Today Harmonix/MTV Games announced their Halloween-themed DLC pack. And by Halloween-themed, I really mean in a very-very-loosely-connected-by-means-of-slightly-spooky-artist-names kind of way.

Up for offer are three tracks from Rob ZOMBIE (omg! Zombies!), five from WOLFmother (WOLVES! aaaargh!) and . . . um, tracks from the decidedly less amusingly-titled artists Liz Phair and Morningwood. All will be available over the next week in time for your Halloween rock-outs.

Hit the jump for the details.

Available on Xbox 360 and Wii (Oct. 27) and PlayStation 3 system (Oct. 29):

• Rob Zombie – “Burn”
• Rob Zombie – “Dragula”
• Rob Zombie – “Superbeast”
• Wolfmother – “New Moon Rising”
• Wolfmother – “Pilgrim”
• Wolfmother – “Sundial”
• Wolfmother – “White Unicorn”
• Wolfmother – “Woman”
• Liz Phair – “Rock Me”
• Morningwood – “Best of Me” *
• Morningwood – “Sugarbaby” *

Tracks from Sonic Youth and Steely Dan will also be available to download for PSP’s Rock Band Unplugged next week.

The DreamWorks Story: “A band of lovable yet grotesque Sporelings find themselves ostracized from Spore Village. But when an outside force threatens the town, only this hilariously ragtag band of uglified outcasts can save the day with pop culture refs and a full celebrity voice cast! Robin Williams already tapped to portray the town’s spastically spiritual guru, Ol’ Man Spore.”

The Pixar Story: “The Sporelings all live in their happy closed community, just a stone’s throw from our own. But when an outside force threatens the town, only an unexpectedly competent band of once-great leaders can save the day with dramatic use of color and important life lessons! Bob Newhart already tapped to portray the town’s clumsily deadpan spiritual guru, Ol’ Man Spore.”

So yeah, Spore is going to be a movie. A great movie.

How theatregoers will be able to make their own penis-shaped critters is anyone’s guess.

Source: Variety

Good news for those of you with a thing for necromorphs.

Despite still reeling from the unexpected departure of Executive Producer Glen Schofield last week, the show at Visceral Games/EA goes on. Today they announced that survival horror hit Dead Space is on course to grace the silver screen.

The news also confirms that the future of the Dead Space franchise is rosy, with hints of “second and third installments”. It’s unclear at this time if this is confirmation of a trilogy or merely reference to the Dead Space: Extraction and upcoming Dead Space 2.

One of five projects currently in talks, Dead Space the movie is expected to follow on from straight-to-DVD anime prequel, Downfall. As with the game plot, engineer Isaac Clarke and crew respond to a distress signal from the mining ship USG Ishimura, upon which they find the reanimated corpses of their friends and colleagues, mutated by an alien virus. D.J. Caruso (Eagle Eye, Disturbia) is already attached to the film as director, with EA producing alongside Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey. There is no release date at this time.

Other titles in discussion include the Dante’s Inferno film that will be produced by Strike Entertainment partners Eric Newman and Marc Abraham, and EA is in business with Scott Z. Burns (The Bourne Ultimatum) to script and Scott Stuber to produce Army of Two. EA’s The Sims is being developed by producers John Davis and Avi Arad (Mass Effect, Spiderman). Temple Hill’s Bowen and Godfrey are producing Gears of War, a live-action adaptation of the Microsoft and Epic Games’ video game for New Line, with Len Wiseman attached to direct and Chris Morgan for scripting.

Here’s hoping EA manage to succeed where other console-to-movie transitions have failed.

Source: uk.gamespot.com

Also, we talk about the numerous items that were on the site in regards to E3 and we get a helpful email from reader/listener Kyle, in regards to how to get certain trophies/achievements in Rock Band 2.  We had one question this week that delved into the motion camera systems coming from both Sony and Microsoft, and if we had a preference over either one.  The resulting answers will shock you.

In the news, we look at the nuts over at 1up that feel that Project Natal is actually a new, upgraded Xbox 360 console, turning the device into a low cost gaming PC, Dungeons and Dragons going free at last and why is Max Payne looking so much like Obadiah Stane in Iron Man?  And yes, I thought about going with nude Zoey pics for the article, but that would make it too easy for you perverts.

As always, the podcast is mixed by our very own wizard of Auto-Tune, Stephen Munn and we are always backed up by the sounds of Revolution Void.

Download the podcast from here or subscribe to the podcast using one of the services below: Also make sure to review us on iTunes.

Enjoy this UK trailer for Boom Blox Bash Party, already out for Wii. Sure, Spielberg was all chummy with Microsoft at this year’s E3, but he still has this Wii project on the burner.

What I wanted to point out is that Bash Party is tackling the number one complaint leveled against the first game, that is was kinda maybe not worth the $50 price tag at launch. Bash Party retails for $40 and thus far it has not been difficult at all to find the game for $30. Target had the game for $30 for a week, and Toys R Us was offering a free $10 gift card with purchase (that TRU deal may actually still be going on; check your local listings).

Now, this doesn’t make up for Target suddenly upping the Punch-Out+Nunchuk bundle from $55 to $65, but it’s good to see EA aggressively taking steps to get Bash Party on the buyers’ radar. The Wii is at the point where we should see a lot more solid titles debut at the $40 level, just as the PS2 did in its heyday.

SQUUEEEEEEAAAALLLLLL!

At this morning’s 360 conference, Sir Paul McCartney and Miss Ringo Starr showed up to introduce the first public footage and details on what will surely be the music game to end all music games, The Beatles: Rock Band.

The huge press release (and some pics) is after the jump, but here’s the main points. 45 songs on-disk (isn’t that sort of low?). The first ten songs are “I Saw Her Standing There,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “I Feel Fine,” “Taxman,” “Day Tripper,” Back In The USSR,” “I Am The Walrus,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “Here Comes The Sun,” and “Get Back.” Abbey Road in its entirety will be available as DLC, with other full albums coming later. The song “All You Need Is Love” will be a DLC “360 exclusive” (and you know why I’m putting that in quotes) with all proceeds going to charity. The game will cover the Beatles’ heyday from 1963 Liverpool to the final concert on the rooftop in 1969.

The game will be compatible with all Rock Band controllers, “as well as most Guitar Hero and other third party music video game peripherals and microphone,” says the press release. And of course, you all know about the snazzy Beatles-themed controller sets… for teh hardcore only, I’m sure.

Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison Come Together for World Premiere of The BeatlesTM: Rock BandTM
Unique Experiential Journey Through The Beatles’ Career to Feature Introduction of Three-Part Vocal Harmonies, 45 Songs On-Disc and Reveal of First Downloadable Album, Abbey Road

“All You Need Is Love” To Be Released Exclusively as Downloadable Song Through Xbox LIVE on 9/9/09 with Charity Proceeds to Benefit Doctors Without Borders

Guildford, UK – 1st June, 2009 – Original band members Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, came together today to kick off the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit with the world premiere of The Beatles: Rock Band. The first-of-its-kind music-based video game offers a revolutionary tour of The Beatles’ music, career, and legacy. Presented by Apple Corps, Ltd., and MTV Games’ Harmonix Music Systems, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), The Beatles: Rock Band will be released worldwide on 9/9/09, as will the release of the entire, original, digitally re-mastered Beatles CD catalogue.

Unveiled at Microsoft’s E3 press conference, the game represents the first time fans will be able to experience The Beatles’ musical career for themselves. From the early touring days in 1963 Liverpool to the immortal, final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop, fans can follow in the band’s footsteps as they traverse the globe during the height of Beatlemania. Adding to the experience is the introduction of three-part vocal harmonies to game play, allowing gamers to revel in the unparalleled vocal stylings of the Fab Four. Beatles fans will also be thrilled to hear previously unreleased authentic voice recordings from John, Paul, George and Ringo chatting between takes during studio sessions recorded at Abbey Road more than four decades ago.

Of The Beatles’ epic catalogue, 45 songs will be available on-disc. Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project and Music Supervisor / Creative Producer for The Beatles: Rock Band, unveiled the first ten songs that will be available on the game-disc: “I Saw Her Standing There,” “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” “I Feel Fine,” “Taxman,” “Day Tripper,” Back In The USSR,” “I Am The Walrus,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “Here Comes The Sun,” and “Get Back.” Additional songs will be announced at a later date. Along with these 45 songs, the entire Abbey Road album will be available for future download purchase, as will additional music from The Beatles’ catalogue.

It was also announced today that “All You Need Is Love,” will be released exclusively on Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft as a downloadable song for The Beatles: Rock Band through Xbox LIVE on September 9, 2009 with all Apple Corps Ltd, MTV Games and Microsoft proceeds benefitting Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with Yoko Ono Lennon and Olivia Harrison, personally selected the international emergency medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971 as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the sales of “All You Need Is Love” for The Beatles: Rock Band. Doctors Without Borders provides aid in more than 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. The organization is committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation.

The Beatles: Rock Band story mode will take fans on an interactive, experiential journey through The Beatles career. Along the way, venues, set lists, clothing and instruments will replicate the band’s rise to fame, represented in The Beatles’ touring period from 1963 to1966 and their studio days from 1966 to 1969.

The game begins during the band’s earliest days at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England. Gamers will then travel across the Atlantic to experience the band’s unforgettable 1964 performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the sold-out concert at New York’s Shea Stadium in 1965, and conclude at The Beatles’ memorable concert at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in 1966. The Beatles’ studio years will come to life in legendary Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios. Highlighting the studio years are inspired artistic visual expressions known as Dreamscapes, intended to transport players to imaginative environments that capture the essence of The Beatles’ genre-busting musical and fashion transformations during their later years. The game follows The Beatles to 1969 where story mode culminates with their final performance on the rooftop of the Apple Corps Headquarters. The Beatles: Rock Band will be displayed during the 2009 E3 Media & Business Summit in the MTV Games booth in the South Hall # 2023.

As previously announced, The Beatles: Rock Band will offer a new set of hardware replicas representing the instruments made famous by John, Paul, George and Ringo. Featured in the set are the Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet guitars—hailed as two of the celebrated, signature instruments played by John Lennon and George Harrison throughout their careers. Also included is a Höfner bass controller—a large-scale replica of the bass famously used by Sir Paul McCartney. Rounding out the set is a Ringo Starr inspired, Ludwig-branded Rock Band 2 drum set with a classic pearl finish and vintage replica Beatles kick drum head.

The Beatles: Rock Band will be available simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories for the Xbox®360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system from Sony, and the Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo on September 9, 2009. The game will be compatible with all Rock Band™ instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero® and other third party music video game peripherals and microphone.

The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Harrisongs Ltd and Startling Music Ltd has agreed to present The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band will be published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) will serve as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.

One of the things that really stood out for Mirror’s Edge was the visual style that DICE put into the game.  Faith and her surrounding were filled with vivid splashes of color upon a stark white utilitarian expanse.  The guys and gals at Savage Land Pictures were so inspired by Mirror’s Edge, they put together a photoshoot using the game as a backdrop.  As you can see from the picture above and the one after the jump, they have done a fantastic job capturing what made Mirror’s Edge so visually stunning.  Check out the full gallery over at the Savage Land Pictures Flicker account. 

via joystiq.com

The boys and gals over at Bioware have released a new trailer to show off a few sneak peaks of Mass Effect 2, while discussing what will be shown behind closed doors at their E3 booth.  The story in Mass Effect 2 will be darker than the first time around, and confirming a factoid we heard about in the past, it looks like your saved games from Mass Effect will be important as characters that have been killed will not show up in Mass Effect 2.  Sorry Kaiden, but you will still be dead in my games!

After seeing this video, all I can say is that I am going to find a way to get with the Bioware guys so I can check out this awesome looking Mass Effect 2 presentation behind closed doors.   For more info on Mass Effect 2, head over to the official site.