RipTen Videogame Blog » rockband

Nirvana DLC Hits Rock Band Next Week

Dan Landis — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:07:57 +0000

Seven classic Nirvana songs are set to release as downloadable content for Rock Band and Rock Band 2. Costing the usual 160 Microsoft Points (or $1.99) per song, the DLC will be available starting October 21 for Xbox 360 and October 23 for PS3. Another option would be to pick up the Nirvana Track Pack for a modest discount, getting all seven songs for 880 Microsoft Points (or $10.99). So, what’s on the playlist? Why, these effing songs right here:

Breed
Lounge Act
On a Plain
Polly
Something in the Way
Stay Away
Territorial Pissings

When the hell are we gonna get some Teen Spirit?

Mad Catz Helps Make Drumming Less Obtrusive

Dan Landis — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:58:30 +0000

For anyone that’s ever thought “Where the hell am I supposed to put this drum kit?” after a long Rock Band session, Mad Catz has the solution for you. Take away all that plastic that makes the drum kit so bulky (and also allows it to, you know, act like a drum kit) and what you are left with is the drum pads themselves, a kick pedal, and the pseudo-controller. Mad Catz calls this the “Portable Drum Kit”. Genius!

In actuality, the Portable Drum Kit is one of those so-simple-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that kind of devices. Instead of taking up half of a closet or standing as a nerdy eyesore in the corner of your living room, the Portable Drum Kit can be packed up in a bookbag or thrown under the bed. Then, whenever you decide to bust out the drums, you can just use the floor (not very practical) or a coffee table as your drum pad holder… thing. I don’t know how thick and impact-absorbant the pads themselves are, so I would suggest that you probably shouldn’t use your mom’s antique endtable or anything made of glass. Yes, I am quite wise, I know.

One of the stats listed in the product description is that the “drumheads” are designed to withstand over a million strikes. I would sure hope so! Knowing how my brother rocks the drums, a million strikes is only like a week’s worth of play.

I actually stumbled across this thing last night while I was shopping for baby gates on Amazon.com. According to the site, the Portable Drum Kit releases on October 14th and appears to only be available for the Xbox 360 (for 50 bucks). Maybe we can snag one and let you know how it compares. Stay tuned!

Rock Band 2 Goes On Tour

Dan Landis — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:40:02 +0000

In an effort to promote the just-released Rock Band 2 (and the Rock Band experience in general), EA/Harmonix/MTV decided to take the show on the road. Up on the stage at the York Fair in York, Pennsylvania, I got my first taste of Rock Band 2 this past weekend, and it was sweet.

As I watched and took pictures of some random schmoes from the audience, I began talking to one of the Rock Band “Tour Crew” guys. Turns out that a bunch of locations all around the U.S. were assaulted by other Tour Crews, armed with copies of Rock Band 2 and mobile stage trailers. Then I was asked, “Do you wanna play?”

Um, duh? Of course I want to play! They took me around the side of the stage to the back and let me “practice”. I played a few songs before I got called up to rock out for an actual audience, and rock out I did. Unfortunately, the inexperienced fools I was playing with actually failed out, and no amount of stellar awesomeness from yours truly could keep the band afloat until the end of the song.

It was kinda neat, though, that I was the last man standing and got some cheers from the people in the audience that were impressed with my axe-shredding skills on Hard. It was an easy song, though– I’m not quite as good as they thought I was. Regardless, the feeling of fake rocking-out for an actual audience of real people was truly special. The Rock Band 2 special edition bundle should throw some fans in that box, or you could just get off your ass and actually participate in a Rock Band concert.

Can you guess which one of these awesome dudes is me?
(Hint: the one that is the most awesome)

My wife was given the duty of taking my picture while I was up there, but because of all the photo-snapping we had already done that day, the camera was unfortunately out of juice by the time I finally made it on stage. Since she couldn’t use taking my picture as a way to display the “I’m busy” signal, she instead was forced to fend off all these guys attempting to hit on her. In lieu of a picture of me, she scored a bag full of Stride gum for her troubles — I would still rather have the picture.

Even though my time was cut short with the game, the little bit of it that I did get to play really had me excited to run out and buy it. Fortunately for me, the game came out in a few short days and is at this point sitting in my 360′s disc tray. Expect the full Ripten Review soon.

Rock Out With Your … Dates Out? Rock Band 2 Console Release Dates Leaked

Chad Lakkis — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 18:01:42 +0000

According to Kotaku, a “friendly retail tipster” sent them a few photos of what appears to be their retail screens — showing off the release dates for the Rock Band 2 game on each console.

The images point to the 360 version hitting stores 9/14, PS3 on 10/19, and Wii on 11/18.

Of course, all of this information (if true) is subject to change at any time. What likely won’t change anytime soon is the trend of corporations buying timed exclusives. I personally hate it, but I guess it’s good business to slit the throats of your competition.

Source: Kotaku

Rock Bander Bangs Metallica, Only 99% Awesome

Dan Landis — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 05:33:26 +0000

I can’t do that shit. I suck. I can barely bang out an Easy song on drums. This guy totally grabs all the rock manliness I ever hoped to attain in my life and wipes turds on it. All I can hope to achieve now is to have lots of sex with my hot wife. On that note…

Real Wood, Full-Size Guitar Controller for PlayStation Rock Band and Guitar Heroes

Dan Landis — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:41:08 +0000

Not content with the plastic miniature guitar you’re forced to use when you pretend rock out? Well, if you’re a PS2 or 3 owner with an extra $180 lying around, you can pick up this new wooden guitar that works with Rock Band and all of the Guitar Hero games.

Dubbed the Starpex and created by Peak Products, this third-party peripheral is the first ever full-sized fake guitar for use with consoles. Somehow, that isn’t a huge surprise. Let’s take a look at the features in a nice bulleted format:

Instrument-quality, high-gloss lacquered finish
Hardwood body, neck, and headstock handcrafted by a leading guitar manufacturer
Compatible with Guitar Hero/Rock Band games on PS2/PS3
Star Power/Overdrive button provides the fastest most accurate access to improving your score
Ten Fret Button Design features improved button feel, reduced fatigue, and option to play solo-style at the base of the neck
Enhanced Strum Bar gives the perfect balance of tactile and audible feedback
Connect wired for maximum scoring potential or wirelessly (2.4Ghz)
Modular design allows users to separate electronic components from the body of the guitar allowing for further future customization including new guitar bodies, pick guards, and more

The guitar will be available this August via the Peak Products website and Circuit City.

Wireless Guitars Now in Special Edition Rock Band Bundles

Dan Landis — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:29:40 +0000

Upon a recent journey to my local Wal-Mart, I found myself in the electronics section like I mysteriously always do. What I found, however, was a slight surprise – a Rock Band Special Edition bundle with an included wireless guitar.

While I’ve read several times that the Rock Band wireless guitar would become available separately come April, I don’t remember hearing anything about the guitars being included in the bundle. Perhaps it just wasn’t advertised or maybe I just don’t pay attention since I already own the game, but it came as a surprise to me.

The bundle I saw was for the Xbox 360. I looked in the PS3 section also, but they didn’t have one. That’s not to say they don’t exist, but I can’t confirm it because there weren’t any there. If you didn’t know about this new bundle, then guess what? You heard it here first!

Riptenites assemble! Form of — Blaznats!

OXM’s Rock Band Songs — Worth a Purchase?

Dan Landis — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 07:05:00 +0000

“Sha————a–a—-a–a——a–a—–ake!!!”

As we reported earlier, the disc that comes with the February issue of the Official Xbox Magazine has three downloadable Rock Band songs that can’t be found anywhere else. Are the tracks good enough to warrant buying the magazine from the newsstands?

Obviously, this factor is completely irrelevant if you subscribe to OXM because you already paid for it. You also got a better deal on the songs considering subscribers only pay about $2 per issue. But considering a magazine at the store is about the same price as a 3-song track pack from the marketplace, the question remains: are these songs worth the price of admission?

Let’s first take a look at what you’re getting:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=CpeYCUo81rE[/youtube]

“Sprøde” by Freezepop

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=mJfYNDOqsLU[/youtube]

“Rock Rebellion” by Bang Camaro

[youtube width="425" height="335"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=DKTrwkE7S-Y[/youtube]

“Shake” by Count Zero

There are already songs in the game by Freezepop and Bang Camaro, so you should have an idea what you’re in for with these two bands. Personally, I find OXM’s songs to be slightly better than the two already on the Rock Band disc. I especially like “Sprøde” for its flat-out kookiness.

The mystery song here is “Shake”. To be completely honest, the song annoyed the piss out of me when I first heard it. The “chorus”, if you can even call it that, is just a whiny “Sha-a—a—–a—a—ke” that lasts a good 4 to 6 seconds. About three-quarters through the song, however, it started to grow on me.

The guitar is fun to play, as are the drums. Surprisingly, even though I find Count Zero’s singer to be mildly irritating, singing the song was actually pretty fun as well. That is the whole point of the game, so I guess I can’t really bitch too much about it, can I?

Maybe you don’t need my opinion since you got the videos right there, but I’m giving it to you anyways. So, combine my first-hand account of the experience with what you see in the vids and decide for yourself whether or not the songs rock.

In short, I would say that if you don’t find the price of the track packs on the marketplace to be too rich for your rock-infused blood, this is actually a worthwhile purchase. Basically, you are buying the songs and getting a bunch of extra crap on a disc, as well as a free magazine.

The February issue of OXM will be available at newsstands for about another week, if you’re interested.

Xbox 360 Is King Of The Consoles – Microsoft’s Spin On NPD Data

Dan Landis — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 04:33:22 +0000

See, it’s not all doom and gloom for the 360 after all! According to the NPD Group’s data, Microsoft is leading the videogame industry in several areas. They had a big year overall – December hardware sales were on par with the Wii ,while 360 software sales took the lead with games like Call of Duty 4, Halo 3, and Assassin’s Creed.

Microsoft sure is proud of their accomplishments and wanted to let you know how awesome they are. Read on to see their take on this information.

Xbox 360 Drives the Video Game Console Industry in 2007:
NPD data released today confirms consumers spent more dollars on Xbox 360 in 2007, with more than $13.7 billion in total consumer spending. Xbox 360 won 2007 with $4.8 billion in total consumer spending compared to Wii with $3.5 billion and PlayStation 3 with $2.2 billion. This wraps up a historic year, with NPD reporting consumers have spent nearly 45 percent of total industry figures on Xbox 360.

Here is a quick snapshot of what is driving revenue for Xbox 360, based on the latest reports from NPD and Microsoft data:

* XBOX 360 WIDENS THE GAP OVER PS3 WITH CONSOLE SALES: According to NPD, Xbox 360 sold 1.3 million consoles in December alone, and has steadily widened the gap between Sony’s PlayStation 3 console sales. In December, NPD stated that Sony sold 798,000 PS3 hardware units. Since PS3′s launch in November 2006, Xbox 360 has outsold PS3 by nearly 2:1 on average, bringing a total U.S. Xbox 360 install base of 9.2 million consoles, compared to and installed base of 7.4 million Wii consoles and 3.3 million PS3 consoles.

* GAMES DRIVE INDUSTRY GROWTH: Xbox 360 robust games portfolio spans across the highest-ranked AAA titles to the largest collection of “Everyone” and “Teen” rated games. According to NPD, of the top 20 best-selling titles in 2007 for this generation, 11 were on Xbox 360; while only seven were sold on the Wii and two sold on the PS3.

** NPD reported that this holiday’s leading multiplatform blockbusters continue to sell better on Xbox 360: + “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” for Xbox 360 was the leading game last month with 1.5 million copies sold, outselling the PS3 version nearly 3:1.

+ “Assassin’s Creed” for Xbox 360 was the fourth best selling title, having sold 894,000 units. It outsold the PS3 version more than 2:1.

+ “Guitar Hero III” outsold the PS3 nearly 2:1, having sold 625,000 copies.

+ “Rockband” continues to rock the charts, selling 463,000 units for the Xbox 360 platform, compared to 174,000 units for the PS3

** To date, 33 third party games on Xbox 360 hit the top 10 list across all consoles compared to five third party games on PS3, and four on Wii. These results confirm that third party partners create better games and reap more sales on Xbox 360 than any other platform.

** In its fourth month on the market, Halo 3 continued its strong performance and was the sixth best selling title in December, selling another 742,000. In 2007, NPD projects that Halo 3 has sold 4.8 million units in the U.S. since its launch in September.

** Xbox 360 continues to lead in number of games sold per console, setting another record with an attach rate of 7.0 games per console.

* XBOX LIVE SETS NEW HEIGHTS: Xbox LIVE’s network is 10 million members strong and growing, achieving membership goals six months ahead of schedule. Only on Xbox LIVE can members experience the largest catalog of on-demand, high-definition content in the U.S., including movies and television shows from our most recent partners: Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM Studios.

We’re not slowing down in 2008. The next versions of powerhouse franchises like “Grand Theft Auto,” “Resident Evil” and sports games like “Madden”, “FIFA”, and “Pro Evolution Soccer” open up a new arena for game play on Xbox 360. This year we will make great strides toward improving our brand appeal to consumers interested in more physical game play. With titles like “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock,” “Rock Band” and “Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action” we’re creating interactive experiences on Xbox 360 for the entire family.

Whether or not you believe this information makes Microsoft the market leader is entirely up to you. Regardless, these numbers certainly are positive for Microsoft and the gamers currently enjoying their Xbox 360s. Now if only they could sort out these hardware issues…

Source: Team Xbox

OXM Band: The Opening Act

Roly Reyes — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:03:44 +0000

The Next Big Thing!

Official Xbox Magazine’s February issue will come packed in with new Rock Band songs Bang Camaro’s Rock Rebellion, Count Zero’s Shake along with Freezepops’ Sprode. I read OXM– it’s a great magazine with a fantastic group of writers and I bear no ill will toward them or Harmonix. But this pisses me off beyond belief.

Did Harmonix come to the conclusion, “how can we screw the small group of people that stuck with us in the transition from Guitar Hero by making them buy a magazine?” Or even better, “can we rip on our PS3 audience by not even giving them the chance to get these songs so conveniently?”

It’s great that they’re making three songs semi-free. Even Activision gave away a free song (the Halo 3 theme). But that was readily available to anyone who had an Xbox Live account. PS3 users, not so much. Even so, I’m not so sure many PS3 users would want to jam out to the MJOLNIR mix anyways.

Let’s just hope I never get to rant about this ever again.

Source: Official Xbox Magazine

PSN Update: Kane & Lynch, High Velocity Bowling, Beats, PixelJunk Monsters

Patrick Steen — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 18:58:54 +0000

O.K. don’t get too excited. This week’s PSN update report is split over four different stores. We’ve got word of all of these items before some of them have even hit and we’ll update it once they have, but at the moment this is all we’re certain of. *Updated with both US and Europe Store updates.*

High Velocity Bowling is indeed coming to the US Playstation Store today, as can be seen by looking at the official US website. Bowling with the Sixaxis sounds fun, but the question is, is it as fun as using a Wii Mote?

In addition, the US at last gets Beats for the PSP. Made by Sony’s London Studio, it’s been out in Europe for a while and it’s great fun to play a game that uses the beats from your favorite music.

Now PixelJunk Monsters, which we previewed last week, is not coming to the US or Europe until January next year. It is, however, already out in Japan for 900 yen.

Americans can also look forward to a Black Sabbath pack for Rock Band at the cost of $5.49. Including three songs, Ozzy also lets us buy the them separately; N.I.B., Sweet Leaf, or War Pigs – each at $1.99.

Also coming to the US this week is Folklore downloadable content, which we already told you about here. Expect some costumes and characters similar to Japan as well, which you can see below. Oh, and don’t be surprised if you get the new GTAIV trailer to download in all its HD glory.

Last but not least, the European and Australian store has been updated with a Kane and Lynch: Dead Men demo (840MB), among other things, such as a Killzone 2 theme to pretty up your XMB. Photographs of the themes follow the Folklore DLC images. Here’s proof that a Kane & Lynch demo is indeed up:

Euro Update:

Games/Demos:
- Kane & Lynch: Dead Men 840MB

Downloadable Content:
- Motorstorm (2 cars: Domino & Adventure) (AU$3.95)
- Folklore (The Origin of Belgae Pack: 4 missions, 1 Folk & 1 Ellen Costume) (AU$3.45)

Themes:
- Mesmerise
- Tori Emaki
- Heavenly Sword
- Motorstorm
- Snakeball
- Lemmings
- Killzone 2
- SingStar

Trailers:
- Metal Gear Online (TGS 2007)
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Blazing Angels 2

US/Canada Update:

Games/Demos:
-High Velocity Bowling – $9.99
-Wild Arms (PS1) – $5.99
-Timeshift multiplayer demo

Downloadable Content:
-Folklore – Ellen Pack 1 – $3.99 (includes 4 new quests unique to this pack, new costume for Ellen and a new Folk)
-Folklore – Keats Pack 1 – $3.99 (includes 4 new quests unique to this pack, new costume for Keats and a new Folk)
-Folklore – Bundle of Pack 1 + 2 – $5.99
-PAIN – Character Skin – Santa – $0.99
-PAIN – Character Skin – Cookie – $0.99

Rock Band:
Song Packs – $5.49 each:
-Black Sabbath Pack 1

Individual Songs – $1.99 each:
Black Sabbath:
-N.I.B.
-Sweet Leaf
-War Pigs

Trailers:
-Battlefield: Bad Company – “Frostbite”
-Battlefield: Bad Company – “Frostbite” 2
-GTA IV – Trailer 3 – “Move Up, ladies”
-Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots – “TGS 2007 Trailer”
-Uncharted – “Environments”

Other:
-Ratchet & Clank Future theme
-Uncharted theme

Thanks to Neogaf for the images.

[Gallery=5]