I definitely had to check my calendar and the date on the press release for this one a few times: Harmonix and MTV Games have announced today that Rock Band 2 will feature a huge line-up of instruments from premier manufacturers. Yes, Rock Band 2, the game that was released for the Xbox 360 last Sunday.
OK, so maybe they should have sent this press release out -- oh, I don't know -- three months ago. But everyone act, real surprised when I reveal that equipment by Fender, Dretsch, Pearl, Zildjian, Sennhesier, and Ernie Ball, among others, appears in Rock Band 2.
"We believe that working closely with our musical instrument partners is crucial to our mission to deliver the most authentic music experience possible," said Harmonix's Vice President of Product Development, Greg LoPiccolo.
Sure, I'll buy that. It's cool that a wide variety of licensed hardware -- the same that top musicians use -- appears in Rock Band 2. But considering the fact that my in-game avatar has played a guitar shaped like a God damned goat since last November, I'm not quite sure how much this means to me personally.
The full list of licensed partners can be found in the press release after the jump.
ROCK BAND™ Brings The Best Real World Gear to Rock Band 2
Licensed Partners Instrumental to the Authentic Rock Experience
New York, NY – September 18, 2008 – Harmonix and MTV Games announced today a new lineup of musical instrument manufacturers whose premier products will be appearing in Rock Band 2. Joining the list of amazing in-game instruments from the original Rock Band, will be real world microphones, new guitars and an array of industry leading drumsets from some of the music industry’s most prolific manufacturers.
“We believe that working closely with our musical instrument partners is crucial to our mission to deliver the most authentic music experience possible,” stated Greg LoPiccolo, Vice President of Product Development, Harmonix Music Systems. “Whether it’s picking out your P Bass™, finding the right finish & hardware for your drums, or choosing the best microphone for your singer’s style, having real world instruments included within the world of Rock Band 2 is essential.”
The full list of musical instrument partners included is as follows:
Guitars, Basses and Amplifiers:
* Fender™ (Including Charvel™, Gretsch™, Jackson™, Squier™, SWR™)
Drums:
* DW
* Gretsch Drums™
* Ludwig/Conn-Selmer
* Pearl
* SJC Custom Drum
* Zildjian Cymbals
Microphones:
* Sennheiser
* Shure
Accessories / Additional Instruments:
* Ernie Ball
* Electro-Harmonix
* EMG Pickups
* Fender™
* Ludwig Drumsticks
* Pro-Mark
* Roland/BOSS
* Vater Drumsticks
* Vic Firth
* ZVEX
Rock Band 2 features the largest music catalogue of any music-based videogame to date including over 100 songs on the Rock Band 2 soundtrack with an unrivaled blend of classic and new artists including AC/DC, Guns ‘N Roses, Bob Dylan, Pearl Jam, Motorhead and more! With the addition of complete and immediate backwards compatibility for songs purchased from Rock Band’s ever-expanding online music store and the ability to export most songs from the original Rock Band disc, the Rock Band music library will feature more than 500 songs by year’s end.
The Rock Band online music store recently surpassed 21 million paid downloads since the game’s launch in late November 2007. With more than 300 tracks available to date via disc and download purchase (complete list of tracks at www.rockband.com/dlc), the massive Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks, packs and albums from the vast selection of offerings available as they build their own custom Rock Band library.
Contest:
7:07 PM on 09.18.2008
| 
Carry on.