Guitar Hero II DLC #2 Rumored

As posted by HarmonixFans, the second batch of Guitar Hero II songs is close to being released. This is still just a rumor at this point, but according to HarmonixFans, the one who reported this originally stated this information was “courtesy of documents from Microsoft that are passed around for certification.”

Pricing is unknown, as is the distribution and availability, although the information does have these listed in packs.

Content Pack 1:
“Cowboys From Hell” – Pantera
“I Love Rock & Roll” – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
“Cochise” – Audioslave

Content Pack 2:
“Godzilla” – Blue Oyster Cult
“I Wanna Be Sedated” – The Ramones
“Sharp Dressed Man” – ZZ Top

Content Pack 3:
“Iron Man” – Black Sabbath
“Take Me Out” – Franz Ferdinand
“Smoke on the Water” – Deep Purple

Hopefully RedOctane will make the pricing more feasible. To me these songs are much more desirable, and I’d be willing to purchase packs 2 and 3, as I would play all of songs in these two packs as opposed to the first set of DLC, where I’d play one song out of each Pack.

Guitar Hero II DLC has community in uproar

As originally posted by Major Nelson and others, downloadable content for Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 has been released. The public outcry has been unprecedented, with reactions ranging from full out hatred of Microsoft/Red Octane for price gouging to disappointment in the purchasing model of having to buy songs in packs of three instead of individual song purchases. Reaction from Microsoft and Red Octane has been minimal, with Major Nelson justifying the price by saying “Licensing songs gets pretty expensive, and complicated when you involve other countries. Anyone who knows a little bit about the music industry and publishing can tell you that it’s not a walk in the park to secure content and the proper distribution licenses for songs.”

I for one have no problem paying for downloaded content, but what I do not see as fair to the consumer is to be forced to buy content that I have no intention of using, nor is necessary for the continuation of the game. Paying $2 for a song doesn’t bother me, but having having to pay $6.50 because two other songs that have no intention of playing are included doesn’t seem fair to me, and apparently I’m not alone.

Microsoft/Red Octane… please reconsider your pricing model.

Countdown to GHII for Xbox360

After much speculation and flat out waiting, we’re down to under a week before Guitar Hero comes to the 360. I ordered mine directly from RedOctane (as they were the only place where they were selling a two-guitar bundle, not to mention free two guitar gig bag and free shipping). I don’t know who’s more excited about it, my wife or I. The preorder is still available for $149.98 (although there’s no guarantees on the gig bag, as they are first come-first serve) and can be found here