It’s OK Sony fans. Sure the Xbox 360 is getting Tekken 6, and it’s true that they’ll be getting Blu-ray capability soon. There is still hope the PlayStation 3 will recover faster than our economy. They’ve still got great exclusives in the future like LittleBigPlanet and the game staring that seven-meters-tall bad ass pictured above, White Knight Chronicles – “the forthcoming flagship role-playing title for PS3.”

White Knight Chronicles features an epic single-player quest grounded in a huge and lavishly-designed medieval world filled with awe-inspiring mountains, a castle, a cavernous mine and even a giant mobile city built on the back of an enormous creature. The story begins when an evil corporation (they had those in the dark ages?) called “Wizard” attacks during Princess Cisna’s coming-of-age banquet. Our hero Leonard tries to help her escape by hiding out in the castle cellars. There he finds ancient and magical armor that will turn him into the hulking White Knight.

From this point the story takes off on that epic quest, which should take 50 to 60 hours to complete. However, players don’t have to go it alone the whole way. Developer LEVEL 5 has blessed this quest with the ability to band into teams of four via the PlayStation Network. The online-quest mode will not however be integrated into the main story mode. Players can complete online quests alone though. Thankfully everything you get in one mode like money, gear and stats will transfer over into the other mode.

White Knight Chronicles is set to release in Japan on Christmas Day, while the rest of us just have to wait a little longer for our White Knight.

More of the same from Blizzcon.

“When asked to expand upon a button found by sifting through the Lich King beta’s data files named “Paid Character Customization,” Brack initially hesitated to give any answer at all. Several questions later, he went back to the matter, saying that he could, in fact, confirm that World of Warcraft would eventually have some form of paid character customization, though they themselves hadn’t yet worked out any details.” [Source]

It’s the people who pay for this stuff, the people who eat it up and love adding fairy wings, space helmets, or ninja masks to their characters that drive this micro transaction market.  I loathe it.   Almost as much as I loathe….

StarCraft 2’s Trilogy being stretched out over several YEARS.

Blizzard’s Vice President of Game Design Rob Pardo wants us to think about Starcraft 2’s two followups, containing the Zerg and Protoss single player campaigns, as expansion packs, so does that mean they won’t contain as much gameplay as the Terran-based initial game? Plus, you’ll have to wait at least whole year between “expansions.” Said Pardo, “With any luck, it would be like a year for each successive one, but that’s going to be a target date, that’s not a promise.” [Source]

Translation: We are Blizzard.  When we say a year, we mean 2.  When we say “with any luck”, we mean no chance in hell.  We see the potential to stretch this game’s shelf-life for nearly half a decade in the west and we’re going to take it.

The worst part about it all?  Their games are always awesome and I’m going to buy it anyway.  Well played Blizzard… well played.

The next day, he introduced Patapon 2 Don Chaka (Japanese title) to the media at Tokyo Game Show. I transcribed the event, which should answer even more questions you may have about the game.

Kotani: We received a lot of requests after the first one, which shaped Patapon 2

• More customization
• Want to create original Patapons
• Want to play Patapon Longer
• Want to enjoy Patapon with friends.

The game takes place on an unknown island after the first game. There, the Patapon are blocked by the Karmen, a mysterious masked clan, blocking the Patapon’s path to the true Earthend. That’s where you come in.

Early on, you’ll encounter a lost Patapon, who is the Hero Patapon. The Hero Patapon features in both single player campaign and multiplayer.

In ad-hoc MP, the missions involve Magical Eggs

Kotani-san brings 3 players up to help, including Andrew Yoon of PS3 Fanboy and Dale North of Destructoid. One controls the new wizard class of Patapon (Mahopon), another takes control of the bird rider (Toripon), another new Patapon class.

The goal of the mission played is to carry an egg to the goal, where the egg can hatch and reveal a mask, which can then be used in the single player campaign. The 4 players cooperatively battle a giant bird boss equipped with a lethal, um, gas attack. When they get into Fever mode, meteors rain from the sky in attack.

Once the players get into the rhythm, they are able to take down the avian monster using Attack, Withdraw, and March commands. The players are then launched a rhythm game (similar to the “make it rain” miracle in the original Patapon), only longer and more complex. At the end, the egg hatches, and they receive a mask, which is equippable in the single player mode.

Kotani-san runs through some comparisons with the original game (basically, significantly more levels, items, Rarepon varieties, classes, and more in the sequel). He also reveals a Game Sharing mode, where 4 players can play missions with a single Patapon 2 UMD.

All of the new features were added due to player feedback, and Patapon 2 is more accessible than the original. He finishes up by saying that he designed Patapon 2 with “the idea of players smiling in enjoyment” as they play.

We’ll continue to bring you Patapon 2 news as we get closer to release, which will be 2009 in North America.

There are things in life one does that defy explanation and any semblance of common sense. It’s as if the actions your body is moving along with are controlled not by you, but by a higher power bent on enslaving mankind with stupidity and poor direction. Last weekend at the E for All expo, I experienced exactly this when I drank Mana Energy Potion and my life will never be the same. Never.

You might be thinking, “Does it honestly taste like an attic?” The answer is most definitely, “Yes!” It’s a sickeningly sour concoction supposedly twice as potent as a single Red Bull with a little too much sugar and a bite that could turn gold into lead or warp the space time continuum. Thankfully the nice people at the NOS booth had free samples of their delicious grape drink to save my delicate tongue parts. Apparently I wasn’t the only one seeking salvation at their booth that day as others came to drink the purple elixir and clear their head space of the toxins.

Just so everyone knows, NOS was free for all while Mana was only free for media. Conspiracy? I think so. If you think I’m joking about the horrors I imbibed, try it for yourself and report back when you’ve transformed into a creature of nightmares. Godspeed.

*The average “Super Smash Brother: Brawl” owner in America has played the game more than 61 hours since the game’s February release.

*The average “Wii Fit” consumer has played that exercise game more times than the average “Okami” fan has played Capcom’s wolf action-game.

*And “Sin & Punishment,” a Nintendo 64 game that was never sold on a cartridge but just had a sequel announced for the Wii in part on the strength of its sales as a downloadable game through the Wii has sold more than 29,000 copies through the Wii Virtual Console.

These are just some of the findings in our second (well, third, sort of) number-filled breakdown of Wii software usage stats.  We’re dong this monthly and we can pull numbers for any Wii game that’s been out for at least a month. Who needs NPDs?

See below to learn a LOT about the performance of 14 Wii games, from “Boom Blox” to “Guitar Hero III” to “Rock Band” to… does anyone play those WiiWare games?

WII SOFTWARE USAGE AS OF OCTOBER 5, 2008

The following statistics are pulled from the Wii’s Nintendo Channel, which allows users to persistently share their play history for any disc or downloadable games played on the Wii. These numbers do not reflect overall usage of these games on the Wii but instead reflect usage of the more than 1.2 million Americans who are sharing info with the channel. We think that’s a pretty healthy sample size!

Games are ranked in order of average play time. The game we’re tracking that has been played the longest by its average user is at the top of this list.

If there are more games you want us to track, let us know!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Released March 2008)

Raw data for “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 45,521,783 hours (up 3,821,783 hours)
As of 9/1: 41,700,000 (est.)

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 18,936,949 sessions (up 1,836,949 sessions)
As of 9/1: 17,100,000

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 61 hours, 24 minutes (up 85 minutes)
As of 9/1: 59 hours 59 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 25.54 sessions (up .89 sessions)
As of 9/1: 24.65

Analysis: Which game do people play for the longest time on the Wii? The one without motion control that’s not designed to appeal to moms and that’s awfully similar to its predecessor. It’s also Nintendo’s love letter to the company’s hardcore fans, who, in turn, appear to be loving this game back.

***

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Released October 2007)

Raw data for “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 18,631,399 hours (up 1,360,563 hours)
As of 9/1: 17,270,836

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 10,651,330 sessions (up 851,330)
As of 9/1: 9,800,000 (est.)

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 57 hours, 7 minutes (up 37 minutes)
As of 9/1: 56 hours, 30 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 32.65 sessions (up .65 sessions - est.)
As of 9/1: 32 (est.)

Analysis: Can “Guitar Hero III” catch “Smash Brothers Brawl” for the top spot on this list? Only if people spend more than 37 minutes a month playing it. Come on, “GH” fans! Those “Smash” people gave their game 85 minutes between September 1 and October 5. Play more.

***

Wii Sports (Released November 2006)

Raw data for “Wii Sports” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 42,932,506 hours (up 3,360,420 hours)
As of 9/1: 39,572,086

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 35,480,726 sessions (up 2,635,944 sessions)
As of 9/1: 32,844,782

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 34 hours, 45 minutes (up 20 minutes)
As of 9/1: 34 hours, 25 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 28.72 sessions (up .16 sessions)
As of 9/1: 28.56

Analysis: Two conclusions: All the new Wii owners play a ton of “Wii Sports” as soon as they get the system. Longtime Wii owners don’t stop playing this game.

***

Mario Kart Wii (Released April 2008)
Raw data for “Mario Kart Wii” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 13,082,304 hours (up 1,682,304 hours, est.)
As of 9/1: 11,400,000 (est.)

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 7,307,768 sessions (up 1,107,768 sessions, est.)
As of 9/1: 6,200,000 (est.)

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 24 hours, 48 minutes (up 66 minutes)
As of 9/1: 23 hours 42 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 13.86 sessions (up .76 sessions)
As of 9/1: 13.1

Analysis: Released in the shadow of “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Mario Kart Wii” is probably the biggest console game of 2008 that the gaming press didn’t aggressively cover. Meanwhile, gamers played more than an hour of the game, on average, just last month. Most games can’t boast that kind of support.

***

Rock Band (Released June 2008)
Raw data for “Rock Band” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 850,102 hours (up 323,270 hours)
As of 9/1: 617,832

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 414,339 sessions (up 127,051 sessions)
As of 9/1: 287,288

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 24 hours, 43 minutes (up 126 minutes)
As of 9/1: 22 hours 37 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 12.05 sessions (up 1.53 sessions)
As of 9/1: 10.52

Analysis: What did I just write about the amount of time logged in September for “Mario Kart Wii” players? The “Rock Band” Wii usage blows that out of the water.

***

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Released August 2007)

Raw data for “Metroid Prime3: Corruption” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 5,719,804 hours (up 283,857 hours)
As of 9/1: 5,435,947

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 2,652,141 sessions
As of 9/1: [not logged last month]

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 21 hours, 14 minutes (up 3 minutes)
As of 9/1: 21 hours, 11 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 9.84 sessions (up .02 sessions)
As of 9/1: 9.82

Analysis: And here we have the first of two hardcore-gamers’ games. You can see how much people played “Metroid Prime” when they got it. The average matches the time needed to complete the game. But, as a result, note how the averages are barely budging up in the last month. That sends a signal that people are not going back and re-playing games like this.

***

Okami (Released April 2008)

Raw data for “Okami” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 668,882 hours (up 283,857 hours)
As of 9/1:[not logged last month]

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 257,701 sessions
As of 9/1: [not logged last month]

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 18 hours, 28 minutes (up 37 minutes)
As of 9/1: 17 hours, 51 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 7.12 sessions (up .22 sessions)
As of 9/1: 6.9

Analysis: On the other hand, we’ve got “Okami,” which has been averaging fewer hours than it takes to complete the game. The average play-time is going up, a sign that more people who own it and getting further into it.. and maybe reaching the end?

***

Wii Fit (Released May 2008)

Raw data for “Wii Fit” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 2,804,987 hours (up 521,158 hours)
As of 9/1: 2,283,829

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 2,107,169 sessions (up 431,427 sessions)
As of 9/1: 1,675,742

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 15 hours, 26 minutes (up 60 minutes)
As of 9/1: 14 hours, 26 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 11.33 sessions (up .74 sessions)
As of 9/1: 10.59

Analysis:The average number of sessions per owner is up, but aren’t people supposed to be using “Wii Fit” a few times a week? Shouldn’t that number be higher, even if some people have only had the game for a few weeks?

***

Boom Blox (Released May 2008)

Raw data for “Boom Blox” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 675,042 hours (up 110,556 hours)
As of 9/1: 564,486

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 316,898 sessions (up 55,219 sessions)
As of 9/1: 261,679

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 11 hours, 32 minutes (up 24 minutes)
As of 9/1: 11 hours, 8 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 5.41 sessions (up .25 sessions)
As of 9/1: 5.16

Analysis: “Boom Blox” gets a nice uptick in its numbers, showing that people who have it are still playing it.

***

Carnival Games (Released August 2007)

Raw data for “Carnival Games” Wii usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 1,234,389 hours (up 118,086 hours)
As of 9/1: 1,116,303

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 899,743 sessions
As of 9/1: [not logged last month]

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 8 hours, 30 minutes (up 9 minutes)
As of 9/1: 8 hours, 21 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 6.19 sessions (up .12 sessions)
As of 9/1: 6.07

Analysis: Compare this to “Boom Blox,” and it looks like long-time owners aren’t playing this game that much any more.

WII WARE LISTINGS

***

Final Fantasy: My Life As A King (Released May 2008)

Raw data for “Final Fantasy: My Life As A King ” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 560,884 hours (up 58,373 hours)
As of 9/1: 502,511

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 248,440 sessions (up 28,349 sessions)
As of 9/1: 220,091

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 14 hours, 39 minutes (up 23 minutes)
As of 9/1: 14 hours 16 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 6.49 sessions (up .24 sessions)
As of 9/1: 6.25

Analysis: Show me a WiiWare game that’s compelled people to log more time in it. I haven’t found one yet.

***

Lost Winds (Released May 2008)

Raw data for “Lost Winds” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 112,318 hours
As of 9/1: [not logged last month]

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 107,878 sessions (up 10,654)
As of 9/1: 97,224

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 3 hours, 31 minutes
As of 9/1: [not logged last month]

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 3.38 sessions (up .18 sessions - est.)
As of 9/1: 3.2 (est.)

Analysis: Not much growth for this game. But has this been a solid performer? We can judge its growth next month, once we have more multi-month numbers to compare.

***

Super Mario 64
[Numbers drawn from Virtual Console usage, not the N64 release]

Raw data for “Super Mario 64″ usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 1,526,657 hours (up 88,253 hours)
As of 9/1: 1,438,404

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 1,445,368 sessions (up 78,937 sessions)
As of 9/1: 1,366,431

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 10 hours, 56 minutes (up 7 minutes)
As of 9/1: 10 hours 49 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 10.36 sessions (up .08 sessions)
As of 9/1: 10.28

Analysis: Look at this. In September people played “Super Mario 64” on their Wii more than 1.4 million times. Think about that.

***

Sin & Punishment (*NEW ENTRY*)
[Numbers drawn from Virtual Console usage, not the N64 release]

Raw data for “Sin & Punishment” usage

Total play time by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 63,787 hours

Total sessions by Nintendo Channel Users
As of 10/5: 102,197 sessions

Average time played per player:
As of 10/5: 2 hours, 8 minutes

Average number of sessions per player:
As of 10/5: 3.42 sessions

Analysis: Take the total number of sessions logged in this game. Divide by the average number of sessions per player. The result? Evidence that at least 29,000 people have downloaded and played this game. Bring on the Wii sequel!

CONCLUSION

Thoughts? Feedback? See a way we can present this numbers better? Let us know. Otherwise, feel free to dig into the stats and share your analysis. And tell us which games you want us to log. Next month, there should be numbers available for “Wario Land: Shake It” and, hopefully, some of the summer’s WiiWare games.

(Credit to comic book number-cruncher Marc-Oliver Frisch for unknowingly inspiring some of the elements of this series)

Check back in early November for more Wii number crunching.

Related Posts:
September Post Covering July and August Numbers –>  Wii Software Stats Update: “Brawl” Dominates “Kart,” Hardcore Single-Player Titles Stall
June Post that started this –>  Nintendo Channel Reveals Hard Truths About Wii Play, Boom Blox, More

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With Pacific Rift, I faced the same challenge, but this time, it had to go one better. Up to eleven, if you like. First things first, considering this time around we were allowing the player to play their own music while racing: How do we give the player something that, no matter which way it’s looked at, is valuable? How do you put value back in to a licensed soundtrack, when the player can play their own music? After much consideration, the answers came; We are going to be giving you a soundtrack that not only stands up to MotorStorm’s first outing, but also has more than twice the number of tracks of its predecessor, along with a healthy peppering of tracks that we’ve gone directly to the original artists about, asking them to stamp an element of MotorStorm on them. Exclusivity. I’m sure that while everyone will have an opinion on it - and none of you will be wrong - you will all agree that what we’ve ended up with is an absolute monster of a soundtrack, with more than just a little something for everyone!

Lunatics of the world, Unite… The MotorStorm Festival is upon us once more, and promises to pump your ears full of Dirt, Petrol, Mud, Fire and Water… Line up announced!!!

Ok, here it is –

Full track list –

Alex Metric – In Your Machine
This guy is just gonna get bigger and bigger. MotorStorm festival organizers tip Alex Metric to be the new kid on the block when it comes to chops, beats and twist up mixes. Currently working on a debut album, he has yet to explode onto the scene, but he will… The MotorStorm Festival is the perfect platform for Metric to make his mark on the Dance scene!

Amon Tobin – Trickstep (Pacific Rift Remix) Exclusive!
We got our hands on some new exclusive unreleased tracks from Amon. We loved them all, but Trickstep was top of the bill for MotorStorm. Amon revisited it for us to “MotorStormify” it a bit more, too. Exciting stuff! And Exclusive to the MotorStorm Festival!

Animal Alpha – Fire Fire Fire
With a voice like sand and glue, and a band that’s full of energy and drive, MotorStorm seemed a perfect fit for Animal Alpha’s Fire Fire Fire, especially since we were setting some of our races in and around a volcano!

Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy (Pappy Mix)
Classic Aphex. Dirty, Raucus and edgy. Some might say a little scary too, but that’s all the elements you get in a MotorStorm race anyway…

Black Daniel – Gimme What You Got (Alex Metric Remix)
Alex Metric puts his shines on Black Daniel; Awesome track!

Black Sun Empire & State Of Mind – Red Velvet VIP
Dark Drum and Bass. It’s edgy. BSE have proven in the past that they can do for underground D&B what Pendulum did for Mainstream D&B.

Black Tide – Show Me The Way
These guys Rock, Hard! First heard a Metallica cover from them, and I was sold. These guys had to appear at the MotorStorm Festival, and they were keen to oblige! And what an addition it turned out to be! Fantastic band, great sound. Hair rock doesn’t get much hairier than this!

Bodysnatchers – Twist Up
Reminiscing back to the first MotorStorm Festival, we had Krafty Kuts feature. When I heard this track from the Bodysnatchers, it reminded me of Bass Phenomenon from Krafty. It fit really well, and it certainly twists itself up!

Boys Noize – Lava Lava
Boys Noize are making waves with everything they do at the moment. Lava Lava is no exception. It’s gritty, dirty, and it has great attitude. Sick track!

Queens Of The Stone Age - Sick Sick Sick
Speaking of Sick, There’s never a dull moment with Queens of the Stone Age! These guys kick serious ass and a MotorStorm Festival simply wouldn’t be the same without them.

Bullets and Octane – I Ain’t Your Savior
Truth be told, it wasn’t only the sound of this track that caught my attention. The energy it has, and the raw sound hits a nerve that makes this stick in your head. Great track to race really, really fast to!

Cut In The Hill Gang – Soul To Waste (MotorStorm Edit) Exclusive!
An Exclusive edit of a fantastic track from Cut in the Hill Gang. These guys know how to do dirty Rhythm and Blues!

Hervé – Zombie Dance (MotorStorm Edit) Exclusive!
Another exclusive edit for MotorStorm Festival goers to enjoy!

The Exploders - Wolf Cub (Pacific Rift Edit) Exclusive!
Another fantastic dirty blues track that simply had to be featured at The Festival! The Exploders were keen to give it a little treatment for us too and came up with this awesome mix, just for our MotorStorm ears!

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod
We wanted to include this in the original MotorStorm, but it works just as well in MotorStorm Pacific Rift! A great track and a classic sound for the MotorStorm Festival I’m sure you’ll agree!

Nirvana – Swap Meet (Diplo MotorStorm remix) Exclusive!
This is our big hitter. First time ever, and it’s exclusive to the MotorStorm Festival. MotorStorm has, in the past, managed to sway Nirvana towards the Festival (we had a fantastic reception to Breed, featuring at the first festival), so we wanted to bring them back again, but this time, with a difference. Hotter than hot cakes at the moment, Diplo was fired up to give it some remix treatment and, I think you’ll agree, this is Nirvana like you’ve never heard them before! Incidentally, its 20 years ago that Bleach was first released, and this is a fantastic opportunity to revisit the album and bring some of today’s hottest talent to the table to give it a squeeze. Great track; Great remix. You heard it here first!

Pendulum - Tarantula (ft Fresh, $pyda & Tenor Fly)
MotorStorm wouldn’t be MotorStorm without a big dollop of hoover led, raucous Drum and Bass action: Pendulum. We brought the Aussie Drum and Bass crew back to the festival with a brilliant track, Tarantula.

The Qemists – Stompbox
We loved it as soon as we heard it. We snapped it up and immediately set to work cutting our E3 movie to this track. This one had the potential to “Stomp” its authority as the new MotorStorm Signature track. It would seem we weren’t the only ones to think this was a fantastic track!

The Qemists - Speed Freak (MotorStorm Remix) Exclusive!
The Qemists are a new breed of warrior on the Drum and Bass scene and I just love to seek out not only what’s hot right now, but what will be hot round the corner, and the Qemists certainly have a fire in their gut right now that MotorStorm simply couldn’t overlook. When we asked the guys to let us bring Stompbox to the stage, they jumped at the chance. Not only that, they offered to knock up something exclusive for us, too! As good as Stompbox was, we couldn’t very well say no – that would just be rude. So we happily said, “yes please”, and boy what a job they did with this track! They took all the elements of a MotorStorm race, all the elements of a MotorStorm Theme, and shoved it all down the barrel of a Shotgun, pulled the trigger and shot this track straight to the main stage! This track Stomps Hard! Another Exclusive track you’ll only hear at the MotorStorm Festival!

Saving Abel – New Tattoo
Proper Rock n Roll. We love this track and we’re sure you will too! It has everything you need to drive faster than you should and more dangerously than you can imagine!

Slipknot – Sulfur
As of writing this, Sulfur remains unreleased. Though we’re pretty sure not for much longer as the Slipknot guys have nailed it once again. A superb track that sits with the whole vibe of the Festival and the racing action.

Simian Mobile Disco – Parachute
SMD have taken the UK scene by storm. Another one the Festival could not overlook! Great track, and again, as of writing, it remains unreleased.

Supa Bajo - Lalula (instrumental)
Aka – Freelance Hellraiser. The bass line on this one is outstandingly catchy. It alone ticks all the boxes for a MotorStorm race. What a track!

Ulterior - Weapons
A cross between Underworld and NiN. These guys rock hard in a tech kinda way. Another one to look out for…

Noisia - Groundhog (MotorStorm re-edit) Exclusive!
Groundhog is a great track anyway, but Noisia, as awesome as they are, agreed to give it a bit of MotorStorm treatment. Once again, another exclusive track to shove in your ears whilst tearing it up in Paradise.

Clutch – Pure Rock Fury
With their strangled guitar riffs and fuzzy raw sound, Clutch were ideal candidates to feature at the MotorStorm Festival. I have no doubt that you’ll agree this track comes armed with enough horsepower to blow the wheels off your vehicle mid race!

David Bowie – Queen Bitch
MotorStorm has never, and will never be about music that simply “Fits the Game”. It’s about a way of life. Lunatics from across the world, all shapes and sizes, all ages, unite to race their way to glory, and we make sure that although we feature tracks to suit everyone, we had no qualms about including something from as far back as the 70’s. It’s an absolute classic, from way back when… I was hugely skeptical as to whether we would be able to license this one, but it’s an absolutely killer track, so we pleaded, and we got it!

Death From Above 1979 – Blood On Our Hands (Justice Remix)
Though Death from Above 1979 disbanded, their music has left its footprint on the music scene, being picked up by dance producers, bands and remixers alike. Having this remix from French duo Justice feature at the Festival is something that always makes me smile! It also makes me drive extremely dangerously on the track! You gotta love the dirt and filth this track exudes from the very offset!

Death From Above 1979 – Romantic Rights (Erol Alkins Re-Edit)
“Two tracks from the same band!?”, you may wonder, but believe me, when you hear this, you’ll understand why the phrase “Erol keeps the kids dancing” is so appropriate! Erol Alkan’s remix of this fantastic DFA 1979 track is sublime! It brings you right up to the very top, then lets you go free-falling through the drop! A powerful remix of an adrenalin fuelled track. Outstanding.

DJ Fresh – Chainsaw
DJ Fresh has been a pioneer of the D&B scene for many years, working with some of the best over the years including Pendulum. He’s the bread and butter of Drum and Bass, and to have an opportunity to include an unreleased track at the Festival didn’t sit long on the table. I snapped it up as soon as I heard it. I’m sure those of you into the D&B thing are gonna be in for a real rare treat with this one!

Fatboy Slim - Everybody Needs A 303 (Plump DJs remix)
Take a jug, add Fatboy Slim, Plump DJ’s and one of the most prolific and prominent commercial dance tracks ever, and give it a shake. What do you get? Conviction behind the claim that Everybody needs a 303. This track is classic too, but in a different way from Bowie or Nirvana. Works great when you’re tearing up the mud through the thick jungle!

Goose – Black Glove (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
The Bloody Beetroots are coming out of the blocks at 90kph right now, and when they lent their touches to this fantastic track from Goose, they really pumped it! Brilliant track, great drive and it just oozes class.

Hadouken! - Liquid Lives (Noisa instrumental mix)
Fast cars go hand in hand with fast guitars. Throw a thick heavy beat under it and you get Liquid Lives with the Noisia touch. More than ample pace and tempo to make you wanna take out your opponents rather than just beat them to the finish line.

The Hives - No Pun Intended
The Hives have a certain energy to them. Impossible to overlook. They are a great outfit and definitely know how to put a driving track together!

In Flames - Move Through Me
In Flames are huge. And deservedly so. They can go toe to toe with the best of them, and this is evidence that they are more than capable of holding their own at the MotorStorm Festival. We wanted this track as soon as we put it in the mix.

Leftfield - Phat Planet
A lot of you are going to recognize this track as “The Guinness ad music”. And right you’d be. But let me explain why I chose this one for the Festival. The Guinness ad is all about Hawaiian Surfers, waiting for the perfect wave. “He waits. It’s what he does.” I wanted to convey this ethos by using this track in a similar capacity. Sure not many would get it at first, but the fact that this island, through all its years of being shaped by the land and clothed by nature, has been waiting for the perfect storm to hit its shores… MotorStorm brings exactly that, and it brings with it an end to The Island laying in wait. The wave has arrived, in the form of lunatics and masochists converging on the slopes of this land, ready to tear it up! …but the island won’t take it lying down. It WILL fight back. The bass line on this track says it all. The Island has been waiting for you…

Machine Head – Davidian
Machine Head go all the way up to eleven! There’s no doubt… and Davidian is a long standing classic. An anthem for anarchy. It’s time to rumble.

March – Influence Exclusive!
March are no strangers to the rock scene, and when I approached the band about featuring at the festival, they set straight to work. When they threw this track at me, it completely floored me. It’s dynamic, aggressive, and fresh. Exactly all the ingredients for the MotorStorm Festival I’m sure you’ll agree.

Megadeth - Sleepwalker
One of Megadeth’s newer tracks and, as you’d expect from classic rockers Megadeth, this is the very definition of power rock. \m/

Nick Thayer - Mind Control
With flavors of Big Beat and tech house synth lines, Nick Thayer nails it for the Festival. Perfect dance track to suit the atmosphere of the racing and festival.

Parker - Western Soul featuring Rasco (Aphrodite Remix – MotorStorm Dub)
Yet another exclusive! Parker joins up with Aphrodite to bring us this drum and bass mash up. The bass line wraps itself around you and completely pumps the adrenalin. Great track!

The Planets – Slasher Exclusive!
This track was dropped on my desk as we were approaching the finishing touches to the soundtrack, but it was too good to pass up. The guys revisited the track for us and gave it a bit of MotorStorm flavor. It sits right up there with the best of the soundtrack

Primal Scream - Necro Hex Blues
We featured two Primal Scream tracks on MotorStorm, and when I heard they were releasing a new album very close to Pacific Rift’s release date, I managed to get my hands on it for a listen. This track features Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age on guitars, and the opportunity was not one I wanted to pass up! It’s everything you’d expect from Primal Scream, and everything you’d expect to hear at the MotorStorm Festival. Brilliant!

Saviours – Caverns Of Mind
From Oakland CA, Saviours rock hard. This track was one of the first tracks we had on the table for the MotorStorm Festival, and after I’d played a couple of races to this one, it had to be featured. Pedal-to-the-metal rock.

South Central – Golden Dawn
Dubbed as a Post Glitch; Indie/Electro; Dance-Rocktronica band. When I heard Golden Dawn, I knew it would work almost instantly. Brilliantly produced, and full of energy, the South Central guys hit the nail on the proverbial head

The Whip – Trash
From Manchester UK, The Whip are “whipping” up a storm on the scene and will soon explode worldwide! This track is fantastic and sits perfectly well in the festival environment. These guys are not to be missed!

This week the demo for MotorStorm Pacific Rift will be available on the PLAYSTATION STORE for free download. The demo includes Rain God Spires, one of the 16 courses exclusive to MotorStorm Pacific Rift. Race against the computer in single-player mode or grab a friend for some split screen multiplayer action. Log on to the Store from your PS3 system and download it this Thursday, Oct. 16th!

Players: 2

Cost: 800

Controllers: Wii Remote, Classic, & GameCube

• To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling us what excites you most about EA's Dead Space. Dismemberment, the game's plot, or Isaac's wicked cool helmet? Tell us!
  
• You may leave one comment per calendar day (eastern time) each day the contest is live. Posters of multiple comments in a single calendar day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until Tuesday, October 14th at 11:00PM eastern. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec).
  
• This Tuesday, we'll pick five winners via a random drawing.
• Two grand prize winners will receive (1) Dead Space for the Xbox 360, (1) The Art of Dead Space mini-book, (1) Dead Space hardcover graphic novel, and (1) Dead Space mini-poster valued at $95. Three second prize winners will receive (1) The Art of Dead Space mini-book, (1) Dead Space hardcover graphic novel, and (1) Dead Space mini-poster valued at $30.
• Complete giveaway rules can be found here

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