Rock Band 2 UK PS3 and Wii Release Dates Announced

Press release:
Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game development company, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), along with distribution partner Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced that its critically acclaimed music videogame Rock Band® 2 will begin shipping in Europe for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system beginning the week of 23rd March. Rock Band 2 will also ship for the Wii™ home video game console from Nintendo beginning week of 20th April.

Rock Band 2 software will retail for £49.99 on the PLAYSTATION 3, £29.99 for the PlayStation 2 and £39.99 for the Wii. Rock Band 2 is also currently available on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system for £49.99.
Rock Band® instrument peripherals are also now available at new price points:

• Stand alone guitars will retail at £39.99
• Stand alone drums will retail for £49.99
• An “Instrument Edition” including drums, guitar and microphone will retail for £89.99

In addition to the new price points, consumers will now also be able to purchase the Rock Band Instrument Edition and Rock Band software together for £119.99 for the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360 and for £109.99 for the PlayStation 2 and Wii.

Rock Band 2 revolutionizes music gaming with the ability to export most of the songs from the original Rock Band disc , Online World Tour, daily Battle-Of-The Band Tournaments, No Fail Mode, and a real Drum Trainer. Rock Band 2’s massive list of innovations also includes the ability to export your in-game band avatar to the internet and order custom Rock Band merchandise including apparel and figures.

Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date with more than 100 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack and an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more!

Rock Band DLC Update – Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Press release:
Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that the debut album from late electric blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble will be added to the Rock Band® Music Store catalog of downloadable content. The weekly Rock Band music catalogue update also includes “New” from alternative rockers No Doubt.

Stevie Ray Vaughan is often recognized as one of the most influential blues-rock guitarists in music history. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble’s debut album Texas Flood (1983) sold more than 500,000 copies and cracked the top 40 of the Billboard 200 charts within a year of its release. All ten songs featured on the album, including the popular studio cuts “Pride and Joy” and “Rude Mood,” will be available as downloadable Rock Band tracks individually or as a full album. Please see below for a full list of tracks.

The alternative rock pioneers of No Doubt make another appearance in the Rock Band music catalog with the addition of “New” from the band’s album Return of Saturn (2000). No Doubt launched onto Rock Band in December 2008 with the release of their 2003 album The Singles 1992-2003.

Release Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 (Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360®)
Thursday, March 5, 2009 (PlayStation®Store)

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **

Tracks:
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Love Struck Baby”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Pride and Joy”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Texas Flood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Tell Me”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Rude Mood”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Testify”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Mary Had a Little Lamb”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Dirty Pool”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “I’m Cryin”
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble “Lenny”
No Doubt “New”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

Price: $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$15.99 (1280 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for LP Texas Flood

Locations: Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360
PlayStation®Network

Street Fighter IV PC This Summer

The Xbox 360 and PS3 version of Street Fighter IV, according Capcom’s Christian Svensson has "exceed forecast" and "is on track to do some pretty amazing things". But PC users are still rubbing their thumbs, unclear of when their favorite brawler will be available on their beloved platform.

But…rub thumbs no more…err, because Capcom has finally set a release window for the PC version: This Summer. Asked when the PC version will be out, Svensson said: "Let’s say summer."

He added: "We rolled out our Mad Catz sticks and pads, and the interesting thing to note about all of those sticks and pads is they all work with PC as well. We may, and I’m in talks with Mad Catz to figure out how can we actually do some bundles of pads and Street Fighter IV PC."

Ready for the Haduoken?

GTA: Chinatown Wars – Two Trailers

Rockstar has released two trailers for its GTA: Chinatown Wars, the GTA for Nintendo DS. One is the announcement trailer and one a gameplay trailer. Check them out below:

Announcement Trailer:


Gameplay Trailer:

Diablo III – The Unburied

Blizzard Entertainment has revealed a new monster model for its upcoming action RPG Diablo III. The creature is called The Unburied, and like a Diablo creature should be, it is one ugly you know what. Here is a snip from the Blizzard’s update about The Unburied:

"When the guard happened upon a mass grave dug by this sick fool, a massive, horned, disgusting behemoth was digging itself out. The dying traveler described this loathsome beast – or, as he termed it, the unburied – as being comprised of bloated parts from many fetid, rotting corpses, with a multitude of disfigured heads and slobbering fanged mouths. He was fortunate that day, but when he returned with several men to help him deal with the creature, they found to their horror that the undead spawn was too much for even their combined efforts. They fought valiantly to the last man, sacrificing themselves to keep the beast from rampaging across the countryside and taking who knows how many innocent lives. He was the last survivor, and before he passed on, he proudly told me that they were successful in eradicating the foul unburied creature."

More.

Screenshots:

Team Fortress 2 Scout Update Available

Updates to Team Fortress 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The specific changes include:

New features

    * Added The Force-A-Nature, The Sandman, and Bonk!
    * Added 35 new Scout achievements
    * Added crit boosted on/off sound effects
    * Added new sounds for upgraded teleporters
    * Added new sound for a fully charged medic dying
    * Add bonus points section to scores
          o Scouts earn a bonus point for killing Medics who are actively healing a target
    * Added several new speech concepts, mostly hooked up to new Scout lines
    * Added new "Remember last weapon between lives" option to the Multiplayer Advanced dialog
    * Spies can now control which weapon the enemy team sees them holding. Hitting the "last disguise" key while disguised updates the disguise to show the Spy’s currently held weapon
    * Added several new Arena mode announcer speech events.
    * Added "First Blood" to Arena mode
    * Removed 2x item respawn times in arena
    * Changed backstab handling to fix facestabs
    * Spies disguised as enemy team can now see player IDs for enemies

New maps

    * Added community maps: cp_egypt, arena_watchtower, and cp_junction
    * Updated cp_fastlane with Arttu’s new version

Mapmaker requests

    * Added new input for forward speed modifier to FuncTrainTrain
    * Added TeleportToPathTrack input to func_tracktrain

Bugfixes

    * Fixed a bug where players would sometimes gib from non-gib damage kills
    * Fixed stat screen showing an entry for a class called "map."
    * Fixed item model panels not using team skins

- Fixed obscure bug where spectators were able to carry the flag

Singularity – Reveal Trailer

Raven Software has unleashed a ‘Reveal’ trailer for its upcoming shooter Singularity. According to a recent issue of Game Informer, the sci-fi shooter features "mind-bending gameplay that not only has the player jumping through time, but using it as a weapon (let’s see how well an armed enemy does when he’s instantly aged into bones and dust!). Set on a small, unnamed island occupied by the Russians, Cold War tensions raise once again when a U.S. pilot discovers the horrific truth that became of experiments with element E99 in the 1950s."

Lost Planet 2 Announced

Press release:
Capcom®, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced that Lost Planet® 2 is being developed for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft®, following an exclusive announcement on Xbox LIVE that happened Monday, February 23. Lost Planet®: Extreme Condition, the landmark third-person shooter that debuted on Xbox 360, went on to sell over 2.2 million units worldwide after its release. This next riveting instalment will offer deeper insight into the world of E.D.N III and the uncertain fate of future mankind.

Lost Planet 2 picks up 10 years since the events of the original adventure and the landscape has evolved dramatically. With the success of terraforming activities, the planet’s ice has begun to melt, giving way to lush tropical jungles and other new environments. The story has advanced beyond Wayne Holden as players will now follow the exploits of their own customized snow pirates on their quest to seize control of E.D.N III. Players will move their heroes through different stories creating a truly unique and interactive experience. With this concept, gamers will have the opportunity to engage in the story in a more dynamic way as plot threads evolve from various perspectives.

The strongest features from the first game will return in Lost Planet 2 making fans feel right at home. In addition to the anchor actions that made the gameplay in Lost Planet a true 3-D experience, Lost Planet 2 allows gamers to gain tactical advantage with a wide variety of new actions. The game will also contain a new addition to the enormous Akrids which were a fan-favourite in the first Lost Planet.

Capcom has spent a considerable amount of time reviewing community feedback and incorporating it into Lost Planet 2 creating a game that both new and returning fans to the series will love. The game takes advantage of Capcom’s most highly advanced software development tool, the MT Framework 2. This is the first game to make use of the new technology that builds on the advancements made in the original MT Framework.

Beyond the deep single player mode, Lost Planet 2 is loaded with one the most extensive multiplayer campaign seen in a shooter to date. The intense and action packed campaign mode comes with the ability to form teams of up to 4 players online to clear mission objectives with friends.

More information on Lost Planet 2 will be revealed in the upcoming months. In the meantime, please visit the official Capcom press site at www.capcomeuro-press.com

Screenshots:

Alan Wake Plot Details Leaked

Alan Wake’s plot details were leaked on Remedy’s official Alan Wake forums, supposedly posted by a community manager. The text as was pulled immediately but fortunately IGN contained the leak in their news section. Following is a snip from the actual post, reading further is now up to you. You have been Spoiler Warned.

”The amount of pages keeps growing each night. There are also new edits on the old pages. They keep getting more aggressive…” More.

Mass Effect 2 – Teaser Trailer

Bioware has released a teaser trailer for Mass Effect 2, sequel to 2007′s acclaimed action-RPG. Check it out:

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