The Ultimate Music Game Is Back For An Encore Harmonix, MTV Games and Electronic Arts Unleash Rock Band 2

Entire Rock Band Downloadable Content Music Catalog Compatible with Rock Band 2

More Music, Online Modes, Features Than Ever Before With New and Improved Drum and Guitar Peripherals

Rock Band Online Music Store Passes 15 Million Paid Downloads

Rock Band 2 Makes Exclusive Debut on Xbox 360 This September

Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company in the world, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks, along with marketing and distribution partner Electronic Arts are taking the groundbreaking music platform that forever changed the face of music video games to the next level this September with the release of Rock Band 2. With the original providing millions of players a new way to interact with the music and artists they love, Rock Band 2 is the next evolution of the franchise that redefined the standard for music games.

Rock Band is the groundbreaking platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before - challenging players to put together a band and tour for fame and fortune while learning to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals.



Rock Band 2 builds upon its foundation as the first music game to introduce co-operative band gameplay, multiple instruments, a robust online multiplayer experience, an unrivaled offering of downloadable content and raises the bar by delivering an entirely new level of depth, connectivity, authenticity and features including:

Backwards compatibility with Rock Band downloadable music content. All previously purchased tracks will immediately load into your Rock Band 2 song list. No need to re-purchase or re-download.

The biggest and most diverse soundtrack ever featuring some of rock’s most prolific acts, comprised entirely of master recordings.

Major new and dynamic online modes that will connect the entire Rock Band community in more ways than ever before both locally and globally.

More variety of instrument choices than ever before with new and improved drum and guitar peripherals, enhanced functionality and innovative new designs - all fully compatible with the original Rock Band instruments.

And much more.

"As successful as the original Rock Band continues to be, we've now had the benefit of the last eight months to listen to our fans' requests and to build upon that foundation," said Alex Rigopulos, co-founder and CEO of Harmonix. "Rock Band 2 is a second-generation band game that will elevate the music game experience to the next level."

Rock Band 2 will make its debut on Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft this September and have an exclusive launch window in North America. Rock Band 2 will be available for additional platforms later this year.

“We expect Rock Band 2 to continue to drive an amazing social music experience on Xbox 360, said David Hufford, senior director, Xbox Product Management for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. “We look forward to supporting Rock Band 2 on Xbox 360 as gamers continue to download hundreds of new music tracks from Xbox LIVE so they and their friends can perform the rock music they love most.

More details regarding features and music for Rock Band 2 will be revealed at the 2008 E3 Media & Business Summit. Rock Band, the first installment in the franchise, garnered more than 40 awards including Game Critics Award: Best of Show E3 2007.

In addition, Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 15 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 200 tracks available to date via download purchase (complete list of tracks at http://www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.

IGN blow lid of Rock Band 2 - The Opening Act

Rock Band is ready for a comeback tour. Today, Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 is set to ship for Xbox 360 this September and PS3 later in the year. 

However, the official announcement of Rock Band 2 is sparse on details, so we went straight to Harmonix to learn more. We spoke with Lead Designer Dan Teasdale to get the full scoop on the mega-sequel. Teasdale gave us his thoughts on user-created content, improving accessibility, upgrading last year's model and more.

More from IGN...

Rock Band Warranty Restrictions Loosened - Harmonix

Harmonix has announced that it will allow customers who've purchased Rock Band, presumably for any platform, to take advantage of its EA warranty program without providing a receipt showing proof of purchase within 60 days, effective June 30th.

The company received numerous complaints after it decided to enforce its 60-day warranty policy with customers seeking repairs and replacements for faulty Rock Band hardware. Harmonix went on to admit that its peripherals bundled with the initial November shipment of game bundles suffered manufacturing issues, promising to replace broken or unresponsive hardware.

In its statement, Harmonix outlined several reasons for its enforcement of its warranty program: "(1) we have a great deal of confidence in our peripherals, (2) we believe we have a great warranty program in place and (3) we found that a large number of the reported problems--especially those after the 60 day period--were due to mistreatment of the equipment."

The loosened restrictions will last until October 1, 2008, when the company will again require customers to report the defects with a receipt within 60-days of purchasing the game. Harmonix stressed that products that have been misused, modded, or broken due to excessive wear and tear will not be covered under the warranty.

Reports: Gamasutra

Sony working on 'break apart' motion PlayStation 3 game pad

Early Nintendo Break Apart game pad
Sony Computer Entertainment is working on a new controller for the PlayStation 3, which features the ability to 'break apart' into two separate units, each of which contains an accelerometer for 'Wiimote-like' motion-sensing functionality, GamesIndustry.biz understands.

It's not clear when the pad will be officially announced, but it is believed that working units have already been supplied to certain developer partners, according to sources.

The potential for new game types to be developed with the additional motion-sensing functionality should open up the PlayStation 3 to the sorts of gaming audiences that the Nintendo has been so successful at gathering with its Wii console.

More here...

Microsoft to cut Xbox 360 price in US

EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, in a note to investors following the release of NPD sales data for May, has stated his belief that Microsoft will cut the price of the Xbox 360 in the US at E3 this year.

"With E3 around the corner, we can expect Microsoft to make some type of announcement regarding a hardware price cut, the introductory of a new hardware SKU with new features, or both," he said.

And he added that if a price cut did happen he would expect Sony to follow suit within a two-month window.

Additionally Divnich expects the PlayStation 3 to continue to outpace the Xbox 360 in terms of sales, as in May, thanks to the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 - a much-anticipated exclusive to the Sony platform.

Meanwhile he notes that Nintendo seems to be doing a better job of meeting demand for the Wii console in the US, with the decline in gray market prices from a 40 per cent mark-up to 10 per cent - although supply for Wii Fit continues to be a problem, with gray market prices for that title averaging around a 62 per cent mark-up.

Source: Games Industry

Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi on Nintendo DS

TITLE: Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi
PLATFORM: DS
DEVELOPER: Red Fly Studio
GENRE: Action Adventure
RELEASE DATE: October 2008

An ichorous green meteor plummets through the Earth's atmosphere, fracturing and showering the earth with glowing green space dust that affects all forms of life nearby. Some plant life - mushrooms and cacti - acquire sentience while, the meteor twists and mutates other life forms, transforming insects and animals into semi-intelligent, warlike communities.



The story of Mushroom Men is told in Acts, each Act occurring in a completely unique environment. Each version of the game (DS and Wii) tells different portions of the history of the Mushroom Men universe. The DS and Wii versions are completely different stories from one-another. The DS version, Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi, is the first release and shows the development of the Mushroom nations, starting very early in Mushroom Men history. The early days of the Mushroom Men were simpler times as the Mushroom Men were just learning to walk, communicate and interact with their world. As the Mushroom Men learn how their world works, they take the player with them, developing their skills, abilities and histories up to the start of the Spore Wars.

Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi throws gamers into the action at the point when the different Mushroom nations form, with each claiming a different part of the world as their exclusive territory. The Bolete Tribe and the Morels live in isolation and thrive for a time in peace and quiet. The Amanitas Empire considers themselves superior to the Bolete and the Morels and remains segregated from the other nations until they build forces strong enough to conquer everyone. The Mushroom Men face many threats in this hostile new world. Their size makes them targets for all manner of creatures: spiders, beetles, hornets, and other creatures that threaten to destroy their villages. The Amanitas therefore build their forces by consuming the prosperity of other groups. Raging territorial attacks lead to the terrible Spore Wars. The mysteries of the Mushrooms' origins fade completely into myth, a riddle that promises great knowledge and power to the one who can find its answer...


Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi tells the story of the birth of the Mushroom Men. It starts out with the simple tribe of Bolete learning to live off the land. They struggle against their environment for a time until the Amanitas Empire arrives. To their dismay, the Bolete learn that their fellow Mushroom Men aren't any better than the hostile insects and other creatures that threaten them.

Mushroom Men – The Spore Wars for Wii & Mushroom Men – Rise of the Fungi for DS will be available across North America & Europe from October 2008.

LittleBigPlanet developer to be interviewed LIVE

Eurogamer Network and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe are happy to announce that David Smith, Co-Founder and Technical Director of LittleBigPlanet developer Media Molecule, will face questions from Eurogamer.net readers on Wednesday, 2nd July from 4pm BST (UK time) / 5pm CET.

Eurogamer LiveText interviews allow the site's readers to submit questions through a moderator. Their answers appear live on the website without the need for page-refreshing. Past interviewees include Insomniac Games' President and CEO Ted Price and Naughty Dog Co-President Evan Wells.

"LittleBigPlanet is leading the way for user-created content on PlayStation 3 and it's going to be fascinating to hear what David has to say about it," said Tom Bramwell, Editor of Eurogamer.net. "Media Molecule is doing really exciting things and we're hoping this will be our biggest live interview yet."

"User-generated content is at the heart of LittleBigPlanet and if we've done our jobs right, you'll create new experiences that we haven't even thought of yet," said David Smith, Co-Founder and Technical Director at Media Molecule. "This is a great opportunity for me to make sure you have the tools to make the LittleBigPlanet experiences you want to make."

FIFA Manager 09 makes your dreams come true

FIFA MANAGER 09 is under development and will be released for PC in the UK in Autumn this year.

EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 gives football fans full control over the management of their clubs. Whether founding a club, becoming a national coach, or finally leading their favourite club to international glory, all options are open to players in the EA SPORTS football management simulation for PC. The game contains all areas of club management, from signing new players to training to extending stadiums.

A central element of EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 is the matchday itself. The 3D mode offers new improvements, particularly in the areas of graphics, sound and AI. The new, fully customizable user interface in 3D mode gives players direct access to substitutions, tactical changes, and statistics. The text mode has been completely revamped and now features a unique mixture of traditional live commentary and an Internet live ticker. Lots of exciting and informative tools create a high level of transparency and atmosphere.



Other major features of EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 are the line-up and tactics sections. Various new team and single-player options offer endless possibilities for every type of coach. New features include a youth transfer market and match prediction tool. Players can put teams together freely and even assign form and fitness values to single players. This allows matches in the real world of football to be simulated under very realistic conditions in order to predict the outcome of a match.



Featuring licensed league, club and player data from 33 countries, EA SPORTS FIFA MANAGER 09 has a comprehensive player data bank containing over 1,500 clubs and more than 25,000 players, with over 7,000 original player photos included in the game. Other players can be added by using the editor tool.

Jumpgate new screenshoots

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C.O.R.E. Available on Nintendo DS

NoWay Studio is pleased to unveil the first video footage from the forthcoming debut game entitled C.O.R.E. a dynamic fast paced action first-person shooter for Nintendo DS. The plot-line revolves around a meteor crash and its consequences. The footage is a mixture of the game intro movie and in-game footage.

For the last 14 months, the team have been stiriving to push the limits of the Nintendo DS with full 3D visuals. This "next generation" title is set to bring th e gaming experience of the FPS on a handheld - previously only matched on a PC. They have created multiplatfom levels introduced by in-game movies, some of which will be presented in 3d.


As a marine, you are sent with a secret mission into the lab complex built on the meteor crash site. You will travel through different locations - first on the ground, then deeper underground (security rooms, living sectors, offices, labs, stock rooms, headquarters), then even deeper into the meteor rock. Your aim: to discover mysteries about the meteor by solving quests. The final quest comes deep down underneath the earth, where the biggest secret is hidden. Only you can survive this task and protect mankind.

Features
Mysterious atmosphere intensified by heavy music and advanced graphic solutions

Complete 14 big shocking and breathtaking levels

20 different enemies ranging from insane marines and mad scientist to big deadly mutants and discover secret rooms and special quests.

Choose among 8 types of guns, such as: blaster, shotgun, plasma gun or rocket launcher. Some of them will have alternative shooting options or optical zoom.

Enjoy an interactive world of our design: climb ladders, use vehicles and operate interactive tools like switches, controllers, access cards, open boxes and barrels, break windows, benches, barrels etc.

Play multiplayer with friedsversion using classic modes like: deathmatch, capture the flag or team arena