The stand alone version of Rock Band 2 has been available for a few weeks now on the Xbox 360, leaving PS3, PS2, and Wii fans of the franchise wondering when they will get their hands on the game for their respective systems. Well today is the day they will find that out. Good news for PS3 owners as their wait is almost over, but the other two systems have a ways to go still. Also announced are bundle pricing and some of the standalone instruments.
» Read More 

Now is your chance to really express your inner rock star. Rock Band 2 is now allowing you to make posters, gear, and everything you need to get YOUR Rock Band into the game.

Outfit Your Rock Lifestyle By Creating Apparel, Posters and More Featuring Your Band Photo or Logo with the new Merch Booth Tool!
» Read More 

"After years of lamenting that they see no kickback from the extremely lucrative used game market, game makers have launched a counter-attack by packing new games with one-use codes for extra content."
» Read More 

G4tv.com is reporting a rumor that Motley Crue's 'Dr. Feelgood' Album is coming to Rock Band as DLC. Check the link for details on the date and track list.
» Read More 

MTV2 and Time Warner Cable announced today that NYC-area rock band Lights Resolve won the Rock Battle NYC competition, and as a result they will be the opening act for the November 2nd stop of the Rock Band Live Tour.
» Read More 

From WIIFanboy:

This is about as direct a confirmation of downloadable content in the Wii version of Rock Band 2 as we're going to see. Even better, hey, free songs! The official Rock Band 2 site has started taking registrations for a set of 20 free downloadable bonus tracks, accessed by entering a code found on the instruction manual. Xbox 360 fans have been aware of this offer for a couple of weeks due to their, well, earlier access to instruction manuals. We didn't dare get our hopes up about any downloadable music, much less a bundle of free songs.

But the registration clearly says "Anyone who has purchased Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii is eligible to receive 20 additional DLC tracks, free of charge, coming soon"! Huzzah!
» Read More 

Kombo writes: Earlier today, USA Today ran a story about the game in question, wherein they erroneously reported that the Wii version would not receive the coveted DLC. This has since been corrected, but regretfully, other sites have since then been parroting the incorrect information.
» Read More 

Kombo.com writes, "Remember when Harmonix assured Nintendo fans back in early August that the Wii version of Rock Band 2 wouldn't be gimped of major features like the first Rock Band game was?

I'm not about to speak for the company officially, but according to a USA Today multiplatform review of Rock Band 2 that went live about an hour ago, Harmonix may have been, well, fibbing.

"Unfortunately, as with the first 'Rock Band,' the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 2 versions of "Rock Band 2" do not offer any Internet connectivity for multiplayer gaming or downloadable music. For that you'll need the more powerful Microsoft Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3." -- USA Today

Keep in mind that as far as we know, Nintendo, EA, MTV Games and Harmonix have made no such comments regarding the inclusion of online multiplayer or downloadable content specifically, aside from the fairly vague statements back in August that Wii's Rock Band 2 is "certainly not going to be as disappointing, feature-wise, as the Wii version of the original." Maybe Harmonix doesn't see online gaming and DLC as integral features that need to be included on the Nintendo console edition of the game.

Either way, we'll pass the salt on to you; be sure to take the preceding information with a grain of it until we hear otherwise from the relevant parties."
» Read More 

Gameplayer has unearthed an interesting development in the pricing of Rock Band and Guitar Hero this Christmas that could change the way music game fans approach their purchases.
» Read More 

Aly & AJ are getting their own Guitar Hero and Rock Band girly guitars. The guitar peripherals will be available in mid-October 2008 for Wii & PS2 and will cost $69.99.
» Read More 

Harmonix has announced that branded instruments will now be heading to Rock Band 2. Gamers can expect see Fender, Zildjian Cymbals and Sennheiser among many others.
» Read More 

Brandon Undead of the Destructoid community blog says,

"Today we (Walmart) received some material concerning promotional efforts for the forthcoming AC/DC studio album (sold exclusively at Wally World), 'Black Ice'. In it was a bunch of stuff about selling hats, and t-shirts, and AC/DC branded stadium seats, and- WAIT! What's this!?

An AC/DC Rock Band 2 Expansion Pack? 'AC/DC Live at Donington' ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I wondered for a long time if they were referring to DLC, and then remembered we can't sell DLC in a Wal-Mart store. Unless someone has come up with something super-flashy that I don't know about, this must be a physical disc.

By virtue of my totally lady-moistening skills of espionage, I have provided super-secret-spy-cam proof of this memo, and so will probably be terminated in short order. I hope you guys appreciate this!"
» Read More 

Guys who run gaming companies are the kind of people who don't like to let you die wondering. In a classic piece of schoolyard pouting, Activision boss Bob Kotick would like to let you know that Guitar Hero is doing well."We're outselling [Rock Band] 6:1," says Activision boss Bob Kotick.
» Read More 

ZTGD: MTV2, in partnership with Time Warner Cable in New York City, is searching for a top NYC band to open the Rock Band Live Tour featuring Panic At The Disco and Dashboard Confessional at the NYC-area tour stop. From now until September 22nd, fans can vote online at nyc.mtv2.com for their favorite NYC bands. MTV2 will review the top 20 and select five acts to perform at an exclusive event for Time Warner Cable customers at NYC's Webster Hall on September 29th.

"MTV is thrilled to partner with Time Warner Cable in innovative ways that drive value for its customers and our audiences," said Michael Joseloff, Vice President, Content Distribution & Marketing at MTV Networks. "This campaign positions Time Warner Cable as the premiere destination for local music and generates deeper engagement around the Rock Band franchise. We look forward to continuing to embrace NYC music fans by showcasing their favorite emerging artists across all Time Warner Cable's platforms."
» Read More 

Back in July, a GameSpy preview for Rock Band 2 claimed "the phoneme detection system used for the 'talkie' parts [in Rock Band] has been completely stripped and a new one has been put in place [for Rock Band 2]." Well, Harmonix definitely stripped out the old system, but it seems to have forgotten to put a new one in its place, as the new game seems to award perfect vocal points if it detects any noise during the "talkie" parts.
» Read More 

Videogamer writes: "There's still no word from EA on a UK release date for Rock Band 2, despite the fact that the game came out in the US yesterday.

UK gamers might have to wait a while for the much anticipated sequel to the amazing Rock Band, from Harmonix, given that the original game was only released on non-Xbox 360 formats last Friday following an exclusivity window on Microsoft's console.

When contacted by VideoGamer.com for an update on the situation EA told us it didn't have "any confirmation or announcement on a UK date for Rock Band 2" and that the UK branch is currently "concentrating on the PlayStation and Wii launches" of the original game."
» Read More 

GamerDeals.net writes:

"The summer drought is officially over as a busy new release week is upon us with quality releases on every platform. The highlights this week include Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (PC), Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS), Rock Band 2 (Xbox 360), and Dragon Quest IV (Nintendo DS).

Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of September 14, 2008 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC!"
» Read More 

The folks at Mad Catz are very much aware of the fact that gamers view their company's product and third party accessories in general as cheap, low quality knock offs. Kotaku hasn't been to keen their products for quite some time, a fact that they mentioned in their story about the Mad Catz Fender Bass for Rock Band. Well Mad Catz's Global PR & Comms Manager Alex Verrey dropped them a line yesterday with a message for all gamers: "Mad Catz has come a long way - just give us a chance to prove it." Using Rock Band as an example, Alex hammers home his point.
» Read More 

Source : XBOX Live/Play.com

Rock Band 2, the next installment from game developers Harmonix is released in 6 days in North America. However news has been short on a EU/UK and Australian release for the game.

Well, aswell as moving all of the original content for Rock Band 1 to Rock Band 2 it seems as if the new game itself has been certificated with a 12+ if the EU XBOX Live Marketplace is anything to go by.

If correct, this means is a playable version of the near final game has been sent the BBFC and PEGI for age rating. This could very well mean a possible release in the near future.

And when discussing a possible date of release for the game? The official MadCatz controllers and peripherals for both Rock Band 1 and Rock Band 2 have been listed for a tentative release of 31st October 2008 on Play.com recently.
» Read More 

Luke Plunkett of Kotaku says,

"It's on Craigslist, so who knows how legitimate this is, but we definitely like the feel of it. Seems Mark Burnett (pictured), the man behind everything from Survivor to The Apprentice to The Contender, might be working with MTV on a reality TV program based around Rock Band 2. Centred around competition between bands of four, it'll give you the chance to not only get on TV and win the "Ultimate Rock Band Experience", but subsequently slide into a creative and moral abyss, as the cocaine, cheap women and long tours drive a wedge between you and your bandmates, and you grow to loathe everyone and everything in your life you once held dear. So, yeah, awesome! Only catch is you've got to be over 18, and be based in the LA/SoCal area."
» Read More