With retail music sales in a continuing slump, the major labels are increasingly looking for innovative ways to market and distribute their product. The latest trend is taking advantage of the popularity of video games such as “Rock Band” and “Grand Theft Auto IV.”
Already, games like “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero III” have been phenomenally successful as platforms to sell music, especially downloadable tracks and albums. But both of these games are music-related, so selling tracks within the game ties in nicely, and doesn’t seem so much like blatant product placement.
Now the major music labels are reaching out to non-music related games in order to sell albums and downloadable tracks. And at the moment, “Grand Theft Auto IV” is the hottest video game around, so the big industry players are betting big that the game can help music sales. The game allows players to “tag” a song from its soundtrack and receive information about the artist, album and song. Players can also store their tagged songs in a play list on the Amazon.com MP3 store, with the option to buy the tracks at a later time.
“Grand Theft Auto IV” has already been a huge success in the video game world, and conveniently for the music industry, the game features more than 200 songs, making up the largest soundtrack in the history of video games. In fact, music is such an integral part of the game, that promoting bands, albums and single tracks seems perfectly natural, and not at all like a forced marketing exercise.
This type of product placement has been common in television and film for years, but until recently it was unheard of with video games. But with many media critics saying that “games are the new film,” and “television is dead,” the major record labels are keen to test out promotions that tie in with games, or even direct product placement tie-ins, such as that used in “Grand Theft Auto IV.”
In effect, “Grand Theft Auto IV” has added a “buy” button to the game, making it easy for players to get information and purchase tunes online quickly. With the game now on the verge of being the most popular in video game history, the in-game promotion could prove extremely profitable for the music industry.
Buying music via video games may also help revive the careers of some artists, and help new and unknown bands get their foot in the door. The success of games like “Rockstar” has proven that the video game industry and the music industry don’t have to compete with each other, but rather, can form joint venture partnerships that benefit both industries.
If you are looking for a fast paced rush of adrenaline fun, you will definitely enjoy playing Grand Theft Auto IV. This game is specifically designed for gamers who wanted action and excitement at its finest. Over the years, the Grand Theft series has continuously made itself a popular Play Station game. With the emerging popularity of PSP, it will not come as a surprise if the Grand Theft Auto IV will easily become a favorite as well.
With a backdrop that will surely promote lots of action possibilities, Grand Theft becomes a rather addicting game to play. Liberty City is where all the action happens on the game—a name which is definitely suggestive of what’s going to happen. In this newer version, there are really not much noteworthy changes in the city’s setup. Just a bunch of names replaced with new ones but so far, everything remained almost the same.
However, the player still has the usual angst against driving out anything or everyone that comes his way. This character is known in Grand Theft Auto IV as Toni Cipriano and this time, he can already talk which makes all the great difference on various cutscenes. The story’s mode can sometimes be a bit too repetitive, as missions are handed in the beginning with a specific target to kill. Once done, you already get your bounty or your pay for the said mission. Completing every mission assigned to you will eventually grant you access to explore Liberty City’s second island. In total, there are three different islands to explore and you can unlock them as you play along.
What the Grand Theft Auto IV may have lacked in terms of story setups, is made up for in terms of its ability to free roams. This means that the game is not strictly designed for completing a specific mission. You can turn on the game and freely roam the city just to wreak havoc and explore it if you haven’t been familiar with previous Grand Theft series before. You can do this even without a mission to fulfill. This is what makes this game really appealing because you are not strictly tied to play it in story mode. It gives you the freedom to really explore the game itself.
Also, the weapons available in Grand Theft Auto IV is also more diverse and numerically more than the previous versions. If you choose the free roam mode, you can also collect these fascinating weapons and use them in wreaking havoc all over the city. Weapons range from firearms such as simple pistols to sniper rifles and even rocket launchers. There are also other melee weapons which you can pick up and use such as baseball bats and knives. However, there are cops to look out for while you do all those blasting and killing. Stars are made to indicate how many cops are running after you. You may want to moderate your killing because a flash of six stars would mean that an army of policemen will be running after you.
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MTV’s Rock Band game has become a worldwide phenomenon, and now fans of the hard rocking music game will be able to download full versions of classic guitar rock albums to “play.” MTV announced last Friday that the classic heavy metal album, “Screaming for Vengeance” by Judas Priest will be released next week as the first Rock Band full album download from MTV’s online music store.
The Judas Priest album will cost $15, and versions will be available for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. In addition, Rock Band players will also be able to download individual songs from the album, including “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” Judas Priest’s classic metal hit from 1982.
Other albums are currently in the works, and should be available for download by June 2008, including The Cars’ self-titled first album, and “Doolittle” by The Pixies. Individual songs from each of these albums will also be available on the MTV site, and are expected to be priced at two dollars each.
Add-on tracks have become a big moneymaker for the Rock Band franchise, and MTV claims that more than 8 million extra tracks have been purchased for the game so far. Motley Crue has even used Rock Band to debut their newest single, “Saints of Los Angeles,” allowing gamers to play along with the legendary 80s hair-metal band.
As recently satirized in an episode of Comedy Central’s South Park, Rock Band is encouraging a whole new generation to “play” classic rock songs, many of which were recorded before they were born. But where teenagers used to try to emulate rock stars by picking up an instrument or learning to sing, these days they’d rather “game” the songs and try to get a perfect score.
Either way, it’s undeniable that Rock Band has been beneficial to the careers of many hair-metal musicians from the 70s 80s and 90s. Bands like Judas Priest are getting rediscovered by a whole new generation of listeners, and even modern rock bands such as OK Go are keen to be immortalized with a rock band track.
In fact, it’s getting to the point these days where a new band can not really consider that they’ve “made it” until kids are gaming to their tunes on Rock Band. A sign of the times I guess. MTV has announced that there are many other classic albums “in the pipeline” to be released for the game, from artists as diverse as The Who and Nirvana.
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So you’ve finally gotten your hands on a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii after dreaming about it for all this time. You’ve waited patiently time and time again as your hopes had been dashed due to the Nintendo Wii’s predicted Game of the Year being constantly delayed. But the wait is over, and the Super Smash Bros. Brawl disc is now loading up on your Wii’s screen. Then you realize that you have none of the characters unlocked yet! While you’ll probably play through all of the adventure more known as Subspace Emissary, this guide will give you a quick “How-to” that will help you unlock your favorite character right away.
Under each characters name you’ll find out the other methods to obtain them besides playing Subspace Emissary. Once you complete those requirements you’ll have to beat the character in a fight to unlock them. If you lose to the character you’ve unlocked, at the end of the next Brawl match you play, you will have a second chance to beat and unlock them.
Ness:
- Play 5 Brawl matches.
- Reflect 10 projectiles in one match.
Marth:
- Play 10 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode on any difficulty.
Snake:
- Play 130 Brawl matches.
- Play 15 Brawl matches on Shadow Moses Island.
Luigi:
- Play 22 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode on any difficulty without using continues.
Falco:
- Play 50 Brawl matches.
- Survive a 100-Man Brawl.
Captain Falcon:
- Play 70 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode on normal or greater difficulty within 12 minutes.
Lucario:
- Play 100 Brawl matches.
- Beat Target Smash on all difficulty levels.
R.O.B.:
- Play 160 Brawl matches.
- Unlock 250 Trophies.
Ganondorf:
- Play 200 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic mode on normal difficulty with Zelda or hard difficulty with Link.
Mr.Game & Watch:
- Play 250 Brawl matches.
- Beat Target Smash on any one level with 30 characters.
- Complete Classic Mode with all characters.
Sonic:
- Play 250 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode with 10 characters.
Jigglypuff:
- Play 350 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode with any character excluding Ike.
- Complete Event Match #20.
Toon Link:
- Play 400 Brawl matches.
- Complete Classic Mode on hard difficulty with Link.
Wolf:
As you progress through the Subspace Emissary part of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, you’ll unlock each character as they enter the storyline. The methods above are alternative solutions to unlock the specific character.
There are two characters that are not guaranteed to be unlocked through Subspace Emissary: Snake and Wolf. Snake cannot be unlocked through Subspace Emissary at all, while Wolf requires you to locate him on a specific level which you cannot repeat until you complete Subspace Emissary if you fail the first attempt.
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Most people know MTV from their cable channels and awards shows, but the company is gradually becoming a major player in the multibillion-dollar video gaming industry. The company’s “Rock Band” game is a huge seller this holiday season, and MTV’s most profitable video game title to date.
But MTV is not stopping there. The company recently signed a deal with film and television producer Jerry Bruckheimer to create and develop original action-based video games under the MTV brand. Bruckheimer is best known for cinema blockbusters such as Black Hawk Down, National Treasure, and the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
Bruckheimer’s television résumé is also impressive, including hits such as Cold Case and CSI. And while the exact format of the games to be produced has not been revealed, Businessweek.com is reporting that the development deal between MTV and Bruckheimer will be a true collaboration.
While the idea of creating video games that rival feature films is not new, Bruckheimer is probably the biggest Hollywood player to commit to producing games on such a large-scale. Van Toffler, the MTV network president said, “There’s a huge intersection between the fans of Bruckheimer films, our audience and gamers…”
Bruckheimer is said to be setting up a game “incubation” studio, in collaboration with video game designers, graphic artists and writers to develop new titles for MTV games. According to the Business Week story, Bruckheimer’s gaming studio will be involved in all phases of game development, from original concept to distribution and marketing deals, giving the filmmaker a great deal of creative freedom in producing and marketing the games.
More and more, Hollywood is looking to the video game medium as a way to either resell already successful film titles, or to develop new properties. MTV’s deal with Jerry Bruckheimer is a high profile example of Hollywood’s new willingness to expand beyond the film screen and create titles that are specifically designed to be games.
Although Bruckheimer’s record in both film and television is certainly impressive, the verdict remains out on the question of his ability to deliver the goods as a videogame creator. Critics point out that the video game medium is unlike either film or television, and the high degree of interactivity requires a different aesthetic and storyline to be successful.
But if the MTV/Bruckheimer video game venture is successful, you can bet it won’t be long until other top Hollywood names are signing on to create original video games for a wide variety of platforms.
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Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and XBOX 360 all offer different advantages like HD compatibility, innovative new control styles and other new features. Although opinions about which gaming system is the best vary quite a bit, all three of these new gaming systems have a lot of offer when it comes to exciting, new games. Here are some of the top, must-have games for each of these popular systems.
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 was the first of these gaming systems to be released. Microsoft brought a strong following from its original Xbox gaming system and many of the games have followed as well. Video games on the Xbox 360 typically start around $60. Due to its earlier release than the other systems, more games are available on the Xbox 360 than the other gaming systems.
- Gears of War – This is a 1-2 player action game with a mature rating. Gears of War was highly anticipated due to its amazing graphics and sound. It remained a crowd favorite after its release and is one of the most popular games available.
- Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas – Another action game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas can handle anywhere from 1-16 players. This is a state of the art shooter action game featuring wonderful graphics and impressive tactical shooting controls.
- Guitar Hero II – Originally released only on the PlayStation, Guitar Hero is one of the hottest new video games available anywhere. With minor improvements over the PlayStation version, this Guitar Hero version still offers support for 1-2 players but has improved some other minor issues.
PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3 offers the most impressive gaming hardware available but is still working out some of the kinks to seriously complete with the rest of the crows. It was released to the public about a year after the Xbox 360 and is making up ground with impressive new games. However there is no shortage of games due to the backward compatibility allowing you to play PlayStation 2 games and with a network connection, you can download additional games from the PlayStation Store.
- The Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion – Just a single player, role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is available on a few other platforms but is very exciting on the PlayStation 3 with sharp graphics and sound.
- Resistance: Fall of Man – This was one of the much anticipated releases on the PlayStation 3 before the gaming system was even released. Resistance: Fall of Man is a 1-4 player, action game which offers an impressive first-person shooter experience.
- NBA 2K7 – Sports games are typically about what you expect them to be but with the amazing PlayStation 3 graphics, today’s sports game are exciting as ever. NBA2K7 is suitable for all ages and supports 1-8 players.
Nintendo Wii
By far the biggest surprise of the 3 gaming systems, Nintendo Wii offers many gaming titles that are suitable for a wider range. With a much lower price tag than its competition and an interesting new gaming control, the popularity of the Nintendo Wii is still rising. The motion sensitive controller puts an interesting new twist on video games that nobody had expected. Most gaming titles are produced by Nintendo but you can expect to see many more games produced by other companies in the future due to the increasing popularity of the Nintendo Wii.
- WarioWare: Smooth Moves – WarioWare: Smooth Moves incorporates the innovative new gaming controller of the Wii and is suitable for everyone 10 years or older. It can handle 1-4 players.
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – The Zelda series has always been extremely popular and this latest version is no different. With complex puzzles and some exciting adventure, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has a teen rating and is just a one player game.
- Super Paper Mario – Nintendo’s poster boy, Mario is alive and well in the latest Nintendo gaming system. As you’d expect, Super Paper Mario is suitable for all age groups as a single player, role-playing style game.
- Madden NFL 07 – Football video games don’t typically change much from year to year except to reflect updates in the rosters but with Nintendo’s new controller, you’ve never played football like this before.
If you’ve enjoyed the earlier 3 Grand Theft Auto games, then you’ve seen nothing yet. The 4th game in the series, San Andreas offers more gaming experience than all 3 put together. Unlike the previous GTA games, the main character may now choose his own set of clothes and customize every part of his personality as well. The main character development is a complete RPG on its own. The progression of the storyline relies mainly on the main character’s ability to influence everyone around him. Each aspect of his personality influences the way people look at him. This is broken down to the way he dresses, his personal habits such as going to the gym, swimming, etc. and as always the choices he makes. The actions of the main character not only influences the way the game goes but changes the way he looks as well. For example, if CJ (the name of the main character) eats a lot and goes to the gym less, he becomes fat. If CJ goes to the gym more, he becomes muscular and attack stats increase as well. The character’s appearance also affects the way people respond to him. As such with other gang members, they show more respect if CJ is in good health. Other options also include having a haircut and getting a tattoo.
The main character, as before, will go through different missions to steal and kill. The difference in this GTA game is that if the character starts attacking one of the bystanders, the other ones will also react. In the previous games, only the attacked ones react while the others simply go on without noticing. In this game, other civilians may run and hide while others may gang up on the main character. Because the game plot is based on gangs, friendly gang members also help the main character when fighting occurs. As always, the main character can fight with bare fists and kicks or use different kinds of weapons. Because this game story is all about gangs, the police now not only chase after the main character if he commits crimes, but also go after rival gang members as well.
The story objective is to gain more money by claiming as much territory as possible. Gang wars will start if the main character goes into enemy territory alone or otherwise. If the main character survives the bloody war and kills 3 or 4 opponents in the area, the territory is claimed. Fellow gang members will come to occupy the area and claim it. Likewise, enemy gangs will try and take over your territory areas so you have to fight them back to retain the territory.
In this GTA game, the main character can now even swim. Plus there are a lot of minigames included in the package such as pool and other arcade games. In addition, the main character may also participate in drag races just like Need for Speed. The game offers a lot more unique features that I haven’t even explored yet. GTA San Andreas is a really good game to look forward to; you should definitely try it for yourself.
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