Rock Band allows you to perform famous rock music with your friends as a virtual band using drum, bass/lead guitar and vocals, as well as online. On Feb. 5, 2008, players can download 3 new tracks, which include "Roam" by the B-52s, "We Care a Lot" by Faith No More and "Calling Dr. Love" by KISS, at 160 Microsoft points ($1.99) each. They're expected on PSN later this week.

Overclocked, developed by House of Tales team, known for The Moment of Silence, is a psychological thriller which uses many technical innovations and a surprising narrative approach to form an eerily real gaming experience.

Konami confirmed that Metal Gear Solid: the Essential Collection is currently planned for the PS2, which includes the original Metal Gear Solid, the director's cut of MGS2 and MGS 3 in a commemorative package with artwork by renowned artist Yoji Shinkawa.

Crystal Dynamics has made Tomb Raider Underworld more realistic with fluid movements due to motion capturing. Set a few years after the last game, it also features persistent destruction and lush locales across the globe. Lara gets muddy in the game, but with the weather system, rain will wash it away.

Guitar Rising is a music video game where the player plays a real guitar as cued by the game’s visuals. Following rock music sequences and streaming notes, players play guitar melodies and rhythms. Beginner difficulty levels are designed for non-guitar players and hard difficulties will challenge experienced guitarists. Scheduled for released in late 2008, we will be checking out Guitar Rising at GDC in a few weeks...

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is Nintendo's latest incarnation in the popular Super Smash Bros. series of titles, featuring all-new characters ranging from Kirby and Wario to Samus and even Metal Gear Solid's Snake.

Firaxis' Sid Meier, known for titles such as Civilization and Pirates, revealed that he "would certainly like to play around with a MMO concept in future" and that he is "in the very early stages of exploring the possibilities of it." Firaxis is currently working on Civilization Revolution for consoles, Sid Meier indicated it was not for the immediate future, "I really can't say if that would be the next game we do or if it's still a couple of games down the road before we come to that," but it would certainly be a PC title, since "PC is still the best place to play a MMO."

Firefly Studios and Gamecock Media are delighted to announce Stronghold Crusader Extreme, featuring huge battles with over 10000 units on screen, a new Extreme Trail which will test even the best Crusader players and a new tactical aid bar which allows you to unleash super moves on your enemies.

Last week, it was revealed through a customer complaint that EA's Burnout Paradise requires a hard drive in order to play online, thus making that impossible with an Xbox 360 Core/Arcade. Oddly enough, this missing feature was never revealed, and now Criterion issued a statement in an attempt to justify the decision.

Octomania is a new online multiplayer family-friendly game offering challenging puzzle gameplay, and a variety of different play modes, with a story of mischief and mayhem filled with zany characters.