| 2008 in downloadable songs for the Rock Band series | |
|---|---|
| Songs released | 341 |
| Packs released | 35 |
| Albums released | 9 |
The Rock Band series of music video games supports downloadable songs for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii versions through the consoles' respective online services. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks also offered as part of a "song pack" or complete album at a discounted rate. These packs are available for the Wii only on Rock Band 3. Most downloadable songs are playable within every game mode, including the Band World Tour career mode. All downloadable songs released before October 26, 2010 are cross-compatible between Rock Band, Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3, while those after only work with Rock Band 3.[1] Certain songs deemed "suitable for all ages" by Harmonix are also available for use in Lego Rock Band.[2]
The Wii version of Rock Band does not support downloadable content, but Rock Band 2 and Rock Band 3 do, with DLC first made available in January 2009.[3] Songs from the back catalogue of downloadable content were released for the Wii weekly in an effort by Harmonix to provide Wii players with every previously available song.[4]
Following the release of Rock Band 4 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, all previously purchased downloadable content for Rock Band 3 and earlier is forward compatible (with the exception of any downloadable content purchased for The Beatles: Rock Band) within the same system family at no additional cost.[5]
Over 300 songs were released for Rock Band in 2008, including 9 full albums. Screaming for Vengeance by Judas Priest was the first available Rock Band album, released on April 22. The self-titled debut album by The Cars and Doolittle by Pixies were released in the succeeding months. Though developer Harmonix had previously announced that the album Who's Next by The Who would be among the first downloadable albums for Rock Band, this never came to fruition. Instead, a 12-song compilation pack titled "The Best of the Who (Rock Band Edition)" was released on July 15.[6]
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (2010-06-10). "Rock Band 3 Makes A Killer First Impression". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 2012-10-11. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
- ^ "Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and MTV Games Announce LEGO Rock Band Full Track List". BusinessWire.com. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
- ^ "WII DLC Store Now Up!". Harmonix. 2009-01-13. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ "Rock Band Wii Owners Get Seven Tracks from Nirvana". Harmonix. February 17, 2009. Archived from the original on 21 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ "Will legacy Rock Band DLC will be available for re-download at launch?". Harmonix. October 6, 2015. Archived from the original on October 10, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ^ Cavalli, Earnest: "Who's Next Replaced by Compilation for Rock Band", Wired News, (1 July 2008). Archived January 2, 2009, at the Wayback Machine