Continuing its weekly tradition, developer Harmonix has revealed the three new downloadable tracks that will be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Rock Band next week.

All three songs are original master track recordings:

• "Hanging on the Telephone" by Blondie
• "Train in Vain" by The Clash
• "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth

"I like Sonic Youth," commented aspiring comedian Reid Faylor, "but it's just noise."

Per usual, the tracks will be sold separately for 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99) and will be available from the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, May 13, followed by a PlayStation Store release on Thursday, May 15.

Now available in all Xbox Live regions is a demo for Race Driver: GRID, Codemasters' newest racing title. The demo includes three tracks, two cars, and online multiplayer support. Demos for other platforms are expected soon. Race Driver: GRID will be released for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS this June.

Marking the third promotional campaign to feature Rock Band downloadable content this week, developer Harmonix and fast-food eatery McDonald's have teamed up to offer cheaper downloads of select songs across the next month.

Beginning today, the cost of two individual Rock Band tracks will be temporarily lowered to 80 Microsoft Points ($1), down from the average asking price of 160 Microsoft Points ($2). The promotion will run for a total of four weeks, with the discounted songs changing every week.

Meant to promote the McDonald's Dollar Menu, the cheaper downloads are available for both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of the multi-instrument music title.

The discount schedule and specific per-week songs are:... Read more

The August 12 release of South Park - The Complete 11th Season on DVD will include downloadable content for Harmonix and MTV Games' multi-instrument music title Rock Band, though further details are scarce.

According to TVShowsOnDVD, marketing materials sent to retailers claimed that, while supplies last, "every DVD will include a 3-song download pack for the MTV Games sensation Rock Band."

It's not the first time that Rock Band and South Park have mingled, as the game contains a track from South Park band Timmy & The Lords of the Underworld. On the flip side, the eleventh season of South Park includes an episode that lovingly mocks instrument-based games, such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

No specific songs or platforms were named, though only the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band support downloadable content. A similar Best Buy promotion only offers an Xbox 360 download, though the exclusive Disturbed tracks will eventually be available on both platforms.

Publisher Sierra has released a downloadable demo for the Xbox 360 version of High Moon Studio's action-espionage effort Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy (PS3, X360).

Packing a small portion of the conspiracy-driven single-player campaign, the 1.24 GB download is currently available from the online Xbox Live Marketplace. A demo for the PlayStation 3 version of the title will hit the PlayStation Network on Thursday, May 8.

Due out June 3 in North America and June 27 in Europe, the game mixes elements from the Bourne books and films along with new material approved by the estate of deceased creator Robert Ludlum.

Microsoft has announced that Hidden Path Entertainment's virtual rendition of the Wits & Wagers board game is this week's sole Xbox Live Arcade release.

Priced at 800 Microsoft Points ($10), Wits & Wagers is said to be all about "making educated guesses, playing the odds or just knowing the interests of other players." As a bonus, you get to pick a odd-looking dancing avatar of your very own.

Containing 700 questions and compatible with the Big Button Pad that comes packed with Scene It? (X360), the game supports up to 4 players offline and 6 players online. It will be available for download from the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace beginning this Wednesday, May 7.

Update: The two Disturbed tracks listed below will be released as publicly available downloads for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in June, a representative from Harmonix and studio owner MTV Games informed Shacknews. No price point was provided.

Original Story: Mega-retailer Best Buy is offering two exclusive downloadable songs for Harmonix's multi-instrument title Rock Band to those who pre-order the next album from thrash metal group Disturbed.

Upon pre-ordering the Indestructible album from BestBuy.com, the code for an Xbox 360 download of the tracks will be send via e-mail. Both hailing from the new album, the songs are:

• "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed
• "Perfect Insanity" by Disturbed

Though this marks the first time a retailer has pushed album pre-orders via DLC, it's not the first time that a band has released songs from an upcoming album as DLC. Motley Crue previously debuted its latest single within Rock Band, and Def... Read more

Another Friday, another trio of songs revealed as next week's downloadable content for Harmonix's multi-instrument music title Rock Band.

This coming week will bring PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners the Scene Pack, which contains the following master track recordings:

• "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" by Fallout Boy
• "Date With The Night" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• "It Hurts" by Angels & Airwaves

The Scene Pack will be available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, May 6 and the PlayStation Store on Thursday, May 8.

Per usual, the tracks will be bundled together for 440 Microsoft Points ($4.99) and sold separately for 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99).

A bundle of three tracks from British rock group Muse will be downloadable content for Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, publisher Activision announced today.

Slated to hit the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation 3's online PlayStation Store on May 8, the pack contains the following songs:

• "Exo-Politics"
• "Supermassive Black Hole"
• "Stockholm Syndrome"

No price point was listed, though past Guitar Hero III track packs have sold for 500 Microsoft Points ($6.25).

Harmonix's competing music title Rock Band will be receiving a sole Muse track of its own, "Hysteria," as downloadable content at some point, likely later this month.

How will developer Harmonix follow up after delivering the entirety of Judas Priest's "Screaming For Vengeance" album as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of Rock Band?

By releasing two The Mother Hips tunes and a Smashing Pumpkins track, it seems.

Beginning Tuesday, April 29, the following three Rock Band tracks will be available for purchase and download from the Xbox Live Marketplace:

• The Mother Hips "Red Tandy"
• The Mother Hips "Time Sick Son of a Grizzly Bear"
• Smashing Pumpkins "Zero"

Each master track recording will sell individually for 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99). Per usual, the songs will then be available to PlayStation 3 owners for the same price via the PlayStation Store the following Thursday, which happens to be May 1.

Casting has kicked off for a new original production destined for the Xbox Live Marketplace's Video Store, G4's The Feed reports.

According to a casting site, screenwriter James Gunn (Slither, Dawn of the Dead) is looking for a group of actors to star in original content for the Video Store. The show is described as something similar to Wonder Showzen or South Park, and is said to feature "the wacky adventures of a group of friends."

The casting notice says that the show begins production in late May.

As had been expected, an Iron Man demo is now available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo is a 643mb download and gives you a glimpse of the retail game which ships May 2 for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP. Also available on the Marketplace is a demo for Monolith's recently released Condemned 2: Bloodshoot (PS3, X360). The 736mb demo kicks off half-way into the game's first level.

Ending months of waiting and speculation, Rock Band developer Harmonix has announced that the first entire downloadable album will be available next week for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of the multi-instrument music title.

The entirety of Judas Priest's 1982 album "Screaming For Vengeance" will be priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($14.99). Individual tracks, such as "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" and "Electric Eye," will be priced at 160 Microsoft Points ($1.99).

"Screaming For Vengeance" will arrive in the Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, April 22, with the PlayStation 3 release following on Thursday, April 24.

Additionally, Harmonix revealed that the whole of The Cars' "The Cars" and the Pixies' "Doolittle" albums are both slated to arrive as downloadable content in the future, along with the previously announced The Who's "Who's Next."

The tracklist of Judas Priest's "Screaming For Vengeance" follows:... Read more

Electronic Arts today announced that new content will be released for the co-op shooter Army of Two next Thursday. The new Security and Strategy Corporation Challenge DLC contains four maps featuring a series of obstacle courses, with the chance to join the SSC, the Private Military Corporation in Army of Two, upon completion.

"We want to support our fans with new content that delivers on the two-man gameplay but with a unique twist," said EA Montreal's Alain Tascan, adding, "The SSC Challenge gives players a chance to test their skills in a different setting while retaining the action packed co-op intensity that gamers have come to expect in Army of Two."

The SSC Challenge mode and maps will be available for $7.50 on both the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store.

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Sega of America announced today that a demo for its upcoming comic and film-inspired adaptation Iron Man will arrive on the Xbox Live Marketplace tomorrow, and on the PlayStation Network in the near future. Published by Sega of America and developed by Secret Level and A2M, Iron Man is slated to hit PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS and PSP when the film arrives on May 2.

Ubisoft Montreal's stealth-action effort Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Chaos Theory and Swingin' Ape Studios' action game Metal Arms: Glitch in the System will be the latest additions to the Xbox 360's downloadable Xbox Originals catalog, Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb has revealed.

Both titles are slated to arrive in the console's online Xbox Live Marketplace next Monday, April 21. As with previous Xbox Originals releases--including Dreamfall, Ninja Gaiden Black, Halo and Psychonauts--the games will each sell for 1200 Microsoft Points ($15).

While Ubisoft Montreal would eventually create other titles, such as Assassin's Creed, Metal Arms was the only game to emerge from Swingin' Ape Studios.

After Blizzard Entertainment and original StarCraft: Ghost developer Nihlistic parted ways, Swingin' Ape was brought on to bring the ill-fated action title to life. Though Blizzard purchased the studio outright in 2005, the game was later placed on indefinite hold.

Developer Harmonix has announced that the new Motley Crue single "Saints of Los Angeles" will debut as a piece of Rock Band downloadable content later this week.

The track will be available for download beginning tomorrow, April 15, for the Xbox 360 version of the game, with the PlayStation 3 release following on Thursday, April 17. It will carry a price of 80 Microsoft Points / $1 for a limited time.

"Saints of Los Angeles" marks the first single to be initially released via Rock Band. Music label Mercury Records recently revealed that Def Leppard will perform a similar feat by debuting its single "Nine Lives" as downloadable content for Neversoft's Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock later this month.

Battlezone and Rocky and Bullwinkle will debut on Xbox Live Arcade this week, Microsoft has revealed. Both will be downloadable from the Xbox 360's online Xbox Live Marketplace beginning Wednesday, April 16.

Ported by Stainless Games and priced at 400 Microsoft Points ($5), Battlezone is an update to Atari's classic tank-on-tank combat title. As is typical for most XBLA reimaginings, it includes both the original game and a mode with enhanced graphics.

Battlezone also features support for two-person offline and online multiplayer.

A collection of over 100 mini-games inspired by the cartoon series, Rocky and Bullwinkle was developed by Zen Studios and will sell for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). It allows up to 12 local players care of controlling-passing, and 25 of its mini-games can be played with the Xbox Live Vision camera.

Four new multiplayer maps are headed to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions of IO Interactive's buddy-buddy shooter Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, publisher Eidos has informed Shacknews.

Set to be released as a free download via the online PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace on April 17, The Dope Bag map pack will feature four Fragile Alliance multiplayer maps, each with its own unique objective.

Content plans for the PC edition of Kane & Lynch have yet to be specified, though Shacknews has asked Eidos for more information.

Continuing its schedule of weekly content downloads, developer Harmonix has revealed that the HMX Pack will be available for the Xbox 360 of Rock Band beginning Tuesday, April 8.

Previously bundled with the February issue of Official Xbox Magazine, the HMX Pack contains three songs from Harmonix-selected artists: "Rock Rebellion" by Bang Camaro, "Shake" by Count Zero, and Freezepop's "Super Sprode."

Each track will sell individually for 80 Microsoft Points ($1), with the three-track bundle going for 240 Microsoft Points ($3).

Due to Sony's redesign of the PlayStation Store, the pack will not be available for the PlayStation 3 version until the PlayStation Store relaunches in mid-April.