Remember back at E3 2008 when Harmonix announced that it would be providing 20 free downloadable songs for the “Rock Band” platform following the release of “Rock Band 2″? Well, after months of silence, the company has revealed the release date and full list of tunes.

Hit the jump for the information you seek. (more…)

“Rock Band 2″ has a pretty impressive soundtrack. When I say impressive, I don’t mean like saving five senior citizens from a nursing home fire. No. I mean saving five geriatrics from a nursing home fire with concrete blocks chained to your ankles. Yea, it is that awesome.

The game, which ships with 84 songs, features tunes from industry giants like AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Guns N’ Roses, Journey, Megadeth, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rush and The Who. How do you make a rocking set list even better? Add the “Beverly Hills Cop” theme song you say? While I enjoy your enthusiasm, I was leaning toward the injection of more AC/DC. Why did I mention that specific band?

Are you ready all the details for the “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack”? Splendid! Now jump puny mortal. (more…)

I will admit that writing for Sarcastic Gamer has become increasingly more strenuous without “Rock Band 2″ news oozing from every corner of the Internet. Instead of simply posting a long list of rumored songs, I actually have to come up with witty editorials of my own. I know what you are thinking. My life is really tough. I appreciate your empathy, but it isn’t that bad. I just like to whine.

Fortunately, for me, today is one of the easier days. Why you ask? Well, because there is more “Rock Band 2″ news to report. I wish I could reveal the information now, but Lono demands that all stories must be longer than two paragraphs. He is such a demanding editor. You know what to do. (more…)

I own Guitar Hero (PS2), Guitar Hero II (PS2), Guitar Hero II (360), Guitar Hero III (360), and Rock Band (360).  I own FIVE plastic guitars, a mic, and a drum set from those games.  It’s quite ridiculous.  The path that led to my situation is quite frustrating and should’ve been much easier.  I can point fingers at a lot of people along the way (and I have, don’t worry… I wouldn’t be true to myself if I hadn’t vented) but I read some news today that simultaneously made me feel better about someone finally “getting” the problem, but at the same time it pisses me off that they didn’t “get it” before I laid down my cash and started my journey in a direction that will be expensive to correct.

Curious what I’m talking about?  Find out after the jump… (more…)

Yes, we all know Rock Band 2 is supposed to be launching initially as a timed Xbox 360 exclusive. Well, my theory is:  they simply can’t ramp production up fast enough to handle simultaneous launches across all platforms and territories for the September launch, so someone’s gotta be first.

Harmonix seems to think the Xbox 360 in the US makes the best choice of platform and location. So folks… get prepared to drop $199 on the new Rock Band 2 bundle come September. Whoops! Wait a minute… we now have news that things have changed just a little bit. Sorry US Xbox 360 owners… you’re going to have to show your Harmonix support a little bit more if you want the “full meal deal” this September. Support to the tune of $50 more for individually buying everything that will come in the bundle… a month later… when everybody else gets it.  Oops! (more…)

News on the “Rock Band” front has been rather slow since the entire set list was revealed at E3. A slew of information and rumors (mostly the latter) hit the ‘net soon after the game’s official reveal. However, it appears that now fans are simply waiting in anticipation for the September release date for the Xbox 360.

Hold on there fan of Internet blogs. Just because “Eye of the Tiger” has been confirmed doesn’t mean there isn’t still news to report. (more…)

Ask any “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band” aficionado which band he/she would most like to appear in his/her music game of choice. There is a good chance that rock gods AC/DC will be a popular choice. Fans have wanted to shred to the group’s legendary catalog since the release of the original “Guitar Hero” back in 2005. Well, gamers will finally be able to do that when “Rock Band 2″ ships in September for the Xbox 360.

As one of the aforementioned fans, you would think that having an AC/DC tune included on the disk would satisfy me. Well, you would be wrong.

Find out the reason for my dissatisfaction after the jump. (more…)

Round two of the epic battle between “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” is creeping inevitably closer. I expected that the months leading up to the titles’ fall releases would devolve into a slap fight for song and artist exclusivity.

Fortunately for gamers, that scenario has not happened. However, some music game aficionados might still find it difficult to pick a side. Even though both titles will provide a full-band experience, there are enough differences to distinguish each title. For instance, “Guitar Hero: World Tour” will allow gamers to create their own music (sans vocals). Not to be outdone, Harmonix will make over 500 songs available for “Rock Band 2″ owners by the end of 2008.

It can be a difficult choice. However, it is one that Xbox 360 owners (and hopefully PS3, PS2 and Wii owners) might not have to make ever again. (more…)

“Rock Band 2,” the sequel to Harmonix’s 2007 smash-hit, is no doubt one of the most hotly-anticipated titles of the fall season. In the weeks following the game’s official announcement, a few play testers revealed a multitude of songs that would supposedly ship with the game. Until now, these leaked set lists were merely rumors. However, Harmonix has gone ahead and revealed the entire set list for the game.

Hit the jump for the list. (more…)

Next Generation’s gotten word from Bloomberg that Konami are filing a lawsuit against Viacom (the owners of Harmonix Music Systems) for apparently infringing patents the Japanese company was issued in 2002 and 2003 in Rock Band. The patents are related to ’simulated musical instruments’ and a ‘musical-rhythm matching game’.

Hit the jump for a little more news on this story.

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As I have become the resident Rock Band 2 guy around these parts, it is my duty to bring you the latest news from the Harmonix camp.

The latest is located after the jump. (more…)