Top 5 reasons Rock Band 2 should be on your Christmas list

As we head into the final 2 weeks before the holidays, I felt it was imperative to pass along this one bit of advice for gamers everywhere; if Rock Band 2 isn’t currently on your Christmas wish list, you need to get an amended letter sent out to Santa posthaste!!

While I’ve never officially reviewed Rock Band 2, I’ve put countless hours of quality playtime in with the game and can tell you it’s awesome! With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of the top 5 reasons why every gamer should hope to find it under their tree when they wake up Christmas morning.

5) Gameplay: Multiple career options, the ability to form (and compete against) bands over Xbox LIVE, new “Tour Challenges” and “Battle of the Bands” features along with the all new “Drum Trainer” mode add a replayability factor that few other games offer.

4) Appeal: Rock Band 2 is addictive because it’s fun! It’s as much fun playing through a tune you know and love as it is eeking out a 5 star rating on a song you’ve never heard before in your life. Plus, the game lets you experience all the coolness of being a true rock star without any of the downsides like negotiating tour contracts, long bus rides and those inconvenient trips to rehab.

3) (Almost) Anyone can play: Whether you’re young, old, experienced or just getting into console gaming, Rock Band 2 is a game that nearly everyone can play. The game features a great tutorial which walks newcomers through basic and advanced skills quickly and simply. Plus, the game’s tiered skill levels (Beginner through Expert) help inexperienced players get a comfortable feel for the game while steadily improving their playing abilities. Those who invest the time in the simpler levels will soon find their skills improving in spite of themselves!

2) The Music: There are now more than 500 songs available for the game. Rock Band 2 ships with 80 tunes, plus an additional 20 that can be downloaded for free. For a small fee, those who own the original can export all but a few of the songs within that game and make them available in Rock Band 2 as well. Plus, any DLC music purchased for the original Rock Band is automatically imported into Rock Band 2. Speaking of DLC, Harmonix offers a ton of great tracks in Marketplace covering a wide range of music genres ensuring “something for everyone”.

1) It’s just plain cool: The adrenaline rush from cranking out a stellar “Big Rock Ending” while thrashing around alone in front of your TV still beats the anxiety of someone walking in and catching you doing it!

NHL 09 Alternate Jersey Code is Here!

For those of you who have anxiously been awaiting EA’s release of their NHL 09 Xbox 360 Alternate Jersey code, the wait is over!

XE6377UYRWM48FRF

xe6377uyrwm48frf

Enter the code, save your profile and enjoy 🙂

*EDIT: I didn’t realize this but the code is case-sensitive (it should be all lowercase). My thanks to Adam who pointed this fact out in the comments.

Classic returns to XBLA this Wednesday

The most well known bird & bear duo will be returning this Wednesday when the original Banjo-Kazooie makes its debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade.

For 1200 Microsoft points, gamers worldwide can once again experience this classic platformer from Rare. The game also lets players unlock new features in Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts released earlier last month.

“When the evil witch Gruntilda discovers that Banjo’s sister Tooty is the most beautiful girl in all of Spiral Mountain, she kidnaps her to steal her youthful good looks. Banjo and his best friend Kazooie must team up in order to defeat Gruntilda and rescue Tooty from the witch’s grasp. At first, Banjo and Kazooie perform simple moves like running and jumping to collect jigsaw pieces, dubbed “Jiggys,” but as players progress, the bird and bear will learn new moves and abilities to help them fly, swim and fight to advance to new worlds and save Tooty.”

Banjo-Kazooie will be available worldwide on Xbox LIVE Arcade beginning this Wednesday, December 3rd at 9 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. PDT). For more information visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/b/banjokazooiexboxlivearcade/.