Busy Gamer News

Xbox 360 DLC License Transfer Card

If you've been paying attention, you know the Xbox 360 has a downloadable content time bomb. When your Xbox 360 eventually dies (tomorrow, next week, next month, next year or next decade), any downloadable content you've bought and licensed for shared offline use on that console is orphaned to online use by the purchaser only - and it takes considerable effort and perserverance to get it relicensed to a replacement console.

Well, no more. Starting today you can purchase the Xbox 360 DLC License Transfer Card. This 1GB flash card permits you to perform a one-way transfer of both your content and its license from an old console to a new one. It even works directly with a secondary console, should your original console be unusable.

The catch? There are several:

• You have to buy what is essentially a $60 USB flash card that can only be used to move downloadable Xbox 360 content with licenses. You could repurchase quite a bit of content for this price.
• You can only transfer an individual license five times - which, unless you are truly unlucky, should be enough to get you through to the next console generation.
• You can't run games or store gamertags on this card. You still need to buy a standard memory card if you want to play games from something other than a hard drive.
• If you plug it into your PC, you will get an error. This no doubt is to prevent hackers from cracking the DRM by the transferring licenses to a PC.

However, there is a silver lining - if you leave the flash card plugged into your 360 when you're not transferring licensed content, it functions similar to ReadyBoost for Windows Vista and speeds up game load times for your three most recently played titles. All in all, it may not be the solution we were hoping for, but it's probably the one we should have expected...

Archive from past years:

• New Wii system update on the way
• Microsoft announces Xbox into Xbox 360 Connection Kit
• Sony announces DVD into PSP

This year's April Fool's Day seemed a little lamer than usual (and not just my own weak though ever-so-vaguely plausible contribution). Here's what people thought would be amusing:

• Harmonix released "Still Alive" by Jonathan Coulton for free. Rock Band fanatics conjured conspiracy theories ranging from a rick roll (the song would really be Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up") to a surprise (and long overdue) full album release. The reality? Just the song. For free. And people still whined about it.
• World of Warcraft creators Blizzard announced a new bard class that includes a Guitar Hero-like interface capable of defeating foes. That actually would be pretty cool. Blizzard also announced a console edition of its MMORPG called World of Warcraft: Molten Core
• Assassin's Creed and Metal Gear Solid 4 creators conjured a mashup of Solid Snake as Altair
• Microsoft announced new Xbox-themed products: a wireless helmet, vintage wood original Xbox, ruggedized recon Xbox 360 edition and a board game
• ThinkGeek revealed a new Wii title Super Pii Pii Brothers, which included a harness for using the Wii-mote as a urination simulation
• Kotaku became Kaketaku and reported mostly on cakes, spoofing their tradition of showing off virtually any game-themed confection
• Starcraft II announced the addition of Tauren marines, flown in from sister title Warcraft
• Spore creators announced SporeDate, which would turn the game into a potential love connection
• EverQuest II replaced its in-game treasure chests with companion cubes from Portal
• Final Fantasy XI Online reported it would shut down servers on June 31 (a non-existent date)
• Guild Wars level 20 characters were replaced with stick figures
• Gamespot reported that Rock Band would be coming to the PSP
• Xfire updated its site in L33t
• Club Penguin turned its forest upside down

On top of everything, IGN offered up a plausible but fake trailer for a Legend of Zelda movie that's actually scary - because it looks like how you'd expect Hollywood to interpret the videogame:

With the new rumble-enabled DualShock 3 controllers for the PlayStation 3 hitting store shelves next week for $55, Sony revealed that its lightweight but vibration-free (and $5 cheaper) original Sixaxis controllers are discontinued and will most likely run out of retail supply by summer. Since the Dual Shock offers both rumble and Sixaxis motion sensors, you probably won't need any more of the original controller - but as heavy as the new ones apparently are, you might want a backup for those days when you don't want to do reps while playing.

If you are planning to pick up the DualShock, here are the games in U.S. release that work with it (though some titles need to be patched online before they'll buzz):

• Blast Factor
• Burnout Paradise
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot
• Devil May Cry 4
• Dragon Ball Z Burst Limit
• Dynasty Warriors 6
• Folklore
• Formula One Championship Edition
• Go! Sports Ski
• Heavenly Sword
• High Velocity Bowling
• Lost: Via Domus
• MLB 08: The Show
• MotorStorm
• Pain
• PixelJunk Monsters
• Piyotama
• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Ratchet & Clank Future
• Resistance: Fall of Man
• Snakeball
• Super Stardust HD
• Toy Home
• Turok
• Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
• Warhawk

Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.


Busy Gamer Review-
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Reviewed On: PlayStation 3.

Nathan Drake in a climbing puzzle

In a Nutshell: Uncharted is a neat mix of Tomb Raider-style puzzles and exploration and Gears of War duck-and-cover combat from the developers of the Jak and Daxter series. It's also one of the few really good games on the PlayStation 3 - basically, a solid third-person shooter with great combat mechanics, a reasonably good storyline and an Assassin's Creed-like climbing engine (though expect to fall much more often as Drake than as Altair). There is a nice survival horror style twist, and some of the combat moves make good use of the Sixaxis motion sensors - particularly the one where you throw off an assailant by quickly thrusting the controller forward.

Learning Curve: The game gives you the standard introduction to each new gameplay element, so if you pay attention you can throw out the manual and just dive right in. Even after setting the game down for a spell, picking the combat back up took only a little trial and error to get back into it.

The Save Game: The game auto-saves very often, and you can save manually as well. You do restart at the beginning of the nearest checkpoint, but they're so close together in most places that you won't lose much progress if you have to quit unexpectedly.

Family Factor: Teen and up. There is a lot of shooting and killing and, while not the bloodiest game on the block, it's not for younger kids. Play it while the little ones are napping.

Buy, Rent or Skip? If the game were even a few hours longer, this would be a must buy. Alas, you can get beat the 22 chapters in 8-10 hours and replay value is middling at best - so it's a must rent.

On a Personal Note: This is the section where I normally wax poetic about all of the cool unscripted moments in the game that really blew me away. There really isn't much of that in Uncharted. There are some climbing puzzles (prepare to fall a lot) and some cool water levels (accelerate your boat, stop, shoot, watch wicked cool ragdoll physics, repeat). But mostly the game is either highly scripted or your basic single-player combat shooter. My first pass through I picked up about half of the hidden treasures, and I didn’t feel compelled to go back through for the ones I missed. Did I enjoy the game? Absolutely. Did much of it stick with me afterwards (as it did with Oblivion, BioShock or Assassin's Creed)? Not really. Will I totally check out any sequels, should they arise? Probably, if I'm not too busy.

This is your basic "enjoy this game and move on." If you don't have a PS3, it's not going to convince you to buy one. If you do, it will keep you busy for a few days.

If you're a PlayStation 3 owner, you can skip the weekly trip to the PlayStation Store - there's no update since Sony is working diligently on its big overhaul of the online shopping experience. That means that the free "Still Alive" single for Rock Band offered this week on Xbox 360 won't be released for a couple of weeks for PS3. Next week, you can expect a video tour of the new store - but it will probably be mid-month before Sony starts adding new content...

If you had trouble getting onto Xbox Live Marketplace Friday, it was apparently due tio the stampede to get the new $10 Call of Duty 4 Variety Map Pack featuring four multiplayer maps. Here's what else you couldn't get to:

• Two Worlds Curse of Souls Pack 2 ($7.50) with four multiplayer co-op maps, 50 quests and a new player vs. player team game with four additional PVP maps
• Ace Combat 6 F-22A Raptor, Gryphus Squadron Aircraft (free)
• Rock Band track "Still Alive" by Jonathon Coulton (free)
• Arcade: Mr. Driller Online ($10) and Pinball FX Rocky and Bullwinkle table ($2.50) which, with the Buccaneer and Haunted House tables, adds the game's final achievement (unless the cap gets raised beyond 250)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore cover songs ($1.50 each) "Take On Me" by a-Ha, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Cry" by Faith Hill, "Drive" by Incubus, "Dust In the Wind" by Kansas, "Lady Marmalade" by Labelle, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Material Girl" by Madonna, "Independence Day" by Martina McBride, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, "I've Got You Under My Skin" by Cole Porter, "Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley, "Turn The Beat Around" by Vicki Sue Robinson, "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Pieces of Me" by Ashlee Simpson, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, "Joy To The World" by Three Dog Night, "If You Could Only See" by Tonic, "Headstrong" by Trapt and "How Do I Live" by Diane Warren
• Demo: Army of Two
• Game Videos: Alone In The Dark, Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack, Iron Man and Need for Speed ProStreet Extender Pack
• Themes: FIFA Street 3, Mr. Driller Online ($1.88 each) and U.S. Air Force (free)
• Pictures: Call of Duty 4 ($1.75), Mr. Driller Online ($1.25), Turok ($1 each), InkBlots #2 ($0.75), Major League Gaming ($1.13 each), Ford Sync (free), April Fool's (free) and U.S. Air Force (free)

This week, Nintendo is wagering that either you kick it old school or you're still busy with Super Smash Bros. Melee, because the Wii Virtual Console update features a pair of obscure NES classics:

• Bases Loaded (NES) - $5
• Yoshi's Cookie (NES) - $5

Add your own Limp Bizkit joke, if you like...

With Grand Theft Auto IV due out April 29, RockStar has finally let loose details of the game's four multiplayer modes (the main reason for the big delay last year):

• Co-op (aka Hangman's NOOSE): Up to four players work together to complete short missions that offer a variety of possible paths.
• Deathmatch/Team Deathmatch: Up to 16 players, alone or in configurable teams, roam the city and try to mop up the most enemies and the cash they drop. Just like in real life, the one with most dollars at the end wins.
• Race/GTA Race: Up to 16 racers aim for checkpoints in open-ended, city-wide races reminiscent of Midnight Club with weapons.
• Mafiya Work/Team Mafiya Work - Up to 16 players, alone or teams, try to assassinate a target.
• Cops N Crooks: In a twist on the mercs and spies multiplayer dynamic from Splinter Cell, the criminals work toward a marked finish line but can't see the cops. The cops can see the criminals on their police radar but don't know where they're going. Up to 16 can play.
• Free Mode: Basically, a big sandbox for up to 16 players to create random chaos together. Do whatever you want. Have fun. Destroy things.

In addition, there are yet-to-be-detailed multiplayer modes called Car Jack City, Turf War and Deal Breaker, plus two Bomb da Base variants and a mysterious 15th mode. In all modes, the host can decide whether to open up the whole city or just a section of it and select weapons, weather, traffic conditions, time of day, auto-aim, friendly fire and more. And all of this is on top of the 50+ hour single player game. No wonder Hollywood is holding its breath to see if GTA IV can take down the Iron Man movie's opening weekend...

Rock Band drums with MCU pads (and rubber bands!)

If you read my Twitter feed, you know I've been promising a blog post on the Rock Band drums for a few weeks. Well, it's taken me that long to sort things out - if you can call it that.

When I got Rock Band for Christmas, I tried the drums briefly to be sure they worked. And then migrated to guitar for several months. Last month I switched back to drums, in part to start teaching my 5 year-old how to play but also because I was stuck on some Hard guitar songs ("Suffragette City" in particular, which Expert guitarists note is harder on Hard than Expert). To protect the drum heads and cut down on noise, I invested in some neoprene pads from Rockbanddrumsoft.com, which - at the time - was all they offered.

At first I was thrilled with the pads. They really cut down the noise and expanded the drumming surface by covering the hard plastic rims. But I quickly realized I was dropping notes like a drunk billionaire out on the town. I tried rubber bands and taping down the pads to improve responsiveness, but only saw marginal improvement. I played on Easy back then (I'm just up to Medium now) and realized that if I ever got to Hard or Expert, I would be dead on arrival. I did a little research and found that this was common with launch and near-launch drum sets with EL in the serial number, and that the pads were accentuating an existing problem.

Fortunately, all I had to do was provide a credit card and I could order a free replacement set of drum heads (you don't even need a credit card if you're OK sending the existing drums in first). It took about a week and a half to get the new drums, but - alas - the adhesive on the neoprene didn't work well on the second set. Also, I noticed that, even with the newer QM model drums (which are supposedly much more sensitive) my red pad required a slightly harder hit to register. I contacted the Rock Band DrumSoft folks, and they revealed that they were about to remodel their store with several new offerings and offered a replacement of my choice. I skipped gum rubber (supposedly a great choice for more sensitive drums) and went with the Micro-Cellular Urethane (MCU) full coverage pads. These thin pads cover the drum rims and need to be carefully installed so they won't tear, though they are supposedly durable, removeable and reusable. There was even a DVD included to show the proper installation technique, so I had them up and running in about 20 minutes.

The pads arrived just in time for our first Rock Band party last weekend, and the drums were a hit! I did notice after the party that the red pad was still a little less sensitive than the others - so I wrapped it with a couple of rubber bands, which seems to ameliorate the problem. I may still need to send back these drums (thanks, EA, for such a liberal return policy!) but for now they work OK. Even though they are reusable, I may pick up an extra set of MCU pads just in case. I like them so much better than the neoprene, and even with sensitive drums, I prefer to light tap through the songs if possible (though I want protection since I know my 5 year-old won't be quite so restrained).

All in all, I love drumming in Rock Band and hope that some day we'll see a better solution either from EA/Harmonix or a third-party. I envision a modular drum set where the consumer has endless customization options as well as access to cheap and easy-to-replace parts when they eventually wear out - as, I imagine, even the best set will. For now, I'll just be happy if I get a set that will last long enough for me to master Medium and work my way through the Hard skill level and maybe a few Expert songs.

-=Gamewatcher

Metal Gear Solid 4 Limited Edition

If you've been drooling over Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, odds are that you put in your order back in February when they announced the pre-sale goodies: Metal Gear Saga Vol. 2 DVD and a code to join the April 21 to May 5 online beta preview (preloading starts next week!). Well, you might just want to cancel it. A new $85 Limited Edition available only at GameStop has been announced, and it adds collectible packaging, a soundtrack CD and a bonus Blu-Ray with two documentaries about the making of the game. Then again, if that picture over there is the collectible packaging, maybe not...

If you're an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player owner, you might as well boot it up one more time to download the last auto-update, which promises improved compatibility with certain titles and some new, unspecified network functionality. Microsoft was short on specifics, but hey, it's free. Speaking of free, this week Marketplace is packed with lots of free promotional themes and pictures. If you like to download this stuff (as I do!), knock yourself out:

• Arcade: Ikaruga ($10) and Poker Smash Puzzle Pack 1 and Environment Pack 1 ($1.25 each)
• Rock Band tracks previously released as a Official Xbox Magazine exclusive ($1 each or $3 for the 3-pack) "Rock Rebellion" by Bang Camaro, "Shake" by Count Zero and "Sprode" by Freezepop
• Demo: Sega Superstars Tennis
• Game Videos: Crash Of The Titans, Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack, SBK 08 and Viking: Battle for Asgard
• Themes: Frontlines: Fuel of War, Ikaruga, Bullet for my Valentine, Cradle of Filth, Disney, Dragon Force, HIM, Iron Maiden, Kings of Leon, Motorhead, Nickelback, Ramones, Slipknot, Stone Sour, Trivium ($1.88 each), plus Aliens vs Predator: Requiem, Ford Sync, Speed Racer and U.S. Air Force (all free)
• Pictures: Call of Duty 4 (free; downloading enters you into contest), Ikaruga ($1.25 each), Aliens vs Predator: Requiem (free), Disney ($1.25 each), Ford Sync (free), McDonalds (free), Speed Racer (free) and U.S. Air Force (free)

This week, the Wii Virtual Console offers up its second Sega Master System title, a budget priced side-scrolling shooter:

• Fantasy Zone (Sega Master System) - $5
• Mega Turrican (Genesis) - $8

PlayStation Store update

If you've been curious to see the new PlayStation Store, boot up your PlayStation 3 and patch it to v2.3 now. After about 30 minutes of downloading and installing the latest firmware, you can say goodbye to the ugly Web-based store and hello to zippier launch times and a somewhat cleaner looking interface. The new store even shows you what you've already bought and downloaded, though it has yet to be caught up with the latest Rock Band tracks and other downloadable content that was held back these past few weeks. Expect a hefty update Thursday with the non-resellable version of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the free "Still Alive" (which you'll either love or whine about) and much more. Still no sign of the promised movies and TV shows to compete with Xbox Live Marketplace's HD downloads, but Sony says to stay tuned...

If you want but haven't yet downloaded the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack and were already planning to get Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360 in June, Circuit City has a deal for you. When you pre-order Ninja Gaiden II, they'll e-mail you a code to get thenew Halo 3 map pack free (a $10 value). Of course, you could wait and see whether Bungie will release the pack for free in six months (as they have with all of their other maps) but this way you'll get it within a week...

If you pre-order Age of Conan, Eidos is piling on the extras: most notably, three days access to the MMO world before the riffraff gets in. That's right, you'll be able to play on May 17 instead of May 20. Oh yeah, that privilege will actually cost you an extra $5. But wait, there's more. You can get exclusive in-game items such as the The War Mammoth mount and the Mammoth Traveler's Bag with eight additional inventory slots (if you buy from GameStop), the Amazon Curved Bow and a hardcover mini-guide (if you buy from Amazon.com), an art book (if you buy the standard edition from GoGamer.com, or the Collector's Edition from anyone) and the Killer Rhino mount with inventory bag (if you buy from yet-unspecified "selected retailers"). Actually, this may be the sloppiest pre-order promotion yet. First, it's vague on details about how to select the pre-order goodies you want.Then there's the $5 charge to get three extra days when the game only costs an estimnated $15 a month and the first 30 days are free! Plus, many of the in-game exclusive items require you to level up before you can use them...

The new, improved PlayStation Store has finally been restocked after three weeks of inactivity. Just be warned that if you didn't rush out to install the firmware patch, you'll face a 30-minute or so delay before getting to the downloads:

• Gran Turismo 5 Prologue ($40) - a glorified demo with long-overdue 16-player online gaming and no resale value; buy it at retail if you can't wait until later this year for the full game
• Warhawk Broken Mirror Pack ($8, or $12 as a combo with the previously released Omega Dawn Pack) adds the Armored Personnel Carrier and the Vaporfield Glacier Battlefield
• Lair Dragons and Control Pack (free) adds two playable dragons, DualShock rumble and, best of all, the choice to ditch the Sixaxix controls in favor of the dual analog sticks
• Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection Online Update (free; online version only; must run the game to get it) adds Pickup Match Mode, DualShock rumble, improvements to online matchmaking and unspecified bug fixes
• Super Stardust HD Solo Upgrade Pack ($5) adds remixed visuals and music plus three new game modes: Endless, Survival and Time Attack
• Rock Band tracks delayed by the store freeze: "Still Alive" by Jonathon Coulton and GLaDOS (free); "Rock Rebellion" by Bang Camaro, "Shake" by Count Zero and "Sprode" by Freezepop ($1 each or $3 for the 3-pack); and "Call Me" by Blondie, "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Message In A Bottle" by The Police ($2 each or $5.50 for the 3-pack)
• Demo: UEFA Euro 2008
• Game Videos: Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Haze, This is Vegas and Warhawk Broken Mirror Pack
• Themes: Lair and Warhawk
• Movie Trailer: Pineapple Express

The big Xbox Live Marketplace release this week was the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack, plus a bunch of other stuff including a ton of songs (mostly for that American Idol karoake game). It's worth noting that next week Rock Band will (finally!) debut its first full album after wimping out last month with one song short on the Boston pack. No, it's not Nevermind or Who's Next as promised eons ago. You'll be getting Screaming For Vengeance by Judas Priest. Future releases will include The Cars eponymous debut record in May and Doolittle by The Pixies in June. And there's no sign of Nirvana or The Who.

Anyway, here's what you can get now on your Xbox 360:

• Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack ($10) with new and reimagined classic maps Avalanche, Ghost Town, Lockout and Sidewinder
• Samurai Warriors 2 XL expansion ($30)
• Rock Band tracks ($2 each or $5.50 for the 3-pack) "Call Me" by Blondie, "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Message In A Bottle" by The Police
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore cover songs ($1.50 each) "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman Turner Overdrive, "Flashdance... What A Feeling" by Irene Cara, "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, "Alone" by Heart, "Do I Make You Proud" by Taylor Hicks, "Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel, "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys, "Ladies Night" by Kool and the Gang, "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, "Who Can It Be Now?" by Men at Work, "Always Something There To Remind Me" by Naked Eyes, "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" by Poison, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "You're My Best Friend" by Queen, "I Got You Babe" by Sony and Cher, "My Girl" by The Temptations and "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake
• Kane and Lynch: Dead Men - The Dope Bag (free) adds Clean Cut, Hookers’ Trail, Flying High and Hasta la Vista scenarios to Fragile Alliance
• Arcade: Rocky and Bullwinkle ($10), Battlezone ($5) and Chessmaster Live Fork My Fruit mini-game (free)
• Demos: Condemned 2: Bloodshot, Iron Man and Universe at War: Earth Assault
• Game Videos: Army of Two, Football Manager 2008 and Kane & Lynch: Dead Men - The Dope Bag
• Themes: Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack (free, but you have to be a Gold subscriber and get it from an ad rather than New Arrivals), plus MLB 2K8, NBA Ballers: Chosen One, Anime Fighter, Assy McGee and Bakugan ($1.88 each) and Underoath (free)
• Pictures: Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack (free; enters you in a sweepstakes), NBA Ballers: Chosen One ($1.25), Bakugan ($1) and Underoath (free)

This week, the Wii Virtual Console received a Sega classic RPG (considered by some the weakest of the Phantasy Star series) and an NES fighter:

• Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (Genesis) - $8
• River City Ransom (NES) - $5

If you tried to logon to the Metal Gear Solid 4 beta today, you were no doubt deluged with errors. Turns out that Konami wasn't ready for all of the people who shelled out to get into the MGS Online party early. The beta kickoff has been delayed until at least April 25 (they hope!) and will be extended nearly a week until May 11. Too bad for those of you who took the day off work - guess you need to ante up another vacation day or call in sick on Friday...

If you thought you were going to have to shell out $90 for the Madden NFL 09 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition to get NFL Head Coach 09, there's good news - sort of. Turns out, EA blinked and will offer NFL Head Coach separately for $50 - if you don't mind waiting an extra month and paying a $20 markup over the bundle price to get it. Remind me again why the NFL sold an exclusive license to these bozos? Oh yeah, a big bag full of money...

Okami box art with IGN logo

If you picked up Okami for Wii, go check the box right now. Look closely right next to the wolf's mouth on the front. See that round symbol there? It's actually a watermark used by gaming news site IGN to tag the screenshots it posts! Apparently, a graphic designer who probably no longer works for Capcom used a game image from the IGN site as a placeholder and didn't remember to go back and replace it (or perhaps he or she was a disgruntled temp who could care less). Either way, the tainted cover art was mass produced and published. Now Capcom has begun to print new covers and is offering a free replacement to anyone who requests it. The best part is that you can choose from three designs: the newly revised IGN-less box art, or one of two wraparound images devoid of marketing copy. It looks like it's "scout's honor" that you actually bought the game - so if your PS2 version could use some dressing up, the only thing stopping you is your morality...

This week, the PlayStation Store is still catching up on content, plus there are some new and actually worthwhile downloads:

• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Variety Map Pack ($10)
• Army of Two SSC Challenge Map Pack ($7.50)
• The Eye of Judgment Biolith Rebellion 2 expansion set ($15)
• Guitar Hero III Def Leppard Track Pack ($6.25) with "Nine Lives," "Photograph (Live)" and "Rock of Ages (Live)" by Def Leppard
• Rock Band "Screaming For Vengeance" album by Judas Priest ($15, or $2 per track) and "Saints of Los Angeles" by Mötley Crüe ($1)
• Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore cover songs ($1.50 each) "Miss You" by Aaliyah, "Take On Me" by a-Ha, "Turn the Beat Around" by Vickie Sue Anderson, "I Don’t Wanna Be" by Gaven Degraw, "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers, "Fly" by Hilary Duff, "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, "Hold On" by Good Charlotte, "Cry" by Faith Hill, "The Reason" by Hoobastank, "Drive" by Incubus, "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" by The Isley Brothers, "I’ll Be There" by The Jackson 5, "Good Ol’ Boys" by Waylon Jennings, "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas, "Lady Marmalade" by Patty Labelle, "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper, "Material Girl" by Madonna, "Independence Day" by Martina McBride, "Does He Love You" by Reba McIntire and Linda Davis, "Wind Beneath my Wings" by Bette Midler, "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister, "Someday" by Nickelback, "Why Can’t I" by Liz Phair, "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, ""Heartbreak Hotel" by Elvis Presley, "Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay" by Otis Redding, "How Do I Live" by Leann Rimes, "The Tracks of My Tears" by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones, "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, "Stop! In the Name of Love" by Diana Ross and The Supremes, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin, "Pieces of Me" by Ashlee Simpson, "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra, "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge, "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer, "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears, "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night, "If You Could Only See" by Tonic, "Headstrong" by Trapt and "You’re the One that I Want" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John
• PSP Games: Kingdom of Paradise ($11) and Loco Roco ($22)
• PS1 on PSP and PS3: R-Types ($6)
• Demos: echochrome (PS3 and PSP) and Iron Man
• Game Videos: Army of Two, FIFA 08, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Iron Man, Prototype and Resistance 2
• Theme: The Eye of Judgment
• Wallpaper: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
• Movie Trailers: 88 Minutes and The Water Horse

Think you're a really fast typist? Want to put it to the test? A new Web game called TypeRacer that's now in beta drops you into addictive and completely free multiplayer races where you tap out pop culture quotes as quickly as you can to try to coax your race car avatar across the finish line first. There's even a practice mode, but you're still pretty anonymous so just race against other people - it's much more fun. And, hey, if you're an administrative assistant or stenographer, you might even get away with playing this on the job. You're just refining your craft, right? Hey, don't blame me if it doesn't work. Or if you can't stop playing when it's time to go home...

Here's what's new on Xbox Live Marketplace this week:

• Lost Odyssey Triple Bonus Pack ($2.50) with a memory lamp for replaying past scenes (isn't that usually a free feature called a video gallery?), a mystical antique and a ring
• Army of Two SSC Challenge Map Pack ($7.50) with a new co-op obstacle course mode that includes 4 maps
• Ace Combat 6 F-16C Fighting Falcon (free) and several more sets ($2.50 to $5 each)
• Guitar Hero III Def Leppard Track Pack ($6.25) with "Nine Lives," "Photograph (Live)" and "Rock of Ages (Live)" by Def Leppard
• Rock Band "Screaming For Vengeance" album by Judas Priest ($15, or $2 per track) and "Saints of Los Angeles" by Mötley Crüe ($1)
• Arcade: Lost Cities ($8)
• Xbox Originals: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory and Metal Arms: Glitch in the System ($15 each)
• Demos: Operation Darkness
• Game Videos: 1942: Joint Strike, Army of Two SSC Challenge, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Iron Man, Lost Cities, MLB 2K8, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, TNA iMPACT! Wrestling, The Wheelman and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3
• Themes: MLB 2K8, NBA Ballers: Chosen One, and more Bullet for my Valentine, HIM and Motorhead ($1.88 each), plus Madden NFL 09 Brett Favre Cover and Toyota Matrix (free)
• Pictures: Madden NFL 09 Brett Favre Cover (free), NBA Ballers: Chosen One ($1), Speed Racer (free; enters you in a sweepstakes) and Toyota Matrix (free)

Nintendo, sensing that its Wii players are going to be playing Mario Kart Wii this week instead of downloading Virtual Console titles, only released one new game: Double Dragon from the NES for $5. I guess they figured if you're not into kart racing, you might like a classic beat-'em-up.

If you are playing Mario Kart Wii, word is that you don't need to buy any more wheels than the cheap plastic novelty that's bundled with the game. The best control scheme is reputedly the standared Wii-mote with nunchuk. Anything else will just slow you down... ...

If you haven't yet scored a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV, here are some things you might want to know:

• GameStop stores reportedly have been selling preordered copies to people who walk in off the street due to some corporate directive apparently aimed at maximizing sales (maybe that's why you didn't get your copy? If so, pick it up somewhere else and then cancel your pre-order - that'll show 'em!)
• The Xbox 360 version has achievements
• The PS3 version has a 7-minute mandatory install and some tacked-on Sixaxis controls that you thankfully can (and should) turn off
• Both Xbox 360 and PS3 players have reported some freezes and lockups, and the PS3 version has been iffy when it comes to online multiplayer
• Be sure to turn on subtitles - you'll thank me later
• Driving is more like the Midnight Club series than past GTA iterations, and that's a good thing

That's all I have for now, except to say that my copy came today and I've already enjoyed the superb opening credits sequence, watched some TV, listened to talk radio, had my first date (but no "warm coffee") and failed my first mission by driving into the water. Oh, and so far the game is awesome...

Activsion finallly announced the track list for Guitar Hero: On Tour for the Nintendo DS, and it's only 15 songs long! That's like three tiers in a console game, and there's no word whether downloadable songs are even possible. It's not too late to cancel your pre-orrder if what's included here doesn't sound like music you'd want to play over and over and over again:

• "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar
• "All The Small Things" by Blink 182
• "Helicopter" by Bloc Party
• "What I Want" by Daughtry
• "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers
• "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet
• "Rock and Roll All Nite" by KISS (cover)
• "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys
• "This Love" by Maroon 5
• "Breed" by Nirvana
• "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt
• "Do What You Want" by OK Go
• "All Star" by Smash Mouth
• "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield
• "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister

You know that last song will become an anthem for the game, if you play it enough. And if that's not enough to convince you to let this one go, watch this video again. Now remember that one of the game's increasingly inane obstacles is that you have to sign fans' autographs while you perform. Yeah, that's what I thought...