One of the advantages that Rock Band has over Guitar Hero: World Tour is its ever-expanding array of fantastic downloadable songs.

As Screen Play has discovered, it's easy to get carried away and give your credit card a hammering.

Today Darryn, a 23-year-old IT specialist from Melbourne who has barely played anything else but rhythm-action games for the last nine months, provides handy tips for those who are about to rock.

And if anyone has spotted Rock Band bundles cheaply at any retailers this Christmas, please let us know where newcomers can grab a bargain.

Rock Out! - DLC tips for beginners

(Part 1 of 3)

First of all, If you have gone out and purchased Rock Band in the last week or so... I welcome you to the fold (cult!)

To those who waited for the Australian release (poor you, but it was worth it... right?) I thought I would put together a quick summary of the downloadable content (DLC) I have enjoyed so far, since purchasing the game myself some 9-10 months ago.

Of the greater than 300 extra songs Harmonix has made available to date, I have purchased a solid 120. So I feel that provides me some basis for insight.

As a preface, I think it's important to mention that I derive most of my joy from Rock Band as the lead guitarist, these days there's little I can't pass on expert difficulty, but when those challenges come along I thrive on the experience!

I am also the primary vocalist of my little rock group of regulars (sometimes simultaneously with the guitar). I'm certainly not setting the world ablaze with my voice, but I do well enough with most songs on Hard difficulty.

If you aren't familiar with Harmonix's model for DLC pricing, a quick summarization of what they generally provide:

- Full Albums - Usually 8+ tracks (R.H.C.P was 18!). Prices vary.
- 3 Song Pack - Ordered by artist, genre or promotion. (Actually, it has become somewhat of a mess).
- Single Tracks - Self explanatory.

This model will also provide the basis for which I will present my views, in 3 pieces. First up, the following covers the track packs I have enjoyed in their entirety (all 3+ songs). I will then move into individual tracks, which I will arrange out by genre so you can focus solely on those that interest you, before finishing with a piece about the full album content.

The selections I have made are based on two simple concepts, the "Drinks Friendly" tracks (which your mates probably won't fail you) and the "You Must Be Sober" tracks (where drinking probably isn't the best idea).

So before I lose your attention (already), let's begin.

Track Packs:

The first I'd like to mention is actually a 6-song pack, from legendary rockers Boston. I'm sure the first song that comes to mind is "More Than A Feeling", and maybe you like it, maybe you don't... I think it's a great song. But it's not a good indicator for the other awesomeness contained within this pack, especially for would be guitar masters.

"Smokin" is amazingly happening for those who can handle hammer-on's and pull-off's on a large scale, at times it brings on sheer terror and forces the calm guitarist within to wham wildly on the keys. "Rock And Roll Band" and "Peace of Mind" are also great fun on guitar (while being much more tame), and a great challenge for the vocalist.

Of course "More Than A Feeling" is a classic, guitar is pretty much the same as what you might have found in the original Guitar Hero .... That is spot on!

Moving on, the next finger punisher worth a mention for aspiring guitarists is the Disturbed pack, it is a sheer brutality pack. All 3 are genuinely challenging songs, and should leave you with a great sense of accomplishment if you manage to pull yourself through. Again, this is due to the healthy use of hammer-ons in the tracks.

A warning to the vocalists though: if you aren't a Disturbed fan you will probably be frustrated with the lyrical styling of the act.

Swimming into safer waters, the next pack I'd like to advise is "The Offspring". What you have here is 3 songs that would be recognisable to just about anyone in their mid teens to mid thirties. Combined with interesting, but still fairly tame guitar, drums & bass and you have a big party hit.

"Self-Esteem" provides an interesting challenge to the guitarist as it diligently changes up the tempo from a pace your most likely comfortable, to some really fast stuff that will have you grabbing the strum to keep up. The theme across this pack is definitely the double fret changes with mixed tempo, these types of tracks are some of my favourite as it won't take much to learn, but a great deal of concentration to master.

The drums in all 3 tracks remains exciting through shifting of the bass note in bars, you will need to stay sharp to notice the changes in pattern.

Of course what can you say about the lyrics, even if you aren't the biggest Offspring fan, the group's pop culture presence in the last decade should prove enough to have you catch on when the lyrics start scrolling in.

And last but not least, English melon collie rockers Oasis have a 3 pack. Of course, they also have a song that probably pops to mind immediately after digesting the name... and yes, Wonderwall is here.

Wonderwall is one of the most fulfilling songs as lead guitarist (and I'm sure any vocalist will get some kick out of it), as the track most resembles the "real" artist in action, that means a lot of chord changes and strum plucking. You will need very quick fingers to switch between those double and triple fret notes, and even if you master that... you still have the hammer-on's to contend with!

Don't Look Back In Anger, I feel, is a brilliant song. Amongst our virtual rock group, the track gets a lot of attention because it's just so damn "feel good". There's nothing here particularly challenging for the instruments, but you will have time to laugh and perhaps even point at your vocalist as he or she struggles (ok, maybe it's not so bad for girls) with the high pitched notes.

Live Forever is much the same, nothing particularly special, but endearing enough to get a decent amount of attention from our individual selections.

In closing (part 1 anyway), while Harmonix has delivered a fair number of track packs thus far, in my honest opinion not many provide 3 solid tracks to justify not otherwise purchasing separately. For the packs where I have perhaps picked up 1 or 2 of 3, these songs may find their way into my singles content wrap up.

Rock Out.

- Darryn

Screen Play readers can submit articles or ideas for consideration in Your Turn using the email address screenplayblog@gmail.com. The best blog post published on Screen Play between December 1, 2008 and January 30, 2009 as judged by Jason Hill will win a PlayStation 3 console from Sony Computer Entertainment worth $699. The next Your Turn prize winner will be announced on January 30. Only Australian residents are eligible and the judge's decision is final.

Gallery: Ghostbusters (360)

Continue reading Who ya gonna watch? New Ghostbusters trailer and screens materialize

Who ya gonna watch? New Ghostbusters trailer and screens materialize originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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“It’s been a great high for the last couple of weeks,” Daniel Suarez, Activision’s executive producer for “Call of Duty: World At War” told me in an interview last week. Happy is any man whose game has launched so well that it topped — his words — the “bajillion pound gorilla” that is “World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King” in sales in the U.K in its launch week.

Suarez and I talked about a number of things during out interview, some of which I’ve covered here on Multiplayer this week — plans for upcoming DLC for the game and where the game’s surprising Nazi Zombie mode came from.

The first topic of my interview, however, was how the development team at Treyarch dealt with making a game in the shadow of “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.” That was the bajillion-pound gorilla as far as I was concerned.

It’s not every year that a development team puts out a game that so many critics don’t expect to be better than last year’s installment. How do you deal with that pressure?

“If you look at what was done for ‘Call of Duty 3,’ everybody goes, ‘Treyarch’s not very good’…Well they only had a year to do it.”

Suarez said his team was “100% aware” of the main knock on “World At War” going in, the reason some gaming critics were expecting a stinker. The “Call of Duty” franchise had been threatening to veer into “Star Trek” movie or “Splinter Cell” gaming territory, flip-flopping in quality with each installment.

Last year’s “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” as well as “Call of Duty 2” two years before that were seen as good “Call of Duty” games. The one in between, “CoD 3,” was a critical disappointment. The even number ones were made by Infinity Ward. But installment #3 and this new one, “World at War,” were developed by Treyarch. “If you look at what was done for ‘Call of Duty 3,’ everybody goes, ‘Treyarch’s not very good. “Call of Duty 3″ wasn’t as good as the other ones.’” You have to look at the detail of it. Why was “Call of Duty 3″ rated only a mid-80 game? Well they only had a year to do it in a year that they were also doing PS3 for the first time on a launch year and also the Wii on a launch year.” The new game, “World At War,” he said, benefited from a two-year development cycle and an embrace of some new priorities like improving the voice-acting and pushing an M rating.

“Everybody wants to say it’s a competition,” Suarez said when I pressed him about “World At War”’s airplane level, which seemed to me to be an attempt to one-up “Modern Warfare”’s airplane level. I wasn’t buying his explanation that there wasn’t competition. Didn’t these teams have heat? I persisted that there had to be some sort of competitive urge there to prove that “World at War” could top its predecessor. “It’s not like that,” Suarez said. As Suarez tells it, Treyarch started with historical inspiration and then amped up the drama for reasons other than competing with Infinity Ward. “From our perspective it’s never about how we can one-up the previous game. It’s: ‘What do we think is going to make a great game? What do we think is fun? What do we think is going to make people’s jaws drop when they play it?’”

Suarez said there were three levels in Treyarch that is most proud of. Judge Treyarch by them: 1) The flight level Black Cats, for its sheer Michael Bay bombastic spectacle. 2) The street scene in Eviction, a level in Berlin that culminates in a fight in the metro. 3) The Hard Landing level that ends with a massive Pacific island firefight.

At the time of our interview I believed that one of the best measures of “World At War”’s appeal — and one of the best ways to see if Activision had been overzealous in releasing a sequel in the franchise this year — was Xbox Live activity. A year after its release, “Modern Warfare” consistently ranks at or near the top of the chart for most online activity on Microsoft’s console. I suggested to Suarez that some people, maybe many people, just wouldn’t migrate away from the “Modern Warfare” experience they love so much.

“Other iterations to ‘Counter-Strike’ occurred after that first one came out, but a lot of people still liked the core of what [the original] ‘Counter-Strike’ was. I think it’s the same with ‘Call of Duty’ multiplayer.”

“I think there’s going to be a longstanding group of people that play “Modern Warfare.” I think “Modern Warfare,” to me, at least when I play it today, it’s very much how ‘Counter-Strike‘ was. Other iterations to ‘Counter-Strike’ occurred after that first one came out, but a lot of people still liked the core of what [the original] ‘Counter-Strike’ was. I think it’s the same with ‘Call of Duty’ multiplayer. A lot of people come over to play ‘World At War” that kind of like the setting. They like that it’s a little different. It’s got new maps. They like the vehicles and different perks. They may go back. They may come back to “World At War.” From our perspective, all we want to deliver is a great game. It’s not a competition, like ‘Who’s got more volume online today vs. [Modern Warfare]?’”

Typically a game developer can assume that their online-enabled sequel will eventually have more players competing in it than the previous iteration. See “Halo 3“’s online activity currently surpassing “Halo 2“’s. The prospect of the same thing happening with the “Call of Duty” franchise isn’t guaranteed. I asked Suarez if he thought that online usage of “World at War” would eventually exceed that of “Modern Warfare.” Shouldn’t that just be a matter of time? “We’ll see how the sales go,” he said. “There’s 10 million copies sold of ‘Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare’. The hope is that if we can get close to that number… again it’s not “Do we hope it exceeds the number of users online?’ Look, I’d love to be number one on Xbox Live and hold that crown for a while.”

Well, today Suarez may be an even happier man. The latest popularity ranking for Xbox Live usage shows that last week, “Call of Duty: World At War” was played more online than “Modern Warfare.”

Victory? It’s not a competition.

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a voice actor for a game? A couple of new Fallout 3 stories have popped up that shed some light on the topic.

This week at Planet Fallout, there’s a great interview with Wes Johnson (shown above), known for his memorable voice work in both Oblivion (Lucien) and Fallout 3 (Fawkes and Mr. Burke). Having met Wes at our Best Buy midnight launch event, I can tell you he’s a riot. Here’s a sample from the Planet Fallout interview:

Planet Fallout: Do you have space for ad libing or is everything very strictly scripted?

Wes Johnson: Sometimes. But for the most part, it’s all there in the scripting. Emil Pagliarulo is one of the best writers in games today. He has such a wonderfully dark sense of humor, and he writes games that he HIMSELF would want to play. Now, in regard to how you PLAY those lines, that’s another story. Bethesda has suggestions on how I should approach these characters, but they’re great at letting me experiment, and bring something new to the table. In Oblivion, I was asked to bring a Robin Williams manic quality to Sheogorath. But after thinking about the character, I felt a more Billy Connolly approach might work better. And since he was a schizophrenic character, and a Daedric Mad God to boot, I mixed the accents.

In addition to Planet Fallout, Wes and another Fallout 3 voice actor, Craig Sechler, were featured in a recent story in the Washinton Post entitled, “The Voices of Video Games.” If Sechler isn’t a household name for you, just check out his always-popular Oblivion character, The Adoring Fan.

Ever since it was revealed back at E3, WiiSpeak has been the talk (both good and bad) of the town. Check out our hands-on time with the device, as well as the details you may have missed on the WiiSpeak Channel. Plan on picking one up? Then you might want to check out Game Night, where you'll surely be able to chat with your fellow Wii lovers in the future.

Preview Wii Speak Channel and a puppy with these screens originally appeared on Nintendo Wii Fanboy on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The last time we heard anything about Double Fine's Brütal Legend, we'd heard that Activision Blizzard were allegedly being gratuitous dicks and blocking its release. Well, if game creator Tim Schafer's hints are anything to go by, we might be hearing something a bit more pleasant soon.

Schafer and pals have an interesting "Threat Level" system in place regarding the rock-themed action game, which indicates whenever the game's status has changed. According to an update from Double Fine, that level is now at "Haunted Sandalwood." Yeah, no idea what that means, but hopefully it's good!

Dang, just when I thought it was safe to waste some time, HAUNTED SANDALWOOD sneaks up from behind and goes “Boo!” in a vaguely-brown sort of way.

Frightening! But I can’t help it. My bunions are telling me there will be some sort of news this month and I have to listen. (You try to go back to sleep when your bunions are whispering in that creepy voice. It’s not easy.)

What’s that? How could we skip Charred Topaz and Metallic Chartreuse? You got whiplash? You’re not comfortable moving this fast? Well, it’s not called the “News Comfort Level,” is it?

Some have deduced that "Haunted Sandalwood" means we'll be hearing news on December 14. I hope so, because the concept is fantastic and this game really needs to be released. We shall have to wait and see for more, however.

The Good:
Changing the voice of the frontman is a nice touch
The drum controls almost feel like playing the drums
Charming characters and family-friendly presentation.

Expect to see things like the above image plastered all over PlayStation Home, as well as an increasing number of your favorite videogames in the near future.

At an upfront by Microsoft-owned ad firm Massive held in New York City on Wednesday, Activision Blizzard revealed numerous upcoming sequels to established franchises (including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, one of the more uninspired videogame sequel titles in recent memory, and what’s being called Guitar Hero 5 for now).

A devious and sickening example of in-game advertising came in a sample screenshot from GH 5. Of course, the Guitar Hero franchise is already infamous for its blatant and brazen advertising, like the Axe-branded guitar and the Pontiac Garage venue in Guitar Hero III. Apparently, a screenshot of GH 5 was shown; it featured a Burger King logo next to the note highway. Excuse me while I go vomit into a wastebasket.

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise anyone, since Activision recently signed a multi-year ad deal with IGA Worldwide. Still, this kind of crap disgusts me, and it should disgust you, too.

Anyway, recap! A Canadian actor who lent his voice to some Ubisoft games told the world how he escaped last week’s Mumbai terror attacks; Activision announced Eagles, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and reggae songs for Guitar Hero World Tour; Hamza continued his prolific run of previews; and plenty more happened on 12/03/08.

Wednesday Regulars:
Scraps: 'You're heavier than you look' (12/03/2008)

Originals:
F.E.A.R. 2's viral marketing is clever, mildly creepy

Reviews:
Castlevania Judgment

Previews:
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Ghostbusters (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Ghostbusters (Wii)
Ghostbusters (DS)

Contests:
Contest: Get beta access to Freaky Creatures with clever Photoshop skills
Contest results: Why you haven't bought a gaming notebook yet
Sacred 2 contest winners announced!

News:
Microsoft confirms internal memory in new Xbox 360 Arcades
Prince of Persia voice actor recounts survival of Mumbai attacks
Eagles, Nirvana, Pumpkins, and free reggae pack coming to Guitar Hero this month
Blitz working on 'true 3D games.' Yes, just like Freddy's Dead!
Red Bull first to exploit Home's advertising potential
Captain Obvious: Atari will continue selling games to retail
KOTOR MMO has 'potential' to fleece you of all your cash
Atari: Used games are 'extremely painful'
LBP moderation is 'evolving,' will eventually display the reason for deletion
Activision hearts sequels, announces Guitar Hero 5, Modern Warfare 2, and more
DC Universe could be on your doorstep by next Christmas
Tetsuya Mizuguchi's new Wii music game named QJ
Pata-pata-patapon plushies are the perfect decor for your rearview mirror
Gardening Mama bends over in America Spring 2009
MS starts racial profiling, claims Hispanics like home entertainment best
190 million households to have consoles in 2012
Delay on Ghostbusters was to max out the creepy factor
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days confirmed for US release
Prepare to be jealous: Ben Heck shows off his new portable Xbox 360
Study: First-person shooter cutscenes aren't engaging enough
Hefty Fable II patch nearing completion, no word on a launch date
Disney entering the MMO market: Mickey Mouse roleplay sex in 5, 4, 3, 2 ...
Come be amazed by Valve's lifetime retail sales figures

Galleries:
Street Fighter movie: Chun-Li? More like Chun-Lie
Shiny skin time: new Tekken 6 PS3/Xbox 360 screens

Videos:
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King makes us want to pinch little cheeks
DJMAX Technika now testing in Los Angeles
DSi clenches, eventually yields, to some hot homebrew lovin'
Have you heard of Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled?
New Riddick trailer shows darkness, also gameplay
F.E.A.R. 2 videos terrify with the power of the S.I.L.L.Y. A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.

Expect to see things like the above image plastered all over PlayStation Home, as well as an increasing number of your favorite videogames in the near future.

At an upfront by Microsoft-owned ad firm Massive held in New York City on Wednesday, Activision Blizzard revealed numerous upcoming sequels to established franchises (including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, one of the more uninspired videogame sequel titles in recent memory, and what’s being called Guitar Hero 5 for now).

A devious and sickening example of in-game advertising came in a sample screenshot from GH 5. Of course, the Guitar Hero franchise is already infamous for its blatant and brazen advertising, like the Axe-branded guitar and the Pontiac Garage venue in Guitar Hero III. Apparently, a screenshot of GH 5 was shown; it featured a Burger King logo next to the note highway. Excuse me while I go vomit into a wastebasket.

I suppose this shouldn’t surprise anyone, since Activision recently signed a multi-year ad deal with IGA Worldwide. Still, this kind of crap disgusts me, and it should disgust you, too.

Anyway, recap! A Canadian actor who lent his voice to some Ubisoft games told the world how he escaped last week’s Mumbai terror attacks; Activision announced Eagles, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, and reggae songs for Guitar Hero World Tour; Hamza continued his prolific run of previews; and plenty more happened on 12/03/08.

Wednesday Regulars:
Scraps: 'You're heavier than you look' (12/03/2008)

Originals:
F.E.A.R. 2's viral marketing is clever, mildly creepy

Reviews:
Castlevania Judgment

Previews:
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Ghostbusters (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
Ghostbusters (Wii)
Ghostbusters (DS)

Contests:
Contest: Get beta access to Freaky Creatures with clever Photoshop skills
Contest results: Why you haven't bought a gaming notebook yet
Sacred 2 contest winners announced!

News:
Microsoft confirms internal memory in new Xbox 360 Arcades
Prince of Persia voice actor recounts survival of Mumbai attacks
Eagles, Nirvana, Pumpkins, and free reggae pack coming to Guitar Hero this month
Blitz working on 'true 3D games.' Yes, just like Freddy's Dead!
Red Bull first to exploit Home's advertising potential
Captain Obvious: Atari will continue selling games to retail
KOTOR MMO has 'potential' to fleece you of all your cash
Atari: Used games are 'extremely painful'
LBP moderation is 'evolving,' will eventually display the reason for deletion
Activision hearts sequels, announces Guitar Hero 5, Modern Warfare 2, and more
DC Universe could be on your doorstep by next Christmas
Tetsuya Mizuguchi's new Wii music game named QJ
Pata-pata-patapon plushies are the perfect decor for your rearview mirror
Gardening Mama bends over in America Spring 2009
MS starts racial profiling, claims Hispanics like home entertainment best
190 million households to have consoles in 2012
Delay on Ghostbusters was to max out the creepy factor
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days confirmed for US release
Prepare to be jealous: Ben Heck shows off his new portable Xbox 360
Study: First-person shooter cutscenes aren't engaging enough
Hefty Fable II patch nearing completion, no word on a launch date
Disney entering the MMO market: Mickey Mouse roleplay sex in 5, 4, 3, 2 ...
Come be amazed by Valve's lifetime retail sales figures

Galleries:
Street Fighter movie: Chun-Li? More like Chun-Lie
Shiny skin time: new Tekken 6 PS3/Xbox 360 screens

Videos:
Prince of Persia: The Fallen King makes us want to pinch little cheeks
DJMAX Technika now testing in Los Angeles
DSi clenches, eventually yields, to some hot homebrew lovin'
Have you heard of Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled?
New Riddick trailer shows darkness, also gameplay
F.E.A.R. 2 videos terrify with the power of the S.I.L.L.Y. A.C.R.O.N.Y.M.

Zero Punctuation has returned yet again this week with a review for EA’s free-running video game experiment, Mirror’s Edge. The game has so far received mixed reviews from gaming enthusiasts who don’t relay their opinions through simple images synced to a voice over, so you can imagine how Yahtzee feels about it. There are plenty of flaws to be prodded in this game, from the disorienting first-person perspective to the unnecessary combat to the uninspiring story. As he points out though, the game was partly produced in the name of experimentation, which drives developers to create more engrossing experiences, so it’s not all bad. I just hope EA’s next experiment feels a little more satisfying.

UPDATE: The embed code for the video still doesn’t seem to be working so you’ll have to go here to watch the video.

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• New "Story" Trailer Mirror's Edge Shows Faith's Motivation
• Yahtzee Croshaw Travels Through Silent Hill Origins
• Internet Celebrities Talk Fame Via YouTube
• Mirror's Edge 2D Now in Beta for Flash
• New Mirror's Edge Trailer Looks Awesome