So, much like Gareth, I too have a bit of a game collection issue going on here. Thanks to financial stability, I've been slowly building myself up to the point where I can actually say I have a game collection...of course, the big problem with that is I probably haven't beaten many of them. Luckily, I have the internet for that, because I sure as hell don't know how to decide things for myself. Therefore, in a move that is TOTALLY NOT A RIPOFF OF GARETH IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, I ask ye, oh Destructoid community: What should I play next?




Of course, I should probably mention what games in my collection I haven't played/beaten, so here goes.

Shadow of the Colossus: Before you say it, I know. I'm a terrible person for owning this game and never playing it. I blame the fact that my brain sucks at wanting to play a PS2 game. And since the Shadow of the Colossus/Ico collection is coming soon, as well as me intending to purchase a PS3 this holiday, should I really go ahead and play it now or should I wait for the 'superior' version to arrive?

Darksiders: I bought this game almost entirely because Occams has been making amazing Darksiders 2 jokes on Twitter ever since the game was announced. I've yet to even pop it into my system though, despite all the praise I hear about it. Is it worth it, or should I skip over Zelda of War for now in favor of something else?

Nier: I have played a decent chunk of this game, probably at least a third of it. I'm in love with the story, the voice acting's nice, the music is wonderful...but the gameplay itself is SO DULL. I'd love to try to get over that glaring fault in order to finish the story, but it's a tough pill to swallow.

Deadly Premonition: I haven't even opened the game up yet. It's still sitting there, sealed, begging me to discover the FK in the coffee. Is it really as good as everyone says it is?

Fallout New Vegas: I've played a decent amount of this as well, and was really really into it at one point to the point where I was writing "Wasteland Journals" of my daily experience for no reason other than fun. And then I just fell out of it and stopped playing. No idea why. Should I boot it back up and finish the game?

Devil May Cry 2: I only got this because it's the only Devil May Cry game I haven't beat. And it's the only Devil May Cry game I haven't played. Thanks to all the stories I hear about how bad it is compared to the other three though, I'm starting to wonder if I even should play it though...

Metal Arms: I saw this game being sold for three bucks used at work. After remembering a fascinating article Jim Sterling wrote about the game, I decided to pick it up only to...yup, you guessed it! Never touch it. I'm sure I should change that eventually.

Samurai Legend Musashi: Now I HAVE played this game, about five years ago or so. I remember it being AWESOME, with the ability to steal enemy's abilities and the general style of the game being so fun. I don't have the memory card I had back then though, which would mean I'd have to restart the game...which tends to always make me hesitant to pop in a game.

Skate 3: I don't even care if it's a sports game, it's damn fun and I was loving the game when I checked it out from work...but then I actually bought the game and I haven't touched it since. I should pick it up and finish it some day I suppose.


And that's about it for now. I'm sure that in about two months or so I'll have even more games to worry about (Thanks holidays!), but for now I get to keep it relatively simple. So try to help me out guys! Leave me a comment, suggest which game I should tackle and try to give me some nice reasons so I know where you're coming from. I await the Dtoid community's responses, and remember:

So here I am on a Friday, sitting around, being bored. Life is dull. The Xbox is at the repair center, the only games I have on the Wii are Wii Sports, Wii Sports Resort, and Just Dance...so...ya know, fuck that noise. Netflix is currently my only salvation. So as I'm browsing for some kind of thing to watch, I hear a ring ring of the doorbell...could it be? Is it my Xbox!? I rush to the door, eagerly hoping for the good news. Turns out it's not the Xbox, but...something possibly greater...


...For when I opened the door, the mailman handed me this-




Excited as hell, I immediately cut it open and emptied the contents out onto my bed. What lay before me was nothing less than a treasure trove of awesome!




LOOK AT IT ALL! Such a wonderful bunch of things. As my smile reached balding-pedophile proportions, I hastily sifted through everything and furiously snapped pictures. This act of generosity absolutely must be photographed, catalogued, and then blogged about so the world over can know just how amazing this mysterious bearded deity is.




The first thing to catch my eye was definitely this batch of cards. Look at that stuff! Marvel, Garbage Pail Kids, Apache helicopters, the whole nine yards. I haven't seen a garbage pail kid since I was one. They used to call me Burpy Murphy. That's my slave name though, just call me Apathy please. No, seriously. I will hurt you.




Next there was this amazing assortment of action figures. We've got a baller-tier axe-wielding skeleton, a crazy-legged soldier guy, a disembodied hand (Oh the fun I can have with you), a snake, a blue chicken, a gray sheep (Guess he was incapable of deciding what moral path he wanted to follow), and A FUCKING MINIATURE CTHULHU. Let that sink in a bit. Miniature. Cthulhu. Suddenly my pewter Transformers figurines that I got from a Monopoly set aren't even cool anymore.




Following that we had this sweet ass set of dice, which may or may not actually be authentic Vegas dice. I don't know for sure, but they do say "Fabulous Las Vegas" on them, and that's pretty sweet. They'll go super well with the Red Dead Redemption playing cards (Pictured, obviously), so maybe I can get some Liar's Dice going at the next drinking game! (Vodka in picture slightly related to conversation at hand)




STICKERS OMG!!!! Before this arrived, I never knew just how much I needed a Busta Rhymes sticker in my life. Or a Fischerspooner sticker. Or a Crystal Method sticker. I haven't yet found something to stick said stickers on, but when I do stick these stickers onto something they'll stick so hard that whatever I stick these stickers on will wish I didn't stick them on so hard.




Ah, reading material. I actually never knew The Partridge Family were so adept at solving mysteries. I also didn't know it was legal for cookbooks to leave the kitchen. I am gonna read that thing so hard that it'll wi-...wait, I made that joke already. Either way, I'm gonna take this cookbook and housewife the FUCK out of some recipes! (Disclaimer- I am not a mysoginist bastard)




How did he know I loved Def Jam: Fight For NY? Was it a guess? Intuition? Divine sorcery? And furthermore, how did he know that the biggest reason for me loving that game was the inclusion of Snoop Dogg? Or, more importantly, that you can throw Snoop Dogg through a second story window? Is this too many questions for one paragraph? Do I give a shit?




Ah, the all-important mixtape...err, mixcd. Actually, we're sticking with mixtape, more of a ring to it. So many good tracks featured on this CD! I swear, the minute Jamiroquai started playing I ran straight up to my room, found the funkiest hat I could, and started grooving like a madman. My pitbull now thinks I'm retarded because of this. Fuck her, she's just jealous that she has no rhythm.




Woah woah woah, Sonny Chiba movies!? Now, I've always heard about how much of an incomparable badass he is, but I have never once watched one of his films to find out. Thanks to the bearded deity, I can change that! Well, once the Xbox comes back at least. I tried spinning the disc really fast on my finger and using my laser vision, but that just resulted in bloody fingers.


I must mention though, that opening this package came with some side effects. After the initial convulsing and foaming at the mouth, I realized that I had somehow transformed. I developed super hearing and the ability to astral project myself into the bodies of small rodents. And on top of that, I somehow became a cool person and sunglasses sprouted out of my head. I can't take them off. Every picture that's taken of me now is blurry. And for some reason I can't stop making this pose:




Before I end this, I have one last thing to share. Possibly the most important part of this package, and the one that had the most profound effect on me. To some it may seem simple, but to me it meant all the world.




This. This is one of the nicest things that anyone ever's done for me. I will forever cherish this note. Seriously, thank you so much Occams for being such an amazing and thoughtful person. You are easily one of the most giving, most caring, most awesome people on Dtoid, and I can't wait to meet you at PAX and give you a big 'ole hug. You are the perfect example of just what this community has always been to me- a collection of wonderful, caring human beings who over time become your surrogate internet family. You're the big brother of that family, pretty much. Don't ever change.

January 26, 2011. On this tragic day, my Xbox 360, born August 23, 2007, left this world.



Good night, sweet prince.


Now, unlike most people who this happens to, this wasn't a surprise to me. A little backstory is necessary here...


I got this 360 during the same week that the limited Halo 3 360s came out. My second Xbox had crapped out a week earlier, and when I heard news of this new version of the console I figured "Oh, well what perfect timing". So, I picked it up, but it being a 360 and what not, I was always ready to fear the worst. Except, it never really came. A year passed by, things were still great. Two years, still nothing, it ran good as new. A variety of games, dashboard updates, and Xbox Live antics followed, but around the year three mark things started to get a little unsettling. The box began to get louder, hotter, and would freeze up at random intervals. Initially I didn't think much of it, but it began to get more and more prevalent until, eventually, the worst thing possible happened- the dreaded Red Ring Of Death.



AKA that thing I have tattooed on my wrist as a reminder of how many times this has happened to me.


Of course, like any sane gamer would, I began to curse God's name and frantically seek some way to rectify the situation. I realized that I was currently a jobless bum at the time and had no way of replacing it, even if I wound up trading in every last game I owned. However, thanks to a bit of Craigslisting, I found a guy in my area who specialized in 360 repairs, including red rings. Despite hearing nothing but bad things about going down this route, I reluctantly decided it was the best and only way to do anything about it. So, I dropped it off and, to my surprise, within an hour he had it working beautifully. Of course, I went home and dropped hours into Battlefield: Bad Company 2. I was overjoyed, I still had video games in my life!


Fast forward a couple months, to about October. It was the same week as my birthday, ironically. Despite it being my birthday week, things weren't exactly going well. My car broke,I wasn't able to find a job STILL, my laptop broke, some jealous woman almost succeeded in causing my girlfriend of two years to break up with me (We're still together and better than ever thank God), and I got ridiculously drunk on the night of my birthday and wound up dropping my phone in a toilet while giving myself a concussion (Which ultimately led to me having a permanent scar on my forehead...I'm actually kinda proud of that part). It was during this week that my Xbox decided to stop reading disks. I, of course, panicked like I did before. Knowing there was no way I could ship it off thanks to the red ring repair I did over the Summer, and thanks to the fact that I'm STILL FREAKING BROKE (at the time), I decided to attempt fixing it myself. And, holy shit, I did it. I freaking fixed my own Xbox. I felt like a God...but of course, that was short-lived.


See, the thing I learned about disc drive failures is, there doesn't really seem to be a way to 'fix' it...not permanently at least. The only real way to do anything about it would be to just full-on replace the disk drive, or at least that's what the internet told me. Now, the fix that I performed on it, gave it about another month before I had to open it up again. And then a few weeks. And less, and less. Until Saturday, where I had to open it up yet again...this time, it only managed to last a couple days. Turns out, I think the thing is finally done. Gone. Fin. Dead.



Seems like only yesterday that I first bought him.


Now, the big question I've found myself asking is...what do I do about it? I just got laid off a couple weeks ago, so once again I'm in a jobless position. And as sad as it is for me to admit, I really rely on videogames to make my day less...well, shitty. And in the ultimate act of God hating me, it couldn't have come at a worse time. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is finally about to arrive, I had rekindled my love of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 after a long absence, I've been getting more and more hooked on playing Xbox Live with Dtoiders, and finally decided to come out of my shell and start being a part of Friday Night Fights. But then, this happens.



It seems so empty without it...


So, sad as it is for me to say, I don't think I'll be playing much games for a while. You may see me logged onto Xbox Live, but unless it's an arcade game, don't expect me to be playing anything. It's weird...what does a gamer even do when he doesn't have a console? Can he call himself a gamer when he literally lacks the ability to play games? I guess there's no point in thinking about it right now...for now, I can look back on the better times. Here's hoping I can remedy the situation soon.



A toast to the fun that we used to have.


Requiescat in pace, old friend.

So, hey, guys...dunno if you got the memo but, the year is about to be over. Crazy right? Looking back on it now, I can't even imagine where the time went. So much has happened within a year it seems- I've got a job again (Gamestop, go figure. You think of some other place an ex-Game Crazy employee could go), made some friends, lost some friends, girlfriend is still sticking around after two years (Not bad for what was a chance meeting at a Rock Band setup playing Sex Type Thing by Stone Temple Pilots), and Stereotoid is now a thing that is happening...a really really awesome thing, that is. But, this isn't about that, because real life is boring...it's why we play so many video games. And last year, around this time, I made a blog about the resolutions I was hoping to accomplish before the year's end. You probably expected this but, I wanna do the same again this year. Before I do though...lets see just how well I did last year?


1) Start giving more love to non-rhythm games. Well, I'd say that was a rousing success. Take a look at my gamer card in that corner there. See how many of them are a rhythm game? Yeah, it's a good feeling. Now, do I still play the shit out of rhythm games? You bet. Outside of Power Gig, I've bought every rhythm game that came out this year for the 360. But I've also made sure to expand my horizons significantly, rediscovering my love of Battlefield with Bad Company 2 (And then re-rediscovering it thanks to the recently released Vietnam expansion), and just recently (AKA last night) discovered just how fun online Super Street Fighter IV with a lobby of Dtoiders could be. That's not even counting all the awesome single player experiences I had this year like going through the Mass Effect series, or enjoying a campaign in Halo for the first time ever. Needless to say, good times.

2) Get some classics under my belt. Yeah, umm...I don't have the best attention span in the world. I started playing Chrono Trigger, which led to me playing Super Metroid, which led to "Oh hey HeartGold/SoulSilver is out, those are technically classics", which led to "Man, I sure do miss playing Mischief Makers, where's my N64"...this could keep going. Suffice it to say, I didn't do too hot on that one.

3) Actually beat a Final Fantasy game. Totally didn't happen. XIII was a let down for me. A really, really pretty letdown, but a letdown nonetheless. I even tried cheating and targeted Dissidia, but after beating Squall and Zidane's stories I wasn't interested anymore. Not my cup of RPG tea, I suppose.

4) Give my Dreamcast some love. I rekindled my love of Jet Grind Radio and Project Justice, but I ultimately wound up donating my Dreamcast to a better home. It was all the love I could give.

5) Beat Okami. I don't even have a PS2 anymore...why did I say I'd do that?

6) FINALLY play the Shin Megami Tensei series. I have Persona 3 Portable and SMT: Devil Survivor. They're both two of my favorite games this year.




Alright, well now that that's done. Let's get on to the main topic, shall we?




1) Meet some of you people.

Around this time last year, I was still kinda shy. Despite this being a heavily community-focused group, I was still unsure as to whether or not I'd be shunned for attempting to join in on some of the shenanigans that go down around here seeing as how I was (and kinda still am, I think) a relative unknown. Fast forward to now though and I'm part of a weekly crew of music reviewers, I've been on a few podcasts, and at times made a drunken fool of myself over at Dtoid Live. But I've still yet to meet any of you fine people in the flesh. My avatar has, apparently, (I'm not sure if he has any pending rape charges after PAX East but direct all legal shit to him, not I), but I myself have not yet. So by the end of the year, be it PAX East, PAX Prime, a NARP, or something as absurd as a trip to California this Summer, I'm meeting somebody from the Dtoid community. I will shake his/her's hand, buy him/her a drink, and there will be merriment. Of some kind.

...Also, if I make it to Cali, I require Tactix to sing to me in person. Because every time I hear him sing my heart melts.





2) Do more C-blogging stuff.

I haven't done much with my C-blog over the year. I guess that could be because most of the stuff I have written has wound up over on Stereotoid, but at the same time I've been a little downtrodden that my personal C-blog kinda just collects dust. What to do about that? Hmm...oh, I know, fix it! Right.

So hopefully, if I can retain a clear focus (And by clear focus I mean "Don't forget I said all this a week from now") I'd like to actually do more writing, about stuff that isn't just music. Sure, music is my first love as far as non-people things go, but gaming is a damn close second, with an absurdly fond love of bacon as a third. I'd like to actually share some of that love with you guys, hopefully in a way that isn't spectacularly bad.





3) Own all three systems again.

Man, it's glorious having every current-gen system available isn't it? The options available, the varied communities, the ability to pretty much play any game you desire...

...Yeah, I had that once. But then I got stupid.

See, at one point, I have owned all three systems. But due to me being a jobless, penniless bum, I pawned off my Wii and PS3 for a really crappy amount of money, just to get a few extra bucks. And while I do love my 360 very much, I can't lie and say there aren't a ton of games on the other systems I don't want to play. No More Heroes 2, Mario Galaxy 2, Donkey Kong Country Returns, New Super Mario Bros., the Uncharted games, LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, I could list 'em off all day. Variety's the spice of life, and I'd hate for my meal to get a little dull tasting. Now if I could just stop trading things in so much, I wouldn't have this problem...





4) Stop trading things in so much.

Yeah, I should get out of that habit. Between replacing said consoles up above, the fact that I'm probably about to purchase my NINTH DS Lite due to Golden Sun and Pokemon Black/White, and the fact that my once-proud gaming collection is reduced to less than ten titles across all the systems I own (Not counting Steam games because that's cheating dammit), I simply should know better by now. So, no more quick buck and facing the consequences later. I need to just grit my teeth and deal with the fact that, oh no, I have to wait for my paycheck to get something. At least I have a paycheck now, I suppose.

Also, insert obligatory "YOU'RE HURTING THE INDUSTRY YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT GAMES" comment here.





5) Build a gaming PC.

Recently, my four year old gaming laptop officially bit the dust, leaving me to run on this barely-worth-a-shit tablet PC 'til I can replace it. It can't run 90% of my Steam games, it can't run Minecraft, it can barely run Youtube worth a damn. I hate this. I must fix this. I must return to the glorious PC master race (And to a lesser extent, the Team Fortress 2 community and those wacky Garry's Mod gametypes like Trouble In Terrorist Town) and get a PC gaming rig capable of my needs. Still debating on if I just want to build a PC or have a laptop I can take with me, but if I can afford it I might as well do both. Still, either way, I need to work on doing one, and fast. This lack of being able to throw Jarate is getting to me.






6) Send Xzyliac his damn package.

I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN!

...No, not mine. Mine is the 14th. SO CLOSE HRRRRRRNG...anyways.


Backstory! There was a Twitter conversation a few days ago, between my fellow Stereotoid bro Antwhan and someone else. She was mentioning it was her birthday soon. Me being the "Jump into everybody's Twitter conversations" guy that I am, totally had to comment on how close our birthdays were, Libras unite, yada yada. I also mentioned to her that she'd get a super-special birthday mention on Stereotoid. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that we were going on vacation until New Destructoid launches, so that plan was foiled.


BUT I AM NOT A MAN TO GO BACK ON HIS WORD. So, everyone, ladies, gentlemen, other such folk, today's birthday belongs to...


BEVERLYNOELLE!!!!!


I think she's like 24 or something, I dunno. Either way, IT'S HER BIRTHDAY DAMMIT, EVERYONE GO SHOWER HER WITH BIRTHDAY WISHES AND SUCH!!!! She's a classy lass, she'd do the same for you.


So, yeah. I promised I'd throw a shout-out at ya, so even if Stereotoid isn't a go this week, I'm still throwin' a shoutout your way!


HAVE FUN, PARTY HARD, DRINK SOME DRINKS, AND ENJOY YOUR GOD DAMN BIRTHDAY!!! :D






I totally just failblogged for you Bev. It was worth it though, so happy birthday!

Okay, so here I am again, with another surely polarizing and hate inducing post about Rock Band. My last blog detailed 15 keyboard heavy songs that would be a good fit in the game, but in this one I'm just putting 25 songs that would highlight all of the new features put in the game, as well as a couple songs that just would be fun to play. Read on, and leave all hate in the comments.

(Seriously though, thanks for being generally good sports about this you guys. I know music can be a VERY opinionated subject, and I'm glad to see everyone that's commented on my blogs so far have been a very understanding bunch. Stay classy folks.)



1) Heart- Magic Man


It's an absolute crime that we have not seen any Heart in Rock Band yet. And while they have wound up in Guitar Hero twice, it's always puzzled me- why has such a wonderful band not made it to the superior product yet? Especially with this song, a song that's pretty much a staple of most classic rock playlists. It's got it all- memorable riffs, a singalong chorus that nobody can ignore, and a guitar solo that perfectly balances that edge between fun and difficult. And did I mention it features one of the best harmonizing vocal lines in rock and roll history?

2) Lynyrd Skynyrd- I Know A Little


I'm not gonna lie...I really don't like Lynyrd Skynyrd. I understand their importance, but they're just not my thing. Simple Man was overrated, Sweet Home Alabama was overplayed, and Freebird was overrated AND overplayed. But this song however? This song is the exception. A southern-rock powerhouse track, this is sure to kick the ass of even the most hardened guitarists, not to mention that keyboard. Dear lord, that keyboard. This track would easily be the 'boss song' of the game for the new peripheral, not to mention just all out fun to play on any instrument.

3) Fleetwood Mac- The Chain


Another classic song, this song has always struck an emotional chord with me. The haunting harmonies, the heavy lyrics, and that memorable "If you don't love me now, then you'll never love me again" chorus. But the best part of the song? The chill-enducing breakdown. Once that bass kicks in through the silence, the guitar starts to shred, and that inimitable "The Chain will keep us together" chant echoes through the speakers, you're practically overcome by the emotions the song illicits. Put this song in the game, PLEASE.

4) New Order- True Faith


I know, my other RB3 list was very new wave heavy. However, I neglected to mention one of the greatest new wave groups of all time, and that's a wrong I had to right. And I know, they have another, far more popular song that would probably prove better for the game, but the fact of the matter is this song just doesn't get enough love and, thanks to a rather well-done cover by Anberlin, this song has gained relevance lately, making now the best time to put it in the game.

5) Rush- Caravan


Hey! Did you guys know Rush has a new song out? Did you know it's from an album that comes out in 2011? Does any of this sound eerily familiar to the whole Chinese Democracy situation from Rock Band 2? Now, I'll admit. This song doesn't have any fancy keyboard, or harmonies, but it does have one thing the rest of the songs on this list doesn't: it's fucking Rush. And, even in this day and age, the golden boys of Canada still have the magic. Though they may have acquired a bit of a heavier edge over the years, they still know how to craft some amazing music. Wouldn't it be awesome if all that amazing music from the album made it to Rock Band 3?

6) David Bowie- Changes


CH-CH-CHAAAANGEES!! As anyone that knows me well enough would tell you, I am a massive David Bowie fan, to the point where I would say he's the greatest musician ever. And while this isn't exactly my favorite song by him, this would be a perfect fit for the game, thanks mainly to that dominating piano line. Not to mention, it'd be funny to watch vocalists trip up at the off-kilter vocal delivery present during the chorus.

7) Beastie Boys- Intergalactic


I know what you're thinking...it has no guitar. The bass is barely there. It has one very boring organesque piano sample and a drum beat. This wouldn't work at all. Well you know what I have to say to that? Fuck. And. That. Thanks to the advent of harmonies, this could be the PERFECT get-drunk-and-get-down track for three vocalists. Imagine three guys, callin' back, dropping rhymes, trying to imitate the poses from the video. For that alone, I think this song deserves to be in the game.

8) Beck- Where It's At


Ah, Beck. I would be lying if I didn't think of this song due only because of the backing piano sample, but that's just one of the many good things about this song. A fun to play drum beat (With a solo, no less), Beck's always-obscure-but-never-boring lyrics, and even some basic harmonies. Not to mention it's just a fun song to listen to. And hey, there's a guarantee that this will be more fun on guitar then the other Beck track we got.

9) Sonic Youth- Bull In The Heather


Okay, I admit. This song doesn't have an amazing guitar riff. No funky, plucky bass line. No harmonies. No piano. It's got a decent drum beat, but a very repetitive one nonetheless. And the vocals are good, but they're not something amazing in this song. So why this song? Because, when you combine it all together, it just makes for one hell of a song that greatly exceeds the sum of it's parts. Add a digital Kathleen Hanna dancing on the stage during the song Harmonix, and you've got magic on your hands.

10) Alkaline Trio- Time To Waste


I'm pretty sure everybody is going to hate this song, I'm not going to lie. I hardly know any people that know who this band even is, let alone people that actually like them. But me personally, as well as my girlfriend, we both love this band...so naturally, we've been chomping at the bit for a chance to play one of their songs in the game. The advent of the keyboard controller and harmonizing vocals suddenly makes this more possible then ever before, thanks to this song. Sure, it's from the time when they stopped being an amazing pop-punk band and started being a really good alternative band with some darker punk leanings, but it's still a great song nonetheless, and a song I'd love to see in the game.

11) Dethklok- Hatredcopter


Guitar Hero got a Dethklok song, so why can't we? And while Bloodlines is an amazing choice, I don't want to see the same song in both games, hence why I choose this one. It's hard as hell and will certainly fill the spot of "That WTF-hard metal song that everyone wants to play but nobody can play well", and is one of the few songs you'll find from the 'band' that features harmonies- in this occasion, entire lines sang by drummer/former Snakes N' Barrels vocalist Pickles. A perfect choice for the band if ever I saw one.

12) Pendulum- Propane Nightmares


Pendulum is, admittedly, an odd choice for a game that isn't DJ Hero. However, as one of the most prominent electronic acts around, as well as one of the few to still stick to instruments, they're just dying to be presented in a video game. And this song is a perfect display of what makes them great- amped up drum beats, slamming guitar and bass rhythms, and an awesome display of vocal/keyboard double duties that all combine to make a simply great song, electronic or otherwise.

13) Avenged Sevenfold- Little Piece Of Heaven


I know, I know, I know- "Avenged Sevenfold? What the fuck man, you suck." Well, whatever. This song is about as un-Avenged Sevenfold as it gets, taking on a boldly theatrical tone, complete with a choir of singers, piano, trumpets, violins, the whole nine yards. It's a darkly humorous song lyrically, telling a tale that I honestly never even noticed until the music video. Gameplay wise though, it would fit in perfectly- the background harmonies, the piano, the shifts to the drummer singing, everything. This has the potential to be one of the most 7-man band songs in the game.

14) Blood Brothers- Peacock Skeleton With Crooked Feathers


Alright, another love 'em/hate 'em band that I'm sure nobody other then me enjoys. An incredibly frantic group, this shows the Blood Brothers arguably at their best, and is a perfect entry course into just what their music entails- a fast, catchy Casio beat, dueling vocals, rapid, frantic changes in the rhythm, and an all around frenzy of madness that few other bands can pull off. It'd probably fall in to the "Visions" category of "This shit isn't music" to most people, but I personally think it'd be an excellent addition to the game for the people willing to give it a shot.

15) Against Me!- Miami


First off- ignore the video, just listen to the song. It's a fan video. Moving right along, this is another band like Alkaline Trio, where I don't know many people that know who these guys are, but they're one of my favorite bands ever, so much so that I even have a tattoo based on their first album on my back. Now, avid Rock Band players will notice that two of their songs are in the game already, but those two songs were after they took a drastic change in their sound, moving from ultra-frenzied folk-punk anthems to more of a alt-punk sound with intense lyrical messages. This song comes from the more of a middle ground between the two, when they were starting to slow down a bit but still had a bit of their signature sound left over.

16) Paper Tongues- Trinity


I just recently started listening to these guys, and I gotta say I'm a real big fan so far. Discovered out of North Carolina by the world famous Randy "Yo Dawg" Jackson, these boys attempt to fuse their different musical backgrounds of hip-hop, soul, funk, and alternative into it's own magnificent beast, with beautiful results. And while they have another song (Ride To California) that would arguably be more fun to play, I picked this song mainly because of the heartfelt vocal delivery and the standout keyboard line during the chorus.

17) Klaxons- Gravity's Rainbow


Man...am I the only one that liked these guys? Another not-so-popular band, these New Ravers from the other side of the water bring their own brand of frantic chaos to the scene themselves, combining many elements to form their own unique sound before suddenly disappearing for three years. One of their more popular tracks (And their first single), it also has all the staples of a good showcase for the new features. And, ya know, I'd actually like to see some other people figure out who these guys are.

18) The XX- Crystalised


This band here? I think I just discovered them like...four, five days ago. And while it's a very slow, typically mopey indie track, it's also a great beginner's entrance into the harmonies, and just a hauntingly enchanting song to listen to. Easy doesn't always equate to boring, so long as the song in question is good enough. Not to mention this could easily be the voxtar song of choice for the game.

19) Nine Inch Nails- Every Day Is Exactly The Same


Yes, another easy, kind of boring song. But this is another track that could be used to warm people into the new keyboard peripheral rather well, not to mention the appeal of Nine Inch Nails is kind of hard to top. And while it's not the best choice from them for another game, this has always been one of my favorites by them for the bleak, hopeless sound the song portrays, and I'm all for that sort of thing in a video game.


20) Outkast- Bombs Over Baghdad


I will make this clear- if you don't like the idea of this song being in a video game, then I'm afraid we can't be friends anymore. This song is absolutely perfect for a game like Rock Band. It's got the frenetic drums, it's got the guitar (Not to mention the guitar SOLO), and hell, it even has a bit of keyboard in it. But what really makes this so perfect, is being able to get two guys up there and doing their own Big Boi and Andre 3000. Harmonix said that they were open to the idea of hip-hop making it to Rock Band...well, put this song in and prove it.


21) MGMT- Flash Delirium


Taken from my favorite new album to come out this year, this song is another excellent display of harmonies, brought about by a band that many have hoped would appear in a rhythm game for quite some time. Luckily, their new album features a more stripped down, 60's-70's esque psychedelic sound, making it all the more likely that it could actually happen. Not to mention, this songs eventual devolution into madness would be a pretty fun thing to play.

22) Justice- D.A.N.C.E


What's that? More dance music? Hell yeah more dance music. The standout track by the two frenchman that aren't Daft Punk, this song has all the right qualities to be made into a playable Rock Band track. How could you not have a smile on your face by singing such charming lyrics? Not to mention the fact that, in the chase for branching out and getting diverse artists and genres in-game, the realm of dance music is practically untouched...so what would it take to be able to do the D.A.N.C.E in Rock Band?


23) Brick- Dazz


Speaking of genres, if there's one thing Rock Band needs more of, it's the funk. We're not content to one single 3-pack...we need more. And what better song then Dazz? It brings the funk in spades, and brings it with keyboards and harmonies to boot. Play this song at a party and everyone's almost guaranteed to dance.


24) The Gap Band- You Dropped A Bomb On Me


Another awesome funk track, and probably my personal favorite of all time. I never was able to explain why I love this song so much, but whatever it is I just can't stop listening to it again and again and again. Not much to say about this, it's simply a great song.

25) The Roots- The Seed (2.0)


And ending this list is another hip-hop songs by one of the best acts in the genre. I know that not many people have a fond respect for hip-hop (A certain comment section from a Def Jam Rapstar post comes to mind), but this is one of those bands that I can't really imagine anybody hating. It's got a simple guitar line yes, but this could easily be one of the most fun and versatile vocal tracks in the game, especially if they did it as harmonies. Plus, who doesn't wanna see a man with a giant afro playing drums?



Aaaaand there you have it, 25 more picks from my personal collection of bad music tastes, for you guys to pick apart. I'm probably going to hold off from doing another one of these, seeing as how I've pretty much suggested enough songs to fill up the rest of the track list at this point...so, sound off in the comments, tell me how wrong I am, and I hope to see you all for Stereotoid!

AND DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE DEBUT OF STEREOCAST!!!!(Shameless Plug)