Adding to the already announced downloadable content for Guitar Hero World Tour, publisher Activision has revealed another batch of tracks that PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii owners will be able to acquire following the game's launch on October 26.

Arriving November 6 is the Oasis Track Pack, which includes:

• Bag It Up
• Waiting for the Rapture
• The Shock of the Lightning

In addition, the new Oasis album "Dig Out Your Soul" will arrive as Guitar Hero: World Tour content in early 2009, marking the music game's second full-length downloadable album--the first being Metallica's "Death Magnetic," which hits at launch.

The Oasis songs will be released as a bundle pack and individual downloads, a departure from past bundle-only GH DLC offerings. Pricing has not been announced.

Today's PlayStation Store update was a little delayed by some unexpected downtime, but the wait appears to have been worth it.

The full release of Slant Six's SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation drops for digital purchase, and along with it comes a demo for Evolution Studios' MotorStorm Pacific Rift that doesn't require a magazine subscription.

As usual, the full list of this week's downloadable goodies follows:

Downloadable Games

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation ($39.99)
Alone I am Lethal. As a Team I Dominate. SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation deploys you online into intense and unpredictable 32-player battles ... Read more

Certain functions of the PS3's online PlayStation Network service--specifically account registration, management and PlayStation Store access--have been taken offline for "temporary unscheduled maintenance," Sony has revealed on the PlayStation Blog.

Fortunately, online gameplay is unaffected by this downtime--something that wasn't available during Tuesday's maintenance period--though it may affect the weekly PlayStation Store updates, which generally hit on Thursday afternoons.

A specific reason for the downtime was not provided, though the offline functions seem to coincide with the revisions made in this week's PS3 and PSP firmware updates.

The PlayStation 3's online service for multiplayer and digital downloads will be down later today for maintenance purposes, Sony has confirmed with Joystiq.

The service will be unavailable today from 2PM - 7 PM EDT / 11AM - 4PM PDT.

It is unknown exactly what the maintenance entails, though PSP owners will soon gain direct access to the online PlayStation Store via a new firmware update due this month.

Rock Band developer Harmonix has bestowed more DLC upon us from on high. This week's DLC is the full album from metal outfit Motley Crue, "Dr. Feelgood." The ten-song album can be purchased collectively for 1280 Microsoft Points ($16) or with individual tracks for 160 Points ($2) each.

Per console marketplace traditions, the tracks will hit the Rock Band Store on the Xbox 360 on Tuesday, October 14 and the PlayStation 3 on Thursday, October 16.

The full listing of tracks--all master recordings--is as follows:

1. Dr Feelgood
2. Slice of Your Pie... Read more

It's Thursday, and with that comes Grey's Anatomy the PlayStation Store update, bringing PlayStation 3 owners more gaming goodness for just a few dollars.

SARPBC, left; Linger in Shadows, right

It's a week for the avant-garde, as Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars brings indie-developed vehicular combat to the PS3. Linger in Shadows is pushing the envelope: it's the first "demoscene" program--not a game, really--to make it to consoles. Also available is a demo for WOW Entertainment's Valkyria Chronicles--if you've got the cash to subscribe to Sony's downloadable video magazine Qore.

Following tradition, the full list is below. Be warned, this week's list is particularly long:

Qore

Qore Episode 5 ($2.99 for episode / $24.99 for Annual Subscription)
Episode 5 celebrates Halloween with a scary game roundup... Read more

Rock Band developer Harmonix has announced nine new tracks for next week's downloadable content update for its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 stores. The Offspring are headlining next week with a three-track pack, available as a bundle for 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50) or individually for 160 Points ($2):

• Gone Away
• Pretty Fly
• Self Esteem

Supporting the Offspring are six artists ranging from pop-rock to heavy nu-metal, with tracks only available a la carte for 160 Points ($2)... Read more

Following up Wipeout HD and Mega Man 9 is a tough thing to do if you're a PlayStation 3 digital marketplace. Thankfully, five demos including Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, BioShock, and Eternal Sonata have stepped in to do their thing.

Other notables include add-ons for two EA Sports games and the relaxing PixelJunk Eden soundtrack. For the full list, read on:

Game Demos (Free)

Brothers In Arms Hell's Highway Demo
Check out the free demo for the game that IGN.com praised as "A World War II the likes of which you've never seen". Experience the amazing graphics... Read more

The entirety of Motley Crue's album "Dr. Feelgood" is coming to Harmonix's multi-instrument music seres Rock Band on October 14, according to the band's blog.

"All you fans of Rock Band will want to check back on October 14th to download the entire Dr. Feelgood album through your console's online marketplace," the entry reads.

Based on past Rock Band DLC releases, Xbox 360 owners will receive the content on Tuesday, October 14, followed by a PlayStation 3 release on Thursday, October 16. No price was named, though such downloads have been priced between $11 and $20.

Both Rock Band and Rock Band 2 owners will be able to purchase and play the content. The track listing for Motley Crue's "Dr. Feelgood" follows... Read more

Infinite Interactive's addictive puzzle-RPG effort Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords will receive a downloadable PlayStation 3 release this fall, publisher and studio owner D3 has announced.

The PlayStation Store version will bundle the original Puzzle Quest, along with the Revenge of the Plague Lord expansion, for an undisclosed sum. The original game initially sold for $15 on Xbox Live Arcade, butdropped to $10 prior to the arrival of the $8.75 expansion pack.

The PlayStation 3 marks the last major console to receive Puzzle Quest, with the game having already hit PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP. PS3 owners can already buy and download the PSP version from the PlayStation Store, though they must transfer it to a PSP in order to play.

A sci-fi sequel, Puzzle Quest: Galactrix, is expected to release on PC, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS early next year.

Developer LucasArts has revealed that it will bring a new mission and new playable characters to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed as downloadable content, though pricing has yet to be decided.

The new playable characters, due next month, will include Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ki-Adi-Mundi, and Kit Fisto. The additions are "based on what we heard from fans," executive producer Haden Blackman informed Kotaku.

Meanwhile, the new campaign level will take place in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and is set to arrive later this year. The stage was one the team had hoped to include in the initial release, but was among those axed before the action game entered production.

A different version of the level is said to have appeared in external developer Krome's PS2, Wii and PSP editions of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

"I wouldn't rule out any future content on The Force Unleashed," Blackman concluded. "There's easily another two dozen we could make into levels. This is a good way to continue the story."

Rock Band and Rock Band 2 owners will be able to download the bulk of Red Hot Chili Peppers' album Blood Sugar Sex Magik next week, developer Harmonix has revealed.

Only excluding one track--"Give It Away," which is on the Rock Band 2 disc--the BSSM bundle will be priced at 1600 Microsoft Points ($20), with individual tracks going for 160 Microsoft Points ($2).

Per usual, Xbox 360 owners will be able to access the downloads beginning next Tuesday, September 30, while PlayStation 3 owners must wait until next Thursday, October 2.

Come next week, gamers will be able to play along with the following... Read more

It's Wipeout week on the PlayStation Store, as Wipeout HD finally makes its way to the Network today. For more on the game, check out our recent preview and interview. Other notable updates include a downloadable version of Burnout Paradise and Mega Man 9. Read through the details below.

Downloadable Games

WipEout HD ($19.99)
It was there back at the beginning and now it's taking the franchise into the future: WipEout HD is set to deliver 1080p High Definition visuals running at a breathtaking 60-frames-per-second. WipEout HD features a selection of the best... Read more

Zen Studios announced The Punisher: No Mercy today, an Unreal Engine 3-powered FPS bringing the gritty Marvel comic book hero to the PlayStation 3 for some online deathmatch action.

According to Zen director Zsolt Kigyossy's post on the official PlayStation Blog, "you'll see the Marvel Universe through a first-person perspective in some intense arena-based multiplayer action."

The game will be sold only as a digital download and will be exclusive to the PlayStation Store, the online marketplace for the PlayStation 3. Kigyossy added, "Our main focus is to create an awesome online multiplayer experience with the style and grit from the Punisher's world."

Right now, the game only has a teaser website, and a price or release date have not yet been announced.

The newest batch of downloadable songs for Harmonix's hit Rock Band series is on the way. Rush's album Moving Pictures--once delayed by "technical issues"-- had its issues sorted out.

Six more tracks including Bad Religion and The Cult are also on the way, and all of them will hit Xbox Live Marketplace next Tuesday, September 23, and the PlayStation Store on Thursday, September 25.

Today's newly-announced songs are all master tracks and will be available for 160 Points ($2):

• Bad Religion - Sorrow
• The Cult - She Sells Sanctuary
• Hot Hot Heat - Bandages
• Kasabian - Shoot the Runner
• Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock N Roll Fun
• Stone Roses - Love Spreads

Rush's "Moving Pictures," originally scheduled for last month, will be for sale for 880 Microsoft Points ($11) with individual tracks available for 160 Points ($2):

• Tom Sawyer (original version)
• Red Barchetta ... Read more

This week's update to the PlayStation 3's online store brings the expected Rock Band downloadable content, along with a few new demos and a sale on the Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

Life with PlayStation, an update to the Folding@home application, also arrives today. Sporting news reports and real-time weather conditions, it can be acquired by selecting Folding@home, found under the Network category of the PS3's menu.

As for the rest of today's offerings, the PlayStation.Blog lists the following:

Game Demos (free)

Fracture Demo
Defend the world against a genetically modified enemy force and unleash the power of terrain-deforming weapons and technology. Download the Fracture... Read more

As promised, a demo of Day 1 Studios' terrain-deforming action game Fracture (PS3, 360) is now available to Xbox 360 owners through the console's online Marketplace.

The PlayStation 3 demo is expected to arrive later today, as part of Sony's traditional Thursday update to the system's online PlayStation Store.

Published by LucasArts, Fracture arrives in-stores on October 7.

Faylor's Take: While verifying the demo's availability, I noticed that the the Xbox Live category description for Fracture reads: "Buy this wonderful game now!"

I haven't played Fracture yet, so I can't say much else, but I thought that was amusing. That text is usually just a generic description of the game.

Rock Band developer Harmonix has announced next week's downloadable tracks for its mega-hit music-rhythm game. Two packs are available. The first is the entirety of a previously promised full album, and it's accompanied by the Rock Band Tour 4-Pack in honor of the concert tour promoting this weekend's release of Rock Band 2.

The following tracks from Megadeth's Peace Sells--But Who's Buying? will be available collectively for 880 Microsoft Points ($11) or individually for 160 Points ($2):

• Wake Up Dead
• The Conjuring
• Devil's Island
• Good Mourning / Black Friday
• Bad Omen
• I Ain't Superstitious
• My Last Words

The title track, missing from this pack, is on the Rock Band 2 disc, which hits Xbox 360 this Sunday, September 14 and PlayStation 3 in October... Read more

A demo for the upcoming PlayStation 3 port of 2K Boston and 2K Australia's shooter BioShock will arrive on October 2.

BioShock community manager Elizabeth Tobey announced today that the demo will reach the PlayStation Network ahead of its October 21 launch at retail.

BioShock--a nominee for Shacknews Game of the Year 2007--originally released on PC and Xbox 360 back in August of 2007. The new PlayStation 3 port was handled by 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia and external studio Digital Extremes.

Pandemic's open-world military action game Mercenaries 2: World in Flames will get a playable demo for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, according to an announcement from publisher Electronic Arts.

The demo comes to Xbox Live today and will arrive on the PlayStation Network next Thursday, September 18.

In the demo, players can work through one objective from one of the game's missions and explore a small portion of the game's open world. They can also take several vehicles for a spin and even try out airstrikes.

Should you lose patience whilst waiting for the demo and spring for the full game, it's now on shelves for PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.