Crispy Gamer News

Harmonix, together with MTV Games, announced today that it plans on giving Rock Band fans the gift of “Pearls” next year, confirming that Ten, the 1991 debut album from Pearl Jam, will be offered for download in the Rock Band Music Store day-and-date with the re-issue of the album in stores on March 24th, 2009. Pearl Jam originally released Ten on August 27, 1991, going on to sell more than 12 million copies and reaching #2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games and Music for MTV Networks Music / Logo Group, added, “Just hearing the first few notes of ‘Jeremy’ or ‘Alive’ brings back all the raw emotion of this incredible, hugely important album. We are honored to be working with Pearl Jam to deliver Ten as it is re-issued.”
(more…)

Just how much content have MTV Games and Harmonix dedicated to their hit Rock Band franchise? As of next week, the number of songs included on the discs and via download will officially top the 500 mark. So how does the company plan to celebrate? By adding even more content, of course.

Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that Rock Band is set to give fans a taste of country music for the first time with the addition of the “Going Country” 5-pack to the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content. The lineup of renowned country artists includes Grammy Award winner Brad Paisley with “Mud on the Tires”, Brooks & Dunn with “Hillbilly Deluxe”, and the Dixie Chicks with “Sin Wagon”. Country music lovers can also look forward to Dierks Bentley’s number one single “Free & Easy (Down the Road I Go)” and Miranda Lambert’s “Gunpowder & Lead.”

Each track will be available starting next Tuesday, December 16th for the Xbox 360 and Thursday, December 18th, for PlayStation 3. Each individual track will be available for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) and $8.49 (680 Microsoft Points) for the 5-pack.

With the addition of these tracks there are now more than 500 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase. A complete list of tracks is available at www.rockband.com/music. Since the series’ launch on November 20th, 2007, virtual rock stars have shelled out the dough for more than 28 million paid downloads.

The ongoing battle for dominance of the music video game market took a major turn today, as MTV Games and Harmonix, the force behind the hit Rock Band games, announced they’ve entered into an exclusive deal with Apple Corps, Ltd., the company formed to manage the multimedia rights to the vast works of legendary band, The Beatles.

This partnership marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Harrisongs Ltd, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. Published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the new game will be an unprecedented, experiential progression through and celebration of the music and artistry of The Beatles. The game was creatively conceived with input from Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, and enjoys their full blessing. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE project, will provide his expertise and serve as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.
(more…)

Virtual rockers looking for a little enlightenment will be pleased to learn that they’ll be able to reach a higher state of Nirvana this week. Over the weekend, Harmonix and MTV Games announced the addition of seven master recordings from legendary grunge band, Nirvana to the Rock Band Music Store this week. The new tracks include “Breed,” “Lounge Act,” “On a Plain,” “Polly,” “Something in the Way,” “Stay Away,” and “Territorial Pissings.” Together with “In Bloom” from the original Rock Band soundtrack and “Drain You” featured in Rock Band 2, this makes a total of nine Nirvana songs available in Rock Band the music catalog.

The new tracks will be available starting this Tuesday for the Xbox 360 and this Thursday for the PlayStation 3. The cost is $1.99 per track (160 Microsoft Points) or $10.99 (880 Microsoft Points) for the Nirvana Track Pack.

In light of the current health care situation, Harmonix and MTV Games have decided to offer fans of Rock Band their own version of an HMO, as the companies announced today that Mötley Crüe’s album Dr. Feelgood will become the sixth full album to join the Rock Band Music Store catalog of downloadable content. Dr. Feelgood will be available on the 360 starting next Tuesday, October 14, and on the PS3 the following Thusday, October 16.
(more…)

In the back and forth battle between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises, it should come as no surprise that what works for one game will likely show up in the other. So when Activision and Neversoft released Guitar Hero: Aerosmith a couple of months ago, it was only a matter of time before MTV Games and Harmonix retaliated with a band-specific release of their own. Enter AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack.

Scheduled for a worldwide release this November, AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack marks the first time the band has included an entire album for use in a game. Thanks to an exclusive deal reached with Columbia Records and AC/DC, AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack will feature 18 live tracks from the band’s various performances. The standalone game will be fully compatible with any Rock Band or Rock Band 2 peripherals, and just like the tracks in the original Rock Band game, Xbox 360 and PS3 players will be able to export the tracks from the AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack into Rock Band and Rock Band 2 by entering a special export authentication code.

(more…)

With Rock Band 2 hitting retail over the weekend and instruments making a splash at retail today, we thought it appropriate to refresh your memory on what songs you’ll be able to rock out to right out of the box. All told, and not counting the songs you can import from Rock Band that you spent your cold hard virtual cash on, Rock Band 2 offers 84 tracks out of the box. Check out that complete track list right after the jump.

(more…)