And then there’s Green Day. Don’t get me wrong, I love Green Day. I grew up on Green Day. The first album I truly loved (and still listen to today) was 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours. But is Green Day the kind of band that warrants an exclusive Rock Band title?

Jason at Bullz-Eye Main had a chance to play the game over the weekend and found that while the band’s history lends a solid background for the game, ultimately it will probably only be the hardcore fans that are begging for more from the rock trio’s list of tracks. Check out the full Green Day: Rock Band review at Bullz-Eye.com.

Harmonix is developing Rock Band 3 for worldwide release this holiday season! The game, which will be published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts, will innovate and revolutionize the music genre once again, just as Harmonix did with the original Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and The Beatles: Rock Band. Stay tuned for more details!

Innovate and revolutionize you say? Could that possibly mean that this Rock Band will finally be the one that actually teaches you how to rock?

Source: Facebook

Darren Richardson, the president and CEO of peripheral manufacturer Mad Catz, told Kotaku today that his company paid $300,000 so it could back out of the original contract due to an ongoing lawsuit with Konami.

“Guitar Hero was a game that we were actually involved with early on and pulled out because of a lawsuit with Konami,” Richardson said. “We were doing the Xbox SKU and that’s why there was only a Playstation 2 launch. That’s why. We were in there and we pulled out as a result of (the lawsuit) and (Red Octane and Harmonix) went forward and it turned out to be a success, a huge success.”

Somehow Richardson has a sense of humor about the whole thing. “Everyone else made hundreds of millions and we paid money to not be a part of it,” he said. “It was brilliant. I come up with these strokes of genius from time to time. That was my best.”

If only sarcasm could turn back time.

Source: Kotaku

As always, things are relative. The games may not be doing as well as they were, but Michael Pachter still thinks the niche will level out somewhere around $500 million in sales a year. That’s a pretty little penny, even for a company like Activision. Developers need to pick their ventures wisely, though. DJ Hero tanked. Hard. In a shrinking market that’s the last thing you want, especially after paying for the likes of Jay-Z and Eminem. Even The Beatles: Rock Band undersold expectations by 200,000 units.

Source: Reuters

To get the promo price, which is temporary, enter code “DJHPP1” on checkout. That’ll free up your Andrew Jackson for other holiday gifts this year. Might I recommend something from the Bullz-Eye gift guide? I think I might. I think I just might.

Source: Slick Deals

You might remember Courtney Love raising the same stink about use of Cobain’s image for other artists’ work. In this case, though, it seems Activision has put the avatars into situations that could have some legal ramifications. As the lawsuit states, Band Hero stages Gwen Stefani, No Doubt’s sassy frontlady, singing The Stones song “Honky Tonk Woman.” The problem is that the feature “results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes.” I’ve certainly heard celebrities cry foul over less.

As expected, Activision claims to be within its rights. No Doubt is looking for damages, an injunction, and a recall of existing copies of the game. Good luck with that one.

Source: Reuters

Yes, folks, Polk has decided to make a ridiculous video game monitor as well for all of your video game jam sessions. As with Altec Lansing’s Stage Gig, you simply plug your console into the side of the monitor and voila, you’re transported to a world of 60-watt, rock-induced ecstasy. Coming for the holidays, an automated bra-launcher/boobie-flasher to tuck behind your TV for that authentic rock experience.

The unit has a single stereo input and output, so you can hook the console straight into the speaker, or chain gang it as a part of your regular setup. If you’re actually willing to spend $100 on this thing, please never contact me for any reason. I’m all for getting into your games, but this takes fake musicianship to an unhealthy level. Like air guitarists but decidedly less cool.