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That’s right… Guitar Hero is releasing a Metallica version of it’s popular plastic instrument, rock yer nuts off game. It was only a matter of time… Metallica is simply the most challenging and some of the most fun songs to play on the Guitar Hero/Rock Band games.

In an interview that appeared in USA Today, Alan Flore, lead designer for Neversoft, as well as Metallica’s Kirk Hammet and Lars Ulrich talked about the new game. All three agreed that the game will be extremely challenging especially when it comes to the old Metallica songs. This goes across all instruments, with the drums featuring brutal double bass playing (only available by playing on “Expert Plus”). This game will likely be the hardest rocking, most challenging version of Guitar Hero yet.

Wiki

As previously mentioned (How to get 20 free songs for Rock Band 2), MTV Games and Harmonix have announced that twenty free DLC Tracks will be made available to Rock Band 2 owners. The tracks will feature artist from all over the world and the release date has been set for November 4th 2008. The new tracks will bump the already impressive song list to 100 songs.

Tracks announced (Artist/Song):

• The 88 “Sons and Daughters”

• Authority Zero “No Regrets”

• Between the Buried and Me “Prequel To The Sequel”

• The Cab “Bounce”

• The Chevelles “Get It On”

• The Cocktail Slippers “Give It To Me”

• Dealership “Database Corrupted”

• Endeverafter “I Wanna Be Your Man”

• The Ghost Hounds “Ashes To Fire”

• Hollywood Undead “Young”

• Kutless “The Feeling”

• The Len Price 3 “If I Ain’t Got You”

• Lesley Roy “I’m Gone, I’m Going”

• Opiate for the Masses “Burn You Down”

• Semi-Precious Weapons “Magnetic Baby”

• Shaimus “Like a Fool”

• Thenewno2 “Crazy Tuesday”

• Tickle Me Pink “The Time Is Wrong”

• Underoath “Desperate Times, Desperate Measures”

• X Japan “I.V.”

Image via Wikipedia

Rock Band 2 already has 84 songs (not counting any you might have purchased with RB1).

MTV Games and Harmonix has opened up a sign-up site to redeem the 20-song free offer that was originally made when RB2 was released. Buyers of RB2 will be required to enter the redemption code that is found on the back of the game manual along with their email address and date of birth.

Not sure what songs will be coming up, but hey… 20 free songs is 20 free songs!

The new software update allows gamers to buy new musical tracks, released weekly, without having to use the Xbox Live front end. The store is no more and no less than a full-fledged music service for Rock Band; you can browse available songs by artist, by song title, and later, by album. Many of the tracks are shown with album art, the name of the CD they’ve been taken from, as well as detailed information about how difficult each song is to play on each of the game’s four instruments. A preview function is also available, allowing gamers to hear each song before they pay the dollar or two to download the tracks for use in the game.Couple of important points… if you didn’t catch it this means you can do all of this within the game, AND you can preview the song before you buy it. That’s something I always thought was lacking from RB.

This is a new way to get at a demographic that doesn’t seem to see the worth of paying for music: add the same song they’re willing to download for free into Rock Band or Guitar Hero and see people pay $2 and up for the track. Put a set of three songs by new bands together one week for a lower price, and gamers looking for new content will try them out, allowing you to spread the word about new artists. Gamers are a prime market for music and this is a way to get them more involved in new bands.

It seems like somebody finally gets it. Music sales are in sharp decline because for years now the cost to MAKE music has dropped substantially, people are tired of being raped on the cost of music and would rather just steal it. Here’s a cool idea, provide the music in a way the consumer can interact with it! Kudos… I can’t wait to download more tunes.