Busy Gamer News

Song Watch - More Rock Band 2 rumors

2008-07-09T01:28:57Z

If the first batch of song rumors for Rock Band 2 wasn't compelling enough, now there is a purported leak of a draft song list for the game, as well as reports that the 58 tracks from the original Rock Band will be offered up as free downloadable content. If true, you can expect about 150 songs in the game before you add any purchased tracks for the original game you might have already bought and downloaded, which also will be enabled out of the box. Talk about an Endless Setlist! Drool and dream, if you dare:

"Visions" by Abnormality
"Let There Be Rock" by AC/DC
"Girl's Gone Grey" by AFI
"Stop!" by Against Me
"You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
"Man in the Box" by Alice in Chains
"Ramblin' Man" by Allman Brothers
"Get Clean" by Anarchy Club
"Almost Easy" by Avenged Sevenfold
"Shooting Star" by Bad Company
"Suffer" by Bad Religion
"Night Lies" by Bang Camaro
"Dammit" by Blink 182
"Shoulder to the Plow" by Breaking Wheel
"So Whatcha Want" by Beastie Boys
"E-Pro" by Beck
"Rebel Girl" by Bikini Kill
"White Wedding" by Billy Idol
"One Way or Another" by Blondie
"Tangled Up in Blue" by Bob Dylan
"Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
"Hello There" by Cheap Trick
"Holiday In Cambodia" by Dead Kennedys
"Uncontrollable Urge" by Devo
"Feel the Pain" by Dinosaur Jr
"Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed
"New Kid in School" by The Donnas
"Panic Attack" by Dream Theater
"Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
"Pump It Up" by Elvis Costello
"Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters
"All Right Now" by Free
"We've Got the Beat" by The Go-Gos
"Alabama Getaway" by The Grateful Dead
"American Woman" by The Guess Who
"Shackler's Revenge" by Guns N' Roses
"Bandages" by Hot Hot Heat
"PDA" by Interpol
"Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction
"Aqualung" by Jethro Tull
"The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World
"Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
"Anyway You Want It" by Journey
"Painkiller" by Judas Priest
"Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
"Pretend We're Dead" by L7
"Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil
"Neighborhood" by The Libyans
"One Step Closer" by Linkin Park
"My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit
"De-Luxe" by Lush
"A Jagged Georgeous Winter" by The Main Drag
"Colony of Birchmen" by Mastodon
"Peace Sells" by Megadeth
"Battery" by Metallica
"Where'd You Go" by Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Float On" by Modest Mouse
"Ace of Spades" by Motörhead
"Kids in America" by The Muffs
"Drain You" by Nirvana
"Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum
"Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Seperated)" by The Offspring
"Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco
"That's What You Get" by Paramore
"Alive" by Pearl Jam
"Lump" by Presidents of the USA
"Testify" by Rage Against the Machine
"Round & Round" by Ratt
"Give it Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Alex Chilton" by The Replacements
"Give it All" by Rise Against
"The Trees" by Rush
"Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups
"Today" by Smashing Pumpkins
"I Was Wrong" by Social Distortion
"Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth
"Spoonman" by Soundgarden
"Conventional Lover" by Speck
"Cool for Cats" by Squeeze
"Push It" by Static-X
"Bodhitsattva" by Steely Dan
"Rob the Prez-O-Dent" by That Handsome Devil
"Supreme Girl" by The Sterns
"Rock'n Me" by The Steve Miller Band
"Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
"Chop Suey" by System of a Down
"Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
"Master Exploder" by Tenacious D
"Souls of Black" by Testament
"Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who

Even if this list proves to be completely accurate, odds are that some of these songs will fall through for technical and/or licensing reasons, and others may take their place. But if even 80% of the tracks from marquee bands make the final game, it's going to be pretty compelling...

Patch Your PS3 - v2.41 firmware now available

2008-07-08T16:06:47Z

The recently posted then quickly pulled v2.4 firmware update for the PlayStation 3 has been replaced with v2.41, which fixes the problem that caused some systems to boot up with no Cross Media Bar (XMB). Everyone must update (even people who installed the v2.4 patch successfully) before access will restored to the PlayStation Store...

Patch This Game - Metal Gear Solid 4

2008-07-08T06:11:08Z

Konami has patched online play for Metal Gear Solid 4 to add a new Team Sneaking mode that permits not just one player but an entire group of players to appear invisible unless detected. The goal is to infiltrate an enemy base and destroy the target within. If that's not enough, there's a new Headshots Only host option that only rewards kills by, you guessed it, headshots. If you're not playing Metal Gear Solid online because you skipped the game due to fear of near feature-length cut scenes, there's good news for you too: Metal Gear Solid Online has been confirmed as a standalone game, at least in Japan where it will retail for about $17 starting July 17. Can a U.S. release be far behind...

Wii Stuff - SPOGS Racing, King of the Monsters and Trauma Center 2 demo

2008-07-07T21:06:43Z

This week's Wii haul includes:

WiiWare: SPOGS Racing ($10), a potentially nausea-inducing racer where you play as a lone wheel with a Pog in it - be sure to watch the video on the Nintendo (Marketing) Channel first; I got seasick!
Virtual Console: King of the Monsters ($9), yet another NeoGeo brawler
DS Demos: Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2, plus many repeats including Kung Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk
Game Videos: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King, Final Fantasy IV, Lego Indiana Jones, Little League World Series 2008, Soul Bubbles, SPOGS Racing, We Love Golf! and Wii Fit

Xbox 360 Round-up - Price drop rumors, possible Guitar Hero/Rock Band truce and Marketplace updates

2008-07-04T19:33:23Z

If you've been thinking of getting an Xbox 360, you might want to hold off for a couple of weeks. Rampant rumors suggest the 20GB core system will drop to $300 with a 60GB model replacing it at the current $350 price point.

And if you're a Rock Band fan who's been on the fence about Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, maybe this news will push you over: The Rock Band stratocaster has been confirmed to work with the Xbox 360 edition of the game (alas, not on PS3 though). You have to wonder if this was by accident ("OK, who forgot to block the competition!") or perhaps a trial balloon to determine if playing nice with Harmonix is actually more profitable.

Speaking of rock rhythm games, there's are free songs this week for both major platforms plus some other nice freebies and the promise of more on Monday:

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Gift Pack (free) with three reworked maps: Calypso Casino, Murdertown - Dark and CQB Training - Dark
Guitar Hero III July 4th Holiday Single "Top Gun Anthem" (free)
Rock Band songs "Promised Land" by Vesuvius (free) and Crüe Fest Pack 1 ($3, or $1 per track) with “Down at the Whisky” by Motley Crüe, "Time Is Running Out" by Papa Roach and "Who’s Going Home with You Tonight?" by Trapt
Ninja Gaiden II costume packs ($2.50 each)
Arcade: Soul Calibur ($10) and Wits & Wagers 280 question pack ($4)
Game Videos: Alone In The Dark, Civilization Revolution, Halo 3, Soul Calibur IV, Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and Supreme Commander (all free), plus The Bourne Conspiracy strategy guides ($0.63 each)
Themes: Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath and Soul Calibur IV ($1.88 each), plus Lego Indiana Jones ($1.25 to $1.88), The X Files movie (free) and University of Miami ($2.25)
Pictures: Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath (one is free and enters you in sweepstakes, another is $1.25), Lego Indiana Jones ($1.63), NCAA Football 09 ($2.50 each), Soul Calibur IV ($1), The X Files movie (free) and University of Miami ($1.25)

Be sure to check Marketplace on Monday, which is apparently Bungie Day (7th day of the 7th month). There will be some one-day only free Halo 3 theme and gamer pic downloads (curse my Red Ringed 360!), a free map called Cold Storage and a discount on the Legendary Map Pack ($7.50, down from $10)...

PlayStation Store - Free 4th of July songs and Killzone 2 video

2008-07-04T19:16:39Z

This week, the PlayStation Store's biggest draw is some free songs for Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. Get them fast as there's no word on how long they will last (sorry about the rhyming - GrrlGotGame is reading Dr. Seuss to our 5 year old):

Guitar Hero III July 4th Holiday Single "Top Gun Anthem" (free)
Rock Band songs "Promised Land" by Vesuvius (free) and Crüe Fest Pack 1 ($3, or $1 per track) with “Down at the Whisky” by Motley Crüe, "Time Is Running Out" by Papa Roach and "Who’s Going Home with You Tonight?" by Trapt
Qore Episode 02 ($3) with Resistance 2 videos and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm demo
Game Videos: Battlefield: Bad Company, Dead Space animated comics, Killzone 2, Tiger Woods '09, Valkyria Chronicles and Vampire Rain: Altered Species

First Look - Diablo III

2008-07-04T06:41:45Z

Blizzard announced the return of another beloved franchise in the form of Diablo III, a PC-only action RPG for Windows and Mac whose story is set 20 years after its predecessor. The game's overhead view will be similar, though not the same, as the isometric angle popularized by the action RPG genre (well, along with real-time strategy). As with past installments, multiplayer will be the big draw, utilizing Battle.net for advanced features including a dynamic co-op party mode. Development has actually been underway for more than three years. No release date has been provided, though the game engine is apparently mostly done. Interested? Here's a taste of the gameplay:

Song Watch - Rock Band 2

2008-07-03T06:20:04Z

If the rumors are true (and they might not be, but this feels like intentional marketing leakage intended to cause fear, uncertainty and doubt about buying a certain competing title), here are some of the songs we can expect in Rock Band 2:

"Man in the Box" by Alice In Chains\
"Hello There" by Cheap Trick
"Panic Attack" by Dream Theater or Finger Eleven
"Everlong" by Foo Fighters
"We Got The Beat" by the Go-Gos
"American Woman" by The Guess Who
"White Wedding" by Billy Idol
"Aqua Lung" by Jethro Tull
"Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett
"Anyway You Want It" by Journey
"One Step Closer" by Linkin Park
"Peace Sells" by Megadeth
"You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morrisette
"Ace of Spades" by Motörhead
"Drain You" by Nirvana
"Testify" by Rage Against The Machine
"Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Spoonman" by Soundgarden
"Chop Suey" by System of a Down
"Pinball Wizard" by The Who
"Kids In America" by Kim Wilde

You know what this means. We should see some Guitar Hero: World Tour leaks and/or announcements any day now...

Patch Your PS3 - As promised, v2.4 adds in-game XMB and trophies

2008-07-02T07:21:07Z

The v2.4 firmware for the PlayStation 3 is now available (and will take quite so time to download, so get to it now or you won't be able to access the PlayStation Store tomorrow). Support for trophies, Sony's answer to Xbox 360 achievements, is available or will be soon for these titles once patched:
Burnout Paradise
Pain
Super Stardust HD
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Warhawk
Alas, if you've already played these games, you will need to start a new save game to get credit for the achieve-, er, trophies. These forthcoming games will also have trophies, which Sony promises will eventually be offered "across the board":
BUZZ! Quiz TV
LittleBigPlanet
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift
PixelJunk Eden
Resistance 2
NBA 09
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
You can also access the Cross Media Bar (XMB) from within games, though not with with movies or PS2 games. Also you can't change display settings or access the PlayStation Store or Web browser without quitting your game first. You can text message friends within games, but not voice chat. There is also a custom soundtrack feature, though only with music ripped to your console hard drive and only for games that specifically support this feature (none yet that I could find). Finally, there's a new redesigned Friends list with a new cap of 100...

UPDATE: Sony has apparently pulled the firmware due to some systems hanging on the main menu after installation. If this happens, the quick fix seems to be to format your hard drive, not a great choice if you want to keep all of your save games and downloaded files.

Blog - Red Ring of Death strikes again

2008-07-02T05:00:47Z

After two and a half years, we've had another Xbox 360 die. For the record, with two 360s in the house, we have seen:

Two Red Rings of Death
A video card failure
Frequent freezing
A faulty DVD drive eject button

The first Red Ring incident happened just a few days after launch in 2005. Microsoft replaced that unit, which revealed the content license issue that last week Microsoft corrected, albeit inadequately. Then, last year, the replacement failed when its video card stopped working. It was repaired under warranty, but I'm guessing they didn't bother installing a heat sink.

Meanwhile, also last year, we finally gave in and had the other launch 360 repaired due to incessant freezing since launch (probably due to overheating) but no Red Ring of Death. It was fixed, but came back with a faulty eject button which we never bothered to get it re-repaired since we can open and close it with a remote - though it's on our to-do list.

We're actually going to hang onto that one for now, since the other replacement/repaired-once-already 360 died tonight unexpectedly with three red lights blinking rapidly. The only clue I had that there was any problem was when Grand Theft Auto IV hung during a mission load screen this afternoon for more than 5 minutes. I finally ejected the disc, cleaned it and put it back in. It seemed fine after that. But when I turned it back on this evening, it didn't come back up. Well, it will load without a hard drive attached, but the support person said it's done for and to send it in.

You know it's bad when they offer to let me ship it in my own box instead of insisting I wait for them to send me an authorized shipping container. Fortunately, I saved one of their cardboard coffins from last year.

So it looks like I might have a chance to see how the Xbox 360 transfer process works, assuming they replace the console. Not that I'm looking forward to manually redownloading 800+ pieces of content ranging from Rock Band songs to Obliviion mods and (mostly free) gamer pics, themes and videos. But it would solve the problem of having to wait for a year to buy a console after consolidating my licenses.

Here's hoping the other 360 can hold out three weeks without going all Red Ring on us. Heck, I'll just be happy if it can survive through my 40th birthday this weekend.

-=Gamewatcher

Wii Stuff - Magnetica Twist, Fatal Fury 2 and PictoImage demo

2008-06-30T22:54:43Z

This week's Wii update offers up:

WiiWare: Magnetica Twist ($10), an update to the reputed first-ever marble shooter game
Virtual Console: Fatal Fury 2 ($9), the Neo-Geo classic fighter
DS Demos: Carnival Games and PictoImage, plus several repeats
Game Videos: Alone in the Dark, Cabela's Trophy Bucks, Geometry Wars Galaxies, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: On Tour, Magnetica Twist, My Weight Loss Coach, Order Up!, Paws and Claws: Pet Vet, Wall-E and Wii Fit

First Look - Rock Band 2

2008-06-30T14:57:54Z

After Rock Band hit last December, it was originally believed that - thanks to the weekly onslaught of downloadable songs - a sequel would be at least a couple years off. Not true. In what is clearly an effort to pre-empt Guitar Hero World Tour due in October, Rock Band 2 is being delivered in September. Not many details are being revealed yet (including track lists), but so far we know:

Original Rock Band instruments will work with Rock Band 2, though new instruments will be "quieter, more realistic, and more reliable"
Downloadable content will be interchangeable between the two games (a first, particularly for the Xbox 360 where downloads have traditionally been locked to each title)
Band World Tour will most likely be playable online out of the box, though this has only been hinted and not confirmed
There will be new options to pick and play your music, including ways to balance the risk/reward of random tracks in Band World Tour so you don't get blindsided by too difficult songs at inopportune times
A party mode should permit more fluid play with less time spent on set up
A new guitar vocalist mode should streamline the game for players who want to strum and sing at the same time
Many unspecified new features and improvements are in response to feedback and concerns posted on public Rock Band forums
Rumors indicate AC/DC, Bad Religion and Turbonegro will have songs in the game though no songs have been officially confirmed
Don't expect a music creation mode; Harmonix indicates they want to provide this, but said "we want to do it right" suggesting it won't be ready this year

Xbox Live Marketplace - Free Frontlines map, Lego Indiana Jones demo and Dark Knight theme and pics

2008-06-28T05:32:07Z

New Xbox 360 downloadable content was overshadowed this week by the tool you can use to reclaim your past purchases if they were bought on more than one console (particularly any that died and were replaced). If you're still confused about what this tool is and how it works, Microsoft has an FAQ and instructional video:

If, after reviewing all of this and reading yesterday's rant, you're still game to plunk down some hard-earned Microsoft points, here's what you can find on Xbox Live Marketplace (for what it's worth, I bought six more Rock Band songs myself - albeit before the tool was released):

Frontlines: Fuel of War Boneyard Map (free) which includes the automatic shotgun, rocket jeep and Red Star transport helicopter
Arcade: Happy Tree Friends False Alarm ($10) and Ticket to Ride ($10)
Guitar Hero III track (free) “I am Murloc” by Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain from World of Warcraft
Rock Band Weezer 01 track pack ($5.50, or $2 each) with "Dreamin'," "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" and "Troublemaker, and the Pixies album Doolittle ($19, or $2 each) with "Crackity Jones," "Dead," "Debaser," "Gouge Away," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," "I Bleed," "La La Love You," "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Mr. Grieves," "No. 13 Baby," "Silver," "Tame," and "There Goes my Gun"
Ace Combat 6 Mission 03 ($4.38) and more planes ($2.50 to $5) including the free F-14D Wardog
Demos: Lego Indiana Jones, Prizefighter and Top Spin 3
Game Videos: Alone in the Dark, Battlefield: Bad Company, Call of Duty: World at War, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Fable 2, Golden Axe: Beast Rider, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Too Human
Themes: Prince of Persia ($1.25 each), FaceBreaker and Top Spin 3 ($1.88), plus The Dark Knight and ESPN X Games (free) and University of Arizona ($2.25)
Pictures: Facebreaker ($2.50 each), Prince Of Persia ($1), The Dark Knight (free), ESPN X Games (free), Penny Arcade ($2.50) and University of Arizona ($1.25)

PlayStation Store - Weezer, Pixies, free WoW Guitar Hero III track and Hot Shots Golf demo

2008-06-27T23:12:52Z

This week, here are the new items you'll find in the PlayStation Store:

Guitar Hero III track (free) “I am Murloc” by Level 70 Elite Tauren Chieftain from World of Warcraft
Rock Band Weezer 01 track pack ($5.50, or $2 each) with "Dreamin'," "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" and "Troublemaker, and the Pixies album Doolittle ($19, or $2 each) with "Crackity Jones," "Dead," "Debaser," "Gouge Away," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," "I Bleed," "La La Love You," "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Mr. Grieves," "No. 13 Baby," "Silver," "Tame," and "There Goes my Gun"
PSP Game: Medievil Resurrection ($17)
Pain character Nigel ($1)
Demos: Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds and Top Spin 3
Game Videos: Battlefield: Bad Company, Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway, Call of Duty: World at War, Haze and The Incredible Hulk
Themes: Pain and PlayStation Network
Movie Trailers: The House Bunny, Men In Black and So I Married An Axe Murderer

Rant - The new Xbox 360 License Transfer Tool doesn't fully cure our DRM headaches

2008-06-27T06:30:10Z

After more than two years and an increasing number of customers complaining as their Xbox 360 consoles have red ringed, Microsoft has finally solved its DRM license transfer issue - sort of.

The just launched Xbox 360 License Transfer Tool will let you consolidate any licenses you may have scattered across multiple consoles and transfer them to another. The catch is that you can only perform this Web-initiated transfer once a year. After you take the plunge, you're locked out from doing so again for 12 months. Also, as with the 120GB hard drive transfer cable, it's an all-or-nothing affair.

This is good for some situations, like if you buy a bunch of Rock Band tracks at a buddy's house and want to reclaim them to your home console later. The problem is that you're then locked out of buying a new console for a year! So what should you do: Put off getting that HD-capable 360 for 12 months, or - what the heck - go ahead and buy it now and then reclaim your licenses? A year is a long time, too long for most to wait. You're just going to have to upgrade now.

It's clear that the iTunes model of authorizing and deauthorizing systems at will was deemed too permissive; people might use it to play games at their friends' house and then reclaim them back home later. And if you never logged that friend's Xbox 360 back onto Xbox Live, ostensibly you might have multiple consoles with the same purchases all playable offline (albeit with the same gamertag). Still, it seems like it would only take one slip to catch abusers, and you're still punishing the purchasers.

Thankfully, if you have to send your console in for repairs and it is replaced, the license transfer is automatic now - though you may have to go back and redownload your purchases to ensure they all work offline again.

My case is a little more complicated. I personally have 803 game licenses and 90 video licenses spread across two consoles in our home, and my wife has some too (though I can't login to see hers right now). Both of our 360s are from the 2005 launch and have had many problems (red ring, freezes due to overheating, video card death), but - apart from that first month replacement in 2005 - they have been repaired instead of replaced. And neither has HDMI. The small annoyance is that some of the licenses were limited-time freebies such as Oblivion mods I downloaded to my wife's console while mine was being repaired. I could simply sweep up all licenses and consolidate them on our respective consoles, but then I'm locked out of upgrading for a year. But I don't want to run out and just buy a new console (and certainly not two!) for a little piece of mind.

The good news is that the expanded 360 warranty coupled with the extended service plans we bought should give us options should our consoles fail. I'm not sure whether I'll upgrade to HDMI this year; it would be nice, but now I feel like if I do so, the people who came up with this inane solution win! So maybe I'll just take the plunge and consolidate all of our licenses.

But not right away. I've had enough 360 DRM headaches these past few years. If this thing has bugs and issues, I'm not going to be the one to find out the hard way - because if it can go wrong, it will go wrong for me. I'm going to wait at least a month to see how things shake out.

-=Gamewatcher