Rock Band gamers will be among the first to hear and play “Hammerhead,” the lead single from The Offspring’s highly anticipated new album, Rise And Fall, Rage And Grace, due in stores on June 17th. The album is The Offspring’s first release of new material since 2003’s Splinter.

Fans of Huntington Beach, CA-based band Avenged Sevenfold will enjoy the dual guitar action on two of the band’s newest and hardest-hitting songs—“Afterlife” and “Critical Acclaim,” both of which appear on the group’s latest album, Avenged Sevenfold. The disc follows A7X’s breakthrough release, 2005’s City of Evil, which earned them a Best New Artist Award at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.

In addition to featuring the best music from a host of platinum-selling acts, Rock Band also offers fans and players the chance to discover exciting new voices such as Crooked X. The Coweta, OK-based quartet has crunch-laden sound reminiscent of early Metallica. It’s also worth mentioning that the average age of the band’s members is 13.

Release date:

• Tuesday, June 17, 2008 (Xbox Live Marketplace)
• Thursday, June 19, 2008 (PlayStation Store)

Tracks:

• “Afterlife” (Avenged Sevenfold)
• “Critical Acclaim” (Avenged Sevenfold)
• “Hammerhead” (The Offspring)
• “Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream” (Crooked X)

Price:

• $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track for the Avenged Sevenfold and Offspring songs.
• Crooked X’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll Dream” will be $0.99 (80 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360)

Fledgling Black Francises, budding Kim Deals and diehard gamers alike can now rock out to the original master recordings of one of the Pixies’ most eclectic and ambitious releases. Upon its release in 1989, Doolittle garnered immediate critical acclaim and eventually became regarded as one of the most important alternative rock albums of the 1980s. Doolittle offers endless highlights for fans and players, including the spaghetti Western-ish flavor of “Silver,” the biblically-themed “Dead” and the pop savvy hit single “Here Comes Your Man.” Gamers have been clamoring for these additional fourteen tracks after months of playing the album’s brilliantly surreal “Wave of Mutilation,” which was included on the original Rock Band™ game disc.
The gold-certified Doolittle was the Boston-based band’s second studio album and first for Elektra Records.

Each track will be available for $1.99 per track (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) or $18.99 (1520 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for the album.

Release date:

• Tuesday, June 24, 2008 (Xbox Live Marketplace)
• Thursday, June 26, 2008 (PlayStation Store)

Tracks:

• “Crackity Jones”
• “Dead”
• “Debaser”
• “Gouge Away”
• “Here Comes Your Man”
• “Hey”
• “I Bleed”
• “La la Love You”
• “Monkey Gone To Heaven”
• “Mr Grieves”
• “No 13 Baby”
• “Silver”
• “Tame”
• “There Goes My Gun”

(All tracks utilize the original master recordings)

Price: $18.99 (1520 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for the Album or $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

Developed by Harmonix, Rock Band is an all-new platform for gamers to experience music, giving players the chance to rock in the shoes of the biggest guitarists, bassists, drummers and singers of all time – as a solo superstar or as part of a hard rocking band.

Rock Band delivers four music games in one – challenging rockers to master lead/bass guitar, drums and vocals or play collectively as a whole band. Built on unprecedented deals with top record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band spans all genres of rock and includes many master recordings from legendary artists.

Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists with hits from the '70s, '80s, '90s and 2000s. Record labels partnering with MTV Games and Harmonix include EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group's Universal Music Enterprises and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment. Music publishers partnering with MTV Games and Harmonix include EMI Music Publishing and Warner/Chappel Music.

A variety of song packs, albums and individual tracks will be available for download on a weekly basis. And that's just through the end of 2007. Fans can expect more music every week through 2008 with suggested retail pricing varying from $.99 to $2.99 per track (The equivalent of 80 to 240 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360), with the vast majority selling for $1.99 (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360).

In addition to the 58 songs available on the game disc, Harmonix and MTV Games are offering a robust calendar of new downloadable content including packs, full albums and individual tracks to satiate the desire for constantly refreshed Rock Band content, including:

Rock Band Unlockables :

• Acro-brats "Day Late Dollar Short"
• Anarchy Club "Blood Doll"
• Bang Camaro "Pleasure (Pleasure)"
• Crooked X " Nightmare"
• Death of the Cool "Can't Let Go"
• Flyleaf "I'm So Sick"
• Freezepop "Brainpower"
• Honest Bob "I Get By"
• The Konks "29 Fingers"
• The Mother Hips "Time We Had"
• Timmy & The Lords of the Underworld "Timmy & The Lords of the Underworld"
• Tribe "Outside"
• VAGIANT "Seven"

Rock Band Set List:

In addition to the 45 tracks listed below, Rock Band will also feature 13 songs ranging from a variety of established bands to up-and-coming independent artists that can be unlocked as you play through the game.

1960s

Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter"

1970s

Aerosmith "Train Kept a Rollin'"*
The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Boston "Foreplay/Long Time"
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
The Police "Next to You"
David Bowie "Suffragette City"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
Blue Oyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Deep Purple "Highway Star"
KISS "Detroit Rock City"
Molly Hatchet "Flirtin' With Disaster"
The Outlaws "Green Grass & High Tides"*
Sweet "Ballroom Blitz"*

1980s

Rush "Tom Sawyer"*
Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
The Clash "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Faith No More "Epic"
R.E.M. "Orange Crush"
Iron Maiden "Run to the Hills"*

1990s

Foo Fighters "Learn to Fly"
Metallica "Enter Sandman"
Nirvana "In Bloom"
Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline"
Weezer "Say It Ain't So"
Smashing Pumpkins "Cherub Rock"
Radiohead "Creep"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Hole "Celebrity Skin"
Garbage "I Think I'm Paranoid"
Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun"

2000s

The Hives "Main Offender"
Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"
The Strokes "Reptilia"
Jet "Are You Gonna Be My Girl"
OK Go "Here It Goes Again"
Nine Inch Nails "The Hand That Feeds"
Pixies "Wave of Mutilation"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California"
Coheed & Cambria "Welcome Home"
Fallout Boy "Dead on Arrival"
The Killers "When You Were Young"
New Pornographers "Electric Version"

* Indicates a cover song, all others songs are original master recordings

Key Features

Unrivaled song library! Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists – from punk, metal and alternative to classic and southern rock.

Rock ‘n' Roll Never Dies! Full support for downloadable content delivers never-ending challenges.

Play together in your living room or across the world! Rock Band™ offers deep online functionality, allowing players to rock together whether they're in Rhode Island or Reykjavik.

Create your own rock avatar! Mold a unique rocker using Rock Band's character creator. Chose from gender, body shape, face, hair, clothes, tattoos and signature moves. Don't forget to pick your specialized rockin' instrument. Drumming in the spotlight! Showcase a real drum solo with Rock Band's freestyle drum fill windows featured in each song. Break out your own rhythm and style as anything goes!

Call out the crowd! Vocalists can bring the crowd to their feet during Rock Band's freestyle vocal fill windows. Ad-lib your own words or shout to the crowd to raise the rock intensity of the performance.

Save your mates! Band mates can fail out of a song for poor performance, but the band still plays on. Rescue your failing mate by busting out signature moves and blistering solos to wow the crowd with showmanship.

Boost your bonus! Earn bonus points for your band during Rock Band's Unison Phrase opportunities if everyone plays perfectly. A single mistake blows the phrase for everyone.

Rockband, rated T for Teen, is currently available in North America for $169 on PS3/X360 and Wii, while PS2 gamers can rock out for $159.99. Rock Band is also slated for release in Europe in Q1 2008.