(Rock Band) AC/DC Live: Track Pack at WalMart

[sluggo]

NYT Story (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/arts/music/30acdc.html?_r=3&scp=1%26sq=ac/dc,%2520rock%2520band,%2520walmart%26st=cse&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin). Coming in November.

Wal-Mart Wins Deal on Album and Game

Just as Wal-Mart solidifies its power as a music industry hitmaker with an exclusive album from the rock band AC/DC, the chain is getting its first major exclusive video game to go with it.

MTV plans to announce on Tuesday that it has made a deal with the band and its label, Columbia Records, to create an AC/DC version of the channel’s popular Rock Band video game that will be sold in the United States only at Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club and the Wal-Mart Web site (walmart.com).

The release of the video game AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack will give MTV a prominent role in the partnership between the rock group and the retailer to promote AC/DC’s forthcoming album, “Black Ice.” Wal-Mart will create a special area in each of its stores to display the new album and the new game, as well as the band’s other CDs, DVDs and T-shirts and other licensed clothing. Although this is Wal-Mart’s first significant exclusive video game, the chain has emerged as a force in the music business because of the promotional muscle it has put behind recent albums from the Eagles and Journey, which were available only in its stores. Such a partnership is especially important for AC/DC, since the band does not sell its music on Apple’s iTunes store.
Amazingly, this story lacks the details gamers actually care about: Will this be fully standalone? Will tracks be importable to RB2? Will these be the old tracks or new live ones? (sounds like it might be only the new DVD live tracks, which would be hugely disappointing for me.)

[Crater]

What a strange thread. Is this what it was like before the big bang?

[Union Carbide]

Fail.

http://kotaku.com/5056684/rock-band-acdc-is-real-but-for-wal+mart-only

[Talisker]

NYT article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/arts/music/30acdc.html?_r=1&scp=1%26sq=ac/dc,%2520rock%2520band,%2520walmart%26st=cse&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print).

Short version: Wal-Mart exclusive, $40.

[Talisker]

Dang, I was hoping my post might be able to sneak in ahead of sluggo's :)

[sluggo]

Comedy!

Also, there's a Walmart promotional page that says:

All tracks from AC/DC: Live Rock Band track pack will also be available for play in Rock Band and Rock Band 2

Sadly, it also looks like these are all live tracks, so my excitement is dimmed quite a bit. It's an awesome track list and I'd love to play masters of most of them.

[MattKeil]

I'd prefer masters, too, but the Castle Donington tracks are nothing to sneeze at. Just wish they weren't exclusive to Wal*Mart, since there really isn't one in easy striking distance.

[Coca Cola Zero]

Awesome cross promotion! Nothing says ROCK to me like WalMart.

[Adree]

Awesome cross promotion! Nothing says ROCK to me like WalMart.

It's proven to be extremely profitable. Can't blame them.

[wumpus]

I'm 99.9% sure this disc is exactly like DLC; the only difference is that you buy it at Wal*Mart and it comes on physical media.

There's no way in hell they will include any playable version of Rock Band on a $30-$40 disc.

[MattKeil]

There's also no way in hell Harmonix will break their platform strategy. You'll be able to install the tracks like Rock Band 1's. I'd bet money on it.

[Talisker]

I'd imagine it'll have some sort of DLC key to prevent you from passing the disc around amongst your buddies (similar to the 20 downloadable tracks we're supposed to get soon).

[Adree]

I'd imagine it'll have some sort of DLC key to prevent you from passing the disc around amongst your buddies (similar to the 20 downloadable tracks we're supposed to get soon).

Like the one that prevents you from just renting Rock Band and ripping the tracks? Oh wait.

[Juste]

Soooooooo no DLC version for us europeans? Bastards.

[Prodigy]

This is like torture. One of my favorite rock bands of all time, the songs I dream to play in Rock Band or GH, and I can't have it ??

It's like "you can have sex with Salma Hayek but only if you're resident of Salvador and have 20 fingers".

[Prodigy]

On each hand, of course.

[Talisker]

Like the one that prevents you from just renting Rock Band and ripping the tracks? Oh wait.
Like the one that only gives the extra 20 download tracks to people who buy RB2.

[Funkula]

It's like "you can have sex with Salma Hayek but only if you're resident of Salvador and have 20 fingers".

She probably has a reason for that requirement, and that reason is probably sexy as hell.

[Midnight Son]

My man-love for ACDC is only exceeded by my librul hate of Walmart. This is a major quandary!!!

[theborbes]

God I wish they had said when it was coming out. I'd bet before christmas but still it'd be nice to know.

[Midnight Son]

November.

[CharlesC]

There's got to be something more to it if its going to be $40 for 18 tracks right?

[Prodigy]

A handjob from Bon Scott.

[skedastic]

According to Walmart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=2432480) this is a stand-alone product which will also allow you to export the songs to Rock Band. I would guess that we'll get AC/DC avatars and a Donnington venue, and that this version will not access DLC. The track list replicates the Donnington show, but it's not clear whether or not the actual tracks are live or the studio versions.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Just wish they weren't exclusive to Wal*Mart, since there really isn't one in easy striking distance.

Where is this Wal*Martless Nirvana of which you speak? (You're in and around L.A.? Yeah, I could believe they haven't fully infiltrated there yet... but they're coming! BEWARE!)

[Rock8man]

Where is this Wal*Martless Nirvana of which you speak? (You're in and around L.A.? Yeah, I could believe they haven't fully infiltrated there yet... but they're coming! BEWARE!)

Yeah, there's not many areas of the country that are successfully keeping them out. St. Louis used to be one of those areas for a long time, where it's grocery worker's union kept Walmart out for a long time (but ultimately failed). Seattle is still one of the hold-outs. At least by the time I left Seattle last year, the only Walmart in the area was one near the airport, which used to be a 30 minute drive for me, which was totally not worth it for any reason.

[Prodigy]

Ok this is coming to Europe too, we're saved.

[Talisker]

So... $40 for 18 tracks is more expensive than the $2/track for current DLC. I'd probably do $20, maybe even $25, but $40?

Thanks, but I'll take that money and put it towards an entire game instead.

[Adree]

So... $40 for 18 tracks is more expensive than the $2/track for current DLC. I'd probably do $20, maybe even $25, but $40?

Thanks, but I'll take that money and put it towards an entire game instead.

http://store.digitalpraise.com/ProductImages/Large_Guitar_Praisev1.gif

[Juste]

Ok this is coming to Europe too, we're saved.

Source plz?

[The_B]

Yup, coming to Europe/UK, and not exclusive to Asda. (http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86939)

However, it is going to be £29.99 in another fantastic display of British pricing rip offs.

[Cyrano]

This is just horrible -- $40, and not available for download.

I'll be camping out in front of Wal Mart on the first day, of course.

[Juste]

Yup, coming to Europe/UK, and not exclusive to Asda. (http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86939)

However, it is going to be £29.99 in another fantastic display of British pricing rip offs.

Hallelujah! I guess that means about £40 in Norway though.

[wumpus]

So... $40 for 18 tracks is more expensive than the $2/track for current DLC. I'd probably do $20, maybe even $25, but $40?

er.. 18 x $2 = $36?

Why would you expect the songs to be cheaper than normal DLC? That's a little.. dickish, don't you think?

I guess the extra $4 is for the physical packaging, which is of course completely unnecessary, but hardly extortionist pricing. Maybe you get an extra Donnington castle venue and some gamer pictures or something.

[CharlesC]

Well the Wii Rock Band track pack was $30 for 20 songs. I think there is an expectation that if you are giving up the option of being able to pick and choose the songs then you get a price break. Same as if you buy a whole DLC album or pack.

[Lizard_King]

Seeing as how I just wanted a few AC/DC tracks and really valued the choice DLC brought to that equation, I guess this is a no sale for me. Too bad.

[wumpus]

It's patently obvious that this pack will be released as plain ol' DLC at some point once the Wal-Mart exclusivity pact wears off.

[Midnight Son]

I bet you it's a timed Wallyworld exclusive and will be DLC at some point so we can pick and choose. I mean, damn!, you might just like a studio version better than a live version and whatnot.........

LOL! Great Angus minds think alike!

[Talisker]

Why would you expect the songs to be cheaper than normal DLC?
Why are full album purchases cheaper than buying all the songs individually? Because you usually get a break when you buy a pile of something, rather than buying just one.

Rock Band 2 comes with 84 songs for $60. The dicks!

[skedastic]

This is a stand-alone product. It would be weird if there weren't new avatars and such. The tracks themselves may eventually be available as DLC, but the other stuff presumably won't be, and whatever licensing deal they have might preclude releasing even the tracks as separate DLC. I think this is more like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith than some routine DLC that happens to be available in physical form at Walmart.

[Lizard_King]

It's patently obvious that this pack will be released as plain ol' DLC at some point once the Wal-Mart exclusivity pact wears off.

Yeah, and? I'm saying the Track Pack at Walmart, which this thread is about, is a no sale for me. I'm also implying that I'm unhappy with the arrangement, because while I don't mind giving Harmonix my money, I'm not a fan of waiting for things and/or reducing the set of choices to which I am accustomed. That goes double for DLC I am moderately excited for vs stuff on either extreme.

You see, I've already covered your "patently obvious" ground myself (http://www.quartertothree.com/game-talk/showpost.php?p=1478128&postcount=343), and it's still patently speculation.

[Funkula]

I really can't form an opinion on this now. If they're the live tracks, I'll have to listen to them before I buy it. If it's the master versions of the live setlist, I'll probably go for it.

As far as price goes, they did warn back when they started that prices for songs could go as high as $3 (or was it $5), but they'd do everything in their power to keep them $2 and under. They've been amazingly good at keeping that promise so far, since I think this is actually the first case where songs have cost more than $2 in any SKU released to date.

[fuzzyslug]

I really can't form an opinion on this now. If they're the live tracks, I'll have to listen to them before I buy it. If it's the master versions of the live setlist, I'll probably go for it.

Me too, other than it sounds really expensive.

I'm with you on the live tracks. The Def Leppard stuff from Guitar Hero, which was just awful, spooked me pretty good.

[JD]

A few more bits (http://weblogs.variety.com/the_cut_scene/2008/09/acdc-now-exclus.html):
-AC/DC is now exclusive to "Rock Band" for "a term." No idea how long that term is. But just as Aerosmith is exclusive to "Guitar Hero" for a while after its eponymous game, MTV has the sale deal with AC/DC. That deal has resulted in this expansion pack and also the inclusion of "Let There Be Rock" in "Rock Band 2." No word on whether there will be future AC/DC songs for the "Rock Band" platform, either on discs or available to download, as part of the exclusive deal.
-The game will feature some, but not all, of the functionality from "Rock Band " and "Rock Band 2." All four instruments (guitar, bass, drums, mic) are used, you can "tour" through all 18 songs on your own or in a group, there are score duels and tug of war. However, there's no online capability. If you want to play with your friends, you have to be in the same room. In addition, there's no character creator. I would assume there are set characters you can choose from instead.
-All 19 tracks can be transferred onto a PS3 or 360 hard drive free of charge in order to import them into "Rock Band" or "Rock Band 2." Then they show up like any other downloaded tracks and can be played with all of the game's modes, online or offline.

But this can only be done once per disc. That's MTV"s way of preventing someone from sharing a disc with friends, or re-selling it, and essentially engaging in piracy. Seems reasonable to me. Given that songs cost $2 to download online, 19 tracks for $40 is just silghtly more than it would cost to buy them online. Not the best deal ever, but not a rip-off either.

[wumpus]

huh, wow, so they actually ARE selling a "game" for that $40.

[JD]

huh, wow, so they actually ARE selling a "game" for that $40.

Yeah, the name of the package is rather idiotic.

-Julian

[CharlesC]

The whole thing is very weird. I bet it'd be much more profitable for everybody involved just to put the songs up as DLC.

[Talisker]

The whole thing is very weird. I bet it'd be much more profitable for everybody involved just to put the songs up as DLC.
...except Walmart.

[CharlesC]

RockGamer.com has put up a nice video list of all the Donnington songs.
http://www.rockgamer.com/2008/10/02/acdc-live-rock-band-track-pack-setlist-preview/

I'm pretty encouraged by the sound quality. Even through youtube its pretty decent.

[Coca Cola Zero]

Why would you expect the songs to be cheaper than normal DLC? That's a little.. dickish, don't you think?


Because it is a promotion that requires me to go to Walmart to purchase it, which is something I would never do otherwise. In fact, I won't do it in this case either, not because I'm THAT anti-Walmart, but because I'm not that big of an AC/DC fan.


huh, wow, so they actually ARE selling a "game" for that $40.


A "game" that is redundant given the hardware requirements. Who is going to buy this standalone with one or more instruments but not ever own another Rock Band game? Having new avatars and a new venue might look good on paper but is of very marginal use since they can't be used online, etc.

This release outdoes the lameness of Guitar Hero: Aerosmith by a great deal if you ignore the bands involved and just look at the restrictions, the price and the fact that you're paying a premium to be forced to shop at Walmart. This should be DLC. At the VERY least, it should cost no more than standard DLC prices. So, fuck you MTV/EA/Harmonix. I still love Rock Band and Rock Band 2, but you've earned your first fuck you (as a combined entity) from me.

[Adree]

http://media.canada.com/8c8b3290-2b08-4dc6-8e3e-2cc645fdfe05/110907_tvstrikewah.jpg

Man I totally loved copying the GH:Aerosmith tracks to my harddrive so I could play them in GH3.

[malkav11]

I continue to be alarmed by the notion of retailer-exclusive games. Even if it weren't Wal-Mart but some more cuddly retailer, I'd be against the notion. It's just plain bad for consumers.

[Coca Cola Zero]

Man I totally loved copying the GH:Aerosmith tracks to my harddrive so I could play them in GH3.

Alternately....

Man I totally loved when RB DLC came on the Internet and was only $2/song and I could copy them to RB2 with the click of a button and not have to go to Walmart and buy a physical disc!

No matter how much people want to fit this into the Internet sukz/rulz world where RB current rulz and GH currently sukz (and I say this as someone who loves RB a lot more than GH3+), GH: Aerosmith was actually a complete game that had a lot more songs than this disc offers and they weren't all Aerosmith. Many people are giving this a pass because RB is otherwise so cool and AC/DC is admittedly a much more fitting band to pattern something like this around, but I still maintain that if you ignore the bands involved this is actually much lamer than the idea behind GH: Aerosmith which Activision was (rightly) much maligned for. And when you all rush out to buy the disc, don't be surprised if this catches on and it starts to impact the quality of DLC over time as more and more big bands demand the "AC/DC treatment", which would be tragic.

[wumpus]

I do wish we could import the GH3: Aerosmith songs into RB, though.

Actually I wouldn't mind importing all the GH songs into RB.

[MattKeil]

It's interesting that everyone is so quick to blame Harmonix/MTV/EA and not AC/DC.

I'm with you on the live tracks. The Def Leppard stuff from Guitar Hero, which was just awful, spooked me pretty good.

Having seen Def Leppard live, I can't blame you for your reaction to their live tracks, but to be skeptical of live AC/DC tracks because of it is really silly.

[Hetz]

This AC/DC track pack thing will also have achievements! Sounds like this is basically a standalone game, like Guitar Hero:Aerosmith....except you can import the songs into RB1 and RB2.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170345

[Coca Cola Zero]

It's interesting that everyone is so quick to blame Harmonix/MTV/EA and not AC/DC.

Well, ultimately they are the ones who made the thing. if AC/DC showed up on iTunes but the tracks were all $2 instead of $0.99 because AC/DC demanded it, I'd still blame Apple for the pricing because they could have told AC/DC to take a hike.

In both cases one could make the argument that it is better to have AC/DC at higher cost than not at all and the user is free to decide how much they want to pay for content from their favorite bands, and there is truth to that. But in both this case and the hypothetical iTunes case I would fear the end results would be a bit of an upwards pricing war as other bands demand the same or even better treatment because AC/DC got a sweet deal.

[Pumpkinhead]

I'll wait for the tracks to be available ala carte as DLC. There are some bands that would compell me to spend $40 for 18 tracks. AC/DC is not one of them. I'd like to get 5 or 6 of those, but not all 18.

[Talisker]

RHCP -- 16 tracks, $20 ($1.25 ea)
The Who -- 12 tracks, $20 ($1.67 ea)
The Cars -- 9 tracks, $15 ($1.67 ea)
Pixies -- 14 tracks, $19 ($1.35 ea)

AC/DC -- 18 tracks, $40 ($2.22 ea), can't buy individual tracks (for now, at least)

I don't fault people who are excited, but it's just not worth it for me. Yeah, it's gonna have a stripped down AC/DC-ized version of rock band in it, but I'd fool around with that once or twice at most before adding the tracks to my RB2 heap -- I'm really only interested in the tracks, and I'm not exactly happy about the precedent they're setting here (exclusive retailer, no individual tracks, more expensive -- all less appealing to me than the usual DLC approach).

If they wind up releasing the tracks as DLC at the usual $2/song, it'll actually be cheaper than the Walmart disc anyway (I hope this isn't a harbinger of more expensive DLC in the future).

Now, all that said, if it were Yes or Muse instead of AC/DC, I'd go buy it in spite of my reservations :)

[merryprankster]

I hope this doesn't become a trend as well. the whole iTunes like setup for getting music is one of the best features of RB. Fortunatley I hate AC/DC, so I don't care about this one, but if it was a band I really liked I bet I would be frustrated by this whole debacle.

[Coca Cola Zero]

Now, all that said, if it were Yes or Muse instead of AC/DC, I'd go buy it in spite of my reservations :)

Yeah, to be clear there are absolutely some bands where if their songs were released in this manner I'd bend over and take it because I couldn't help myself, but I wouldn't defend the pricing or the retailer exclusivity or anything just because I was willing to buy into it. It is ok to be a big enough AC/DC fan that you're going to buy this while not having a knee-jerk reaction to defend the way it is being released.

[Wholly Schmidt]

I hope this doesn't become a trend as well. the whole iTunes like setup for getting music is one of the best features of RB. Fortunatley I hate AC/DC, so I don't care about this one, but if it was a band I really liked I bet I would be frustrated by this whole debacle.

But if it was a band you really liked, you'd probably want all of the songs anyway, and not mind paying a few more cents per track overall.

It's the bands you sorta like where this would be a problem.

[merryprankster]

But if it was a band you really liked, you'd probably want all of the songs anyway, and not mind paying a few more cents per track overall.

It's the bands you sorta like where this would be a problem.

Fair point. But almost all (except the Dead pack) DLC I have I get on a whim during a rock band party, when someone is like "oooh, i wish we could play this song" so i just get it.

[Rock8man]

They say there will be some song specific achievements in the game. It could be interesting if done right. Or it could be similar to Guitar Hero 3's achievements concerning the Iron Maiden song, which was freakin' impossible and not fun at all to even try.

[MattKeil]

Well, ultimately they are the ones who made the thing. if AC/DC showed up on iTunes but the tracks were all $2 instead of $0.99 because AC/DC demanded it, I'd still blame Apple for the pricing because they could have told AC/DC to take a hike.

In both cases one could make the argument that it is better to have AC/DC at higher cost than not at all and the user is free to decide how much they want to pay for content from their favorite bands, and there is truth to that. But in both this case and the hypothetical iTunes case I would fear the end results would be a bit of an upwards pricing war as other bands demand the same or even better treatment because AC/DC got a sweet deal.

I'm not saying you're wrong, because the scenario you posit is certainly plausible. However, it's probably worth pointing out that AC/DC's new album is also exclusive to Wal*Mart.

[Adree]

They say there will be some song specific achievements in the game. It could be interesting if done right. Or it could be similar to Guitar Hero 3's achievements concerning the Iron Maiden song, which was freakin' impossible and not fun at all to even try.

I'm still kind of confused why they do the single song challenges and only do boring stuff like "longest streak" with them. C'mon be creative, make the music play backwards or something.

[Supertanker]

I bought this disc today, since after a few rounds of Rock Band the other day, my eight-year-old daughter pronounced , "I'm not sure why, but I really like heavy metal rock."

We haven't played it yet though, because the way they limit the transfer of the songs to Rock Band is to give you a download code for it. No disc ripping for you! It is a 722.98MB download, this is taking forever. Hopefully I'm doing this wrong, but I couldn't find any other way.

[wumpus]

my eight-year-old daughter pronounced , "I'm not sure why, but I really like heavy metal rock."
This is why fake plastic rock is so awesome. It is, and I mean this quite literally, this generation's MTV.

Yep, it's a download. I agree, silly, since they could just rip it off the disc.

[Rock8man]

I was one of the people waiting for Walmart's exclusivity to run out so that I could get AC/DC as DLC. But when I saw the latest package at Walmart, which features the package, plus the "No Bull" DVD of an AC/DC concert, plus an AC/DC T-shirt, all for the same price ($40), I couldn't resist anymore.

Just a bit of background: I'm not all that familiar with AC/DC except through pop culture osmosis and listening to Classic Rock radio stations (though, as it turns out, I was familiar with more songs than I thought I was).

I was completely blown away. I just played through all 18 tracks solo on Hard Guitar, and this has been, hands down, the most enjoyable music game experience I've ever experienced, going all the way back to the original Guitar Hero. I kept choosing one song after another, being more and more impressed with the crisp surround sound, the clear guitar riffs, the catchy drums, and the raspy, gravely voice of the vocalist (which I used to dislike so much on the radio) faded into the background as I got as involved with the music as the crowd. Awesome. Just awesome. I'm completely blown away right now.

One of the things they did so well is to put the songs in a great order. Just after you're really tired of a long epic number where the band is revving up the crowd, they mix it up with a different type of tune. For example, after the long "Jailbreak", there was "The Jack". After "High Voltage" there was "Whole Lotta Rosie". Right now I feel like I've come from a really high energy concert.

One song that I thought I'd already played in Rock Band 2 was "Let there be Rock". But this Live version of the song is not all like the version in the main game. It's just crackling with energy and enthusiasm, and it's absolutely electric. You haven't truly experienced Let there be Rock until you've played the live version. There is one part near the end of the song where I thought they were repeating the same chord one too many times, but other than that, it was a sublime experience, not just for this song, but the whole concert, all the way through.

I know $40 seems like a lot to pay for 18 songs, but these 18 songs are fucking worth it.

[Greedo]

You know, Rock8, I've been on the fence about picking this up for the past couple of weeks or so. I just didn't know when I'd find the time to play it.

But after reading your post, I think I'm going to go straight to WallyWorld after work tomorrow and snag a copy.

[Alex Handy]

My wife is a huge AC/DC fan, but she's boycotting this because it's only sold at Wal-Mart. Which she boycotts in general.

It's really a shame. I was looking forward to this one.

[wumpus]

it's only sold at Wal-Mart
I saw in another thread that someone got it somewhere else -- Blockbuster, I think?

[Midnight Son]

My wife is a huge AC/DC fan, but she's boycotting this because it's only sold at Wal-Mart. Which she boycotts in general.


MAN UP! It's totally worth it.

[theborbes]

Just in case there are some fellow Canadians who are in the dark... the Wal-mart exclusivity deal seems to be in America only. I grabbed my copy at blockbuster, and futureshops and bestbuys have them too. So if you hate Wal-mart that's no excuse.

[salwon]

This is why fake plastic rock is so awesome. It is, and I mean this quite literally, this generation's MTV.

Yep, it's a download. I agree, silly, since they could just rip it off the disc.


I got the Track Pack 2 for $0.99 at Gamestop and was surprised by this too - my internet connection blows, it's going to take two days to download the tracks (I'm not risking leaving my newly repaired XBox on all night just for some songs). Does ripping the RB1 tracks work the same way, or do those actually come off the disc?

[Prodigy]

Off the disc.

[forgeforsaken]

So does this come with a one time code? Basically should one avoid used copies if they want to export the songs?

[Wholly Schmidt]

So does this come with a one time code? Basically should one avoid used copies if they want to export the songs?
Correct. One code.

[Shadarr]

My wife is a huge AC/DC fan, but she's boycotting this because it's only sold at Wal-Mart. Which she boycotts in general.

It's really a shame. I was looking forward to this one.
If I was in the US, I would be really torn. Do you know when the exclusivity ends?

[Rock8man]

I initially played this game using the AC/DC track pack disc. One advantage of doing that is that it has the traditional Guitar Hero/Rock Band solo tour option of keeping track of your stars separately for each difficulty. However, this turned out to be fairly irrelevant because I scored 5 stars on every song except for one my first time through. So the next day I went back and got 5 stars on that song on my next attempt. The Hard difficulty chart really felt great, but it is on the easier side for all the songs in the track pack.

However, when I switched to Expert difficulty, the very first song, Thunderstruck, starts with a riff that I can't get through. Ouch. So the track pack's separation of difficulties is irrelevant suddenly.

Luckily, when I imported the tracks into Rock Band 2, I noticed right away that they have a Challenge which has all the songs in the correct order, the same order they are presented in the track pack disc. And since it's a Challenge, that means I can play Thunderstruck on Hard, and then quit and go back into the challenge on expert and try to play until I run into a really hard song and can then drop back down to Hard.

So all in all, the Rock Band 2 way is the better way to play through the list.

[Reldan]

However, when I switched to Expert difficulty, the very first song, Thunderstruck, starts with a riff that I can't get through. Ouch. So the track pack's separation of difficulties is irrelevant suddenly.

Luckily, when I imported the tracks into Rock Band 2, I noticed right away that they have a Challenge which has all the songs in the correct order, the same order they are presented in the track pack disc. And since it's a Challenge, that means I can play Thunderstruck on Hard, and then quit and go back into the challenge on expert and try to play until I run into a really hard song and can then drop back down to Hard.

So all in all, the Rock Band 2 way is the better way to play through the list.

During the intro rift to Thunderstruck on Expert you should never let go of Green. Hold on to that button the entire time, pretend those green notes aren't even then, and just strum and play the rest of the notes. You should wind up hitting most of the green notes as Pull-Offs this way.

[Coca Cola Zero]

I got the Track Pack 2 for $0.99 at Gamestop and was surprised by this too - my internet connection blows, it's going to take two days to download the tracks (I'm not risking leaving my newly repaired XBox on all night just for some songs). Does ripping the RB1 tracks work the same way, or do those actually come off the disc?


Assuming it is configured correctly, the XBox 360 can download while it is "off". Obviously it really isn't "off" when it is downloading from Live in this mode, but it is in an extremely low power mode with the GPU shut off, so it doesn't risk the 360's health in any way that you'd need to worry about.

[Rock8man]

During the intro rift to Thunderstruck on Expert you should never let go of Green. Hold on to that button the entire time, pretend those green notes aren't even then, and just strum and play the rest of the notes. You should wind up hitting most of the green notes as Pull-Offs this way.

Thanks Reldan. I'll give that a try. For whatever reason, I'm always forgetting about Pull-Offs. Whenever I see those smaller notes, all I think about are Hammer-Ons.

[Rock8man]

Walmart has done a permanent price reduction on this (they call them 'rollbacks'), and it is now $30 instead of $40.

[Ryan Markel]

Walmart has done a permanent price reduction on this (they call them 'rollbacks'), and it is now $30 instead of $40.

Are you sure it's permanent? I asked today when I bought it and was told that it was only for a short time.

In either case, MAN this thing is difficult. I still can't pass Thunderstruck on Expert. The HOPOs aren't a problem, but for some reason I can't wrap my brain around the strumming pattern in the next section.

[Fuzzydevil]

From a brief vid on Youtube, that opening segment of Thunderstruck looks an awful lot like Through the Fire and Flames from GH3. Should be entertaining when it's finally out in Europe, though (last Friday before Christmas, I think.)

[Marcus]

I know this information is pretty much worthless for 99% of this board but an AC/DC / Rockband store just opened at the Hollywood and Highland mall in Hollywood. I've not had a chance to head up there and see what they have but I'm going to assume they might just have this track pack there.

I'm going to try and check it out in the next week or so to see what an entire store like that could have.

[Not One Of Us]

An AC/DC / Rockband store?

We need pictures.

[Marcus]

An AC/DC / Rockband store?

We need pictures.


Ok here.

http://www.acdcrocks.com/xx/news/update_acdc_rock_band_stores/
A little more information...

Wal-Mart and Columbia Records have partnered with MTV to create an "AC/DC Rock Band Store" in New York's Times Square and in Los Angeles to give fans in the these cities fast access to the band's newest items. These pop-up stores will open 12:01 midnight October 20 to begin selling the album, AC/DC apparel, the Rock Band video game, and Rock Band-branded apparel and accessories.

So it is pretty safe to assume they have the track pack there as well.

[wumpus]

I think these sort of antics are necessary because Walmart (shockingly) has crap retail coverage in some areas of the country, notably California.

[Marcus]

I agree 100% with that. There is a Walmart semi close to me but it is a very disgusting place that I refuse to enter. I am very curious to see if they have anything cool in there. I'd love it if they had the ION set in there to try out.

[Ryan Markel]

From a brief vid on Youtube, that opening segment of Thunderstruck looks an awful lot like Through the Fire and Flames from GH3. Should be entertaining when it's finally out in Europe, though (last Friday before Christmas, I think.)

The opening section isn't that bad. Either that or I've become a lot better recently.

I'm working on clearing the solo tour on Hard and then going to clean up the Expert achievements before I shelve the game and just play the tracks in RB2, which is what I'd rather do anyway. At $40, I think this is a decent buy, but at $30, now we're in standard DLC pricing range, and I say you shouldn't pass this up.

[Rock8man]

So Ryan, I noticed you got the Oi Oi Oi achievement, for getting 100% on bass, upstrums only, on expert. Before you forget, do you know which song you scored that on? I already moved on to playing these songs in RB2, but since I have all the songs unlocked in Quickplay, it'll be easy to pop in the disk for some achievements.

I also need to figure out which song has an easy solo that I could do 100% on in expert.

[Ryan Markel]

So Ryan, I noticed you got the Oi Oi Oi achievement, for getting 100% on bass, upstrums only, on expert. Before you forget, do you know which song you scored that on? I already moved on to playing these songs in RB2, but since I have all the songs unlocked in Quickplay, it'll be easy to pop in the disk for some achievements.

I also need to figure out which song has an easy solo that I could do 100% on in expert.

Yup. T.N.T. It's alarmingly simple on bass, and you'll also snag the five-star achievement if you don't have it already.

I've heard tell that "You Shook Me All Night Long" is a candidate for the guitar solo achievement. I haven't even come close to thinking how I'm going to get the drum one yet - it scares me. I'm also thinking that without the RB2 talkie detection, the vocal one won't be a walk in the park, either.