Official Rock Band DLC News, Impressions, and Comments Thread

[The Grue]

whoah, what happened to RBDLC.com?  I went there the other night to look up some songs for RB2 and all the song reviews are gone, with a message from the server owner saying they're taking down everything else on April 2nd.

It's been inactive for quite some time now, though it didn't have that message last I looked.  It was just that the last review was from many DLCs ago.

[Bullwinkle]

April 5

• "The Loco-Motion" - Grand Funk Railroad (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "We're an American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Freeze-Frame" - J. Geils Band (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Joy Division (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99

[DonD]

I went to Best Buy yesterday and they had both the Midi Adapter and the Squier.  I had a $50 gift card, so I put it towards those 2 things and came away happy.  I spent a few hours with it yesterday and after some initial frustration when it would detect my chord shape but not my strumming (fixed by turning the guitar off and on again), I had a great time with the guitar.

My only previous guitar experience was to self-teach using the Justin guitar site for a while, but I hadn't picked my guitar up in about a year now.  Still, I know the major chord shapes.

It is very impressive how the guitar recognizes your finger placement on the neck.  I find that I have to press the strings down quite hard though and it can be a bit picky about where exactly you place your fingers.  I try to place my fingers right up against the fret bar (as taught by Justin), but on occasion it will register that finger placement as on the next fret.

The muted strings when playing also is kind of..odd.  It is necessary, I understand..but it affects the 'feeling' of playing the guitar, if that makes sense.

I went through the first 2 levels of instruction, but it wasn't what I was looking for, so I just went to play some songs.  What I was looking for (maybe you can help me) is to play songs using the chord shapes, but perhaps not jumping up and down the neck from say 5th fret to 13th for some fiddly single notes.  It looks like easy has you plucking 1 note at a time, medium has a partial chord and hard is more what I'm looking for with full chords, but they also sprinkle in those fiddly single notes.

Maybe I just need better song selection?

[Dramatist]

April 5

• "The Loco-Motion" - Grand Funk Railroad (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "We're an American Band" - Grand Funk Railroad (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Freeze-Frame" - J. Geils Band (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Joy Division (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99

Hooray for the Joy Division!

[msteelers]

I went through the first 2 levels of instruction, but it wasn't what I was looking for, so I just went to play some songs.  What I was looking for (maybe you can help me) is to play songs using the chord shapes, but perhaps not jumping up and down the neck from say 5th fret to 13th for some fiddly single notes.  It looks like easy has you plucking 1 note at a time, medium has a partial chord and hard is more what I'm looking for with full chords, but they also sprinkle in those fiddly single notes.

Maybe I just need better song selection?

It sounds like you want to play rhythm guitar, but these music games have always been a combination of rhythm and lead guitars. I think your best bet is going to find the songs that feature a lot of rhythm guitar and play those.

And if we ever get another Rock Band game, splitting out rhythm and lead for guitar is definitely on my short list of desired new features. I've always preferred just strumming away at chords.

[denoginizer]

I went through the first 2 levels of instruction, but it wasn't what I was looking for, so I just went to play some songs.  What I was looking for (maybe you can help me) is to play songs using the chord shapes, but perhaps not jumping up and down the neck from say 5th fret to 13th for some fiddly single notes.  It looks like easy has you plucking 1 note at a time, medium has a partial chord and hard is more what I'm looking for with full chords, but they also sprinkle in those fiddly single notes.

Maybe I just need better song selection?

It sounds like you want to play rhythm guitar, but these music games have always been a combination of rhythm and lead guitars. I think your best bet is going to find the songs that feature a lot of rhythm guitar and play those.

And if we ever get another Rock Band game, splitting out rhythm and lead for guitar is definitely on my short list of desired new features. I've always preferred just strumming away at chords.

Play all of the Foo Fighters songs.   

[TiLT]

I went through the first 2 levels of instruction, but it wasn't what I was looking for, so I just went to play some songs.  What I was looking for (maybe you can help me) is to play songs using the chord shapes, but perhaps not jumping up and down the neck from say 5th fret to 13th for some fiddly single notes.  It looks like easy has you plucking 1 note at a time, medium has a partial chord and hard is more what I'm looking for with full chords, but they also sprinkle in those fiddly single notes.

Maybe I just need better song selection?

It sounds like you want to play rhythm guitar, but these music games have always been a combination of rhythm and lead guitars. I think your best bet is going to find the songs that feature a lot of rhythm guitar and play those.

And if we ever get another Rock Band game, splitting out rhythm and lead for guitar is definitely on my short list of desired new features. I've always preferred just strumming away at chords.

Splitting the guitars is one of my biggest wishes for a sequel too. It's a bit silly jumping between both guitar scores when they were clearly written for two guitarists.

[Bullwinkle]

So, back to the DLC (maybe you guys can pro guitar it up in a new thread):

Available: April 12
 
Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks Pack 01 (800/1,000 Wii Points/$9.99)
• "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Gold Dust Woman" - Fleetwood Mac (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Landslide" - Fleetwood Mac (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Rhiannon" - Fleetwood Mac (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)" - Stevie Nicks (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Stand Back" - Stevie Nicks (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)

 *Pro Guitar/Bass expansion available (80 MSP / 100 WP / $0.99)

 

[sgoldj]

So where do I put in my revolving Weird Al "This Is The Life" reques?

[Greggy_D]

So, back to the DLC (maybe you guys can pro guitar it up in a new thread):

Available: April 12
 
Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks Pack 01 (800/1,000 Wii Points/$9.99)

 

SO

[Xmann]

IN!!!

[Larraque]

Couple new RBN songs I like:

Re-release of Rose of Jericho's Buried Cold with Pro Keys

Bloom - Fight for Greatness

[Hetz]

Getting all the Mac/Nicks songs!!

[Bullwinkle]

Xbox 360 / Wii / PS3
 Available: May 3
 
Individual songs
• "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" - Culture Club (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
•"From Out of Nowhere" - Faith No More (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Working for the Weekend" - Loverboy (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Stash" - Phish (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Tweezer" - Phish (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Big Bang Baby" - Stone Temple Pilots (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
 
*Pro Guitar/Bass expansion available (80 MSP / 100 WP / $0.99)


IN for CC adn Loverboy, embarrassingly.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Xbox 360 / Wii / PS3
Available: May 18, 2011
 
Foo Fighters Pack 04 (560 MSP / 700 WP / $6.99)
• "Long Road to Ruin" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Rope" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Stacked Actors" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Walk" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
 
Individual songs
• "King of Rock" - Run-DMC (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Hard Rock Hallelujah" - Lordi (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
 
*Pro Guitar/Bass expansion available (80 Microsoft Points / 100 Wii Points / $0.99)
 
Pro Guitar/Bass Upgrades ($.99 each, must own original DLC track)
 • Foo Fighters – "Monkey Wrench"
• Foo Fighters – "The Pretender"

[Devil]

IN for Foo

[Larraque]

So now that it's been out a few months, any lasting impressions on the pro-fender?

[disarm]

So now that it's been out a few months, any lasting impressions on the pro-fender?

i've had one for a little while and have been really impressed with how well it works.  the fret sensing is spot-on and it works really well for playing the game, although i have to admit that i'm still playing at a very basic level.  i can't vouch for how well it works when you're playing fast songs on expert level, but my understanding is that it should keep up without any trouble.  the guitar lessons built into the game are well done, and the 'Learn a Song' feature is great for breaking down songs and learning how to play them for real.  the only thing that really threw me for a loop for a while was the onscreen notation that they use, but it's something you get used to as you learn the various chords and shapes.  it's not something that lends itself to sight-reading though.  i really can't imagine anyone being able to sit down and quickly play a song based solely on the notation if they aren't already familiar with the parts, no matter how good you are at actually playing guitar.  it's a lot of fun though and is helping me to develop my meager guitar skills.

all that said, i can't really recommend using the pro guitar for much other than playing Rock Band.  while it does function as a regular electric guitar, it has some problems that make me very glad that i already owned a Strat before picking up the controller.  the biggest issue is that mine absolutely will not stay in tune for even a short period of time.  i can tune the guitar, try playing for just a few minutes, and it's horribly out of tune again.  it also has a strange 'twangy' tone that i think has something to do with the plastic fretboard, although that can be masked if you're plugged into an amp and using effects.  not unexpectedly, they used cheap components to keep costs down and it shows when trying to use the guitar outside of the game. 

if you want to use the pro guitar as a bridge to learning the real thing, it does fit that role pretty well, but i would highly recommend picking up a better guitar to play around with at the same.

[Larraque]

Pay close attention to the release date for this DLC, as content is scheduled to release on Thursday May 19th, rather than the traditional Tuesday launch date. We have some server migration scheduled next week, so you should expect to see this batch of DLC on the 19th.

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (May 19):

•   Pantera – “5 Minutes Alone” X
•   Pantera – “I’m Broken”
•   Pantera – “Mouth for War”
•   Pantera – “Walk” X
•   Peter Frampton – “Do You Feel Like We Do (Live)”

Here's the Rock Band Network songs that hit the Xbox 360 this week:

"Dreamchaser" - Amberian Dawn
"Dreamchaser (2x Bass Pedal)" - Amberian Dawn
"Another Step" - Andromeda
"Revenants" - The Cold Goodnight
"Give It Up! Give It Up!" - His Statue Falls
"Schizophrenia" - Jukebox the Ghost
"I Hate" - Madlife
"Eden" - TesseracT
"Trying Hard" - Loni Rose

Be sure to check out Jukebox the Ghost - "Schizophrenia"  - it's my favorite RBN song ever.

[Bullwinkle]

In for Frampton.

I'll be interested to see if the mouth guitar part is on the vocal track, the guitar track or both.

[The Grue]

In for Frampton and Pantera.

[TiLT]

In for Mouth of War, if nothing else because it reminds me of the glorious days of playing Doom. Too bad This Love wasn't included.

[Bullwinkle]

Lady Gaga Pack 02 (440 MSP / 550 WP / $5.49)
• "Born This Way" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "LoveGame" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
• "Paparazzi" (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)
 
Individual songs
• "Hot Blooded" - Foreigner (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
• "Urgent" - Foreigner (160 MSP / 200 WP / $1.99)*
 
*Pro Guitar/Bass expansion available (80 Microsoft Points / 100 Wii Points / $0.99)
 
Pro Guitar/Bass Upgrades ($.99 each, must own original DLC track)
• Alice in Chains – "Rooster"
• The White Stripes – "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"

[The Grue]

In for Foreigner.

[Devil]

IN for Gaga!

[Larraque]

The ozzy pack takes it to a whole new level....

http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220284&p=4402917#post4402917

The Ozzy Osbourne 8-Pack will include classics from the recently re-released Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman, including “Mr. Crowley”, “Diary of a Madman” and “Over the Mountain”. Fans who purchase the pack will also be able to play “Bark at the Moon” and “Mama, I’m Coming Home”, both of which are only available as part of the pack, and both of which include built-in Pro Guitar/Bass upgrades at no additional cost.

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (May 31):

• “Bark at the Moon” X (available only as part of the 8-pack)
• “Diary of a Madman”
• “Flying High Again”
• “I Don’t Know”
• “Mama, I’m Coming Home” X (available only as part of the 8-pack)
• “Mr. Crowley” X
• “Over the Mountain”
• “Steal Away (The Night)”

Price:

$1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points) per song
$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per song
$13.49, £6.69 UK, €9.99 EU (1080 Microsoft Points, 1350 Wii Points) for Ozzy Osbourne 8-Pack

I want Bark at the Moon and Mr Crowley. But I'm not buying the whole pack. I will get it if it ever goes on a 50% off sale.

[CeeKay]

I wonder if some of those are the original versions and not the remixed ones.

[The Grue]

In for all of the Ozzy songs.

[Chaz]

Sucks that Bark at the Moon is only available as part of the pack.  I only want one or two of the others, and I'm not buying the full pack for that one song, so I'm out on this one.  Lame.

[The Grue]

Sucks that Bark at the Moon is only available as part of the pack.  I only want one or two of the others, and I'm not buying the full pack for that one song, so I'm out on this one.  Lame.

No, what is lame is you not being completely in for the whole pack.

[denoginizer]

In for the Ozzy pack.

[TiLT]

I'm stealing Bullwinkle's thunder this week, mostly because I'm so damn excited to finally get some A-Ha for this game. 

Available on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 on June 14

• A-Ha – “Take On Me” X
• Avenged Sevenfold – “Unholy Confessions” X
• Avenged Sevenfold – “Welcome to the Family”
• Chumbawamba – “Tubthumping”
• Live – “I Alone” X
• Live – “Lightning Crashes”

[Purge]

I could see Live ending up in my library.

[Captain Caveman]

If "Take on Me" is animated in stencil, I might have to go out and purchase RB3 for it.

[Bullwinkle]

I'm stealing Bullwinkle's thunder this week, mostly because I'm so damn excited to finally get some A-Ha for this game. 

Available on Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 on June 14

• A-Ha – “Take On Me” X
• Avenged Sevenfold – “Unholy Confessions” X
• Avenged Sevenfold – “Welcome to the Family”
• Chumbawamba – “Tubthumping”
• Live – “I Alone” X
• Live – “Lightning Crashes”

Steal away, TiLT.

SO IN FOR A-HA!!

I'll also pick up Chumbawamba, for the goofy factor, and I'll get both Live songs, despite someone in the band having stolen my RealName^TM.

[rshetts2]

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.   

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

[Bullwinkle]

Next week's DLC adds two more 3 packs to the perpetually growing Rock Band library. One pack features the return of Maroon 5, and the other introduces Puddle of Mudd to the RB set list, with one Pro Guitar upgrade per artist. Enjoy!

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (June 21):

 · Maroon 5 – “Misery”
 · Maroon 5 – “This Love” X
 · Maroon 5 – “Won’t Go Home Without You”
 · Puddle of Mudd – “Blurry”
 · Puddle of Mudd – “Control”
 · Puddle of Mudd – “She Hates Me” X

 (These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation®3 system June 22)

 These tracks will be available for purchase as “Maroon 5 Pack 02”, “Puddle of Mudd Pack 01” and as individual tracks on Xbox 360, PlayStation®3 system and Wii. Tracks marked with “X” will include Pro Guitar and Pro Bass expansions for $0.99 per song.

 Price:

$1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points) per song
 $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per song
 $0.99 USD (100 Wii Points/80 Microsoft Points), £0.59 UK, €0.79 EU per song for eligible Pro Guitar/Pro Bass upgrade
 $5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU (440 Microsoft Points, 550 Wii Points) for Puddle of Mudd Pack 01
 $5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU (440 Microsoft Points, 550 Wii Points) for Maroon Five Pack 02

[Larraque]

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.   

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

I need to replace one of my plastic guitars (the guitar hero 3 model gibsons just don't hold up long term with their detachable necks). Not sure I want to drop $60 on it though. Any comments on the durability of these controllers?

[denoginizer]

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.  

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

I need to replace one of my plastic guitars (the guitar hero 3 model gibsons just don't hold up long term with their detachable necks). Not sure I want to drop $60 on it though. Any comments on the durability of these controllers?

Actually the GH3 Gibsons are by far the most solid.  

[Larraque]

Even though it will take awhile to get this, Amazon has the wood body Fender Strat replica RB guitar on sale for $60.  This is not the pro model but is probably the best looking controller guitar Ive seen.  

http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Fender-Stratocaster-Replica-Xbox-360/dp/B00473WX2O?t=slicinc-20&tag=slicinc-20

I need to replace one of my plastic guitars (the guitar hero 3 model gibsons just don't hold up long term with their detachable necks). Not sure I want to drop $60 on it though. Any comments on the durability of these controllers?

Actually the GH3 Gibsons are by far the most solid.  

That's depressing. I've gone through four of them in three years.