Rock Band 2 has been available for ages on the PS3 and Xbox 360, but the Wii version has yet seen a retail shelf. According to the Harmonix website though, that will change on December 18, 2008. So hopefully, within a few days, you can get your fantasy rock’n on the Wii, but we’ll believe it when we peep the box at Wal-Mart. We want to apologise for the delay in getting RB2 onto the Wii and to reaffirm that we believe that Wii is an amazing and unique fit for Rock Band 2, and one that we care deeply about getting right. Those are awful humble words, but still, where the hell is the Rock Band 2 for the Wii! Harmonix via Kotaku → Read More
Short Version: As music games go, both Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero World Tour are impressive, fun, and either would make a great addition to any gamer’s lineup. But which one is best for you? → Read More
Oh. I see. Not to sound ungrateful but I kinda thought the whole “20 free downloadable tracks” for Rock Band 2 owners might have included at least a few somewhat well-known tracks. Well it turns out that those 20 tracks are actually preselected from what MTV and Harmonix are calling the “Emerging Artist Lineup.” On the bright side, they could very well be the greatest songs in the history of music. You never know. You… never… know. The tracks will be available November 4th. You can read the complete press release here, which includes the song list. → Read More
Harmonix just confirmed on its message board that Wii Guitar Hero III controllers will work just fine on Rock Band 2, which is due to be released on November 18. Note that the opposite—using Rock Band 2 guitars in Guitar Hero—isn’t confirmed. via Wii Fanboy → Read More
Wii owners will be happy to hear that Rock Band 2 will, yes WILL, contain downloadable content and online multiplayer features. IGN got a hands-on with the game and assures everyone that the Wii version of Rock Band 2 is NOT just a PS2 port but a full-fledged Wii version of the game. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that there will be a way to transfer Rock Band songs into Rock Band 2 on the Wii title. There’s also the 500 pound gorilla in the room that is the Wii’s limited storage. → Read More
If you’re like me, you opened Rock Band 2, rushed to the site to enter your registration code to get 20 free downloadable tracks, and were told to come back later. Well now is later. Being able to download 20 free tracks is still “coming soon,” but at least you can get your e-mail addresses registered and commence the process of waiting patiently. Rock Band 2 Registration [register.rockband.com] → Read More
The more I hear about the recently announced AD/DC Rock Band expansion, the less excited I am about it. After reading through the details unearthed by Variety today, my interest remains low. The New Details: Harmonix has exclusivity on AC/DC content indefinitely, after they’ve gone on the record as being against exclusive artist deals No character creation “There are some custom graphics,” but you don’t play as AC/DC No online play with the standalone disc Songs can be exported, for free, for play with Rock Band and Rock Band 2. Exported songs can be played online. It just doesn’t seem like there’s any reason to warrant a physical product. Nobody is going to go and buy a few hundred dollars of Rock Band instruments to play 18 AC/DC songs, so anybody who buys this will likely have one of the original games anyways. Not making this DLC is just an inconvenience. Maybe I’m crazy – Anybody out there getting antsy in the pants for this one? [Via Kotaku] → Read More
Here she blows; the premium Xbox 360 Rock Band drum kit from ION. It’s priced at $299, available now, and features four gum-rubber drum pads (read: quiet) and two cymbals with mounting arms. That’s right, two. You’ll have to purchase that third cymbal separately for $50. You can also add a second bass pedal for some double-dutch kick action or whatever you kids are saying nowadays. → Read More
This is kind of along the lines of the Onion’s World of World of Warcraft spoof, except that it appears to be real. According to a Craigslist post in the LA area, MTV is apparently looking for people to star in a reality show about Rock Band 2. So basically, a reality show about non-musicians with toy instruments pretending to be musicians. And with that, reality TV has officially hit rock bottom. And by “has officially hit rock bottom” I mean “will likely continue to decline in quality and original ideas while somehow rising in popularity for another 20 years until eventually every show on every channel is made up of half-ass contests where someone gets voted off at the end of the show interspersed with scenes of two girls in their mid-twenties arguing like middle-schoolers through forced teardrops and runny mascara about how they used to be friends but aren’t anymore.” The show will apparently be produced by Mark Burnett, the guy you should be mad at if you hate reality TV half as much as I do. [via Variety] → Read More
Looks like an update for Rock Band will be available for Xbox 360 owners today. The PS3 update “will follow and we’ll let you know when we have an idea when it will drop,” according to Harmonix. The patch fixes some scoring wonkinesss and, perhaps more importantly, will allow you to export your Rock Band songs to Rock Band 2. It was unclear which songs would NOT be able to be exported, but now we have the list: Paranoid (Black Sabbath), Run to the Hills (Iron Maiden), and Enter Sandman (Metallica). → Read More
First off, I’d like to tell you that the good people behind Rock Band 2 have promised 500 tracks by the end of the year, according to Entertainment Weekly. Those tracks might not all be gems, though, as it seems there’s really going to be a big push towards full album downloads this time around. You can currently download a handful of full albums for the original Rock Band, but here’s what’s coming for Rock Band 2. → Read More
IGN has an exhaustive list of the easiest-to-hardest Rock Band 2 songs, categorized by instrument. Here’s a quick look at the top and bottom of each category. Hit up the IGN piece for the full low-down. Vocals Easiest: L7 — “Pretend We’re Dead” Hardest: Bob Dylan — “Tangled Up in Blue” [Hint: Drink yourself to a medium slur and stuff a big spoonful of peanut butter in your mouth to best mimic Dylan’s vocals] → Read More
And now, the details about how you’ll be able to transfer the tracks from the first Rock Band game to Rock Band 2, which will be released for Xbox 360 on September 14th. → Read More
There are three new instrument-based games coming out in the next few months for the Xbox 360 and PS3: Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2, and Rock Revolution. Try and stick with me here because it gets a little confusing. → Read More
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of Rock Band 2? Wait no more, fans. Well, mark your calendars, at least. Kotaku received images from a retailer who managed to snap photos of the supposed street dates for the upcoming game across all three major platforms. Looks like Xbox 360 owners get first dibs on the game followed by the PS3 and then Wii. → Read More
Here’s an update to today’s earlier post — just got this press release. It’s the full track list for Rock Band 2. Peace Sells by Megadeth? Where’d You Go by the Bosstones? Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi? Looks pretty sweet. I can’t wait. → Read More
