MTV and Wal-Mart Join Forces for Exclusive Rock Band AC/DC Title

In the past few years, Wal-Mart has solidified itself as big player in the music industry. Sure, we have always been able to purchase music there, but the big box store has started to make a name for itself by garnering exclusive album deals from such artists as Garth Brooks, The Eagles, Journey, AC/DC’s upcoming “Black Ice” and supposedly (read rumored) Guns N’ Roses’ oft delayed “Chinese Democracy”. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before Wal-Mart started to sell exclusive gaming titles as well, and in this case it is Rock Band’s first title to feature one specific band – and that band just happens to be none other than AC/DC.

According to a recent press release, MTV has inked as deal with the band and Columbia Records to release “AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack”. The gaming disc is slated for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on November 2 and will work with both versions of Rock Band when you input an authentication code. The Wii version is expected to hit shelves on November 16, and like the other ports, it will include songs from the band’s DVD “AC/DC Live at Donnington” and will sell for around $40 exclusively at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and walmart.com. Australia, Europe and New New Zealand can expect the game to be made available in early December.

Here is the full track list:

“Thunderstruck”
“Shoot to Thrill”
“Back in Black”
“Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be”
“Heatseeker”
“Fire Your Guns”
“Jailbreak”
“The Jack”
“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
“Moneytalks”
“Hells Bells”
“High Voltage”
“Whole Lotta Rosie”
“You Shook Me All Night Long”
“T.N.T.”
“Let There Be Rock”
“Highway To Hell”
“For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”

Other than the absolute coolness of an AC/DC only title to draw gamers into the store, each store will have prominent displays to attract uninitiated shoppers to not only the game, but the band’s latest album “Black Ice”, as well as T-shirts, DVD’s and other licensed merchandise relating to AC/DC. Wal-Mart and MTV are also in talks regarding the set up of temporary stores in Los Angeles and Manhattan where the retail chain is devoid of shops.

I can completely understand Harmonix and MTV’s desire to keep up with Activision’s Guitar Hero franchise by releasing a title featuring only one band, especially considering how surprisingly popular Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was and how monstrous sales for the Metallica version are probably going to be. However, what I am confused about is why they, along with Columbia Records, have decided to issue a game featuring nothing but live music. Maybe it has to do with the band not wanting to grant access to their master tracks like so many other hold outs (Led Zeppelin), or maybe they have been lost over the years like some of The Who’s recordings. But, relatively speaking, not all bands sound great live and unfortunately, in my experience at least, AC/DC is one of those bands. Granted, they put on a helluva show (seen them 4 times), but they just do not sound great live, and considering that most gamers understandably complain when a live track is released for any music simulation game, I am curious to see how well a live AC/DC title will go over.