Harmonix continues to show that it cares about Rock Band 2 fans with more than just weekly DLC. The developer has announced a patch for the PS3 version of the game that adds support for the upcoming Rock Band Network Store — the interface for selling songs added to Rock Band by fans, musicians and record labels through the new Rock Band Network. If you were lamenting your current inability to purchase songs made by some dude, now you can take heart!
The update also adds the “much more robust handling of chord hammer-ons and pull-offs” found in The Beatles: Rock Band, support for SingStar wireless microphones, support for velocity sensitivity with Ion Drum Rocker drums, and the ability to sort songs in Quickplay by the number of stars you’ve earned on each song.
The update will be available this Thursday.
Rock Band 2 patched on PS3 to make way for Rock Band Network originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sure, Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer mode has already sucked you in, but just imagine what would happen if you added an invigorating soundtrack to all those bullet-soaked moments? Well, guess what: The game’s soundtrack composer, Hans Zimmer, recently indicated in a Facebook note that the “soundtrack album is in the works.”
That’s right — soon you’ll be able to take the orchestrated drama from the single-player campaign and import it into a looping death march beat. But hey, at least your folks will be glad you’re listening to classical music, right?
Modern Warfare 2 soundtrack in the works, Zimmer says originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Reuters reports that music publishing company Primary Wave has struck a deal with Brit rockers Def Leppard to create a cartoon series and video game based on the band. Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel said the video game project is “unusual,” presumably not just because it features Def Leppard.
Though we have it on good authority that neither project will ever see the light of day, we’re pushing for a Wii game. Just think: Simulated drumming without the need for that pesky nunchuk attachment.
[Via Kotaku]
Def Leppard: The Game may be in the works originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group – the JPAG – is a group of mostly good-looking people. And while it’s true that there are a handful of folks that aren’t much to look at, there isn’t a single one that isn’t charitably minded. Take, for example, the ongoing New Gums Day Fundraiser for Wesley Johnson, a JPAG member whose “gums deteriorated as a result of his die-uh-beetus.” To help young Wesley with the cost of his medical care, the JPAG is holding a live telethon (embedded after the break!) and giving away plenty of prizes. If you’re getting here late, you can still donate here. Details are on the event’s Facebook page.
Continue reading Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group charity fundraiser, happening now
Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group charity fundraiser, happening now originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We were just about to label 2009 the “Worst Year Ever in the History of Time,” but … but then this happened. From the depths of Reddit come a quintet of images of an unnamed musical engineer’s latest project: An electric guitar shaped like a Koopa Troopa. We’re so glad these pictures exist, because we’re not sure our mind’s eye could imagine something as fantastical as “an electric guitar shaped like a Koopa Troopa” without some sort of visual aid.
Check out the Reddit entry to see the fruits of this unnamed magician’s labor. Whoever you are, if you’re reading this, please send a video of you playing this thing. Ideally to Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.”
Man rocks us to the core with a Koopa Troopa electric guitar originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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How would you like to own a copy of the critically-acclaimed documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters signed by the film’s underdog protagonist Steve Wiebe? Well, you can have it — in fact, the act of acquiring such a rare gem is actually pretty easy. All you have to do is pay $9.95 (that includes shipping!) andorderstevewiebe’schristianmusicalbum. What? Yes, fine — if you buy Steve Wiebe’s Christian music album, cleverly titled “The King of Song,” you get a signed copy of the similarly-titled film.
We can’t speak for the quality of any music that’s not hardcore funk, but in terms of raw value, a signed copy of a great film and any CD for just $9.95 is a pretty spectacular deal. The offer’s only available until January 1, so you’ll need to act quickly, should you decide to act at all.
The King of Kong DVD signed and delivered, the cheap and easy way originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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When rapper Ice-T plays Call of Duty multi-player, he’s rollin’, comin’ through buildings, you gonna die. Oh really?
Sure as snot seems that way! Ice-T (gamertag “Lord 187X”) posted an image of the after action report for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multi-player round. The report details the player’s score and Accolades — awards for completing a session with a specific set of requirements.
Ice-T’s top three Accolades for the session:
The Show
10 kills/No deaths
Supernatural
Kill/Death ration over 10
Immortal
Highest kill/death ratio
None of which are easy Accolades in the slightest. Yep, you gonna die!
Ice T Demonstrates His ‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2′ Gaming Skills In Today’s Daily TwitPic [MTV Movies Blog]
Did you survive the last Monday Mind Teaser challenge? There were many casualties and a lot of great men, women, and robots were lost to The World’s Hardest Game. I contemplated slapping everyone in the face with the game’s sequels this week, but I’m not as evil as the Tetris God. At least not during the holidays.
Instead, I present you one of the best simple games I’ve ever played. I don’t need to go looking to find out this isn’t the first game of its kind, and it surely won’t be the last, but it’s definitely one that is timeless. I’m not going to give you any directions, because true simple games don’t need any. They’re instantly understood by the player, and stretch across all races, genders, and ages. This is a game so simple that the entire experience is based on making one click. One click. It’s so simple that it makes Half-Minute Hero look like Civilization III.
However, don’t be fooled by how simple this game is, because it will still reach out to your emotions. Close your eyes and think of your favorite game in recent years. How long did it take before that game had a memorable scene that tugged at your hopes and fears? Boomshine, without any characters or dialogue, manages to achieve a decent spectrum of feelings with a single click. It’s challenging for me to think of other flash games that are more simple, yet it’s still that friggin’ affective. I’m not trying to say Boomshine is better than Shadow of the Colossus, but I’m surprised that something so simple was exciting and memorable.
Boomshine goes above and beyond the easy entertainment offered by cards or other simple gambling games, and it towers over the majority of the artsy games out there while completely bypassing any semblance of artistic arrogance or pompous metaphors. Forget Flow or Flower, give Spore the boot, and realize how damn tiny and simple this game is when you’re playing it and enjoying yourself. Keep track of how enthralled you are by the last level. Watch as the screen lights up and you see your hopes rise and fall and tiny emotions start to sneak out of your face over a game that’s essentially just a few dots of color. That’s pretty damn impressive to me.
I’ll stop hyping the experience now, in fear that you’ll be expecting something more than what it is in its simplicity. You can play Boomshine here on Newgrounds, or listen to more incredibly relaxing and peaceful music made by Tim Halbert here.
Taito is celebrating the success of its iPhone games in the best possible way: by making some of them cheaper. The Square Enix-owned publisher announced that its lineup of iPhone games appeared in Apple’s “Rewind 2009″ lists for 65 different regional App Stores, and that it’s temporarily discounting Cooking Mama and Bust-a-Move to mark the occasion.
Cooking Mama is $3.99 for the first 50,000 people who download it, or until January 4 (whichever comes first). Bust-a-Move is just $2.99 from now until January 4. Taito also alerted us to new in-app purchases for that game, consisting of a new two-player cooperative mode and four additional 50-stage packs.
Taito iPhone games on sale for the holidays originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Rock Band DLC is taking some time off for the holidays, with no tracks scheduled for release until December 29 on Xbox 360 and Wii, and January 7 on PS3. Take the time to reflect on the tracks you do have, and appreciate time spent with them this holiday season.
When Rock Band DLC does return, it”ll bring a seven-pack of songs from the Rock Band: Country disc, followed by a three-pack of live Paul McCartney songs from his performance at New York’s Citi Field. Check the list after the break, and then you can forget about all that other garbage you’ve downloaded!
Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: A little bit country (plus A Beatle: Rock Band in January)
Rock Band Weekly: A little bit country (plus A Beatle: Rock Band in January) originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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