For a limited time, Microsoft is slashing prices on many of their games over on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. So if you have been holding off on downloading some of the extra content or accessories for your games, now is your chance to get them cheaper than dirt. Well, almost cheaper than dirt.

• Mass Effect: Bring Down the Sky
• Lost Odyssey - Triple Bonus Pack
• Forza Motorsport 2 - Both Track Packs and Car Packs
• Oblivion: Shivering Isles
• Guitar Hero 3 - Def Leppard, Foo Fighters, and Classic Rock Track Packs
• Beautiful Katamari - Accessory Sets and stages

The Major has the list and details how much the original cost was, what the new cost is, and how much of a saving you can expect. You need to get to downloading though because this tender offer from Microsoft will only last until the end of October - so don’t procrastinate.

via: Major Nelson

Keep yourself calm until this set-list for Guitar Hero: World Tour is confirmed folks, otherwise you will blow a gasket like I did when I saw Tool on the list.

Some of the songs listed are a bit too good to be true in my humble opinion, not that they are false, but until Activision says otherwise just keep your fingers crossed.

OMG OMG OMG!! TOOL! (calm down Steffy, calm down)

Eagle Rock High School Tour:
“Dope Nose” by Weezer
“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
Encore: “Today” by Smashing Pumpkins (yay!)

Big City Kids Tour:
“Roland” by Interpol
“Santeria” By Sublime
Encore: “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (hooray!)

Feelin’ Nostalgic Tour:
“Take It on the Run” by REO Speedwagon
“Hold the Line” by Toto
Encore: “Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol (this one has already been confirmed via the video)

Vixens Tour:
“Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar (her best)
“All Around Me” by Flyleaf
Encore:”Misery Business” by Paramore

Undertow Tour: (omg omg Tool!!!!)
“Stinkfist” by Tool
“Lateralus” by Tool
“Schism” by Tool

Synchronicity Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

Fight the System Tour:
“The Kids Aren’t Alright” by The Offspring
The Good Left Undone” by Rise Agaisnt
Encore: “Bleed it Out” by Linkin Park

QQ Tour:
“Face Down” by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
“The Kill” by 30 Seconds to Mars
Encore: “Thank You for the Venom” by My Chemical Romance

Rockin the Carnival Tour:
“Dammit” by Blink 182
“When You Heat Stops Beating” by +44

Neva’ Forget Tour:
“Jumpin Jack Flash” by The Rolling Stones
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Öyster Cult (any cow bell in this one?)
Encore: “Light My Fire” by The Doors (grrrr)

We Want the Funk Tour:
“Take it Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Renegades of Funk” by Rage Agaisnt the Machines
Encore: “No Sleep till Brooklyn” by The Beastie Boys Feat. Kerry King (cool!)

Rockin’ the Joint Tour:
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz
“I Don’t wanna Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith

On Top of the World Tour:
“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains
“Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe (kickstart… MIATA!)
Encore: “Spin the Black Circle” by Pearl Jam

G. Stinger Tour: (very awesome)
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“Car Chase City” by Tenacious D
Encore: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters

Lands End Tour:
“Animal” by Def Leppard
“Runaway” by Bon Jovi
Encore: “Paradise City” by Guns N’ Roses (yay)

Doin’ it Different Tour: (good set list)
“Song for the Dead” by Queens of the Stone Age
“Vasoline” by Stone Temple Pilots
Encore: “Assassin” by Muse

Hootin’ and Hollerin’ Tour:
“The Boys Are Back in Town” By Thin Lizzy
“Life in the Fastlane” by The Eagles
Encore:”Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

All Pissed Off Tour:
“Here to Stay” by KoRn
“Dragula” by Rob Zombie (oh hellz yez!!)
Encore: “Bat Country” by Avenged Sevenfold

Here Me Roar Tour:
“10,000 Fists” by Disturbed
“Duality” by Slipknot
Encore: “Toxicity” by System of a Down

S.D.M.F. Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” (Guitar Career Only)
*Encore: “Demise of Sanity” by Black Label Society

Fathers of Metal Tour:
“Don’t Talk to Strangers” by Dio
“Heaven and Hell” by Black Sabbath
Encore: “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne (can you imagine?)

Making Progress Tour:
“The Spirit of Radio” by Rush
“Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd
Encore: “Pull Me Under” by Dream Theatre

Eruption Tour:
“Beat it” by Micheal Jackson Feat. Eddie Van Halen
“Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen (yay)

Tooth Fang & Claw Tour:
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” (Guitar Career Only)
Encore: “Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent

Decades of Metal Tour
“Warriors of Time” by Black Tide
“Leather Rebel” by Judas Priest
Encore: “Hallowed be Thy Name” by Iron Maiden (hooray)

Livin’ in a Nightmare Tour:
“Angel of Death” by Slayer
“Tornado of Souls” by Megadeth
Encore: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica (master!… master!)

Legends of Rock Tour:
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
“The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix
Encore: “Purple Haze (Live)” by Jimi Hendrix

Bonus Tour:
“45? by Shinedown
“96 Quite Bitter Beings” by CKY
“Bombshell” by Powerman 5000
“Clavado en un Bar” by Maná
“Enjoy the Silence” by Lacuna Coil
“Feuer Frei” by Rammstein
“Fury of the Storm” by Dragonforce
“Never Too Late” by The Answer
“Nottingham Lace” by Buckethead
“One Armed Scissor” by At The Drive-In
“Satch Boogie” by Joe Satriani
“Schrei” by Tokio Hotel
“Soul Doubt” by NOFX

“We’re An American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
“Guitar Battle Vs. Sting” by Sting
“Guitar Battle Vs. Ted Nugent” By Ted Nugent
“Guitar Battle Vs. Zakk Wylde” by Zakk Wylde

Sample Songs:
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Chad Smith
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Dave Grohl
“Untitled Drum Sample” created by Travis Barker
“Cliffs of Dover” created by Neversoft
“Misirlou” created by Neversoft
“Walk This Way” created by Neversoft
“YYZ” created by Neversoft

Thanks: GONintendo

Def Leppard’s Guitar Hero III outing and the obligatory weekly dose of Rock Band tracks (now finally with a full album!), there’s a ton of great new content now available on the PlayStation Store. The biggest release is certainly the Variety Map Pack ($10) for Call of Duty 4 which naturally includes four new multiplayer maps.

A new PS one Classic was also released today with R-Types ($6), ending that particular drought. (Even though you and I both know we probably won’t see another Classic for weeks.) There’s also the Biolith Rebellion 2 expansion set for The Eye of Judgment, whichs adds more than 100 new creatures, spells and abilities, so that sounds like a must-buy for fans of The Eye.

There’s also plenty of videos, demos of both echochrome and Iron Man, a map pack for Army of Two, downloadable songs for Karaoke Revolution, and more. So hit the break and check out everything now available for download.

Read the full article

Today is the day that you can download the Def Leppard song pack for Guitar Hero III. Unfortunately, a big surprise is headed your way should you choose to download this pack. I for one will not be doing so. Why you ask? Because for one, I am not too keen on their new single “Nine Lives” and secondly, “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” are LIVE versions of the songs NOT the master tracks. What fresh Hell is this????

If you decide to purchase the pack anyway, it will cost you 500 MS points. I don’t know if the masters have been lost, Mercury/Island Records did not want the masters included in the game or what the deal is, but it pretty much sucks. Masters all the way, or no way at all.

Thanks: Major Nelson

There has been a rumor spinning around for months that Metallica will debut their new single on Rock Band. This will follow the recent trend started by Def Leppard and Motley Crue and release thier new single as DLC before it hits retail shelves.

This rumor is getting hotter as it nips at the heels of an recent interview with Rolling Stone in which Metallica stated that video games, particularly Guitar Hero, offer “many positive things” to young people.

Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica stated that Guitar Hero has allowed him to connect with his own offspring about music.

When asked ‘You signed a lot of Guitar Hero controllers. Is that cool?’, he said:

“It’s f**king way cool. Our kids love playing Guitar Hero and Rock Band. It’s awesome. There’s something really positive coming out of video games. “It’s so cool to sit there and have your kids talk to you about Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and Soundgarden.”

Perhaps the positive quotes are a little more calculated than first impressions would have you believe, however: the rumor states that Metallica will release their next single through Rock Band not Guitar Hero III.

Motley Crue released their new single ‘Saints of Los Angeles’ on PSN and XBL for Rock Band and tomorrow, Def Leppard will follow suit when they release their new single ‘Nine Lives’ as part of a GHIII song pack on XBL.

We will keep you informed on this rumor as more information becomes available. What I really want to know is when in the world will “… And Justice For All” be released as a full album for Rock Band?

Via: Press Release

Despite all of the when, where, and what, Activision has confirmed which Def Leppard tracks will be available on April 24th for Guitar Hero III this morning through a gushing press release.As predicted, the band got it wrong, these are downloadable tracks - not tracks coming to Guitar Hero IV. This only proves that sometimes you cannot trust a burned-out rock star to get their facts straight. But you know what? That’s ok, because as long as we DO get to rock out to Photograph and Rock of Ages, Phil Colin can say anything he likes.

Def Leppard’s newest single “Nine Lives”, which is currently being played to death on my local rock stations, will be available for download five days before their upcoming studio album “Songs from the Sparkle Lounge” releases on April, 29th. The single is the result of Def Leppard’s collaboration with country star Tim McGraw, and will be featured on their upcoming record which is the band’s first new studio release since 2006’s CD titled “YEAH” .

The track pack also features live versions of “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages,” from the awesome “Pyromania” album.

“Being involved with Guitar Hero is very exciting for us and adds a whole new layer of appreciation,” says Joe Elliott, lead singer, Def Leppard. “I know from personal experience how much more you get into the music by playing the game - which is why we were keen to explore this opportunity. Guitar Hero is extremely popular with all kinds of music heads, which includes a lot of our fans- and we think releasing ‘Nine Lives’ this way first is just fantastic!”

“We are extremely thrilled to be partnering with Def Leppard, who are true rock icons,” said Dusty Welch, Head of Publishing for RedOctane. “The band’s participation in offering ‘Nine Lives’ to fans exclusively via Guitar Hero III downloadable content before their album hits store shelves, before the single is available for purchase on iTunes, demonstrates the level of commitment these legendary artists are making to Guitar Hero and how the franchise is transforming the music landscape.”

See, I told you the press release was “gushing”. The track pack will be available on PSN and XBL on April 24, 2008. Rock on!

Via: Press Release

Some people believe time is cyclical, and I’m starting to buy into that with all the bands from even before my time suddenly getting a revival out of nowhere. Last week we heard that Def Leppard was planning to premiere a new song as DLC for Guitar Hero III. Now Motley Crue — who is more famous these days for having a drummer who married Pamela Anderson than their actual music — have apparently made a new track that they plan to debut as DLC for Rock Band. The song, titled “Saints of Los Angeles,” will be available on Xbox Live tomorrow for 80 MS points ($1) and will appear on the Playstation Store on Thursday. Break out the leapord print pants and cans of hair spray, people. If things keep going this way, we’ll be up our necks in glam rock all over again within a few months. We can only hope the apocalypse strikes before then.

Via ShackNews

Harmonix has revealed the next batch of downloadable content for Rock Band, giving you something to look forward to for next week. They’re taking a step back to the 80’s (and half a step back to the 70’s) with the new Classic Rock Track Pack, which will feature these three songs:

• “Call Me” by Blondie (master)
• “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (master)
• “Message in Bottle” by the Police (master)

Ah, I loves me some classic rock. Rumor has it that the following week will bring Def Leppard tracks, so we’ll have to keep an eye out for that.

Via Rock Band Forums

The Def Leppard coming to Guitar Hero III/IV rumors are still ricocheting around the net. First there was Phil Collen announcing on Rockline that Def Leppard would have 3 songs in Guitar Hero 4, then the news that the Def Leppard tracks Collen mentioned were confirmed to not be part of Guitar Hero IV but featured as DLC for GHIII.

Today, word on the street is that on April 24th, DLC featuring Def Leppard’s newest single “Nine Lives” as well as “Rock of Ages” and “Photograph” will be available for download via XBL and PSN.

“Nine Lives” is the first single from the band’s newest CD “Songs From The Sparkle Lounge”. This is also the first time ever than a new single will debut via a video game before the actual CD is released.

Lead singer Joe Elliott had this to say about the band’s music being featured as DLC in GHIII: Legends of Rock:

“Being involved with Guitar Hero is very exciting for us and adds a whole new layer of appreciation. I know from personal experience how much more you get into the music by playing the game – which is why we were keen to explore this opportunity. Guitar Hero is extremely popular with all kinds of music heads, which includes a lot of our fans – and we think releasing “Nine Lives” this way first is just fantastic.”

The Def Leppard song pack will be available on the April 24th, the same day as the CD is released in North America. European gamers will get the same opportunity on May 8th.

Just imagine that awesome feeling coursing through your body when you first hear the opening riffs of “Photograph” coming through your television set. That will be well worth the irritation of a 50ft ethernet cord down running down the middle of my hallway for the dogs to trip over.

Remember last week when Def Leppard’s guitarist Phil Collen supposedly let the cat out of the bag during a Rockline interview that the band would have three songs featured in Guitar Hero IV? Well, Garnett Lee over at 1UP has suggested that Phil is mistaken and that the tracks could actually be future downloadable content for Guitar Hero III.

1UP also suggests that the reason this could be true is also because of the history of the Guitar Hero series. There is never more than one track from each band included with the game, and the DLC usually comes in groups of threes. Supposedly, 1Up has had this information confirmed “true with whisperings we heard from some trustworthy sources”.

This does make much more sense if you think about it, plus you cannot usually take rock stars at their word especially when they are speaking of something they may not know too much about, and video games is usually not a subject they are too knowledgeable about, with a few exceptions I am sure.
Source: 1UP