The fact that Rock Band is yet to be released in many PAL territories has not stopped Harmonix from officially announcing Rock Band 2. An Xbox 360 release is scheduled for September with other platforms “later in the year”. The game will be available separately, and compatible with existing Rock Band instruments, however a new bundle of redesigned instruments will also be available, offering quieter drums and other yet-to-be-announced improvements.
Harmonix has announced the long-awaited individual Rock Band peripherals will start shipping in February, starting with the release of the US$80 drum controller on February 12. The wireless guitar will cost US$60 and will be released later on April 1.
It has me stumped why Harmonix didn’t prioritize the release of the PlayStation 3 wireless guitar above all else - four months is a long time to wait for a bass player.
via Game | Life
This week’s Rock Band downloadable content doesn’t seem to have any particular theme to it, but does feature three of the most memorable rock acts of all time. There’s “My Iron Lung” by Radiohead, “Buddy Holly” by Weezer and “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders. Usual pricing applies of 160 Microsoft Points (Xbox 360) or $1.99 (PlayStation 3) per track.
via BBPS
Activision have hit out at Harmonix’s accusations that they are to blame for blocking the patch that enables Guitar Hero III controllers in Rock Band. Activision claim that they met with Harmonix and MTV Games/Viacom over the use of the controller and that they were “unwilling to discuss an agreement with Activision.” We are willing to bet that it’s not the discussing that Harmonix were adverse to, but the driving of a truckload of money to Activation’s backdoor.
Activision ends their statement with a pretty obvious jab at Rock Band by saying, “Activision’s top priority is to provide consumers with a seamless marriage of best-in-class hardware and software.” I guess Rock Band isn’t the best-in-class then. Read the full statement after the jump.
Harmonix has publicly attacked Sony and Activision, claiming that their patch to use the Guitar Hero III controller on the PS3 in Rock Band was blocked. Harmonix claim they had the patch ready by December 4th but “continual objections” by Activision caused Sony to block its release. As a display of good will Harmonix have said that they “believe in an open standard philosophy of hardware and game compatibility” and that they “welcome all third party developers who wish to support our controllers and will provide any required support in order for them to do so.”
Its’ not really a big surprise that Sony would do this (we have all seen how they love their proprietary formats and devices), but I expected less selfish behavior from Activision.
Check after the jump for Harmonix’s statement.
Harmonix employee Sean Baptiste has announced a patch for the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band in a post on the Rock Band forums.
While the post only mentions “guitar controller compatibility,” Shacknews has confirmed with EA that the patch will add support for the Guitar Hero III Les Paul controller. Expect it to hit very shortly.
Harmonix have released a new track pack for Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 - the Indie Label Pack II. 500 Microsoft points gets you:
Video preview after the jump.
Harmonix have released a statement acknowledging the problems that some Rock Band customers have faced with their strum bar. The statement also outlines the steps to take if you have a faulty guitar and maintains that the fault is only present in the first run of the game.
“Many of you have contacted us regarding your guitar controllers. As sometimes happens when new products first go into manufacturing, we discovered an imperfection with the strum bar in an early production run of guitars that were shipped at launch. We want to inform you that we have since identified and fixed the issue in all subsequent production runs of the guitars.”
“If you are experiencing a problem with your guitar or any of your other Rock Band instruments, simply visit the customer support website and we will send a replacement immediately. Harmonix is dedicated to creating 100% customer satisfaction and to those of you who’ve encountered any hardware issues, we are sorry for the hassle.”
Harmonix has added a must-have downloadable pack for Rock Band. Break out the pink eyeshadow, eye patch and spandex bodysuits - because it’s a Bowie pack. The pack will be US$5.50, or $2 for each track and will feature Queen Bitch (cover), Heroes (cover), and Moonage Daydream. We would make a joke about the potential for Bowie pulling a Romantics, and suing because the covers are better than the originals, but there’s no chance a cover band can pull that off.
via Joystiq
Image via The Daily Mail
The prompt patching of Rock Band in lieu of hardware problems has actually caused a separate issue for some previously-unaffected owners. The patch has solved strum problems for some people, for others it has made no difference, and others have previously-operational controllers double-strumming. On the upside, EA has vowed to honor warranties - though it will take two weeks for a replacement to arrive.
via Engadget
