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

Harmonix today relaunched the Rock Band website, adding the long-promised customizable merchandise for Rock Band 2.

A new Photo Creator will allow players to pose their in-game characters, add effects, and take photos which can be added to band pages and profiles. The photos can also be added to real-world 'merch including T-shirts and stickers, all printed by clothing maker Zazzle.

Z Corporation will also be offering 6" statues of in-game Rock Band avatars for $69. Avatars can be posed using the new Bandmate Creator tool.

The full list of merchandise, including pricing information, is copied below:... 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

After years of lamenting that they see no kickback from the extremely lucrative used game market, game makers have launched a counter-attack by packing new games with one-use codes for extra content.

New copies of Epic's Gears of War 2 (360) will include a one-use download code that will rewards with 5 additional multiplayer maps, all pulled from the original Gears of War. According to GamePro, these maps will not be available for purchase through the Xbox Live Marketplace, with Epic claiming they are "special gifts [for] our loyal fans."

EA Canada's NBA Live 09 utilizes a similar strategy. The game's much-touted 365 functionality, which brings daily roster and stat updates to the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions, will only be free for those that buy a new copy and redeem the included code. Without the code, that feature will cost $19.99.

"This information and data is very valuable and it wasn't free for us," an... 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

Anyone who buys a new copy of Harmonix's Rock Band 2 on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii is eligible to receive 20 as-yet-unnamed downloadable songs for free, and today the studio has opened registration for that free download.

While the PlayStation 3 and Wii editions of the multi-instrument music game sequel have yet to be released--PS3 in October, Wii in November--those that own the Xbox 360 version can now enter the redemption code found on the back of the game manual.

Once your registration is confirmed, Harmonix will shoot that free download code your way once bundle arrives later this year.

Update: Developer Harmonix and studio owner MTV have officially announced the AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack for a November release in North America, followed by a European release at "most major retailers" in early December.

Due November 2, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will sell for $40, while the PlayStation 2 release will be priced at $30. The $40 Wii edition follows on November 16.

Downloadable albums for Rock Band and Rock Band 2, such as Rush's "Moving Pictures" and Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", and have traditionally sold for no more than $20.

Using an "export authentication code," PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners will be able to export the game's 18 tracks--all culled from AC/DC's "Live at Donnigton"--and play them in either the original Rock Band or Rock Band 2. The company noted that the process will require an "online connection and title update."

Curiously, today's press release made no mention of last night's revelation that the game will be exclusively sold at Wal-Mart stores in the United States.

AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack will include the following... Read more

Unlike the original Wii release of Rock Band, Rock Band 2 Wii will let users buy and download new songs as well as play online, USA Today reports. The functionality had been heavily suggested in the past, though this marks the first explicit confirmation.

Series developer Harmonix previously cited the Wii's lack of substantial internal storage had excluded the functionality from the first Wii release, which arrived in June.

Vicarious Visions' impending Wii release of Guitar Hero World Tour will also support downloadable content, which can be stored in either the Wii's internal memory or an inserted SD Card. While Guitar Hero will let users play tracks that are stored on the SD Card, it is not yet known if Rock Band 2 downloads will offer similar functionality.

New downloadable content has been released on a weekly basis for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Rock Band since it launched last November. Harmonix has yet to state if the entire catalog of downloadable tracks will be available to Wii owners, or if only new releases from this point forward will be available.

Already available on Xbox 360, the multi-instrument music game sequel--which supports guitar, drums and vocal peripheral-based gameplay--is slated to hit PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii by the year's end. As with the first game, the PlayStation 2 version of the sequel will not sport DLC or online play.

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

A significant threshold is crossed when one purchases a $300 set of toy drums.

The boundary itself is a dark, unmentionable place. One does not simply walk into GameStop and purchase $300 toy drums. It is an act accomplished in privacy, while everyone and everything is asleep, including your common sense.

Once beyond the bound, you find yourself in another realm of video game fandom, granted access to an exclusive clubhouse reserved only for the truly pathetic.

Inside the lodge, rejected gaming paraphernalia litters nearly every inch of available space. The floor is carpeted in worn-out DDR pads. The walls are covered in mounted Halo helmets. Dusty driving controllers line the banisters, the expensive steering wheels re-purposed as coat hangers.

The owners of the junk mill about, quietly commiserating. Over at the bar is the sap who bought the Steel Battalion controller, drowning his sorrows. Next to him is a grown woman, wiping at tears with a Power Glove'd hand. A man wearing a Kingdom Hearts pre-order t-shirt stokes a raging fireplace, throwing on a few Draken 2 deluxe art books for fuel.

In the corner, a small boy is playing a sad, silent tune with a broken pair of Samba maracas. Regret hangs in the air like the foul stench of Earthbound strategy guide scratch-n-sniffs. The denizens speak in dazed whispers, like... Read more

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

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

MTV is planning to create a reality television show based off the hit music-centric video game Rock Band, according to a Craigslist casting call found by Variety.

Led by Mark Burnett, creator of reality shows Survivor and The Apprentice, the program is billed as "the first show based on the new video game Rock Band 2."

The listing calling for "four people to form their own band and show us their stuff live on stage for the chance to win the Ultimate Rock Band Experience." The four should "be prepared to rock," live within Southern California, and be at least 18 years old. No past musical experience in required.

As with the game itself, which is developed by the MTV-owned Harmonix, the four-person band has slots for a bassist, guitarist, vocalist and drummer. The revelation comes just before this Sunday's release of Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360, with PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii versions following later in the year.

Word of a Rock Band reality show follows a recent statement from Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, in which he expressed his desire to make a Guitar Hero movie.

This Thursday, the PlayStation 3 edition of Harmonix's Rock Band will at long last be compatible with the guitar that accompanied Neversoft's Guitar Hero 3 on PS3.

Harmonix initially tried to release the patch back in December, but was blocked by Guitar Hero owner Activision. Activision later claimed that it should be "compensated for the use of our technology," though the Xbox 360 edition of Rock Band was already compatible with the system's Guitar Hero instruments.

That stance changed earlier this year, as Harmonix, Activision and publisher Konami all promised that this fall's trio of music games--Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour, Rock Revolution--would all function with each others' guitars, drums and microphones.

In addition to guitar compatibility, the September 11 patch for Rock Band PS3 will add the disc export feature, which allows most of the game's songs to be played in the forthcoming Rock Band 2 for $5, and a fix for the only-broken-on-PS3 PAX Pack.

A fixed version of the PAX DLC should be up in the PlayStation Store before Thursday and will be free for those who already purchased it, community manager Sean Baptiste wrote on the game's official board, but the patch will rectify the issue for the lazy.

Rock Band developer has Harmonix has followed up on its previous announcement regarding the ability to import songs from the first Rock Band disc and play them in the sequel, due September 14 on Xbox 360 and later this season for PlayStation 3.

Only three of the tracks from the first Rock Band will not be playable in the sequel, the studio revealed on its official forum. As was previously estimated, the ability to export songs from the RB1 disc onto the hard drive and play them in RB2 will cost 400 Microsoft Points ($5) due to licensing fees.

That fee only applies to songs from the original Rock Band, with all previously released Rock Band downloadable content already compatible at no extra charge.

The ability to purchase the license and export songs from Rock Band is now available within the Xbox 360 version of the original, following an automatic that was released today. The following Rock Band disc tracks are not available for export:

• "Paranoid" as made famous by Black Sabbath (Cover)
• "Run to the Hills" as made famous by Iron Maiden (Cover)
• "Enter Sandman" by Metallica

As a result, the following 55 are all exportable under that $5 transaction:

Main Set List (covers denoted by asterisk)

• Rolling Stones, "Gimme Shelter"
• Mountain, "Mississippi Queen" *
• Deep Purple, "Highway Star"
• The Who, "Won't Get Fooled Again"... Read more

Rock Band developer Harmonix and Entertainment Weekly have revealed the next six full-length albums that will arrive as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the multi-instrument music game:

• Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
• Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik
• Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
• Megadeth - Peace Sells... But Who's Buying
• Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood
• No Doubt - The Best of... Rock Band Edition

No dates or pricing details were provided.

Though Harmonix has released new downloadable songs for the game each week since its launch last November, the studio traditionally debuts full-length albums in the last week of a month. That streak was broken this week, as the release of Rush's Moving Pictures was delayed by technical issues.

As previously reported, Rock Band 2--due on Xbox 360 September 14, with PS2, PS3 and Wii releases in October--will be fully compatible with all Rock Band downloadable content released thus far, and content released after the sequel arrives will continue to work with the original.

Owners of the Xbox 360 edition of Rock Band 2 will have to pay a small fee in order to import "most" of songs from the original, developer Harmonix has disclosed.

That fee will be no greater than $5, studio representative John Drake assured MTV.

Drake explained that the fee stems from licensing costs. The developer previously told Shacknews that similar licensing issues were the reason that it had yet to specify which songs from the first Rock Band disc will be playable in the sequel.

The fee does not apply to all of the downloadable Rock Band tracks that have arrived across the last year, which will be playable in Rock Band 2 at no extra... Read more

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 editions of Harmonix's Rock Band 2, Neversoft's Guitar Hero World Tour and Zoe Mode's Rock Revolution will feature instrument interoperability, as revealed on Microsoft's Gamerscore Blog.

Citing a similar announcement made yesterday in which Sony revealed that the PS3 editions of the upcoming rhythm titles would see instrument cross-compatibility, Microsoft representative Chris Paladino stated, "For the record, we also do that."

"Consider this an official announcement," Paladino added. "All the instruments from Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution will be cross-compatible. In other words, welcome to the party."

While neither Microsoft nor Sony specified whether the three titles' guitars, microphones and drums would also see cross-platform compatibility between the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the announcements bring the long struggle between rhythm game developers over peripheral compatibility to an end.

Sony has brokered an arrangement between the developers of Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero World Tour and Rock Revolution to ensure instrument interoperability on the PlayStation 3, Sony Computer Entertainment PR director Michael Shorrock revealed.

"We have been working closely with Neversoft and Activision, Harmonix and Konami to ensure that PlayStation 3 guitars and drum sets will all feature a basic level of gameplay compatibility," Shorrock wrote on the PlayStation.Blog.

The director explained that both the drum kit and guitar from Neversoft's Guitar Hero World Tour will function with Harmonix's Rock Band 2, and vice versa. Drums and guitars from both titles will be compatible with Zoe Mode's Rock Revolution, while Rock Revolution's drum kit will work with both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

The director further noted that microphones from SCE London Studio's SingStar will also be compatible with Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour.

"We're still working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market," Sherrock added. "We hope to have an announcement on that shortly."

While the Rock Band 2 game and individual instruments are set for an exclusive Xbox 360 release on September 14, it now appears that Harmonix's Special Edition bundle will not make it to stores until October 19, a full month later.

The official Rock Band store and retailer GameStop both list the bundle as shipping on October 19--the same day the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Wii versions are set to arrive.

The Special Edition bundle--which includes the microphone, drums, guitar and game disc--costs only $199.99, while the separate instruments and game add up to an MSRP of $249.96.

Many fans who were planning on enjoying the early release while saving money with the bundle are upset about the apparent delay.

"I think it was a mistake to do it this way," said Rock Band community... Read more