Wow. Ubisoft’s new trailer for the upcoming Prince of Persia game is absolutely stunning. I was skeptical about the new art direction for the game, but am no longer. Do yourself a favor and watch it in HD. Your life will thank you for it.
The speculation is over. Harmonix and MTV have revealed the final song list for the much anticipated songpack sequel to Rock Band. We knew it was going to have 80+ songs on the disc, but in a slightly surprising twist, rockers will be getting another bonus 20 songs that will be downloadable for free in the fall.
As expected, Rock Band 2 will be a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360, releasing on that platform in September with the PS3, Wii, and PS2 following a few months later (presumably in November).
From the press release:
• After 14 years since Guns N’ Roses last official music release, Axl Rose selects Rock Band 2 to debut official new track “Shackler’s Revenge” from the highly-anticipated album Chinese Democracy.
• Rock Band 2 is the first and only video game to feature the music of AC/DC. It includes their epic rock anthem, “Let There Be Rock.”
• For the first time ever, music from American music icon, Bob Dylan, is featured in a video game with “Tangled Up In Blue.”
• Rock Band 2 will feature backwards compatibility with all Rock Band downloadable music content released to date.
• Owners of the original Rock Band will have the ability to export most of the Rock Band disc tracks and upgrade them into Rock Band 2 gameplay–the first time ever in videogame history!
There are some really awesome songs on this list. If all Rock Band 2 was just a song addon pack, it would be worth the $60 for the dvd by itself as each song would be costing you just $0.57. However, it appears as if there will be some minor improvements to the gameplay and the fact that you can import all of your songs from Rock Band 1 into the new format for free gives me a warm and tingly feeling as a customer. Harmonix is really pushing Rock Band as a platform, as opposed to yearly stand alone exploits to siphon money from our wallets.
Read on for the full song list.
2008 Pulitzer Prize winning author of the novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz, is a Grand Theft Auto fan. He’s played all of them since the first 2d entry into the series and has liked them. But does he think the game is art on the level of The Godfather, as many critics have said?
According to his missive on the WSJ, the answer is “No.”
GTA IV for all its awesomeness doesn’t have the sordid bipolar humanity of “The Sopranos,” and it certainly lacks the epic flawed protagonists that define “The Godfather” and its bloodier lesser brother “Scarface.” Successful art tears away the veil and allows you to see the world with lapidary clarity; successful art pulls you apart and puts you back together again, often against your will, and in the process reminds you in a visceral way of your limitations, your vulnerabilities, makes you in effect more human. Does GTA IV do that? Not for me it doesn’t, and heck, I love this damn game.
Take that GTA fanboys! How do you like dem Pulitzer-winning apples now!
Read Junot’s entire essay [wsj.com]
