Are you ready for a Frankenstein product?  Well, last month there were reports of a Beatles Singstar making it’s way to the PS3.  Since then we’ve learned those were just rumors (or rumours for you UK fans ).  So we were given SingStar: Queen instead.  Good game, just hard to match the talents of Freddy Mercury.  Until Now!  The Beatles Rock Band by MTV Games and Harmonix  is coming via SingStar and the image above proves it.  Packaged within the bundles includes 2 wired mics and a copy of The Beatles Rock Band all with the SingStar logo ontop.

We still have many questions unaswered:

1. Why are both Rock Band and SingStar publishing this title?
2. Will the “Dreamscapes” or music videos be used in SingStar?
3. Will Pete Best finally get his own game?

All these questions and no answers… yet.  We”l keep you posted.

SingStar: The Beatles Rock Band is due for release in late September.  Currently no official word yet on which region it will be released for.

source image

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MTV Games and Harmonix today announced 15 new tracks that will be featured in The Beatles: Rock Band, which is set to be released on 9.9.09.  With the 10 tracks that were revealed during E3 2009, that makes the total of tracks revealed to 25.  Now, without further ado, here are the tracks that were recently revealed with the venue they’ll be featured in:

·         Twist And Shout / Cavern Club
·         Do You Want To Know A Secret / Cavern Club
·         Can’t Buy Me Love / Ed Sullivan Theater
·         I Wanna Be Your Man / Ed Sullivan Theater
·         Eight Days A Week / Shea Stadium

·         Paperback Writer / Budokan
·         And Your Bird Can Sing / Budokan
·         Yellow Submarine / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         With a Little Help from My Friends / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         Within You Without You / Tomorrow Never Knows / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         Revolution / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         Birthday / Abbey Road Dreamscape
·         Dig A Pony / Rooftop Concert
·         I’ve Got A Feeling / Rooftop Concert

There are some awesome tracks in there.  My personal favorites would have to be Twist and Shout, Can’t Buy Me Love, Paperback Writer, Within You Without You…  Ahhh, they’re all really great tracks!  I pretty much can’t wait to perform all of these tracks.

Which track from either this current list or the previous one has got you the most excited?

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Harmonix is a developer that has been working on music games since the early 2000s.  Titles like Frequency and Amplitude weren’t as widely known as most other PS2 titles, but they paved the way for Harmonix’s more successful later titles which include the original Guitar Hero I & II, Rock Band, and their upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band.

Rock Band Unplugged is Harmonix’s fray into the handheld gaming market.  The art style, graphics, and tunes are reminiscent of a full fledged Rock Band game, but the concern of most gamers were how the controls would work on the PSP.  Do music-based games only succeed if you have a plastic guitar in your hand, or could they possibly work with a more traditional control scheme?

When you first turn on Rock Band Unplugged, players will be amazed by how well Harmonix adapted the Rock Band experience onto the PSP.  The sights and sounds we all come to love from Rock Band are all there.  In fact, the game seems like it’s more of an adaptation to Rock Band 2 than the original Rock Band.  This would seem like the more logical choice as Rock Band 2 offered a number of improvements over the original title, one example would be the listing of individual difficulties to their respective instruments when selecting a song.

In the console versions of Rock Band, you would create your own character and have them perform with whatever instrument you’d like.  Even though your character was part of a band, the player’s focus for new clothes, instruments, and style was only prioritized to your character.  In Rock Band Unplugged, since the gameplay has you playing through all of the individual instruments, you create a band and upgrade them whenever you think they need a new look.  The amount of customization is nearly identical to the console version.  Hair, clothes, and instruments can all be upgraded in Rock Band Unplugged.

As I briefly mentioned earlier, Rock Band Unplugged has you playing guitar, bass, drums and vocals all at once.  This might sound overwhelming to most people, but the way Haromix handled it will keep your sanity in check.  The game has you playing particular phrases of a song.  When you complete a phrase, the entire track will auto-play for a certain amount of time.  This allows you to switch to another track using the R/L shoulder buttons to complete another phrase from another instrument.  As you’re playing, you can hear instruments going in and out from the song, which is a reminder that you need to switch over to that track to try to finish the phrase.  If one of your instruments fails, the section of that song will be completely removed from the track until you can either save the instrument by using star power or finish the song.

During gameplay, players will notice the music focusing on particular instrument tracks you’re currently playing (ex: when you are playing the vocal track, that track will be louder than the rest).  I found this to be helpful as singling out your track from the rest can really help you follow along to the rhythm, which is vital to being able to play it amidst all of the other tracks.  The controls are also pretty easy to get a grasp of, although it might take most people a couple of play sessions to get a feel for the button layout for each required note.  Once you pass the learning curve, you might shock yourself on how quickly you can play the notes.

I was surprised to find that Rock Band Unplugged doesn’t include any multiplayer whatsoever.  Rock Band & Rock Band 2 are party focused titles, so I would have assumed Unplugged would have allowed for some kind of multiplayer, if not online, then at least locally.  The exclusion of multiplayer by no means makes this a less than worthy game.  I just feel it really would have been the icing that is already a quite impressive cake.

Harmonix did include an extra game mode called “Band Survival”.  In this gametype, you play all of the tracks to a song at the same time.  Completing a phrase to auto-play a track is completely removed in this mode, so the player needs to balance all of the tracks at the same time.  This can be quite a challenge as it forces you to constantly keep an eye on the fail-meter located at the top-left of the screen to keep all of your tracks within a safe level of play.

FINAL THOUGHT: Rock Band Unplugged might be as addictive, or even more addictive than its console counterparts. With it’s easy to grasp gameplay mechanics and great choice of fun song titles to play to, it deserves as much attention as any other music game out on the market.  The only thing that felt like it was missing was multiplayer, but it’s still a solid title without it.

8/10

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You’ll be able to customize your “rocker” as you tour the globe in LEGO fashion rocking out to some tracks along the way.  Players will be able to create their own LEGO Rock Band style as they customize their minifigure avatars, band and entourage, including roadies, managers and crew. LEGO Rock Band will support Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments.

We don’t yet know the full list of songs that will be featured in LEGO Rock Band, but we do know the tracks below will be playable:

• Blur: “Song 2”
• Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting”
• Europe: “The Final Countdown”
• Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”
• Pink: “So What”

We’ll update you with the rest of tracks soon…

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Right when you think “Beatles coming to Rock Band” is a great idea for all the hippy soccer moms, news breaks out that harmonizing within the game may be possible.  In May’s issue of Game Informer, a rumor suggesting that multiple microphones will be used to sing along with the Fab Four.  This opens the game to a whole new level.  Especially for those who prefer belting out a tune, when clearly they should be belted.

Harmonizing with friends would finally make ‘Beatles Rock Band’ a respectable purchase for singers.  John Lennon and Paul McCartney were known for their harmonized songs and if Beatles Rock Band can recreate that, they’ll have themselves a winner.

Some track I’d like to see harmonized are:

“If I Fell”

“Because”

“Day Tripper”

“Eight Days A Week”

“In My Life”

What songs would you like to see?

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When we found out this past February that Rock Band was making it’s way to the PSP, I was excited because now I could finally rock out with my **** out in public without ending up in jail for public indecency! It looks like I’m one step closer to that dream now that we’ve got a release date for Rock Band Unplugged. If you’re like me and have been dying to take your show on the road, then make sure to mark June 9th as Rock Band Unplugged Liberation Day!

Rock Band Unplugged will have a total of 40 songs, 9 of which will be exclusive to the game before being offered as DLC to its respective console counterparts. Rock Band Unplugged will also include a full in-game store where players can download even more tasty tracks.

The thing that gets me most excited about Rock Band Unplugged is it looks like the gameplay will be similar to the PS2 classic, Frequency. I spent many a night playing Garbage’s Cherry Lips to a point where I could knock out the notes without even looking at the screen.

For the full press release including the 9 exclusive tracks, be sure to hit the break.

MTV GAMES, HARMONIX AND EA HIT THE ROAD ON JUNE 9 WITH ROCK BAND UNPLUGGED FOR THE PSP^® (PlayStation^®Portable) SYSTEM

Rock Band Unplugged to utilize the first fully-featured in-game store for downloadable content on the PSP system

Guildford, UK., 8th April- Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games, MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), and distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced plans today to release Rock Band Unplugged exclusively for the PSP (PlayStation®Portable) system. The game will be available in North America and Europe beginning June 9, 2009, with software retailing for £24.99 in the United Kingdom.
“Rock Band Unplugged reinvents band gameplay while staying true to the authentic feel of the Rock Band console games,” said Bob Picunko, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games for MTV Games. “Harmonix delivers innovation with every game they develop and we are excited to continue our long-list of industry firsts with the Rock Band in-game wireless music store on the PSP system.”
Rock Band Unplugged creates a full band experience in the palm of your hand by combining traditional beat match gameplay with key elements from both Rock Band and Rock Band 2, such as overdrive and chords. Your hands are the “peripherals” in Rock Band Unplugged, allowing you to take direct control of the lead/bass guitars, drums and vocals. In addition, players can expect a rich Rock Band experience with fully functional modes like World Tour, Band Survival and Warm Up and a robust character creator for full customization.

Rock Band Unplugged will feature over 40 master-recordings including nine exclusive new songs that will debut on the PSP system before being offered as downloadable content for console versions of Rock Band. Plus, Rock Band Unplugged will include the first fully-featured in-game store for downloadable content on the PSP system in the North American and European markets, leveraging the PSP system’s wireless capabilities. The in-game store will be powered by PlayStation®Network, and players will be able to use their existing PlayStation Network account to purchase tracks, similar to the Rock Band console experience. PSP system owners will also have the option of purchasing tracks via PlayStation®Store on the PC.

The following tracks will launch exclusively through Rock Band Unplugged on the PSP system for a limited time before becoming downloadable content for the other platforms:

• 3 Doors Down – “Kryptonite”
• AFI – “Miss Murder”
• Alice in Chains – “Would?”
• Audioslave – “Gasoline”
• Black Tide – “Show Me the Way”
• Blink 182 – “What’s My Age Again”
• Freezepop – “Less Talk More Rokk”
• Jackson 5 – “ABC”
• Tenacious D – “Rock Your Socks”

Rock Band is the ultimate platform for music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. The game challenges players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune – all while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals. Featuring the most master recordings of any music game ever by the world’s biggest rock artists, Rock Band includes tracks that span every genre of rock ranging from alternative and classic rock, to heavy metal and punk.

Rock Band Unplugged is developed by Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment studio, and based on the award-winning Rock Band series of games.

For more information on Rock Band Unplugged and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com.

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world’s leading creators of entertainment content, with brands that engage and connect diverse audiences across television, online, mobile, games, virtual worlds and consumer products. The company’s portfolio spans more than 150 television channels and 350 digital media properties worldwide, and includes MTV, VH1, CMT, Logo, Harmonix, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Noggin, The N, AddictingGames, Neopets, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, Atom, Gametrailers and Xfire.

About MTV Games
MTV Games is dedicated to creating, marketing and publishing high-quality, innovative interactive products that are relevant to the MTV audience and complement the core values of the MTV Networks brands.

About Harmonix Music Systems, Inc
Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., based in Cambridge, MA, and established in 1995, is the leading developer of groundbreaking music-oriented videogames. Harmonix was founded by Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, who formed the company to invent new ways for non-musicians to experience the unique joy that comes from making music and have pioneered music and rhythm gaming in the US. For more information please visit www.harmonixmusic.com.

About Electronic Arts Inc.
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.eagames.co.uk. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at www.eagames.co.uk/press.

About Backbone Entertainment
Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment Studio based in Emeryville, California, is a long-standing developer of original, classic, and re-imagined games for all major platforms. Established in 1992 with an early foundation in emulations, conversions, and handheld games, the studio then broadened its focus to develop games for consoles. Backbone Entertainment is a leading developer of downloadable titles for XBLA and PSN, and specializes in clever games based on original and popular gaming franchises. The studio is one of the most experienced developers in the industry, and has shipped over 230 titles across all platforms over the last sixteen years. For more information please visit www.backboneentertainment.com.

About Foundation 9 Entertainment
Foundation 9 Entertainment is the largest independent games developer in North America. The company has studios across North America, Europe and Asia, making it a development powerhouse, uniquely positioned to deliver quality games on all gaming platforms for all age groups. The company’s studios are masters in working with original and licensed properties and have collectively developed more than 600 titles since 1992, including more than 45 in 2008 alone. For more information, please visit: www.f9e.com.

© 2009 Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Harmonix, Rock Band and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., a MTV Networks company. Rock Band developed by Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. MTV: Music Television, MTV Games and all related titles and logos are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Backbone and the Backbone logo are trademarks of Backbone Entertainment, a Foundation 9 Entertainment company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. “PlayStation”, the “PS” Family logo and “PSP” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

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According to this Time Line that was supposed to be presented at the GDC last week, a slide revealing a little more than intended was discovered. Lego Rock Band may be making it’s debut after all. According to the Time Line, We should see LEGO Rock Band before “Beatles: 09/09/09″. This slide was among a batch that was sent for “speech approval” by Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale for his GDC presentation, “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Design Lessons Learned From Rock Band,” but never shown.

Traveller’s Tales is the studio responsible for recent Lego video games based on the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Batman franchises. EA currently handles distribution for the Rock Band series.

More info when we get it…

source

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