I just can’t see it. Really.

I mean, I look at Rock Band, and I look at Guitar Hero, and I can’t help but feel that Rock Band beats the other in every way. And I’m not even talking about the music each one contains.

I look at the interface of the general gameplay, and it really boils down to lines versus circles. I can understand why the original Guitar Hero used circles back in 2005, too. With the power of the PS2 and the quality of the video being output, circles give the most accurate representation of the timing while still being able to be seen by the player. (Coincidentally, this is why I think Rock Band AND Guitar Hero look terrible on the PS2 now that it’s just a port.) But because of the newer generation of systems, the horizontal notes work so much better and give the BEST visual cue to the song’s timing (provided you calibrate your system). I can’t understand why people would prefer Guitar Hero’s circles.
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Not much going on in the world of music gaming right now, which is rare. Harmonix recently confirmed that Rock Band 3 isn’t coming this year – they’re focusing on some British band instead. RB2 Wii has DLC, finally, though the weekly releases are having some issues. Watch for updates on the Wii DLC here every week whenever they get those fixed. Activision’s got another cash cow coming out in late March (why is it getting Queen instead of a main-series game?), and has released a rather subpar DLC schedule for February. So let’s focus on this week’s batch of fairly good songs!

February 3, 2009 (360) / February 5, 2009 (PS3)

Thin Lizzy Pack 01 ($5.50 / 440 MSP or $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Thin Lizzy – Boys Are Back In Town (Live)
• Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Live)
• Thin Lizzy – Cowboy Song (Live)

Singles ($2 / 160 MSP each)

• Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot
• The Pretenders – Precious

Singles ($1 / 80 MSP each)

• Nikko – Don’t Tell Me
• Nikko – Break My Heart

Videos and tier information after the break.

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After a long hiatus, GEB’s Rock Band DLC previews are back. The reason? I was too lazy to type those huge posts with tons of details for every song. The solution? Shorter posts! Let’s get right back into the action with next week’s content: Grateful Dead 02.

January 27, 2009 (360) / January 29, 2009 (PS3)

Grateful Dead Pack 02 ($10 / 800 MSP or $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Grateful Dead – Hell In a Bucket
• Grateful Dead – Don’t Ease Me In
• Grateful Dead – Cold Rain and Snow
• Grateful Dead – Doin’ That Rag
• Grateful Dead – Fire On the Mountain
• Grateful Dead – Uncle John’s Band

Videos and tier information after the break.

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A new pack was just slipped into Tuesday’s release: a Foo Fighters triple shot, to complement the entire The Colour and the Shape album released last month.

December 23, 2008 (360/PS3)

Foo Fighters Pack 01 ($5.49 / 440 MSP or $2 / 160 MDP each)

• DOA
• Times Like These
• This Is a Call

Videos after the break.
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My bad for missing last week. It was a country music 5-pack, and between finals and country music being, well, country music, I wasn’t eager to write an in-depth analysis. Feel free to check out the songs’ info on the Master Song List.

December 23, 2008 (360/PS3)

Rockin’ the Holidays 2008 ($3 / 240 MSP or $1 / 80 MSP each)

• Barenaked Ladies – Hanukkah Blessings
• Billy Squier – Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You
• The Pretenders – Blue Christmas

Song info after the break.
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December 9, 2008 (360) / December 11, 2008 (PS3)

No Doubt – The Singles 1992-2003 (album) ($20 / 1600 MSP)

1. Just a Girl
2. It’s My Life
3. Hey Baby
4. Bathwater
5. Sunday Morning
6. Hella Good
7. Underneath It All
8. Excuse Me Mr.
9. Running
10. Spiderwebs
11. Simple Kind of Life
12. Don’t Speak
13. Ex-Girlfriend

Videos, difficulty tiers, and more information after the break.

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Discounted tracks for Thanksgiving! A significant DLC milestone is reached next week, too. Read on to learn more.

December 2, 2008 (360) / December 4, 2008 (PS3)

Singles ($0.99 / 80 MSP each)

• Children of Bodom – Are You Dead Yet?
• Finley – Tutto È Possibile
• Platero y Tú – Hay Poco Rock N Roll
• Squeeze – Tempted
• Tokio Hotel – Ready, Set, Go!
• The All-American Rejects – Real World
• The Naked Brothers Band – Body I Occupy
• The Naked Brothers Band – I Don’t Want To Go To School

Singles (Free)

• Miranda Cosgrove – Headphones On

More info on all of these tracks, and this week’s milestone, after the break.

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Welcome to Gamer Blag!’s weekly DLC reports! I’m pksage, your resident Rock Band know-it-all, and I’ll be giving you news about each week’s downloadable content as Harmonix releases it. Let’s jump right in!

November 25, 2008 (360/PS3)

The Killers Pack 01 ($5.49 / 440 MSP – $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Mr. Brightside
• Smile Like You Mean It
• Spaceman

Yngwie Malmsteen Pack 01 ($5.49 / 440 MSP – $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Red Devil
• Damnation Game
• Caprici di Diablo

Singles ($2 / 160 MSP each)

• Soundgarden – Jesus Christ Pose
• Soundgarden – Pretty Noose
• Lamb of God – Laid to Rest

Detailed song info follows.

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