November? Not so much. That was when Rock Band Network was expected to arrive, bringing strange and exciting new music to the Rock Band downloadable content-lovin' masses straight from the people confident in using Reaper.

As reported by Kotaku, Harmonix is hopeful the current closed beta status of RBN will switch to "open" before we hit next year. Of course, no specific dates were given yet. The actual storefront -- the thing us paying customers will use to download these new tunes -- is making it out of the testing grounds in "early 2010."

"The open beta launch will add access to the currently private website where all of the RBN community activity and peer reviewing of tracks will take place," an MTV Games rep said.

"People who join the Rock Band Network (bands, fans or otherwise) will be able to play and preview any song before it hits the store, so they should stay tuned for the official launch." You heard the person, folks!

Is there a term to describe those Super Mario World levels that play themselves and sometimes make music as a result? I'm sure there is, but I don't know it. "Automatic Mario" doesn't count, because that sounds silly. At any rate, you surely know what I'm referring to.

The good folks at GoNintendo have stumbled upon what has to be the greatest of them all -- it's Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" as played by four different Mario levels running simultaneously. The more I type, the longer it will take for you to watch it, so I'm going to cease talking.

A person died making this, you know.

Guitar Hero 6 development is already well underway, despite the fact that it hasn't officially been announced. How do we know this? Well, I woke up this morning, the sky is blue, and Jim Sterling upset a bunch of people last week -- these are all things that simply happen in nature. 

Who will be on the soundtrack? Well, we can confirm Tesla now. Yup, the guitarist for the 80s rock outfit recently confirmed that its song "Modern Day Cowboy" has been selected to appear in Guitar Hero 6. Dave Rude says the song was one of the three tracks it suggested to Activision when it was asked to be involved in the game. 

Rude also isn't on the "play a real instrument" band-wagon, seeing positives in the band-game experience. 

"“I teach guitar when I’m not touring and a lot of people start in on that," he says. "A lot of people complain, but I think it’s a good thing. Even if people don’t learn to play guitar, it’s exposing them to all sorts of cool guitar-based music that they wouldn’t have ever heard otherwise."

[Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles via Joystiq]

I'm always happy when game music gets some US lovin', and today Square Enix is treating with an early release of the remix album Love SQ.

Really slick arrangements of twelve great songs from games like Crono Trigger, Final Fantasy, and Romancing SaGa, and Legend of Mana are on Love SQ. Each song blends old 8-bit chippy sounds with modern day beats and samples, making for an interesting listen. I love De De Mouse's arrangement of "Eternal Wind," and the treatment of "Frog's Theme" is a crowd-pleaser, coming complete with 16-bit croak samples.

If I could ask you to do one thing, I'd ask that you at least download a song to tell Square Enix that we dig these kinds of releases here in the United States.

Love SQ is on iTunes now. $9.90 for the full album. Go!

[via OSV]

So, I recently got to play a beta of Super Meat Boy, and it was awesome. I haven't played a game with this much impending death in a long time. So far, it seems the Super Meat Boy world is pretty much made up of five things; you, the walls, the floor, giant buzz-saws, and cute little bunnies (who frequently jump into the buzz saws).

Oh, and blood. Lots and lots of blood.

From the looks of it, the game's first boss will do well to keep with the game's bloody, saw-filled feel. From the looks of it, the thing is basically a giant chainsaw with feet. Why hasn't this been done before? It's such an obviously good idea; a chainsaw with feet. Here is it, 2009, and this is the first time I've seen one.

Want to simulate the feeling of fighting this boss right now? Well, you can start by making chainsaw-sounds with your mouth while squirting ketchup all over your computer monitor. If that's not enough, you could listen to the actual theme music for the boss, which can be found right here. If you really wanted to go for it, I guess you could do all three. Just don't let anybody catch you while you're at it. They might think you're weird. 

[via Meat Boy's Twitter]

Now that we're done with the mushy feelings involved with last week's series of emotional mind teaser games, it's time for another brainiac physics puzzle game! This one offers fifteen levels that will teach and torment you with eighteen physics tools, and even allows you to make your own puzzle levels.

In the past few weeks you've all been very attentive to the music in each of the games, and this one won't disappoint. It's got very loopable music akin to the Millennium Force audio playing at Cedar Point as you board your ride, and each puzzle interaction has plenty of fun sound effects as well.

However, here's a small warning: sometimes the later levels can glitch and become either unbeatable, or beatable in incorrect ways, due to malfunctioning level code. I contacted the maker a few months ago but never heard back, so keep an eye out for it in case it hasn't been fixed -- just restart the level if you notice it happening. Even with those minor flaws it's still a great flash game worth your time.

You can play Electric Box here on CandyStand.

P.S. Tomorrow is your last chance to vote on last week's Super Mario series game debate!

I think what most pleases me about the release of the "family friendly" LEGO Rock Band, it's that it opens up the platform to all kinds of pop nonsense we might not have ordinarily seen. By "nonsense," I mean stuff I have been secretly flooding Harmonix with requests for. 

Take Kelly Clarkson for instance -- girl can sing. Next week, "Miss Independent" comes to Rock Band, along with songs from "Sure, I'll put an exclamation point in my name" P!nk and Go-Go's.

Single tracks ($1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per track)

• Go-Go's "Our Lips Are Sealed" +
• Kelly Clarkson - "Miss Independent" +
• P!nk - "Who Knew" +

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Live Anthology Pack 01 ($9.99/800 MS Points for the pack; $1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per track)

• "A Think About You (live)" +
• "American Girl (live)" 
• "Even the Losers (live)"
• "Here Comes My Girl (live") +
• "Mary Jane's Last Dance (live)"
• "Refugee (live)" +

_{(The "+" indicates the tracks is available available on both the Rock Band and the LEGO Rock Band music stores)}

Kelly Clarkson plus six live Tom Petty tracks? Time to stock up on MS Points. (Yes, you can make fun of me in the comments.)

When it comes to synth-pop songs about girls who are smart, songs about guys preoccupied with your approval of their Wang, songs about theft, songs about tennis and songs about more rokk with less talk, Freezepop have earned the platinum trophy.

From humble beginnings rattling around the Boston area in 1999 to being a major draw at PAX ten years later, the band has slowly emerged and taken on the world. They've ramped up their game as well as the quality of their product, even when, admittedly, much of their charm comes from their DIY championing of technological minimalism. For a long time the band stuck closely to the Yamaha QY-70 as their primary sound source. More recently they broke out of those constraints and flexed their sonic muscles with a broader pallet of lush electronic sounds.

The band has long been a staple among music and rhythm video games, most notably Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Their founding member Kasson Crooker (aka The Duke) works at Harmonix, so their connection is perhaps a given. But it's that very connection that eventually forced The Duke to make his own Sophie's Choice between his work at the game company, or his continued involvement with the band. He chose Harmonix, and in 2009, after a triumphant show at PAX, he left the band.

Or did he?

I had the chance to sit down with Liz, Sean and Seth, the core live line-up of Freezepop for the past three years or so, before their show in Duluth, Minnesota on November 11th. We talked about all things PAX, The Duke and their future future future. Prefect? Read on!

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If you thought that The Beatles: Rock Band downloadable content that was announced earlier today was the only time I'd be writing about Rock Band DLC today, you're wrong. Thank god, because seriously, I could write about this stuff all day. 

I joke, of course, because how many ways can you possibly say "These songs are coming to Rock Band next week?" Not many, but I've been doing it for like two years or something. So here's what I'll say about next week's DLC -- I kind of had a crush on Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles when I was a kid. I mean, she's totally awesome, right? Even with the big hair in the 80s, totally awesome. 

The Bangles - "Walk Like an Egyptian"+ ($1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points)

AFI Pack 01 ($8.49/680 MS Points for the pack, $1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per track)
"Beautiful Thieves"
"End Transmission"
"Love Like Winter"
"Medicate"
"The Leaving Song Pt. II"

_{+ Indicates the song will be playable/downloadable in LEGO Rock Band.}

Fact: I have never had a crush on Davey Havok from AFI.

[Update: Here's another one for next week for the Xbox 360. Them Crooked Vultures -- a "supergroup" consisting of Davel Grohl, Josh Homme, and John Paul Jones -- will debut its song "New Fang" in Rock Band next week. It'll cost you 160 MS Points. 

The track is off their upcoming self-titled album, which is streaming live on the band's Web site, and basically rocks out a lot.

Wii owners get the song on November 24 (200 Wii Points), PS3 on December 3 ($1.99).] 

Next week, the second full album by The Beatles will be available for download for The Beatles: Rock Band, Harmonix/MTV Games/Apple Corp. announced today. 

The Beatles' 1967 record, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band will be available for download on November 17 (for Wii and Xbox 360; it hits PlayStation Network on November 19). The album will cost $13.49 (1080 MS Points), or $1.99 (160 MS Points/200 Wii Points).

Along with the tracks already on The Beatles: Rock Band disc (the album's title track, "With A Little Help From My Friends," "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds," "Getting Better," and "Good Morning Good Morning"), the following tracks will complete the record:

“Fixing A Hole,” “She’s Leaving Home,” “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite!,” “Within You Without You,” “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Lovely Rita,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)” and “A Day In The Life.”

It was also reiterated that Rubber Soul, the last of the announced DLC for The Beatles: Rock Band, will be released in December. Whether we'll see more is probably largely based on the success of what's already been  released.

The first bit of DLC for the title -- the single track, "All You Need Is Love" -- was downloaded more than 100,000 times from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Not a bad indicator that more DLC isn't entirely out of the question. What would you like to see next?  

Last Friday, we passed along information about this week's Rock Band Music Store update, which included The White Stripes, Kasabian, and The Damned. Well, surprise -- there's more. 

Today, three additional tracks appeared on the Rock Band Music Store -- Spongebob Squarepant's "A Day Like This," "Employee of the Month," and "Ridin' The Hook." Also known as "exactly what you've been waiting for since Rock Band was released in November of 2007."

This brings the total number of Spongebob songs in Rock Band up to (I believe) six, whereas the total number of playable Radiohead tracks is... two? And no Frank Zappa, Naked City, or Kelly Clarkson! What the hell, Harmonix?

[via Rock Band Aide]

Boston-based The Main Drag -- whose song "Jagged Gorgeous Winter" appeared in Rock Band 2 -- has announced its intentions to make nearly every song they've ever recorded playable in Rock Band. 

This, of course, by way of the Rock Band Network initiative. By "nearly every song" I mean the entirety of its album Yours As Fast As Mine and its upcoming third album, You Are Underwater. This shouldn't be much of a surprise -- the entire band works for Rock Band-developer Harmonix. 

You can sample a track from the upcoming album, "Dove Nets," on the song's official Web site. It features the adorable video for the track, as well as a playable game, Dove Invaders. See? This story is so relevant to your interests that it's ridiculous.

Cipher Prime's Auditorium is a relatively simple, very self-explanatory game that's presented brilliantly. Rather than listen to me elaborate further, you can hear Samit discuss it or even try a demo, for that matter.

Oddly enough, GamerBytes reports that Auditorium is making it beyond the realm of PC exclusivity and onto Xbox LIVE Arcade, PlayStation Network, and even PSP Minis sometime next year. Not to discredit the game, but it doesn't seem like the sort of thing those services tend to offer usually.

Hell, I would take that as a compliment. More than anything else, it's good news because it means more money will go in the pockets of the guys who created Auditorium. They deserve it.

REO Speedwagon is getting its very own videogame, heading to the PC and Mac. I know you don't believe it, or at the very least think we're talking about a funny Flash game. We sh*t you not, however, this is a real, official, genuine REO Speedwagon game!

It's called Find Your Own Way Home and it sounds crap! It's being sold as a "hidden object adventure game" which is PR speak for "you randomly click the screen like a retard and hope something happens." Of course, the gameplay isn't important. What is important is that it's stocked to the gills with soul-warming melodic power ballads that stir the heart and melt the mind. Twelve of The Wag's best tracks will be a part of the game, so you've got a guaranteed winner right there.

Seriously, this is a thing that is happening. I can't fight this feeling that it'll be the best bad game to come out in ages.

Yesterday we learned that No Doubt was suing Activision over its appearance in Band Hero, seemingly encouraged by the Kurt Cobain situation and claiming that they never agreed to be used as in-game puppets that sing any crap song on command. Activision has since bitten back and -- surprise surprise -- denies any wrongdoing.

"Some of the world’s most popular and iconic artists have been featured in Guitar Hero as playable characters, and we are proud to count No Doubt among them," responds the evil publisher. "Activision has a written agreement to use No Doubt in Band Hero -- an agreement signed by No Doubt after extensive negotiations with its representatives, who collectively have decades of experience in the entertainment industry.

"Pursuant to that agreement, Activision worked with No Doubt and the band’s management in developing Band Hero. As a result, Activision believes it is within its legal rights with respect to the use and portrayal of the band members in the game and that this lawsuit is without merit. Activision is exploring its own legal options with respect to No Doubt’s obligations under the agreement."

While I'm not one to usually side with Activision, lawsuits brought about by the bruised egos of musicians who are taking themselves too seriously aren't things I like to see. I'm also fairly certain that Activision, of all companies, would have made sure that its agreement with No Doubt was iron-clad before Band Hero arrived. The publisher doesn't strike me as the kind of company to not make sure its back is covered.

What do you think? Is the band just stomping its feet because it wasn't aware of what it agreed to, or should the evil publisher admit it's wrong to make Gwen Stefani sing Spice Girls songs?

Just as happened with Kurt Cobain's appearance in Guitar Hero 5 and the screams from the bloated, sucking mass which rallied to his defense, Activision is taking some heat for the use of likenesses in their music games. The issue comes this time from No Doubt who are outraged that their avatars can be used to play the full playlist of songs.

The suit filed today alleges that Activision withheld information on how the avatars could be used in the game and, when asked to prevent the use of the avatars on unapproved songs, refused to accommodate the band by stating it would be "too expensive."

While I do think it would be pretty slimy if Activision had in fact not been clear with them, the way the suit approaches the issue is a bit disgusting in it's own right. Instead of making that the main complaint, they dress it up as a bruise to their ego, as if the internet isn't already full of images of Gwen Stefani's head on Marv Albert's lingiere-wearing body.

I want to get behind No Doubt on this because I think people should be able to have at least some measure of control over the use of their likeness in a commercial product but it's really hard to do that when they're going to be such crybabies about something I thought should had been written off as a kinda funny but ultimately harmless thing by now anyway.

You might have heard about the massive Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Track packaging, but now we have a better look at it here.

In my near-infinite geekery, I used to have the limited edition soundtracks of every Final Fantasy game available. I had them on a fancy display. One of the most notable was the Final Fantasy VII, which came in a huge box with a metal plate on the front. This new Final Fantasy XIII box isn't as big, but it seems to share some of the grandness of past boxes.

The limited edition box (5,250 yen) comes in a special box, and inside you'll find the four music CDs, a drama CD, and a reworking of the Episode Zero Promise - Encounter - story. A standard box comes with just the four music discs for 3,990 yen.

As the fancy new soundtrack webpage tells us, both CDs go on sale on January 27th of next year.

Although all eyes are currently on Activision's DJ Hero, let's not forget about the other DJ/music contender, Scratch: The Ultimate DJ.

We had a chance to check out the game and the turntable peripheral ourselves awhile back, but with the game pushed out into 2010, it's time for an updated look. The latest trailer focuses on the authenticity of the controller, designed by Numark. The video compares it to real DJ equipment -- the Numark NS7 and the Akai Pro MPC. 

What we don't see is the game in action. We're curious to see what Commotion Interactive, who took over development of the title in August, is up to with the game. Scratch is said to be targeted for an early 2010 release for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so it can't be long until we get a chance to find out.

Remember the first time you booted up Square's PlayStation strategy RPG Final Fantasy Tactics? If you're like me, one of the most memorable things was the opening song. Hell, all the music was fantastic, wasn't it? If you ask me, THE Final Fantasy Tactics games have some of the best music in the business.

I'd kill to see this upcoming Japanese concert, kicking off on November 22nd. It's not an official Square Enix event, but that does not mean that it won't be good. What it lacks in officialness it makes up for in music. It features just about all of the game's soundtrack, leaving nothing to the imagination with its 61 songs. Luckily, they'll be in medley form. If not, that would be one long concert.

[via OSV]

Assassin’s Creed II will have music; confirmed.

Composer Jesper Kyd will be once again be composing the soundtrack to an Assassin’s Creed videogame. According to official release blasted this morning, Kyd is taking AC II’s music in an “adventurous” direction, showing “emotional depth and maturity” in the stringy plucks or whatever he is choosing to use for the game.

"We created a unique musical identity for Assassin's Creed II that reflects the character and story of Ezio and elevated the music,” Kyd says, via the release, “both in terms of creativity and live production, to a whole new level."

The original soundtrack for the game will be released as a digital download on November 16th, a mere day before the full game is released in North America. Normally we’d say get your popcorn ready, but that wouldn’t be refined enough for a thing like this. So, instead, make your soft-clapping hands and silk bathrobe available for this one.

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The chiptune scene is flourishing over in New York. A number of the big-name chiptune performers are situated on the East Coast, probably largely to do with Blipfest happening in New York each year. Well, the West Coast is getting some more chiptune love finally as a chiptune tour is set to hit California, Oregon and Washington in the coming weeks.

The four-part tour begins in Los Angeles on November 7 at the Chop Suey Café and Lounge. The concert will feature Trash80, minusbaby, StarPause and Crashfaster, with visuals provided by Daniel Rehn and Paris. Prior to the concert will actually be a chipmusic workshop at the Japanese American National Museum, where you’ll get to see how chiptune music happens and try your hand at making chiptune music yourself.

The Data Beez tour then heads up north to San Francisco on November 12 at the DNA Lounge. After San Francisco, the tour will continue on up to Portland and then ending in Seattle.

Check out the official Data Beez Web site for more info on the concerts and to see when the tour hits Washington.

[via Zen Albatross's c-blog]

_{[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]}

Alright, it's finally my turn!

Music has always been a part of my life. Back in the 80s, MTV was one of the only pay channels on cable my mother bothered to put money down for. Many of my earliest memories include watching music videos, listening to the radio, and learning to recite the lyrics of the songs on a Black Crowes tape that played infinitely in the car.

Due to my upbringing, I grew to love music very much. So much that I can't say there's any type or genre that I absolutely hate. My tastes are wildly varied and sometimes pretty strange, and that made it pretty difficult to pick a small number of songs to show off my tastes here. I finally got it down to 12, but I can cut down my list no further. Phew.

Hit the jump for musical goodness, or at least sound waves that my brain happens to translate into musical goodness.

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If videogame music isn't 'music,' then what is it?

Silent Hill composer Akira Yamaoka said something that may not go over well with game music fans:

I don't consider video game music, including Silent Hill music, as 'music.' I consider it more as 'sound' that complements the images, game, and story to create an entertaining experience. So even if I thought I created cool music, if I don't get excited or enjoy playing the game with the music and images combined, then I can't say, 'I created good music.'

One of GoNintendo's readers suggested that something may have been lost in translation. Normally I'd agree, but when I interviewed Yamaoka last year, I overheard him telling another interviewer something very similar. It may have something to do with the composer originally coming from an art background instead of a musical one.

If anything, I'd guess that he's referring more to his works than anything else. The fully orchestrated scores coming out of games today are definitely music, and can stand alone as a separate experience.

Dave Grohl fans have something to both cheer and complain about today. Next week's Rock Band Store update will feature a Foo Fighters four pack. On the other hand, there will also be a Nirvana three song pack available... but Grohl didn't play drums on any of the songs. They're from Nirvana's debut record of Sub Pop, Bleach. 

Foo Fighters Pack 03 ($6.99/560 MS Points for the pack, $1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per song)

"Best of You"
"The Pretender"
"Wheels"
"Word Forward"

Nirvana Bleach Pack ($5.49/440 MS Points for the pack, $1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points per song)

"About a Girl"
"Blew"
"School"

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - "Fake Friends" ($1.99/160 MS Points/200 Wii Points)

In other news, what the hell is up with that chick from Twilight playing Joan Jett in an upcoming biopic, The Runaways? What planet do I live on?

We have little doubt that Rockstar has provided some quality radio listening for Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony, which was just made available today for Xbox 360. But if you're looking for something a little different, our friends at Gamertag Radio have something for you. 

WGTR is a "pirate" hit-hop radio stations were put together by Gamertag Radio's Petrocc, along with Wrekonize and DJ Idee who created a mix just for the show. The show also features exclusive new music from Miami-area hip-hop artists, MayDay. 

The idea here is to throw the mp3 on as an Xbox 360 custom soundtrack, and kick back while it plays during your tour of Liberty City. Pretty cool idea, especially if you're into hip-hop. If not, well, maybe it's time to put your own radio station together, isn't it?

DJ Hero may have a high amount of mixes on the disc -- 93, to be exact -- but there's always room for more. Especially if you find yourself getting tired of the same songs appearing in multiple mash-ups.

Available now on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 480 MS Points ($5.99) is the "Extended Mix Pack 01." I don't own PlayStation 3, so I could not confirm if the new mixes were also on the PlayStation Store yet, but they are supposed to be on there today. The DLC is a bundle of the following mixes:

• "All Of Me" by 50 Cent featuring Mary J. Blige vs. "Radio Ga Ga" by Queen
• "DARE" by Gorillaz vs. "Can't Truss It" Performed by Public Enemy

Now that guy who plays DJ Hero for weddings "professionally" can add one of my favorite Gorillaz tracks to his line-up. How rad.

[dTunes is a community-organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

If you were to ask people about folk music, they'd probably look at you funny. This is the 21st century, right? A few people might drop some names like Gillian Welch, Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Steve Earle, or Emmylou Harris, and maybe even Old Crow Medicine Show or Nickel Creek or the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. And that's totally cool, but there's a whole new current in music that's using a lot of the traditional instrumentation and structure of folk and bluegrass music, and, even better, most of it is pretty good.

The new wave of folk music didn't really grab my attention until I got to college at the University of the South. Nestled on top of the Cumberland Plateau, traditional music kind of hangs in the air up here, and I've been lucky enough to be exposed to a tiny bit of it's more recent offerings.

So, hit the jump for a TON of my favorite bluegrass-tinged music. As a Southerner, I kind of feel obliged to let everyone know that banjos are cool again, and that there's more going on in the Dirty South than Deliverance.

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[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

I'm going to be real here. What you are going to hear here is the biggest pile of pretentious music you will probably discover  on Destructoid. I really don't want it to be pretentious, but I have a habit of rattling off bands that I like, only to have indie kids to say I am their new best friend, and everyone else look at me with pity.

Oh well.

However, I'm the one in charge tonight, and while you honestly might find my choice in music to be utterly disgusting, I just have to say this: You are probably right. Like all things in life, personal aesthetic is like a beautiful butterfly, individual in its glory. That is until you set it free on the internet, and everyone steps on it.

Let the music commence!

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On November 10, metalcore band Unearth will release a special edition set of its 2008 record, The March. Distributed by Metal Blade, the set comes with bonus tracks as well as a DVD of music videos, tour footage, making-of footage, live clips, and more. 

Okay, so what does this have to do with videogames, you ask? Up there is the world exclusive premiere of Unearth's music video for their track "Grave of Opportunity." The theme -- a kegger/party featuring videogames, more specifically, Guitar Hero.

"With our video for 'Grave of Oppounity,' we wanted to give the vibe of a party meeting music," says Unearth vocalist Trevor Phipps. 

Looks a lot like a few parties we've been to except we've never actually been in the videogame. But we're working on it, trust us. In the meantime, we'll just have to live vicariously through Unearth. (Editor's note: Hey, I totally had that Faith No More shirt!)

If you're looking to be brutalized live, Unearth kick off its tour with Hatebreed, Cannibal Corpse, Born Of Osiris, and Hate Eternal next week.

[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

I have no taste in music.

I'm not saying I have bad taste, though that's certainly a possibility -- I mean I literally have no taste. The only songs I like have either been introduced to me by my friends, or were used in a movie or videogame. The only metal songs I like, I heard from either Guitar Hero or Brutal Legend. The only pieces of classical music I like are those which have been used in dramatic films I admire. 

I immediately regret volunteering to do one of these goddamn articles.

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Did everyone escape the clutches of last week's locked room game? Great! This week we face a whole different type of mind teaser game, with both turn-based and path-based strategies to consider at each step along the way.

I just got back from a huge camping trip, involving several days of long hikes through pathless woods, which ended in a seven mile hike earlier today. Now that both my body and brain are mush, I wanted to find a puzzle game that would be as simple as clicking one button, and Bloody Fun Day was fitting in more ways than one.

This weekend I stumbled upon dozens of deer, crayfish, raccoons, hawks, vultures, owls, flying squirrels, chipmunks and plenty of other wildlife. Despite loving every pristine moment of it, and even though I've never been the hunter-type in real life (but love them in RPGs), I have no qualms about coming home and playing a flash game that revolves around slaughtering fields of cute little critters. The music is also very relaxing if audio stimulation is a must for you.

Simply time and guide your paths so that your grim reaper character can kill the largest clusters of similar adjacent animals, and allow enough time in between routes for optimal egg hatching cycles so that you can start the killing spree all over again with even more targets in your sights. Add the sub-strategy where different critters do different things when killed, and the bonus special attacks that appear when you rack up enough kills on each species, and you've got quite the extinction simulator puzzle game. Or, if you just want to relive your Oregon Trail days of mindlessly killing ten buffalo for fun, then this Pokémon genocide game is still a great time.

Ubisoft has revealed the soundtrack to its upcoming dance/fitness game Just Dance for the Wii, and something is... missing. 

It features a bunch of top 40 dance hits like you'd expect, including music by Dee-Lite ("Groove is in the Heart"), New Kids on the Block ("Step By Step"), MC Hammer ("U Can't Touch This"), and more. (The full list can be found after the jump.)

So what's missing? Lady GaGa's hit single "Just Dance," of course. Seriously, if there was a ever an opportunity for a silly marketing tie-in, this is it. I was already upset to learn that this wasn't a game where you play as Lady GaGa and use fashion and music to save the universe from a race of planet eating aliens. But this is just unacceptable. 

I actually forced our video editor Rey to play this game with me at Penny Arcade Expo earlier in the year, and I can report that it's absolutely ridiculous and maybe impossible. We danced along to Technotronic's "Pump Up The Jam," and when I say dance, I mean it. The game didn't just want us waving our hands to the beat -- it expected us to keep up with an on-screen dancer that was performing very specific and complicated dance moves.

Demon's Souls isn't the hardest game of the year, folks... it's actually Ubisoft's Just Dance. Unless you're Paula Abdul... or Lady GaGa.

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Normally we might skim over the music video above or save it for a Weekend Destructainment, but considering that just happened and we're all up in the listening to music anyway with dtunes, it's getting its own story. I've never heard of Pato Pooh or Adam Tensta, but their song Follow Me has a catchy, and somewhat chiptune sound to it, and their video is jam packed full of awesome retro gaming references.

I don't know how cool it is to rep "Stockholm City," but I do know it's cool to rep Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. 3, Ice Climbers, Star Fox and so many other retro games it's hard to count them all. It's also cool to lay down a line like "Blow in the cassette so mother-f*ckers know the games on." Except its not a cassette it's a cartridge. Maybe he's not so cool. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt though because the video has the Duck Hunt dog in a sideways baseball cap. Whether you like the song or not you have to give mad props to whoever put the video together. 

[Thanks Sateesh N.]

[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

Hi! Don't worry it's not the weekend yet. You didn't just waste your entire Saturday at work. Nick was kind enough to let me out of my cage a few hours early so that I could share with you my favorite music much like Conrad, Topher, R3Y and Brad already have. If you haven't checked out their posts yet you really should as it turns out us editors have really good taste in music.

Well, the other guys do. I admittedly have terrible taste in music. See I'm simple and easily distracted by anything that's poppy and catchy. I'm not talking good pop either. I've caught myself enjoying Miley Cyrus's Party in the U.S.A. on multiple occasions. It's catchy! Don't look at me like that. I'm already ashamed enough as it is. Seriously, if my radio isn't on NPR then it's on one of DC's three top 40 stations. I feel like there is a major contradiction in that sentence, but whatever.

Despite being hopelessly addicted to catchy hooks from over-produced pop stars I think I have a few bands/musicians here that I hope I can interest you in. Most of them you've probably heard of here or there since the last time I tried to go underground with my music taste was when I buried a toy drum in the backyard at the age of five. And with that ridiculously bad joke I beg you to hit the jump.

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Ever stay up for 24 hours just to finish one more level of your favorite game? Wu-Tang Clan's jack-of-all trades and self-professed nerd RZA understands -- he claims he used to be kind of addicted to videogames himself. 

"I"ve been playing videogames since the Atari 2600," he said. "In fact, since Colecovision. In fact, since Pong."

RZA says he used to spend many late nights playing games, even at the expense of sleep. He says his son does the same thing, but after spending the past few years breaking his habit, he's had to impose some rules for his family. 

"Four hours a day of videogames is enough," he said of the time he lets his child play.

"Only" four hours? That's barely enough time to level up to 20 in Borderlands, RZA. The Grammy Award Winner also has a few words of wisdom for you parents out there. 

"I'd rather raise nerds than gangsters."

[via True/Slant, thanks Lazaro!]

We kind of had an idea that God of War III was going to rock, but now it's official -- it's actually going to rock. 

In an interview today with Baltimore radio station 98 Rock, the lead singer for Orlando, Florida-based metal Trivium dropped the news that the group had just finished recording an original song for the upcoming PlayStation 3 exclusive.

"I don't know if it's been announced yet," said singer/guitarist/gamer Matt Heafy, "but it is now."

No other information was given, but we can only assume that guitars will crunch, beats will blast, and Heafy is going to growl some stuff... possibly about Zeus. When it comes to seeing Kratos do what he does best -- ripping things to shreds -- all of that sounds just about right.

_{[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]}

After yesterday's fine introduction by one Mr. Conrad Zimmerman, I'd like to welcome you to dTunes Day 2. It feels weird to be writing about something other than videogames. Not weird in the same way that it's weird to type your own name in the headline of a post, but weird in that this was an oddly refreshing change of pace for me.

It was also a difficult task, since I'm limited to what I can find on Youtube and the like. A lot of the music I'd really like to share with you, like some local bands' work, doesn't exist on the internet, which is a shame.

Thankfully, however, most of the important stuff was available in some form, and what comes after the jump should give you a pretty good idea of what I listen to. I'm one of those people who puts headphones on in the morning and then falls asleep 18 hours later with them still on. I have music playing 24 hours a day, whether it's on an iPod, a stereo, or stuck in my head. I'm the guy next to you on the subway with his sh*t turned up too loud. Rockin'.

I love music even more than I love videogames (gasp!) and I'm delighted for a chance to talk about it. 

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Ladies and Gents, I have a very special announcement to make for fans of the BIT.TRIP series. You see, while the games are oodles of fun, there's a special element of the whole series that just makes it sparkle. I'm talking of course, about the music of the series. Take a look at how things come together musically, and you practically can guarantee that something special will come from these guys.

So what's the big news? Well, how about an announcement of the Official Soundtrack for the original BIT.TRIP Beat? This is a full ten track album, running music from within the game, Bit Shifter songs, and stuff from the cutscenes. For people who have had any experience with Beat, well, you know the truth of the situation -- it's damn catchy. Fans of chiptunes should get a real kick out of this music. It will be ready for purchase off Amazon and iTunes on October 27, but eager beavers can actually get the full album from CDBaby as of right now. You wouldn't be an eager beaver, now would you?

Even better, you know that amazing contest we have running this week for all sorts of neat BIT.TRIP goodies, like a hella fine t-shirt, some amazing papercraft and stunning high quality prints? Well, the winner of said contest is also going to receive a download code for the full album, so put that in your pipe.

As a special treat, Gaijin has also sent along a link to a track, that while absent from the OST, it brings along the flavor of the game. Check it out!

Arguably, there are three major elements to a BIT.TRIP game: classical gameplay elements evoking an earlier era of games, retro-inspired graphics that embody and celebrate constraints, and the music. Whenever I begin to describe a game like BIT.TRIP Beat or Core, I always have to mention how cool the music plays in the game. The BIT.TRIP games, after all, are just as much a rhythm/music game as they are a re-imagined take on Pong or Ikaruga or whatever.

So I wanted to ask the guys of Gaijin Games, when they make a game where music plays such an integral role in their games, how they go about making it work. It is actually a marginally convoluted process, but one that seems to come together in the end more than fine. So how does it happen?

Hit the jump to find out!

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Evil publisher Activision recently claimed that Guitar Hero 5 outsold MTV Games' The Beatles: Rock Band and maintained its dominance in the music game genre. However, it looks like Activision may have told an evil lie, because the NPD results have come in and a Rock Band title appears to have finally bested a Guitar Hero game.

Rock Band is hailed by our own Nick Chester as a superior product to Guitar Hero, and there's no denying that Activision and Red Octane have essentially been copying everything Harmonix does with the series. However, with a little help from The Beatles, it seems that Harmonix is in the driving seat, with the puppetry of John Lennon's corpse proving more popular than the puppetry of Kurt Cobain's.

The challenge of course will be if Rock Band can now ride this momentum to thoroughly displace Guitar Hero as the leading music game. The Beatles is what won people over more than the quality of the game itself, so we'll have to wait until the next round of games before seeing if that quality has kept people sticking around. 

What do you think? Will Guitar Hero's deep pockets and mainstream name allow it to push Rock Band back down, or has this foothold given EA and Harmonix the boost they need to become the kings of music?

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In case you weren’t aware, this is, unequivocally, the greatest week in the nearly two-year history of Rock Band downloadable content. Yes, I said it, and here’s why. Available today for purchase on Xbox Live and the Wii Shop Channel (Thursday on the PlayStation Store) is the “Complete The Album Pack” for Abbey Road in The Beatles: Rock Band, which costs $16.99, along with a ten-pack of Queen songs for $15.99. That’s over twenty songs from two of the best bands of all time.

Yesterday, I played and sang some of those songs at MTV’s offices in Times Square, New York. Abbey Road may be my favorite Beatles album, so I was thrilled to play parts of the famous 16-minute side two medley. (You can’t buy every song individually -- they all run into one another, so Harmonix split them up as best they could. For example, “Sun King” and “Mean Mr. Mustard” come together for $1.99.) Just as a note, Harmonix’s Alex Navarro told me that all the Beatles DLC songs will include their own unique dreamscapes; they will, however, utilize art assets that are already on the game disc.

I played guitar on “Golden Slumbers” / “Carry That Weight” / “The End,” and the first thing I noticed was that Harmonix charted a variety of instruments on the guitar part just to keep things interesting. This includes, for instance, the horns on “Carry That Weight” (which are a reprise of the melody from “You Never Give Me Your Money”) and the strings on “Golden Slumbers.” I don’t think it’s right to fault Harmonix for this, though; charting non-guitar instruments in the name of fun gameplay seems like a fair compromise to me. And they didn’t make up instrument parts where there weren’t any -- “Because,” for example, has no drums.

When we switched over to Rock Band 2 to play the Queen songs, I decided to be brave and tackle both Freddie Mercury and David Bowie on “Under Pressure.” That one went okay, but I was most proud of my 97% score on “Somebody To Love,” whose vocal part is devil horns-hard. I’m just glad there were no windows in the demo room for me to shatter.

Anyway, you’ll have a good time if you buy any of this week’s DLC. I personally guarantee it -- unless you don’t like great music. In that case, you should probably pick up the tracks just to educate yourself.

[dTunes is a community organized blog showcasing the musical tastes of Destructoid's users. For two weeks, the editorial team is commandeering the series because, hey, we like music too. To further expand your horizons, make sure to check out the dTunes blog.]

I absolutely adore pop music and I'm not ashamed of it. When I started to write my contribution to dTunes Editor's Week, my first inclination was to fill it with David Bowie, Elvis Costello and Lady GaGa. The more I thought about it, I realized what a colossal waste of time that would be. Everybody knows who those artists are, for good or ill.

So, instead, I dug a little deeper and thought about the bands that have had an impact on my listening but may have been overlooked by the general populace. There's a variety in there, and some of the bands are rather well-known but for some reason I rarely hear of other people enjoying them. Perhaps this will help to change that.

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Crush 40, known by the more familiar name of Those Wankers That Ruined Sonic The Hedgehog Soundtracks For Everybody, is coming out with a "best of" compilation CD, full of their signature brand of sentimental bright-eyed faux-rock pop.

The Best of Crush 40: Super Sonic Songs is scheduled for a November 18 release. I know you've all just wet yourselves with excitement at this news, so I'll leave it at that. Oh, and let me just add that I really hope that song about having seven rings in hand is on it. That was a classic to rival anything Elton John's ever done.

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If you're looking for a place to showcase the hot beats you've been dropping using Rockstar's Beaterator, this one's for you. Beginning on October 16, Rockstar will be hosting Beaterator music parties in Sony's Listen@Home space inside PlayStation Home. This means you may have to install Home, folks.

Here's how it works -- you create a song using Beaterator and you upload it to the Rockstar Social Club. Then, Rockstar will pick their favorites and broadcast them live in Home during the each of the events. This is your time to shine... this is how Timbaland was first noticed, guys!

Okay, that last part was totally fabricated. But never give up on your dreams, that's my advice.

You know what’s awesome about Harmonix? They’re truly committed to the idea of Rock Band as a music platform. (Of course, that doesn’t include The Beatles: Rock Band, but I think most of us can agree that Beatles is much better off as a self-contained ecosystem -- it’d be pretty damn silly to see Rock Band 2’s Fritzi Kostopoulos drumming along to “Come Together.”) LEGO Rock Band is the newest addition to the family, and for ten bucks, you’ll be able to export all of the on-disc songs to your hard drive.

The process works the other way around, too -- but with an interesting wrinkle. LEGO Rock Band will be able to read the DLC songs on your PS3/360 hard drive, and it’ll let you play “family-friendly” tracks in the game. (They’ll show up in the song select screen as regular old DLC.) Don’t worry; this doesn’t limit you to stuff like SpongeBob SquarePants’ “The Best Day Ever.” As long as a song doesn’t contain objectionable material -- such as, say, “Beethoven’s C*nt” by Serj Tankian -- it’ll be fine. For example, “Baba O’Riley” by The Who isn’t what you’d call a kids’ song, but it wouldn’t make your grandmother blush or anything, so it’s playable in LEGO Rock Band.

In addition, LEGO Rock Band will include its own music store, which will only sell songs that fall under the same age-appropriate guidelines. (LEGO Rock Band is rated “E10+” for “Everyone 10 and older.”) Plus, since a lot of the DLC has already been censored for the “T” for “Teen” rating of RB and RB2, you’ll have more songs to choose from than you might expect -- the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Sir Psycho Sexy,” for instance, is pretty much an instrumental as it is. So even if your pre-teen son starts scrolling through the LEGO Rock Band Music Store when you’re not home, he won’t be able to buy anything that might cause him to ask you where babies come from.

Our full LEGO Rock Band preview will be up in an hour -- be sure to check it out!

As we reported earlier, owners of the PS3 or 360 versions of LEGO Rock Band will be able to export most all of the game’s forty-plus songs to their hard drives so the tracks can be played in Rock Band or Rock Band 2. If you’ll recall, 55 of the 58 songs from the original Rock Band could be exported, and the song export key cost $4.99 (400 Microsoft Points).

Harmonix PR man John Drake told me that, unfortunately, you’ll have to cough up more than that for the LEGO Rock Band key, though he couldn’t confirm the exact price: “It’ll probably be a little bit more than five [dollars], but it’s not going to be super-expensive.” He did point out that, at least on the PS3 and 360, LEGO Rock Band is a value-priced title -- at $49.99, it’s $10 cheaper than most retail games, and Harmonix figures that they can recoup some of that with the key.

In defense of Harmonix (and other videogame makers who license music), I imagine that all songs are not created equal -- getting classics like the Ghostbusters theme and Queen’s “We Will Rock You” probably costs more than, say, Good Charlotte’s “Boys and Girls.” (Just guessing, of course.) And passing development costs on to the consumer is just business, folks.

There’s more LEGO Rock Band news to come, dear readers, so keep your eyes on Destructoid!

[Update: Twitter seems like the place to be for breaking videogame news. Drake announced that the LEGO Rock Band song export key will cost twice as much as the Rock Band key: $9.99 (800 MS Points).]

LEGO Rock Band (check out our comprehensive preview), due out this holiday season, will offer over 40 songs. In keeping with Harmonix’s music platform ethos (and confirming an earlier rumor), most of the on-disc tracks will be exportable to PS3/360 hard drives for use in Rock Band or Rock Band 2. And they mean “most” -- speaking to me at a recent demo of LEGO Rock Band, Harmonix publicist John Drake took a thinly-veiled jab at Activision:

When we say we’re exporting a disc, we mean that we’re exporting, like, ninety-plus percent of the disc, not thirty-plus percent of the disc.

Of course, Drake was referring to Guitar Hero 5 and its compatibility with merely 35 of the 86 songs on the Guitar Hero World Tour disc. (Actually, John, that comes out to just over 40%, but we’ll let the semantics slide since you’ve got a valid point nonetheless.) He noted that he could confirm only “ninety-plus percent” because Harmonix is still working licensing the rest of the songs; they hope to allow for exporting all of the on-disc tracks.

[Update: Drake just confirmed to me on Twitter that Harmonix has secured licensing for 100% of the game’s 45 songs, so you’ll be able to play them all in Rock Band or Rock Band 2!] However the export key will cost twice as much as exporting Rock Band.

Check out the full set list below:

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Butt-slapping, blinged-out guns, and music can mix. At least, that’s what EA Montreal is thinking. The studio announced earlier this afternoon that film and television composer Tyler Bates is the man creating the “immersive” score for their next game, Army of 2-2: the 40th Day.

Bates is the guy who composed the scores for the films 300 and The Watchman. In the videogame world, Bates is credited as the composer of the terrible RPG The Rise of the Argonauts, the bad action game 300: March to Glory, as well as the clunky brawlers Watchmen: The End is Night Part 1 and Part 2.

“The 40th Day is one of the most intense games I’ve seen,” said Tyler Bates via the press release. “The setting, characters and action in the game provided me the perfect backdrop to create an equally intense and dramatic score that compliments the gameplay.”

If Bates can capture what The 40th Day is all about in music form, then more power to him. But really, we’re more interested in killing dudes while playing with our pals.

In case you haven't heard the good news, Pop'n Music Portable is on its way to the PSP, complete with 9-button mode and the classic art style fans have come to love. Now according to these screenshots spotted on Andriasang, this version also appears to include some kind of story, career or adventure mode as well.

In the gallery you'll see a few shots of Mimi standing on a board game type of map, which you'll presumably have to work your way through in order to unlock new songs and such. That should add a nice layer of depth to the game, and it'll be fun to see what the other characters she meets along the way are up to. 

You'll also see that the game retains the familiar Pop'n look while you're actually playing the songs, which should promote a sigh of relief for fans who might have been anxious after seeing the upcoming Wii game. Check it all out and let us know what you think.

Video Game Sound Creator's Alliance is what the newly formed group of 40 Japanese composers call themselves. Several musical badasses are among the ranks, including Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross), and Kenji Ito (don't even get me started).

What's the purpose of the group? No idea yet, and their official web page is still under construction. I'm sure we'll find out more when the page launches on October 19th. I'm hoping they go all super sentai (like the Power Rangers) and dress up in matching outfits and masks that span forty shades of color. Maybe it will be a group like America's Game Audio Network Guild. Maybe it's Japan's largest Rock Band group. Who knows. What's certain is that there is an insane amount of talent in that group.

Check out the full list of composers in the group after the jump.

[via OSV]

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Sega announced today that they will soon be bringing the Vocaloid-themed PSP rhythm game Project Diva to arcades. Not only that, but between October 15th and Halloween, they'll be accepting fan-contributed songs for inclusion in its soundtrack.

Songs can be entered for consideration via the game's new channel on Nico Nico Douga, and both pro and amatuer Vocaloid Masters are welcome to try out. The tracks must be all-original material, obviously, and should run between 2:30 and 3:30 in length. Winning songs will be announced on the Nico Nico page November 16th, and their creators will be showered with Hatsune Miku swag as a reward. They'll also get to hear their track included in the game's location in January, and probably in the final game as well. 

Little is known about the arcade version at this point, partiularly about its control scheme and interface. If you've got a Nico Nico account, you can check out a teaser clip of the game. It doesn't show much aside from the new character models, but they themselves look great, and the clip is set to Ryo/Supercell's Meruto, which is always nice to hear. Equally as nice is hearing the classic "Sayyy-Guh" Sega intro as spoken by Miku herself. We'll bring you more info on this title as it becomes available.

[Via Andriasang]

Have you been looking for a far less efficient, but suitably awesome way to control your games? Let's say a guitar so you could jam out while performing a fatality? Yale School of Music graduates David Hindman and Evan Drummond have come up with a way to play Mortal Kombat III with a classical electric guitar. It's art. Called Modal Kombat, the artistic experiment "lies at the intersection between music, visual arts, and digital media that results in the defining of a new genre of audio-visual performance: the public guitar-controlled video game battle." Uhhhh...GUITARISTS FIGHTING EACH OTHER!!!

From the videos of the events that they hold it looks like the controls are cool, but not very functional. Of course they probably aren't supposed to be. The scheme seems to be designed more as a show or art piece than anything else. They play some Pong and Super Mario Kart as well, but again it seems less like actual controls and more like artistic experiment. It's a cool concept whether it works really well or not and they're doing live shows. If you'd like to check them out then you should head here and make sure you live in New York, California or Toronto. 

[Via noobde's Twitter]

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Do you love Square Enix? If you do, you may very well want to import a new soundtrack CD that's hitting Japan on November 25. Titled Love SQ, the soundtrack is a compilation of classic videogame tunes from the libraries of Square and Enix. Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Romancing Saga and Legend of Mana are all represented.

These aren't just straight original tracks, of course. Each cut has been arranged by an established Japanese musician, so this could be a most interesting album indeed. Here's the full track listing:

• Final Fantasy -- Main Theme (PE'Z)
• Final Fantasy III -- Yuukyuu no Kaze (De De Mouse)
• Chrono Trigger -- Chrono Trigger & Toki no Kairo (Novoiski)
• Chrono Trigger -- Harukanaru Toki no Kanata e (livetune)
• Chrono Trigger -- Kaeru no Theme & Sentou Shori (Sexy-Synthesizer)
• Final Fantasy -- Chocobo no Theme (Good Luck Heiwa)
• Romancing Saga -- Medley (note native)
• Seiken Densetsu Legend of Mana -- Medley (muZik)
• Final Fantasy -- Battle Medley (Pia-no-jaC)
• Final Fantasy -- Prelude (no.9)

Aside from the fact that the track list is so small, this could be quite a cool little album. What do you reckon? Do you love Square Enix enough to seek out these tunes, or have you had it up to here with rearranged Uematsu tunes?

Hey, at least "One Winged Angel" isn't on it.

If you believed the rumors, congratulations!

Harmonix has confirmed via its Rock Band 'zine that a Queen track pack -- ten damned songs! -- will be coming to Rock Band in the fourth week of October. You probably want to know what songs they are, and we're happy to tell you:

Another One Bites The Dust, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, One Vision, Fat Bottomed Girls, I Want It All, I Want to Break Free, Killer Queen, Somebody to Love, Tie Your Mother Down, Under Pressure

So basically, all of the awesome ones you probably wanted. No word on pricing, but you can do the math based on previous releases and you'd probably get pretty close. Two weeks is plenty of time to enroll in some singing classes, or at the very least, start warming up those vocal folds.

[Surprise, a Destructoid exclusive! You saw it here first!]

How do you feel about this whole "retro-revival" thing? If you're going to play a retro game, do you want it to go whole hog at recreating the experience of playing a 10-year-old-game (warts and all), or do you like it when they try to advance the genres that they were born from?

Either way, Super Meat Boy (due on WiiWare and PC for Q1 2010) will have you covered. Hit one of the game's warp zones and you may enter something themed after another indie title (Braid, Alien Hominid and Bit.Trip confirmed), or you could enter a level that looks like it's made for the NES, or even original Game Boy graphics.

A lot of games these days try to ape the NES era's signature look, but the only other titles that I recall that tried to borrow (at least in part) from the Game Boy's aesthetic are Bob's Game and Retro Game Challenge 2, neither of which have been formally released in the United States. It takes true retro-balls to go the 4-Bit, black and white route. For that Team Meat, I salute you. I also salute you for giving Destructoid the exclusive on these awesome new screen shots.

Team Meat was also kind enough to give us a sample of the game's "chip tune" remixed soundtrack, and it sounds beautiful. Hit the jump for a listen, and a bullet-point packed breakdown of exactly how the Super Meat Boy's warp zones are going to work. For more Super Meat Boy and stick figure butt secks news, be sure to add Super Meat Boy's and his nemesis Dr Keith Fetus's Twitters to your lists of daily reading.

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Alright, so now I'm convinced that the hip-hop game is for me.

In this latest video leading up to tomorrow's launch of Rockstar's PlayStation Portable music-making title Beaterator, various hip-hop artists sit around and tell us how easy it is to use. We had a chance to play around with it at PAX this year, and it as easy to throw a beat together as they're making it out to be. Fortunately, the software has layers of depth depending on your experience with similar software. I'm pretty sure Justin Timberlake is going to be tapping me to produce his next record instead of Timbaland. 

Also, producer Ski Beatz apparently discovers "swing" for the first time using the software.

Beaterator is out tomorrow, and is available on both UMD and as a download on the PlayStation Network.

First up is a Chiptune show by artists Nullsleep, Bit Shifter, Minusbaby and No Carrier this Thursday night. The show is taking place at the No Malice Palace in New York and best of all, it's free! The show goes from 11:30PM to 1:30AM and you have to be 21 or older to get in.

Speaking of minusbaby, he's released his latest album called "Left" and it's for free too! You can get the album over at 8bitpeoples and check out a music video for one of his new track here. 

The other show taking place next week on September 26 is Pulsewave and it's going down at The Tank. starPause, Burnkit2600, Rhinostrich, outpt and enso will all be performing and the show starts at 9PM. Tickets are only $10 and is open to all ages.  

[Thanks to resident Chiptune expert, Zen Albatross]

While all eyes may be on another DJ game coming this holiday, Scratch DJ LLC are still plugging away at getting Scratch: The Ultimate DJ for a 2010 release. Today, eight new tracks have been revealed for the game's soundtrack, and fans of hip-hop and R&B -- both mainstream and underground -- should be pleased.

• "Gifted" – N.A.S.A Feat Kanye West, Santo Gold, Lykke Li
• "Looking Fly" – Murs
• "Skanky Panky" – Kid Koala
• "Iced Lightning" – RJD2
• "They Reminisce Over You" – Pete Rock & C.L Smooth
• "Friends" – Whodini
• "Push It" – Salt n Pepa
• "Life in a Cage" – The Knux

"In the development of Scratch, we have remained committed to creating a setlist that will inspire and impress dedicated fans of hip-hop," said Quincy Jones III, executive producer on the title.

Well, I'm inspired and impressed for sure -- Murs, RJD2, and Whodini? Wouldn't have guessed we'd see those names in a music game, so props to Scratch DJ LLC for making it happen. The above songs will be joining the previously announced tracks by Run DMC ("Peter Piper"), Gorillaz ("Feel Good Inc."), Nelly ("Hot In Herre"), and Deltron 3030 ("Mastermind"). 

For more details on Scratch, check out our hands-on video we did back at E3. The game hits early 2010 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. 

The annual festival of all things Chiptunes related returns once again! BlipFest will be taking place on December 17 through the 19 at the Bell House in Brooklyn. The show is open to all ages and tickets go on sale on September 28. Tickets will be sold at the door too, until they’re all gone.

This is the fourth year BlipFest is going down and each year the show sees an amazing group of Chiptune performers. Last year’s show had over a dozen performers which included Anamanaguchi, Bit Shifter, Nullsleep, Starscream and more.

Be sure to keep an eye on the official Blip Festival Web site so you can snag your tickets next Monday. Who’s planning on going?

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We here at Destructoid love us some Video Games Live. However, so far our Japanese readers (could you raise your hands, we'd like to do a head count) haven't been able to experience the awesome as the concert series has never arrived in Japan. I know, it seems weird that one of the world's best known videogame music concerts hasn't been to a country where most of their music is from, but it is the case. That's all going to change come TGS this year (that's this week in case you hadn't noticed our fancy graphic at the top of the page announcing our coverage).

The show will be performing all over Japan for the week of the Tokyo Game Show, and for those interested in going the Japanese site is right here. The two biggest shows are taking place in the historic Tokyo International Hall, the largest indoor theater in Tokyo. The best part about the series is that many of the composers of the classic songs that Video Games Live performs will be on hand to perform with them. They don't give any exact names, but I assume since everyone is going to be in town for TGS anyway they got some pretty important guys to help out. Attendees of the show will also get to meet many of the composers at free meet and greets after the show. Anyone suddenly interested in flying to Japan?