World, with “Bohemian Rhapsody” inconspicuously absent (when I was in high school, I thought it was called Bohemian Rap City).  Nevertheless, this 10 pack is quite solid for any fans or non-fans.  Check out the full list below, as well as the Unplugged tracks.

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Some Rock Band fans were disappointed to hear that Harmonix wouldn’t be releasing a “normal” title featuring a large variety of artist; however, with the success and popularity of The Beatles: Rock Band I’m sure most fans are happy with the decision. For those who are still craving for the original formula, Lego Rock Band might be the answer for you. MTV Games and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment recently announced the full 45-song setlist that features a wide range of songs.

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The metal gods have spoken and deemed that with the release of Brutal Legend, probably the best game that will ever exist of all time, a Brutal Legend track pack must also make its way to Rock Band. Harmonix has put together a track pack straight from the game itself for next week that stars metal prodigies Motorhead, Tenacious D (can I get an eff yeah?), and Testament.  Other additions include a couple live tracks from Kansas, tracks from Blink 182 and Joe Satriani, and a track from L7 to round things off.  Rock Band Unplugged gets its own injection with some Pearl Jam and Foreigner.  As always, PS3 fans get to wait an extra two days, while Wii and 360 owners have access to these yummies on the 13th.

Hit the jump to see the full track list and pricing! 

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Feel like you don’t have enough alternative or English rock music in your Rock Band collection? Don’t worry cause Harmonix and MTV Games has got your back with five new songs from alternative rockers Alice in Chains, three new songs from the alternative metal group Breaking Benjamin and making their debut in Rock Band, English psychedelic rockers Kula Shaker and English rock band Just Kait. Announced today the eleven songs will be releasing on September 29^th for the Wii and Xbox 360 and October 1^st for the Playstation 3.

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Do you love the Beatles?  Do you feel that the hundreds of dollars you’ve spent on a console, the video game, the instruments, and the newly released ultimate music collection just isn’t enough?  Do you also like to know your money is going towards a good cause?

Good!  Because I have the auction for you: a limited edition, hand-painted, numbered, Xbox 360 featuring art from the recently released The Beatles: Rock Band video game.  The ultimate collector’s item for any video game and Beatles fan.

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The much anticipated Freezepop pack of songs is here, arriving not only with Guitar Hero II and Rock Band Unplugged’s “Less Talk More Rokk” but with “Science Genius Girl” and “Get Ready 2 Rokk” too. With Freezepop comes a three-song pack of PAX 2009 artists including songs by “Still Alive” writer Jonathan Coulton and MC Frontalot and four individual songs that were in Rock Band Unplugged. The Wii, in addition to this week’s tracks, receives last week’s releases of Avenged Sevenfold, The Jam, Oasis, Rage Against the Machine, Billy Idol, and Talking Heads. Rock Band Unplugged sees its usual two-song release, this time with Stone Roses and Godsmack. The Freezepop and PAX artist songs are a dollar each (80 MS Points or 100 Wii Points) or $3 in a pack (you’re not saving money) and the other four songs are the usual $2 (160 MS Points or 200 Wii Points). The Wii tracks are 200 Wii Points and the PSP tracks are $1.99 a piece.

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Now you can play Rock Band with an almost real guitar (if that’s something to be excited about)! Mad Catz has now shipped the Rock Band Wireless Wooden Fender Stratocaster replica guitar which is a 1:1 replica of a real Fender Stratocaster guitar. Its parts are made using actual Stratocaster parts, including a wooden body and neck and metal tuning keys. To top it off, the gloss finish is done in the same manner as a real Stratocaster, and the guitar is actually put together at a Fender manufacturing facility.

Everything else about the guitar is standard. It is wireless, runs off 3 AAA batteries, headset port, Overdrive pedal port, whammy bar, etc. Unfortunately for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Wii Rock Band aficionados, this Stratocaster is only for the Xbox 360.

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Tom Petty makes his debut in the Rock Band series with next week’s DLC. Returning to the games on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s Music Stores are Billy Idol, Fleetwood Mac and Jet. The Wii sees last week’s releases of Blind Melon, Blur, Foo Fighters, Dropkick Murphys, Eve 6, and the Kaiser Chiefs as well as fifteen other tracks from Grateful Dead, White Zombie, and more. Rock Band Unplugged also gets two tracks from The Zombies and White Zombie. As always, each track costs about $2 (or 160 Microsoft Points or 200 Wii Points) unless bought in a pack or album for the 360 or PS3.

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While scrolling through my inbox today I almost fell out of my chair upon checking out the latest from Harmonix from their latest GamesCom announcements. As a goliath Beatles fan, my wait for the colossal release of The Beatles: Rock Band was made to feel even longer with the official announcement of the very first three downloadable albums from the Fab Four, as well as the unveiling of “All You Need is Love” as an additional DLC track for $1.99 on September 9, 2009.

In addition, CEO and founder of Harmonix Alex Rigopolus revealed some very juicy tidbits regarding upcoming tracks that could very well be hitting the Rock Band Music Store in the near future. Color me well excited. I’m chomping at the bit to get my Paul, John, George, and Ringo on as it is. So what are you waiting for? It’s time for another exciting Rock Band Roundup.

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Next week we’ll see the return of Foo Fighters to the Rock Band Music Store with another three songs, along with a track each from Blind Melon, Blur, Dropkick Murphys, Eve 6 and the Kaiser Chiefs. The Wii will play catchup as usual with its bevy of songs already released on the 360/PS3 Music Stores, primarily featuring last week’s 360/PS3 releases and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Blood Sugar Sex Magik album. Rock Band Unplugged also gets its share of DLC with tracks from Pat Benatar and Coheed and Cambria. As always, each track (with the exception of Honest Bob’s “Entangled” and Megasus’s “Megasus” for the Wii Music Store) costs about $2 (or 160 Microsoft Points or 200 Wii Points) unless bought in a pack or album.

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Rock Band fans, prepare to have your faces melted. Following up the Rock Band Country Track Pack, it’s been announced that Harmonix is releasing a Rock Band Metal Track Pack in the most metal month of all, October. On October 13th, be ready to rock out to some of the most venerable acts in metal, including Yngwie Malmsteen, Children of Bodom, and Judas Priest. For $29.99 this 20-song collection can be yours, and can be utilized as a standalone game disc or, with the code provided, as a downloadable set of tracks that can be used with your existing Rock Band library. See the full list inside this post, as well as how you can win a Rock Band track of your choice simply by commenting on this post.

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