Harmonix Is My Master Now

Technically, they have been since the OG Guitar Hero, but now even more so. E3 kicked off today, and they made some official announcements. I'm going to run through them and post my comments interspersed in italics.

- Local and global online modes to connect the entire Rock Band community
Nothing new here.
- World Tour mode, now online, simplifies the best of gameplay from the original Rock Band by fusing Solo Tour and Band World Tour modes and cranks it up a notch with an all new collection of opportunity gigs, challenges, cities, venues and hirable staff
Oh hell yes. In person rocking is still the way to go, but having the option of playing the world tour with people across town or across the world kicks serious ass.
- Tour Challenges that offer rockers a chance to play through mini-campaigns focused on the best songs by instrument, decade, genre, artist, album and more
Awesome.
- Battle of the Bands mode challenges players to go head to head against other bands in constantly refreshed contests created by Harmonix
I'm personally not into the competition aspect of the game, but that sounds very cool.
- Quickplay makes it easier than ever to get in and jam without hassle while allowing for new prefab characters or customized characters that can play on any instrument plus lets you make your own set lists and organize your song lists in a variety of categories (genre, era, etc.)
Nothing new here except for set lists.
- Customizable Set Lists keep the music rolling and your band rocking in Quickplay mode
Yay! Set lists!
- Drum Trainer mode gives players the fundamentals of different beats and fills, translating gameplay into real drumming skills
Wow. I can't wait to see how far they take this, but the mind boggles at the possibilities.
- Character Creator completes your look with all new choices in clothing, accessories, tattoos, hairstyles, instruments and more to keep your unique rock avatar playing the full rock part
Nothing new here.
- Backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date
Very, very cool.
- Disc Export Feature gives owners of the original Rock Band the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay--the first time ever in videogame history!
Fuck yes. The only thing that gives me the slightest pause is the word "most." It would suck most extremely if we could import stuff like "Ballroom Blitz" and "Electric Version" but couldn't bring over "Tom Sawyer" and "Foreplay/Long Time." Then again, who am I kidding? I'm buying RB2 if I can't import any songs from RB1, so this is just a really, really big bonus.
- The Rock Band 2 soundtrack will feature over 100 songs - with over 80 songs on disc plus an additional 20 bonus tracks which will be made available for free download this fall.
Nice. This is even nicer given that the soundtrack has also been officially announced. More on that in a bit.
- Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and Emerging rock acts including Pearl Jam, Metallica, Allman Brothers, Motorhead, Devo, Jane's Addiction, Megadeth, Paramore, Modest Mouse and more.
Yes, yes, yes, ok, ok, yes, yes, and ok.
- Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, "Let There Be Rock”
Moar AcDc plz!!!11one
- After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track, “Shackler’s Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy
Moar GnR plz!!!111eleven.
- For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue”
Moar Dob Bylan kthxbai!!!!11onehundredeleven
- With ongoing weekly DLC releases including individual tracks, track packs and full albums, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end!
That's a lot of music.
- Fender Stratocaster Controller takes on a new authentic look plus adds a reinforced strum bar, quieter buttons, wireless functionality and a built in calibration tool that automatically sets your AV setup to an ideal setting for maximum rock.
Nothing groundbreaking here, seeing as how the PS3 guitar is already wireless, I've never needed to calibrate it, and the buttons are fine. I suppose the strum bar could use a little work, so ok.
- Drum set goes wireless while also featuring quieter, velocity sensitive drum pads and a metal reinforced pedal.
Yes, yes, and yes. I might end up having to get a new drum set, especially if my pedal cracks in half (it's currently hanging on by a thread).
- Microphone showcases authentic styling and weight.
Uh huh. Ok. Sure.
- Fender Telecaster Controller from Mad Catz features soft buttons with lower action to help you shred faster than ever.
O...K. Lower action? Seriously? You realize it's not an actual guitar, right?
- Fender Bass Controller from Mad Catz, the first bass guitar controller ever, takes the shape of the Fender P-Bass with extended length, tuning pegs and a split strum bar to replicate finger-bass style picking.
Ok, now this is awesome. Given that that's exactly how I play the bass (IRL and in the game), I may very well have to pick that up.
- Full-sized Squire Stratocaster Guitar Controller from Mad Catz multiplies the authentic guitar experience by featuring a controller built into an actual Squire Stratocaster body.
Yeah...no. Seriously, just buy a guitar.
- Cymbal Expansion Pack from Mad Catz is a straightforward but amazing upgrade to the Rock Band 2 drum set featuring add-on cymbals.
Interesting. Not sure that it adds anything (the cymbals would just be different inputs, but would still be mapped to 2 or 3 of the same buttons that the drum pads are mapped to), but ok.
- ION Drum Rocker, a real electronic drum kit that functions as a game controller, brings the Rock Band fantasy to life featuring a simple substitution that takes the drum kit from a controller to a real instrument.
Very, very cool.

And now, the official on-disc tracklist:
1. AC/DC “Let There Be Rock” 1970s
2. AFI “Girl’s Gone Grey” 2000’s
3. Alanis Morissette “You Oughta Know” 1990’s
4. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” 1990’s
5. Allman Brothers “Ramblin’ Man” 1970’s
6. Avenged Sevenfold “Almost Easy” 2000’s
7. Bad Company “Shooting Star” 1970’s
8. Beastie Boys “So Whatcha Want” 1990’s
9. Beck “E-Pro” 2000’s
10. Bikini Kill “Rebel Girl” 1990’s
11. Billy Idol “White Wedding Pt. I” 1980’s
12. Blondie “One Way or Another” 1970’s
13. Bob Dylan “Tangled Up in Blue” 1970’s
14. Bon Jovi “Livin’ on a Prayer” 1980’s
15. Cheap Trick “Hello There” 1970’s
16. Devo “Uncontrollable Urge” 1980’s
17. Dinosaur Jr. “Feel the Pain” 1990’s
18. Disturbed “Down with the Sickness” 2000’s
19. Dream Theater “Panic Attack” 2000’s
20. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf” 1980’s
21. Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” 1970’s
22. Fleetwood Mac “Go Your Own Way” 1970’s
23. Foo Fighters “Everlong” 1990’s
24. Guns N’ Roses “Shackler’s Revenge” 2000’s
25. Interpol “PDA” 2000’s
26. Jane’s Addiction “Mountain Song” 1980’s
27. Jethro Tull “Aqualung” 1970’s
28. Jimmy Eat World “The Middle” 2000’s
29. Joan Jett “Bad Reputation” 1980’s
30. Journey “Anyway You Want It” 1970’s
31. Judas Priest “Painkiller” 1990’s
32. Kansas “Carry On Wayward Son” 1970’s
33. L7 “Pretend We’re Dead” 1990’s
34. Lacuna Coil “Our Truth” 2000’s
35. Linkin Park “One Step Closer” 2000’s
36. Lit “My Own Worst Enemy” 1990’s
37. Lush “De-Luxe” 1990’s
38. Mastodon “Colony of Birchmen” 2000’s
39. Megadeth “Peace Sells” 1980’s
40. Metallica “Battery” 1980’s
41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones “Where’d You Go” 1990’s
42. Modest Mouse “Float On” 2000’s
43. Motorhead “Ace of Spades” 1980’s
44. Nirvana “Drain You” 1990’s
45. Norman Greenbaum “Spirit in the Sky” 1960’s
46. Panic at the Disco “Nine in the Afternoon” 2000’s
47. Paramore “That’s What You Get” 2000’s
48. Pearl Jam “Alive” 1990’s
49. Presidents of the USA “Lump” 1990’s
50. Rage Against the Machine “Testify” 1990’s
51. Ratt “Round & Round” 1980’s
52. Red Hot Chili Peppers “Give it Away” 1990’s
53. Rise Against “Give it All” 2000’s
54. Rush “The Trees” 1970’s
55. Silversun Pickups “Lazy Eye” 2000’s
56. Smashing Pumpkins “Today” 1990’s
57. Social Distortion “I Was Wrong” 1990’s
58. Sonic Youth “Teenage Riot” 1980’s
59. Soundgarden “Spoonman” 1990’s
60. Squeeze “Cool for Cats” 1970’s
61. Steely Dan “Bodhitsattva” 1970’s
62. Steve Miller Band “Rock’n Me” 1970’s
63. Survivor “Eye of the Tiger” 1980’s
64. System of a Down “Chop Suey” 2000’s
65. Talking Heads “Psycho Killer” 1970’s
66. Tenacious D “Master Exploder” 2000’s
67. Testament “Souls of Black” 1990’s
68. The Donnas “New Kid in School” 2000’s
69. The Go-Go’s “We Got the Beat” 1980’s
70. The Grateful Dead “Alabama Getaway” 1980’s
71. The Guess Who “American Woman” 1970’s
72. The Muffs “Kids in America” 1990’s
73. The Offspring “Come Out & Play (Keep ‘em Separated)” 1990’s
74. The Replacements “Alex Chilton” 1980’s
75. The Who “Pinball Wizard” 1960’s
76. Abnormality “Visions” 2000’s
77. Anarchy Club “Get Clean” 2000’s
78. Bang Camaro “Night Lies” 2000’s
79. Breaking Wheel “Shoulder to the Plow” 2000’s
80. The Libyans “Neighborhood” 2000’s
81. The Main Drag “A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” 2000’s
82. Speck “Conventional Lover” 2000’s
83. The Sterns “Supreme Girl” 2000’s
84. That Handsome Devil “Rob the Prez-O-Dent” 2000’s
Too...much...awesome...brain...overloading...forcing...to speak...in short...bursts...
Seriously, though, wow. Of the 50 something songs there that I've heard, completely awesome. I'm sure most, if not all, of the other 30 something will grow on me once I hear and play them.

That's it for the official announcements today, and damn, what announcements they are. One more note on the tracklist. Supposedly, Harmonix couldn't get all the tracks they wanted together in time for the Xbox's exclusive launch in September, so that's why they're releasing another 20 tracks to RB2 owners for free download later this year. That's just incredible. At this point, since GH1 was a 10, GH2 was an 11, and Rock Band was a 12, Rock Band 2 is going to be a 13.