Rocking your blocks off: LEGO Rock Band released

Warner Bros. Interactive has released LEGO Rock Band, much to the delight of kids and adults alike - assuming the game is good, of course. Combining Rock and Roll with the popular building blocks, LEGO Rock Band adds LEGO style into the Rock Band formula. The game features 45 songs and at launch and lets players of all skill levels play bass, drums, guitar and mic to such songs from Queen, Foo Fighters, Jackson 5, The All-American Rejects, Jimi Hendrix, Good Charlotte, Tom Petty and more.

Unique to LEGO Rock Band is the introduction of Rock Power Challenges, where players can harness the power of rock to pull off killer riffs that have the ability to do crazy things like demolish a building, stop an angry octopus or send players on wild missions. Naturally the game promises build-and-play elements that let players customize their own experience by creating a minifigure avatar, band and entourage.

The game will also be supported by the Rock Band Store’s regular release of weekly content as well, with some tunes already ready for purchase. LEGO Rock Band is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and various incarnations of the DS.

Anvil headlines Rock Band Store next week

Anvil, Dinosaur Jr., The Guess Who and Tenacious D will have new tracks in the Rock Band Music Store next for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 according to Harmonix. Rock Band Unplugged will get Bring me to Life from Evanescense and Back from the Dead from Spinal Tap as well.

Tracks available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Sept. 15) and PS3 (Sept. 17):

- Anvil – “666″

- Anvil – “Metal on Metal”

- Anvil – “This is Thirteen”

- Dinosaur Jr. – “Pick Me Up”

- Dinosaur Jr. – “The Wagon”

- The Guess Who – “Hand Me Down World”

- The Guess Who – “No Time”

- Tenacious D – “Rock Your Socks”

- Tenacious D – “Tribute”

Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track; $5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for Anvil Pack 01; $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points) per track

Tracks available for Rock Band Unplugged (Sept. 17):

- Evanescense – “Bring Me To Life”

- Spinal Tap – “Back From the Dead”

Price: $1.99, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU per track on the PSP

This week’s Rock Band 2 Wii tracks

Harmonix will release 25 tracks this week to the Rock Band Music Store catalog for the Wii, including hit songs from artists like David Bowie, The Police, The Zombies and industrial metal band Ministry. As previously announced, Wii Rock Band 2 owners will gain access this week to three tracks from Ministry, two classics from The Zombies and a single from The Cranberries. Additionally, 19 back-catalog tracks will be released for Wii in the Rock Band Music Store.
English rockers The Police have three tracks coming to the Wii Rock Band Music Store this week. “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “Roxanne” from the 1978 album, Outlandos d’Amour, and “Synchronicity II,” from The Police’s last studio album, Synchronicity, released in 1983. List below:

Airbourne - “Runnin’ Wild”

Bad Religion - “Sorrow”

Bang Camaro - “Rock Rebellion”

David Bowie - “Heroes” *
David Bowie - “Queen Bitch” *

Count Zero - “Shake”

The Cult - “She Sells Sanctuary”

DevilDriver - “Clouds Over California”

Dream Theater - “Constant Motion”

Freezepop - “Sprode”

GLaDOS - “Still Alive” (free track)

Hinder - “Use Me”

Killswitch Engage - “My Curse”

Machine Head - “Aesthetics of Hate”

The Monkees - “Last Train to Clarksville” *

The Police - “Can’t Stand Losing You”
The Police - “Roxanne”
The Police - “Synchronicity II”

Sweet - “Action” *

(* cover track)

Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track

The Rundown: Jan. 16, 2009

Today on The Rundown: GTA rumors make the rounds, the second largest electronics retailer goes belly up, Steve Miller invades Rock Band, Simon Whitcombe joins CBS and Burnout Paradise gets a new box.

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