Rock Band 2 comes with over 80 songs (or sets / tracks) preloaded. Additional songs can be purchased and will be available in the Rock Band 2 downloads area within Xbox Live Marketplace. The list below represents songs that are on the disc. The second, smaller list represents songs that are on the disc but must be unlocked in some fashion.

Rock Band 2 Main Set (Song) List

“Ace of Spades” — Motörhead
“Alabama Getaway” — The Grateful Dead
“Alex Chilton” — The Replacements
“Alive” — Pearl Jam
“Almost Easy” — Avenged Sevenfold
“American Woman” — The Guess Who
“Any Way You Want It” — Journey
“Aqualung” — Jethro Tull
“Bad Reputation” — Joan Jett
“Battery” — Metallica
“Bodhisattva” — Steely Dan
“Carry On Wayward Son” — Kansas
“Chop Suey” — System of a Down
“Colony of Birchmen” — Mastodon
“Come Out & Play (Keep ‘Em Separated)” — The Offspring
“Cool For Cats” — Squeeze
“De-Luxe” — Lush
“Down With the Sickness” — Disturbed
“Drain You” — Nirvana
“E-Pro” — Beck
“Everlong” — Foo Fighters
“Eye of the Tiger” — Survivor
“Feel The Pain” — Dinosaur Jr.
“Float On” — Modest Mouse
“Girl’s Not Grey” — AFI
“Give It All” — Rise Against
“Give It Away” — Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Go Your Own Way” — Fleetwood Mac
“Hello There” — Cheap Trick
“Hungry Like The Wolf” — Duran Duran
“I Was Wrong” — Social Distortion
“Kids in America” — The Muffs
“Lazy Eye” — Silversun Pickups
“Let There Be Rock” — AC/DC
“Livin’ on a Prayer” — Bon Jovi
“Lump” — President’s of the USA
“Man in the Box” — Alice in Chains
“Master Exploder” — Tenacious D
“Mountain Song” — Jane’s Addiction
“My Own Worst Enemy” — Lit
“New Kid in School” — The Donnas
“Nine in the Afternoon” — Panic! At The Disco
“One Step Closer” — Linkin Park
“One Way or Another” — Blondie
“Our Truth” — Lacuna Coil
“Painkiller” — Judas Priest
“Panic Attack” — Dream Theater
“PDA” — Interpol
“Peace Sells” — Megadeth
“Pinball Wizard” — The Who
“Pretend We’re Dead” — L7
“Psycho Killer” — Talking Heads
“Pump It Up” — Elvis Costello
“Ramblin’ Man” — Allman Brothers
“Rebel Girl” — Bikini Kill
“Rock ‘N Me” — Steve Miller Band
“Round & Round” — Ratt
“Shackler’s Revenge” — Guns N’ Roses
“Shooting Star” — Bad Company
“So Whatcha Want” — Beastie Boys
“Souls of Black” — Testament
“Spirit in the Sky” — Norman Greenbaum
“Spoonman” — Soundgarden
“Tangled Up in Blue” — Bob Dylan
“Teen Age Riot” — Sonic Youth
“Testify” — Rage Against The Machine
“That’s What You Get” — Paramore
“The Middle” — Jimmy Eat World
“The Trees” — Rush
“Today” — Smashing Pumpkins
“Uncontrollable Urge” — Devo
“We Got The Beat” — The Go Go’s
“Where’d You Go” — Mighty Mighty Bosstones
“White Wedding Pt. I” — Billy Idol
“You Oughta Know” — Alanis Morisette

Rock Band 2 Bonus Songs (Sets)

“A Jagged Gorgeous Winter” — The Main Drag
“Conventional Lover” — Speck
“Get Clean” — Anarchy Club
“Neighborhood” — The Libyans
“Night Lies” — Bang Camaro
“Rob the Prez-O-Dent” — That Handsome Devil
“Shoulder to the Plow” — Breaking Wheel
“Supreme Girl” — The Sterns
“Visions” — Abnormality

Rock Band 2 Downloadable Songs
In addition to the songs listed above, you will also be able to download sonds via the Xbox Live Marketplace.

 You may be periodically contacted my Microsoft to participate in a test. When Microsoft contacts you, you are asked a series of question to see if you qualify for the upcoming study or test. Based on your answers you may or may not be selected for the particular test.

I have personally participated in a couple of these, and they are a lot of fun. Microsoft rewards your time and effort by giving you gratuity gifts. Their gratuity gifts can range from famous software titles like XP Pro, Vista, Office 2007, or a number of Xbox 360 games. You are allowed $600 dollars a year in gifts from these events before you need to report them to the IRS; although I have never went over the $600 mark so I am a little unsure of exactly how this process takes place.

Generally these test group sessions range from two hours to two days. The last Playtest that I participated in was testing a new version of Hexix HQ and the test lasted two hours. These test panels normally consist of about 15 to 20 selected people, you meet at a Microsoft test center (they are nation wide), sign in and are swept off to a room with the other testers. A Microsoft representative explains what you will be testing and explains any and all directions they have.  At this point it is your job to play the game and follow the rules laid out by the rep. At the end of the  game testing you either are asked a series of questions or you need to answer questions on paper about the game or.

At this point the testing session is over. The MS rep with the help of a couple of other guys from Microsoft read off a gratuity list and you pick the title that you want, perhaps two depending on the length of the test. The reps fetch your gifts and hand them to you. At this point you are done and they escort you out of the building. After the test has been completed you’re done, and rarely ever hear anything more about the title unless it is released at some point. Here is where you can sign up if you are interested.

http://www.microsoft.com/playtest/default.mspx

The band is composed of a bassist, a drummer, three guitarists, and anywhere from ten to fifteen vocalists comprising a full choir of lead singers. The band’s music is somewhat similar in style to ’80s metal and glam rock. The basic song structure employed by the band does away with traditional verses in order to highlight catchy choruses and integrate as many guitar solos as possible.

The result has been described by the band as, “taking everything we loved about the genre, and throwing everything out that we hated.” The band cites Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly as influences in addition to hard rock bands like Iron Maiden and Dokken. “I would call us anthem rock,” said Alex Necochea. “We’re really not heavy metal. I think our focus is more on writing great singles, as best as we can make them. That’s just something Bryn and I grew up on. We’re big fans of melody and big driving hooks, that sort of thing.

Explicit content warning: As with all of XBS podcasts, they carry an explicit label for a reason, use parental discretion, not recommended for a younger audience.

OK now that you know who Bang Camaro is, let me tell you a little bit about www.xboxsolution.com , Jason Rybka started the site back in 2002. Jason was and still is to this day heavily into gaming. He got the idea to create the site because at the time their were plenty of sites that catered to the gaming community, but they were full of pop-ups and so-forth. 

At that time Jason had just got the original X-Box and decided to create a gaming community of his own. Here it is 6 years later and the XBS site is still growing. At XBS you will be able find well written content and easy to follow cheats for the X-Box, X-Box 360, and Podcasts. Well I don’t want to spoil all the fun for you, so after you listen to the Podcast take a look around.

The Members of XBS:

• Jason Rybka
• Rich Reed
• Jim Kennedy

The Members of Bang Camaro:

• Alex Necochea
• Bryn Bennet
• Rich Hoss
• Rodrigo Van Stoli

Here is the direct link for the XBS Bang Camaro interview Podcast.

The 40 percent rate increase is quite unbelievable, but this rate hike was inevitable being that Blockbuster lost $37.8 million in the third quarter of 2007. Blockbuster’s CEO James Keyes has blamed the loss on Total Access to what he likes to call “freeloaders” those that swap out as many DVD’S as they possibly could at their local Blockbuster. Blockbuster has already raised the monthly Total Access fees by $7 to recoup some of their loss’s.

Blockbuster’s Total Access will jump from $24.99 to $34.99 a month. Blockbuster’s two DVD unlimited plan will jump from $21.99 to $29.99 a month. Blockbuster has sent out an e-mail to their subscribers that state that these rate hikes will take effect on or after December 27th, depending on their billing cycle.

With this rate hike, I am quite sure that many of us will be canceling our subscriptions.

Gamecom X30

The Plantronics GameCom X30 for the XBOX 360 and XBOX has a sleek design to set you apart from the hum drum average headset. This is a single in ear headset that incorporates style, comfort, light weight, and crystal clear audio, which is great for those long gruesome hours of butt kicking trash talking and smashing of your opponents on XBOX Live. Plantronics has also accented the headset with the XBOX green for your viewing pleasure.

I have personally tested this headset on XBOX Live with some of the folks over at Xbox Solution and if it were not for the occasional taunting coming through the ear piece, I would not have known that I was even wearing it. I decided to ask my opponent how I sounded, his reply was that I sounded OK. Up to this point I was impressed, so I started looking for something bad about this headset. I decided to test the noise canceling feature. I turned my stereo up quite a bit and continued to talk for a bit. I then asked if he could hear my stereo, and his reply was he could slightly hear it when we were not talking. All throughout the conversation I heard no crackling or hissing whatsoever.

MSRP: $39.95

Product features per manufacturer, not word for word:

Hot New Design! Industrial-strength hipness
Noise canceling microphone
Extended flexible boom
In-line volume and mute
Supple ear melding design

Pros:

• Superb sound quality
• Very comfortable
• Cool Design

Cons:

• A bit pricey for an Xbox Live gaming headset.

Gamecom X20

Next up was the task of checking into the Gamecom X20 headset, the one that I prefer out of the three. The main reason I like the X20 a bit better is because it suits my style a bit more, its a simple, sleek design that resembles a cross between a bluetooth headset and the standard fare in Xbox Live headsets. The boom can be adjusted slightly, so it can be pointed a bit more towards your mouth than you might expect from the image.

So I swapped headsets while I was in my PGR 4 race lobby and began to fire up a conversation. I was very impressed with the sound quality and the noise canceling feature. I performed the same tests as I did with the X30 - neither my opponents nor I could really tell the difference between the two mics, leaving me wonder why the X30 costs more. Although I must admit, the X30 does feel a bit more solid than the X20 does.

MSRP: $24.95

Product features per manufacturer, not word for word:

Ultra light, discreet design
Noise canceling mic, single earbud, flexible boom
Inline volume and mute controls

Pros:

• Sound quality is good
• Slick, minimalistic style
• Boom is flexible for aiming (so to speak)
• Inline volume and mute controls

Cons:

• I bit of a tight fit in the ear, could lead to discomfort over several hours of gaming, although it was fine for me

Gamecom X10

Lastly, I tested the Plantronics GameCom X10 headset. The headset was very comfortable, yet it resembled the XBOX 360 stock headset too much for me, aside from the black color.

I conducted the same series of tests on the Plantronics GameCom X10 as I did with the Plantronics GameCom X20 and X30. To tell you the truth, I walked away with almost the exact same results from all three headsets in regards to sound quality. The X30 may have a slight edge based on feedback from fellow players, but probably due to easier positioning of the microphone.

Initially I was not too impressed with the X10 headset because of the style and bulkiness. The GameCom X10 is an over the head style and has the XBOX green accents. This headset also has a noise canceling microphone and an in-line volume and mute. The X10 features an extendable boom.

MSRP: $24.95

Product features per manufacturer, not word for word:

Over the head design
Single ear design with plush cushioning
Extended boom
In-line volume and mute
Noise canceling microphone

Pros:

• Superb sound quality
• Very comfortable
• Noise canceling microphone

Cons:

• Too bulky for me
• Lacks style 

Xbox Live Headset Conclusion

In conclusion, all three headsets have great sound quality and are very comfortable. The X10 is really similar to an original Xbox headset, with the over the head design and cushion earpiece. The X20 and X30 are both in ear headsets, and both feel very comfortable. The sound quality on all three headsets is excellent, so it really boils down to preference and price. If people are always asking you to speak up then grab the X30 so you can position the mic easily, unless you don’t like an in the ear style (then speak up or see if the X10 gives you better results!). I would recommend all three of these headsets, just choose a style that suits you. You can get more information from the Plantronics website.

ESPN will be offering full-length NCAA football, basketball games, Summer X Games 13, and episodes of such ESPN shows as World Series of Poker, The Contender and Madden Nation. These are just a few of the selections available through your Xbox Live Marketplace, and all thanks to ESPN.

ESPN has been on Xbox Live’s main rival in video downloads, Apple’s iTunes, since January 2006

“This is only the second deal ESPN has done regarding electronic sell-through, and we think it’s a fantastic match for our platform and our consumer base, many of whom are avid sports fans,” said Ross Honey, senior director of the media and entertainment group at Microsoft.

The pricing for the ESPN content will range from $2 for standard-definition episodes of “Contender” and “Poker” to $2.40 for HD versions. Two-hour football and basketball games will be available within days of their original airing and be priced at $3 for standard definition and $4.50 for HD.

The games that were featured at the even are as follows.

• Army of Two
• Battlefield: Bad Company
• Burnout Paradise
• Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath
• Mercenaries 2
• Rail Sim

Let’s take a closer look at these seven titles and I’ll give you my impressions (at About.com’s Video Game Strategies web site) of them.

Rich, Jason and I recently had a chance to interview Drowning Pool’s lead singer Ryan McCombs. We talked about the long road since the death of Dave Williams, the band’s involvement with supporting our troops overseas, video games he and the crew play, the band’s music in gaming/TV, and their teaming up with the IAVA (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) to bring the Lane Evans Veterans Health and Benefits Improvement Act of 2007 to congress.

Here are a couple links to get you going:

• XBS Podcast Post
• Direct Link to .mp3 file

Now, with the announcement of the DGL-4500, an N technology Gaming Router, we’ll have to see if D-Link is still on track with their promise to make gaming as lag free as possible. One thing that does indeed give me hope is how they have supported the previous 4300 via firmware updates, making some fairly major enhancements to the device post-purchase.

I saw the DGL-4500 at ShowStoppers in New York a few weeks back, the device is certainly as sleek as ever with the newly incorporated OLED display, and with N technology it is expected to extend the effective range of your current A / B / G network by about 3 - 5x. Not bad.

At any rate, you can expect so see a full review on the new router as soon as I get my hands on it. The full press release can be viewed on D-Link’s site here.