Rock Band Track Pack no replacement for DLC, available July

by Alisha Karabinus { May 5th 2008 at 2:17PM }

Rock Band for Wii isn't even ~~screwing you over~~ out yet, and already the downloadable content problem has been solved! All you have to do is buy an additional disc with a whopping twenty tracks for $29.99! No, you don't get to choose which ones you want and spend only a little money. You want extras? Pony up, suckers!

It's one thing -- and an acceptable thing -- to milk customers for a few bucks at a time for additional songs they really want. It's another thing altogether to offer up a full expansion for thirty dollars less than a month after the game is released. That's right: Rock Band isn't scheduled for the Wii until June 22, and this Track Pack is due July 15. And it's labeled Volume 1, naturally ... expect another round not long after that. We're anticipating September.

The only logical explanation for this travesty is that Harmonix is upset that they missed the Wii boat and are now scrambling to scrape as much quick cash as possible. The question is: will Wii owners take the rather unattractive bait? Fume your way past the break to see the full track listing for Rock Band's Track Pack Volume 1.

30 Seconds to Mars -- "The Kill"
All American Rejects -- "Move Along"
Blink – 182 -- "All the Small Things"
Boston -- "More Than a Feeling"
David Bowie -- "Moonage Daydream"
Faith No More -- "We Care A Lot"
Grateful Dead -- "Truckin'"
The Hives -- "Die, All Right!"
KISS -- "Calling Dr. Love"
Lynyrd Skynyrd -- "Gimme' Three Steps"
Nine Inch Nails -- "March of the Pigs"
Oasis -- "Live Forever"
Paramore -- "Crushcrushcrush"
The Police -- "Synchronicity II"
Queens of the Stone Age -- "Little Sister"
Ramones -- "Teenage Lobotomy"
Smashing Pumpkins -- "Siva"
Stone Temple Pilots -- "Interstate Love Song"
Weezer -- "Buddy Holly"
Wolfmother -- "Joker & the Thief"

Tags: dlc, ea, harmonix, mtv-games, music, rhythm, rock-band, track-pack

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

jpc168 @ May 5th 2008 2:26PM

wow... rock band for the wii is getting worse by the day... i was hoping that nintendo's admittance of its need for expanded storage by iwata-san would have possibly made harmonix reconsider DLC for the Wii. I was hoping that after E3 we would know more about DLC and that perhaps nintendo even gave harmonix inside info on the expanded storage situation... needless to say i am very disappointed and my chances of purchasing this game have gone down even more

Lars @ May 6th 2008 1:16PM

I don't get the whining...

I've got it for PS3, and yeah I get to choose the songs I want specifically, but truth be told I buy almost all DLC. The original song list is HUGE, and you guys want the rest of the songs thrown in there for free?? I just can't understand or sympathize with that. You already got $10 worth of songs thrown in for free. Oh, and a disc of 20 songs for 30 bucks is a steal. Regular DLC pricing would make that 40 bucks.

The Wii version is making me jealous. Plus wireless guitars without dongles, and tilt sensors that actually work.

Nick @ Jun 18th 2008 2:49AM

Look at this - it COULD be worse.

There could be no extra songs, at NO extra price like the PS2 version, which is virtually the same darn price.

Sure, it sucks that you can't pick and choose, because hell - I wouldn't pick most of the songs on there - However for the cost, it's probably still less than I'm paying for my 360 tracks (stupid Canadian point conversion malarky)

But it's better than nothing. It's better than the system not GETTING the game, either. There is a part of me that might have waited, because a friend of mine has the Wii, and purchased this version so I could rock with him. Cheevos be damned!

As for everyone hoping that it's wireless this and that, sorry - It's the same setup as on every other platform. USB hub and wired everything. Harmonix stated it clearly on the Wii release information.

ima747 @ May 5th 2008 2:30PM

I believe Harmonix stated long ago (when they were insisting there was no wii verion of RB coming) that the limmits of the wii's DLC system (i.e. 512mb of space and at the time no announcement of wiiware or anything similar) was the main reason there was no wii version. Someone needs to beat nintendo with a "get off your butt" stick till they update the wii with a simple USB HID disk driver so we can plug in USB hard drives.

And secondly $30 for 20 songs is $1.50 per song, not including cost of disc, advertising, store shelf space etc. Downloading songs are generally $2 per song... I some are cheaper and I'm too lazy to add up the exact cost, and yes you don't get to pick the exact ones you want, but still, an aprox. $0.50 saving per song and no fee for harmonix to bundle it all up in a pretty box isn't that bad of a deal.

Maybe I'm missing something but it sounds like a pretty decent deal to me...

shadowchaoscontrol @ May 5th 2008 3:12PM

at least it isn't the shit pulled by harmonix when they made rock the 80s

Orion @ May 5th 2008 3:19PM

If excitetruck can read mp3s of my sd card, there is no reason that guitar hero cant either. while i can kinda understand rockband is different as it has a video that also needs to be dloaded, im sure guitar hero could easily make DLC a reality.

and i have to disagree, the release date for Wiiware, and the fact it was being made and developers were making games for it, has existed for long enough to make DLC a possibility for Rock band.

Lars @ May 6th 2008 1:19PM

Orion, you're talking about standard MP3's on an SD card... that's much different than proprietary game information. If you could put Rock Band DLC on an SD card then what's preventing you from just uploading those to the internet for everyone to download onto their own SD cards?

LV426 @ May 5th 2008 6:13PM

boycott rockband on wii

There, I said it while everyone else just thought it.

ExMegalomaniac @ May 5th 2008 2:33PM

I think it's better than having no new songs to play, period.

Mike D @ May 5th 2008 3:04PM

exactly. I dont get why everyone's hating on this idea. My copy of GH3 is still sitting there with the same songs on it. The only thing that could be better if it was a smaller, more focused list of songs at a cheaper price, say 20 for $20.

Defending this game all I can, I'm probably still only getting this for PS3 (dont have a 360).

Dan @ May 5th 2008 2:35PM

Aren't the songs 2 bucks a pop? Wouldn't that make 30 bucks a bargain?

andy @ May 5th 2008 7:55PM

Yes, if you wanted to buy all of them. Personally I only like 3 or 4 songs on that list.

jpc168 @ May 5th 2008 2:34PM

yea, but no choice of songs... I would rather spend $30 getting songs I want instead of a song pack. this is on top of the $10 we have to spend for the "next-gen" fee for the Wii version which is gimped and only includes 5 additional songs. they should have added more songs to the original title or something to make up for the stuff they are taking out

tmntman @ May 5th 2008 2:47PM

This isn't as attractive as the a la cart downloading option, but it is still a far better option than Guitar Hero III has or even the PS2 version of Rock Band. So kudos to Harmonix for that at least. But it also means something VERY important. They are setting the game up from the start with the option of adding extra songs! Give it time and hopefully some extra storage options from Nintendo and DLC could be possible for the future.

Think about it. If the extra songs are going to be packed on another disc, either they are going to have to include the code for the entire game on each extras disc (essentially make each one a mini sequel) or you are going to have to transfer the files onto the Wii before reinserting the actual Rock Band disc to play. If it is the latter, then how hard is it to take the next step and get those files onto the Wii over the internet.

DeadPlasmaCell @ May 5th 2008 2:49PM

It is a pretty good deal all things considered. Harmonix can only work with what they got and with the Wii, it ain't much. This is a solution to a problem Nintendo created. I read a lot of people saying "Just buy thumb-drives or SD cards, they're cheap" True, but why should we have to pick up Nintendo's slack & buy extra storage just because they didn't feel a need for putting a real amount of storage on the Wii? But as usual Nintendo will get a free-pass on this by everyone and they'll just blame Harmonix.

natureboy46 @ May 5th 2008 2:50PM

Wow, they keep making it easier to not buy this game.

Technically the disc maybe cheaper than downloading each song individually but the point that is being missed (and it's a big one) it that most of the songs on the disc blow (in my opinion).

Of them, the only one that I would 'really' want is the Ramones - there are a couple more that wouldn't be bad but the fact is that suddenly I'd be paying $30 for 1 song that I want.

If you really like all the songs on the disc, or you you are happy to play anything then it probably is a good deal - for me it's a big fat meh.

Mike D @ May 5th 2008 3:01PM

Well in my opinion, thats a great list of songs. I think this is a great idea on by them to get more songs out to us. The only problem I see is that you have to swap out the discs to change songs (I'm assuming), which would be a little annoying. BUT they could make it better if you didnt have to exit the game to switch out songs (doubt it).

Otherwise this would happen:
"Hey I want to play that STP interstate love song"
"k one sec" (swaps out the discs, reboots wii, takes about 1 min)
"nm"

Jumbo @ May 5th 2008 3:03PM

I think this is great.

Everyone wants to shoot it down, but honesty, I love that they're doing what they can. Yes, they're making a healthy profit here, but I love the fact that additional songs are available on the Wii version, despite the ability to download.

Jumbo @ May 5th 2008 3:03PM

This actually makes me MORE interested in the wii version.

Eternityx @ May 5th 2008 3:13PM

I applaud their effort. To bad I can't afford it...ever

Orion @ May 5th 2008 3:15PM

wow.. you don't even get 20 songs and it's 30 bucks... itunes is a better deal lol. And seriously, let's face it.. most of those tracks aren't going to be songs most people would want to play.

If we cant have DLC until these companies just use the SD card like Excitetruck (i know with the movie file it coudlnt be done for rockband, but it could for guitar hero) id rather have "updates" in the form of new sequels and other new games like Guitar Hero IV or Aerosmith edition, than spend almost what i would for a full copy of guitar hero, disk only, and only get 1/4th of the amount of songs.

This is a rip off..

dann bohn @ May 5th 2008 3:22PM

30 damn dollars for those songs?

I wouldn't pay 5 dollars for that expansion!

Brian Arnold @ May 5th 2008 3:27PM

It's already been expressed some, but I seriously don't understand all of the hate going on here.

Harmonix has said that there's simply not a viable way to do DLC for RB on the Wii right now. There's simply not enough storage. I've downloaded several song packs on the 360, and the songs are quite large, somewhere around 20MB per song. The Grateful Dead six-pack was over 100MB. You'd burn up your Wii's internal memory fairly quickly.

"The only logical explanation for this travesty is that Harmonix is upset that they missed the Wii boat and are now scrambling to scrape as much quick cash as possible." Are you serious? Don't be a moron. They're not trying to scrape up quick cash, they're trying to offer out what they can to the consumer.

If you're buying RB on the Wii or PS2 (which I'd hope is only out of need, if you have a 360 or PS3 please go that route), you don't have any other choice for new songs. It's more songs at a solid price. You lose out on your own selection, but that's what you get for having to deal with a port.

I love my Wii, and the games are all about the fun and that's awesome. However, it's not the same powerhouse as the competition, and the lack of storage really gimps it in this area. You can bet that as soon as Nintendo offers up improved capacity, Harmonix will find a way to tap it and offer up the DLC.

cuephat @ May 5th 2008 4:04PM

While I'm no fan of the expansion pack idea, at least they're giving us something. I can agree that there are a bunch of songs on there that I'm none too excited to play, but think about this...You don't get to pick and choose the songs that come on the original game, either. So it's not that big a deal to me. Naturally you aren't going to like all of the songs. I say deal with it, and if you don't want it, don't buy it.

munix @ May 5th 2008 4:27PM

how will this work ? load one disc and then the other one just to play the other songs ?
everytime i want to play them ?

Damitol @ May 5th 2008 4:22PM

I see 7 or 8 solid songs in that listing (IMHO of course) and just as many again that I will probably end up having fun playing. Granted it's not an ideal solution (compared to DLC in the first place), but the fact that they will probably be making at least a couple more of these packs put Rock Band back on my "buy" list.

On GH III there are a number of songs that I would never have bought separately, but have enjoyed playing. To me, its not about just playing songs you like, but learning to do well on a wide range of songs. If other expansion packs are as well rounded as this one, then I personally will have a blast with Rock Band.

I'm guessing that Rock Band II will come out after Wii's storage issues are worked out and DLC will be inlcuded. Until then, knowing that song packs will be available is great news as far as I'm concerned, and I can't wait to see how well separate disk content works. Could that mean a chance of 32 more Kart tracks or additional galaxies for Mario to explore for $29.95 at some point?

Elsnerma @ May 5th 2008 4:26PM

Without resorting to expletives here, I must state my dissapointment with Alisha's post. You seem to forget that the problem here isn't with Harmonix, but instead with Nintendo. By refusing to release an additional harddrive, and by gimping the Wii initially with only half a gig of space, and by showing everyone that they aren't ready for online (Brawl), they have left few options for Harmonix.

It's upsetting when I can't even fit all of my VC games on to the harddrive, much less 20 additional songs (taking up to 50 mbs apiece on the PS3). Harmonix is doing the best they can to offer a similar experience to that of the PS3 and 360 versions, and at a cheaper price as well.

Not to mention, no one is forcing you to buy this expansion. No one is forcing you to buy Rockband for the Wii. I suppose you'd rather they didn't release any expansion at all?

The reason Rockband is gimped for the Wii, and the reason it needs "expansion discs" instead of DLC is entirely on the shoulders of Nintendo. Nintendo doesn't care about online, and they could care less about DLC as well, otherwise we would have seen external harddrive support by now. Stop blaming Harmonix, and blame Nintendo.

Shortbuser @ May 5th 2008 4:42PM

I don't see what all the hate is for with the Wii version of Rock Band. If you aren't interested, don't buy it. It's way more productive than just ranting on the internet.

$30 for an expansion is a bit much but at least its something and it shows EA is trying to do something to solve the storage issue.

CRiThIt @ May 10th 2008 2:46PM

The one thing that would make this perfect is if they sold custom expansion discs from their website or something... I think it's doable. Hard, but doable.

Matt B @ May 5th 2008 4:43PM

Still can't use the GH3 guitar? Then no sale... More songs doesn't make that better.

tmntman @ May 5th 2008 4:52PM

What if Harmonix compromised and made their controller compatible with Guitar Hero III, al be it with the rumble and built in speaker removed?

Matt B @ May 5th 2008 5:04PM

tmntman: if they did that the GH3 controller would be automatically compatible with RB.

Blue_Falcon @ May 5th 2008 5:03PM

This is a great idea. The loss of picking which songs you'd like is unfortunate, but the fact they're still trying to get the extra music out to the fans is commendable. And the cheaper value per song is nice as well.

Tim @ May 5th 2008 5:45PM

I love my Wii, but this is the reason i purchased a PS3, after i heard about the non-dlc/online in the wii version i made the decision to purchase another console. i can no longer stand by and watch great games be turned to crap because of nintendos downfalls. i love my PS 3, Rock band and GTA 4.

nytestalker @ May 5th 2008 6:02PM

i give this a big fat meh...

i dont care who's fault it is. without dlc this turned into a no buy. Ill get Aerosmith and GH4. Sorry Harmonix.

(Really though... Nintendo has been working on WiiWare for ever now, I am more than sure you have seen some technical documents for it, and loading off an SD card is do-able. Hell you can get a 1 gig stick for $20, I heard the whole grateful dead thing was 100megs, that means you could fit 10 grateful dead packs onto 1 sd card... Just include a free 1 gig SD card with every game bundle, and viola no more issues!!! When you buy them en'mass im sure the cards would come out to about a buck a peice... wow. loose $1 on every unit sold, and then LOTS OF MONEY when they buy songs... way2business....)

nytestalker @ May 5th 2008 6:04PM

OHH and then you repackage the 1 gig SD cards into "Special Rock Band Compatible" bundles, and sell them for $15. Make $13 profit. (assuming $1 for cost of bundling material)

Strange Interlude @ May 5th 2008 6:48PM

Am I the only one who thought the original post was being sarcastic? This actually sounds like a great solution for bringing DLC to the Wii. Now if only Activision would get it together and bring Guitar Hero 1+2+DLC to the Wii as well, we'd have some real competition going there.