Harmonix, MTV Games and EA, released today the second song pack for Rock Band. A variety of song packs, albums and individual tracks will be available for download on a weekly basis. And that’s just through the end of 2007. Fans can expect more music every week through 2008 with suggested retail pricing varying from $.99 to $2.99 per track (The equivalent of 80 to 240 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360), with the vast majority selling for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360).
3-Pack for $5.49 or Individual Tracks for $1.99 Each (160 Microsoft Points per track and 440 per pack for Xbox 360)
David Bowie Pack
“Moonage Daydream” – David Bowie
“Heroes” as made famous by David Bowie *
“Queen Bitch” as made famous by David Bowie *
Japanese Wii owners are now able to download Nintendo DS demos and Wii trailers via the newly launched Everybody's Nintendo Channel.
The channel enables users to download DS demos which, according to CVG, are stored temporarily on the DS' internal memory, and then erased when the console is switched off.
Everybody's Nintendo Channel, which is currently only available in Japan, also allows Wii owners to view footage of upcoming and already released Wii games.
Rockstar today launched its appeal against the BBFC's decision to refuse Manhunt 2 certification, accusing the board of putting its reputation above the interests of gamers.
Geoffrey Robertson, representing Rockstar, began the proceedings by claiming the British Board of Film Classification was a misnomer - suggesting it should instead be referred to as the British Board of Videogame Censors.
"There's no evidence that playing interactive videogames leads to a propensity to act them out in real life. We wonder why Manhunt 2 has been singled out for special treatment," he stated.
Robertson went on to accuse the BBFC of being "simply ignorant of the gaming experience" and "throwing adjectives with hyperbolic abandon at the game".
"Their reputation is not at stake; if it were we could show how, over the last century, they've been derided for some of the most stupid decisions in censorship history," he continued. "But we're not going to go down that road."
According to statistics presented by Robertson, there are 26.5 million gamers in the UK. Their average age is 28 and the gender split is 45 per cent female, 55 per cent male.
Addressing the panel from the Video Appeals Committee present to hear Rockstar's appeal Robertson said, "There you are, seven of you - not one of you has experienced, I'm told by the chairman, computer games, or are a gamer."
At this point one member of the panel interjected, stating, "That's not true. Some of us actually have played computer games." It was also confirmed that the panel did play Manhunt 2 in advance of the hearing.
Robertson described as "offensive and outrageous" the "allegation the board makes against adults in this country that they're somehow going to go and shoot or kill as a result of playing Manhunt 2.
"Millions of gamers play videogames and no crime has ever been directly attributed to them, with one exception."
The exception, Robertson explained, was the alleged connection between the original Manhunt and the murder of British teenager Stefan Pakeerah. The police later issued a statement which said Pakeerah's killer did not own the game and there was no connection.
Robertson added, "We say [Manhunt 2] has been banned not because of any likelihood it will harm gamers, but because of the likelihood it will harm the reputation of the BBFC."
The appeal is ongoing.
A new chip that bypasses the DS security system, allowing users to play pirated games, is threatening to hamper Nintendo’s software sales this holiday season.
The R4 chip, described by The Times Online as the “Christmas stocking filler from hell,” has reportedly become one of the most sought after items in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics district.
Available for around £20 on the streets of Tokyo or over the Internet, the product itself is not illegal, but it is illegal to play pirated software, an act which the chip makes possible.
"New R4 shipment has finally arrived! You know what it does! Absolutely no questions will be answered concerning this product," reads the sign at one retailer in Tokyo.
“Guaranteed for one week only! Of course we can’t explain what it will do…” says a sign in the shop just next door.
"We are keeping a close eye on the products and studying them. But we cannot smash them all," said a Nintendo spokesperson following the R4 chip’s introduction to the market.
Being a dev on an unsuccessful XBLA title must be incredibly disappointing and frustrating.
Jeff Minter, founder of Llamasoft and the fella behind Space Giraffe, recently went on a tirade about the lack of sales of his XBLA title, putting the blame directly on his intended audience.
Below is a quite angry recent post from his LiveJournal: (Who knew people still use LJ?)
j*s*s f*cking chr*st
not seeing a lot of reason to continue even trying to make games, at this point, when a remake of Frogger, one of the worst games in the history of old arcade games, can outsell Space Giraffe that we put so much love and effort into, by more than ten to one, in one week.
OK, we get the message. All you want on that channel is remakes of old, sh*te arcade games and crap you vaguely remember playing on your Amiga. We’ll shut up trying to do anything new then. Sorry for even trying.
So if you're one of the people who purchased Frogger and not Space Giraffe, it looks like you're not going to get a holiday present from Mr. Minter.
As US retailers shift into high gear the day after Thanksgiving, Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter is expecting impressive results.
"The industry will crush all records," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "Hardware should be up 15 per cent over last year, and software around the same."
While noting the positive effect of recent price cuts, Pachter nevertheless expects Nintendo to remain the hardware sales leader.
"I think the Nintendo DS will sell the most units, followed by the Wii," he said.
Most publishers have now released their titles for the busy Christmas sales period, making it a crucial time for them. When the dust settles, Pachter expects Electronic Arts to come out on top with respect to software sales.
But which game will be number one this holiday season?
"Depending on when we start counting, Guitar Hero has a chance to be number one," said Pachter. "If we start back in September, Halo 3 has a shot."