Kotaku

While going into a music store to buy a full CD is becoming a thing of the past, there is a place where full albums are thriving, and that place is Rock Band. The trend looks to grow following the release of Rock Band 2 as Entertainment Weekly exclusively reports on not one but six new full album downloads to be released in the coming months for Harmonix's baby, and it's a damn fine lineup if you ask me. Foo Fighters' "The Colour and the Shape", Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", Jane's Addiction's "Nothing's Shocking", Megadeth's "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying" and Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Texas Flood" are all in queue, along with a special No Doubt best of collection compiled just for the game.

"We're surprised by how many people opted to get full albums," says Paul Degooyer, Senior Vice President at MTV Games. "But it’s a good value proposition. Talk about something that’s been lost and forgotten."

As if the holiday season stand-alone games weren't going to cost me enough already. Thanks a lot, Harmonix.

Exclusive: 'Rock Band 2' offering new slate of full albums [EW]

Guitar Hero Lands Venue, Instrument Product Placements

Guitar Hero World Tour will allow gamers to score in-game sponsorship and gear from a slew of real world equipment manufacturers as they play through the game, Activision announced. The game will also feature digital recreations of Amoeba Music and Live Nation's House of Blues Sunset Strip for digital bands to jam on.

“Gamers have come to expect a certain level of realism in video games and by collaborating with key brands in the industry we’re able to deliver with Guitar Hero World Tour,” said Dave Anderson, Head of Business Development for Activision. “With the most advanced wireless instrument controllers, the in-game likeness of multiple multi-platinum recording artists and authentic on-stage gear, the game offers the ultimate rock and roll experience.”

I love that the game is getting real world venues to play in, but personally I don't think I care that much about whether I have EMG pickups or Guitar Hero Fake-O pickups. The list of gear manufacturers include: AMPEG, Audio-Technica, EMG Pickups, Ernie Ball, Evans Drumheads, Guitar Center, Krank Amplification, Mackie, Marshall, Orange County Drum & Percussion, Pork Pie Percussion, Regal Tip, Sabian cymbals, Vox and Zildjian drumsticks. But honestly, that seems more like a way for Activision to make some money off product placement than something that's going to add to the game.

Overpaying for Real Bacon, Simply Put, Sucks

To: Crecente
From: Bashcraft
RE: On the Road to PAX: The Idaho Edition

Every one of these PAX trip Day Notes I read, I keep hearing Willie Nelson sing "On The Road Again".

Ever had Japanese bacon? It's awful. Simply awful. There are loads of food they get right here, but damn, they get bacon so very wrong. It's actually sold (and prepared) so that it can be eaten out of the package — meaning it's already been cooked, and it's not bacon as most Americans know it. Today, Mrs. Bashcraft went to Costco, came back with bacon, American bacon, this bacon, actually. As Fahey so eloquently put it: Farmer John. Our Pigs Are Totally Fucking Doomed.

I've never had it, but it looks like real bacon. Nor did I do a taste test to see if I can eat it out of the package. The surprising thing is that while most Costco stuff is sold in bulk, this was only sold as one package of bacon. And it cost the equivalent of US$8.00. Is that just an insane mark-up? Don't remember bacon being so damn expensive...

What you missed last night
Guitar Praise - Knocking Off Guitar Hero.. For Jesus
Pandemic Batman Game Given The Arse
Why All This Gearbox Halo 4 Talk? Here's Why... (Maybe)
Xbox 360 Goes Arcade, For Reals
Itagaki Bets You A Beer The PS3 Is Easier To Program For Than The Famicom
Home Hits Asia In "Fall 2008"
New Games, Remade As Game Boy Games, Results Are Awesome
Two New PS3 Bundles For Europe

According to game site SDTEKKEN, Tekken 6 Bloodline Rebellion is apparently incoming. The game will officially be announced later next month in Tokyo, is an upgraded version of Tekken 6 and is slated for a December release in Japan. That's all that's known about the updated Tekken 6 at the moment. Stay tuned.

TEKKEN 6 BLOODLINE REBELLION Revealed! [SD Tekken] [Pic]

Hey Britain, No New PS2 For You

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings Rated for Portables

European video game content rater PEGI has just, well, rated what looks like a new Indiana Jones game for the DS and PSP. With the questionable title Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (woah!), the title is 16 and up, and Activision is publishing. We don't have any other information about it other than that, but game site Siliconera wonders if this Staff of Kings game is that other "next-gen" Indiana Jones title that was shown a few years back — and then disappeared into the ether.

Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings [PEGI via Siliconera]

For Console Street Fighter IV, Lag Will Be "Huge Problem"

Face it, asking for fighting games with online to have zero to no lag is a tall order. Replicating that versus arcade experience is hard. Heck, when Virtua Fighter launched on the PS3 back in early 2007, it didn't have online. (Well, neither did the PS3, really.) Even Street Fighter IV producer Yoshinori Ono even admits that lag will be problematic for the home versions. Up front and honest, he tells the Official Xbox 360 Magazine:

Obviously lag will be a huge problem for online play. We're working on it. Compared to other games such as Virtua Fighter and Soul Calibur, they've got replay functions and so forth. It's quite difficult for 3D Street Fighter at the moment.

In order to prevent the lag we're thinking about trying to balance it up at user interface level and input timing by using joystick or something like that. We still haven't got a complete plan as yet. We're still working on it. That's all we can say at the moment.

Here's hoping they figure something out.

Street Fighter IV interview [OXM via Joystiq]

Sony Like To Provide Services For Free

In case you didn't know (and why didn't you), the PlayStation Network is free. The console may cost money, but the online service doesn't. Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida explains to game site Games Industry Sony's view on free stuff:

We like to provide as many services as possible for free — we already provide our network access for gameplay for free — and the interesting thing about the network side and the Internet business is that there's a variety of revenue sources. Not necessarily getting people to pay, but with advertising and so on.

Those are things we're looking at, and learning how we can provide a service without people having to pay — but we still get our operation running with funding from somewhere so that we can maintain the level of quality we want.

While there's no such thing as the proverbial free lunch, it's nice to see Sony try.

Yoshida's Island - Part One [Games Industry]

Western Developers Are Good At Music, Yo

And another episode of Japanese-Devs-Being-Down-On-Themselves, Resident Evil 5 composer Kota Suzuki think American game music has surpassed Japanese game music — especially regarding post-production elements like recording and mixing:

I get the impression that production at western, particularly American developers is ahead of those in Japan. But, I think that more and more in Japan, the process of making video game music is becoming specialized.

...More and more Japanese production companies are working together with foreign companies, and sound production quality in Japan is approaching that of the west.

Stuff like this doesn't just make Japanese development, it makes game development better. Interesting side note: Capcom recorded the RE5 parts of the soundtrack at Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox with a hundred plus Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra. This was the first time Capcom has ever recorded a live orchestra for a Resident Evil game.

Interview with Resident Evil 5 [Music 4 Games via Develop]

Atomic Dome Underwear Dance Erotic Game Controversy

Erotic game and upcoming Xbox 360 title TimeLeap is at the center of an atomic-bomb-landmark-panty-flashing-dancing-controversy. For one reason or another, two female students from Nagasaki University uploaded a video of themselves dancing to a tune from erotic game TimeLeap in front of the Atomic Dome in Hiroshima. In the clip, the girls briefly flash their underpants.

In Japan, the reaction to the clip has been outrage from some: “You’re the shame of Japan!” Obviously dancing to an eroge song in front of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, a site were people lost their lives does seem tacky. Others in Japan are blasé about the whole brouhaha, commenting: “Why’d they pick the dome anyway?” The girls since have apologized. Hit the jump for the clip.

"Don't Expect" Tatsunoko vs Capcom In The US

Capcom, you dirty teases! First you tell us you're "investigating" the possiblity of bringing zany-awesome fighter Tatsunoko vs Capcom to the US. Then you go so far as holding location tests! Our hopes were soaring! And now, you bastards, you go and pour cold water all over them, hinting in an official blog post "don't expect this title to show up in the US arcades". We feel used, Capcom. But we're not angry. Just disappointed.

Tatsunoko vs Capcom: it teases you with Mega Man Legends [Capcom]

PS3 title Afrika is launching this week in Japan. And to help promote the game, the Excel Hotel Tokyu in Haneda is running a special Afrika themed campaign priced at ¥19,000 (for one person) or ¥15,000 (for two — each must pay) a night. Breakfast included! Guest will get to check out Afrika on a big projection screen via hi-def projector. What's more, guests will get a "Savannah plate" picnic meal for another ¥4,000 that includes a hamburger, grilled seafood and a salad — or as PS3 Fanboy notes, "a special exotic meal".

【期間限定！！】2008年9月1日(月)〜2008年9月30日(火) [Haneda-E via PS3 Fanboy]

On Full Throttle 2, And What Could Have Been

Roll up your sleeves, Lucasarts fans. Classic Adventure Gaming have one hell of an interview up with Bill Tiller, a former artist at Lucasarts who worked with the company between 1993 and 2001. Specifically, it's about Tiller's involvement on the little-known Full Throttle: Payback, the cancelled sequel to Tim Schafer's badass 1995 adventure game. Basically, if you've ever wanted to hear somebody personally relate the period when Lucasarts decided to eat their own adventure gaming babies, you'll want to read this. It's got plot outlines for the game, the reason it would have been better than the other Full Throttle sequel, Hell on Wheels, as well as a ton of concept art. All of it good reading.

The rise and fall of Full Throttle: a conversation with Bill Tiller [Adventure Classic Gaming, via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

What's Working for Denis Dyack Like

Sony, Whatcha Showin At PAX?

Wii Clone Coming To Taiwanese Arcades!

Taiwanese electronics company ENG Electronic has released a new video game platform called "Winner". The console uses motion controllers and a dual nunchuk-style controller as well. Wait a sec... This isn't new! We've seen rip-off Wiis before. But get this:

According to arcade industry newsletter The Stinger Report, there are actually arcade versions of the Winner Wii clone planned. At Taiwanese game show Game Time International 2008, the coin-op incarnation, called Action Fun, was unveiled by company Song Yung, which is owned by ENG Electronic. The cabinet was packed with the Winner console running Wii Sports-like mini-games and using Wii-like controllers. No word whether this is intended for release outside Taiwan.

Hit the jump for a pic of Action Fun II as well as videos of the mini-games!