If you haven't played Audiosurf, you're missing out on one of the best fusions of music and game since Milon's Secret Castle. After importing any MP3 you like, you're hurtling down a procedurally-generated course collecting and destroying gems, with every twist and turn created by your music. We know, we know, we're explaining it poorly. You really just have to try it.

via joystiq.com

Five months after the North American debut of Rock Band, the long-promised full album downloads are finally set to arrive with next week's release of Judas Priest's 1982 metal classic, Screaming for Vengeance. The 10-song album will be presented in the form of nine game tracks (the introduction and second song combined), with the full album available for $14.99 (1200 Microsoft points) and individual tracks priced at $1.99 (160 Microsoft points). The album will be available on Tuesday, April 22nd via the Xbox Live Marketplace, with the PlayStation Store download following on Thursday, April 24th.

via 1up.com

We're not surprised that the majority of you aren't excited by the Wii's gimped version of Rock Band. If you actually were looking forward to it, though, and happen to live in Europe, EA just offered you another kick in the face. The company announced today that the Wii, PS2, and PS3 versions of Rock Band won't be hitting the continent until August 29th. So, if you were planning on jamming this summer with your fake band on Nintendo's console, it's not going to happen.

Of course, you could always get the Xbox 360 version instead, since it comes out in May and actually has online play and DLC, unlike the Wii version -- but it might cost you an arm and a leg. Though, to be honest, we're not really sure what the going rates for arms and legs are these days.

via nintendowiifanboy.com

"Bonus" means different things to different people. Harmonix has revealed the Wii's additional Rock Band tracks, and they're a collection of songs you might have already downloaded on the 360 and PS3. There's nothing wrong with that, but why all the secrecy and hype? Here's the list of the five tracks that supplement the original roster:

"Dirty Little Secret" - The All American Rejects
"Don't Look Back in Anger" - Oasis
"Roam" - The B-52's
"Rockaway Beach" - The Ramones
"Roxanne" - The Police

via joystiq.com

Confirming rumors that we reported on late last month, a downloadable three-pack of Def Leppard tracks for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will soon be available on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Mercury Records recently announced the news, noting an April 24th release date for both consoles in North America.
In addition to "Nine Lives," the band's new single (co-written and performed with country artist Tim McGraw), the three-pack will include past hits "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages" (both from 1983's Pyromania). "Nine Lives" is the first single off of the pop-metal band's 10th studio album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge, which is set for North American release on April 29th.

"I know from personal experience how much more you get into the music by playing the game -- which is why we were keen to explore this opportunity," said Joe Elliott, lead singer of Def Leppard. "Guitar Hero is extremely popular with all kinds of music heads, which includes a lot of our fans -- and we think releasing 'Nine Lives' this way first is just fantastic!"

via 1up.com

Let them eat cake! A Harmonix representative has confirmed to Joystiq that the delicious download of Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive" is planned to be at "no charge indefinitely."

Major Nelson noted that the download would be forever gratuit on his Twitter, but on this high holy day of foolery we just wanted to double triple quadruple check with the source. So all the procrastinators out there can take their sweet time picking up the song on XBM and PSN users -- who won't get the song until April 17 -- don't need to worry they'll somehow miss the free period.

via joystiq.com

Whenever a new DS peripheral is announced, there's a brief moment of terror for DS Phat stalwarts, as they consider the possibility of being forced into an upgrade out of desire to play Arkanoid (for example -- but that one actually does work with Phats). Thankfully, Activision and RedOctane have not forgotten that some people like big DSes and cannot lie. The Guitar Grip made for Guitar Hero: On Tour will work with both flavors of DS, according to RedOctane's preorder page.

More interesting news related to, uh, your decision about whether or not to buy this: RedOctane is bundling Guitar Hero logo keychains with preordered copies of On Tour, and also selling a $60 bundle with a case made to hold the DS and Guitar Grip.

via dsfanboy.com

Def Leppard, one of the last remaining rock bands of the '80s to not be featured in a music/rhythm game, will be making their virtual debut in Guitar Hero 4. This rumor originated from an interview with the band on the Rockline radio show, where Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen told a caller that three of their tracks would appear on the unannounced but inevitable GH sequel: "Photograph," "Animal," and "Rock of Ages."

Let's add a little fuel to this fire with our take. On today's episode of 1UP Yours, 1UP's senior reviews editor Garnett Lee suggests that the Def Leppard tracks Collen mentioned will actually be showing up relatively soon as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III. And while we can't name names, this rumor rings true with whisperings we heard from some trustworthy sources.

via 1up.com

The service, dubbed ZiT, allows players to save their favorite songs heard over the numerous radio stations found in-game for later purchase, reports Yahoo Games. Players can specially "mark" tracks using Niko's cell phone, and if registered with the newly announced Rockstar Social Club, can download the songs from an exclusive shopping cart at Amazon.com.

Individual tracks, which are exclusive to the game, can be purchased for $.99 and are free of any DRM restrictions (read: play the songs on any device), as is the case with all Amazon MP3s. The partnership not only marks a special bonus for GTA IV owners, but a prospective solution for the struggling music industry.

Grand Theft Auto IV is projected to be one of the year's biggest games. It arrives on Xbox 360 and PS3 on April 29.

via gametrailers.com

If you've been paying attention to the NPD numbers, you might have noticed that the various Rock Band iterations are selling well despite a high price tag. The Wii is also selling like gangbusters, overcoming (or perhaps aggravating) the "almost impossible to find" obstacle. So when people are going to great lengths to secure two products despite roadblocks, wouldn't it be a sound financial decision to combine them?

Harmonix (finally) announced today that there is a Wii SKU of Rock Band in the works and set for release on June 22. The price will be $169.99, like its older brothers, but this special edition includes a wireless guitar alongside the standard drum kit and mic. The game is said to feature 63 songs, five of which are special Wii bonus tracks.

"The Wii's success among casual and core gamers of all ages makes it an ideal match for the cross-generational appeal of the music featured in Rock Band," said Bob Picunko, VP of Electronic Games and Interactive Products for MTV in the press release, presumably between money fights with other executives.

via 1up.com

We think that those playing Guitar Hero III on the Wii have every right to feel like the cast-aside stepchild. Not only does their system of choice not get the DLC from the other consoles, they also got the fun of sending their discs in to be replaced when it turned out that the game was mixed in mono rather than stereo sound. Now, Activision is attempting to make up for one of those slights with a free guitar faceplate for those who had to send their game away.

What's especially cool is that the company didn't make a big announcement about the deal, they just quietly went about trying to make things right with jilted fans. Good show, Activision. Now, about that DLC.

via joystiq.com

Harmonix has announced that the Grateful Dead Pack will be available for Rock Band next week. It includes six classic tracks, all of them master recordings: “China Cat Sunflower,” “Casey Jones,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin,” “Franklin’s Tower” and “I Need A Miracle.” The songs will be available individually on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 for $1.99 a pop (160 Microsoft Points) or as a package for $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points).

If you’ve been paying attention, you remember that the Grateful Dead’s inclusion in Rock Band was first announced in early September of last year. While the original announcement didn’t say anything about how they would be packaged, it did say that a total of 18 songs had been licensed from Warner Music Group for the game, including several tracks that are currently unaccounted for. Specifically, the announcement mentioned “Uncle John’s Band,” and the top 10 track “Touch of Grey.” That leaves 10 mystery Dead songs—and with such a vast back catalogue, it’s tough to predict what else we could see from the band.

via gameinformer.com

According to a statement on the publisher’s website, consumers experiencing audio issues with Guitar Hero III for Wii can either fill out a refund form in order to get their $132 back, or participate in a disc replacement program.

“We are committed to providing our customers with quality game experiences and apologize for any audio output issues you may have experienced with the Wii version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

“Activision has worked with Nintendo to re-master the game and provide a replacement disc to consumers with Dolby digital surround sound and other consumers experiencing audio issues.

via next-gen.biz

I was totally there and listening to the talk, but somehow I missed this: Harmonix's Chris Foster mentioned that while the technology used in Phase to generate gameplay from the music on the player's iPod currently won't work for Rock Band (because the Phase tech can only generate a single gameplay track for the song, and not one per instrument), Harmonix is looking into the possibility of procedural generation in the game.

via joystiq.com

Harmonix has announced the latest batch of new Rock Band songs, and personal tastes aside, it's a good week by any measure. The three new songs, which should be available tomorrow on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Thursday on the PlayStation Store, are:

The Clash - "Complete Control"

The Police - "Truth Hits Everybody"

The Ramones - "Teenage Lobotomy"

All three songs are master versions, and while you can buy them individually for the usual $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points), you can also nab them in a discounted three-pack for $5.49

via 1up.com