Per its usual tradition, developer Harmonix today revealed the downloadable Rock Band songs that will debut next week for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners:

The Killers 3 Pack / 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50)
• Mr. Brightside / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• Smile Like You Mean It / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• Spaceman / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
Yngwie Malmsteen 3 Pack / 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50)
• Caprici Di Diablo / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• Damnation Game / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• Red Devil / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
Singles
• "Jesus Christ Pose" - Soundgarden / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• "Pretty Noose" - Soundgarden / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)
• "Laid To Rest" - Lamb of God / 160 Microsoft Points ($2)

As always, the songs are fully compatible with both Rock Band and Rock Band 2.

Unlike normal, the tracks will hit PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on the same day: Tuesday, November 25. The PS3 release usually follows on a Thursday, but the PlayStation Store is updating early next week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

A downloadable "Fortune's Pack" will add new weapons, vehicles and maps to the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions of Far Cry 2 next week, publisher Ubisoft has announced.

Pricing was not disclosed, nor was the possibility of a PC release for the content. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, the open-world shooter was released in late October, and has since sold over one million units.

The Fortune's Pack DLC will contain the following:

Single-Player Mode
• Three brand-new weapons
  • Silenced shotgun
  • Sawed-off shotgun... Read more

It's a special Thursday for the PlayStation Store, as Sony's digital distribution center for all things PlayStation has gotten its last Thursday update for the month.

Next week's update will arrive early--on Tuesday--in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday.

In any case, this week brings the exclusive DLC for BioShock from 2K's studios in Boston, Australia, Marin, and external studio Digital Extremes. Also available is a whopping $32 in Dead Space downloadable content consisting almost entirely of new looks for weapons.

The full update, courtesy Sony, follows:

Add-on Game Content

LittleBigPlanet Sack in the Box Costume (free)
A community costume for SackBoy!... Read more

Update: The first screenshots of The Lost and Damned DLC have arrived.

Original Story: Rockstar Games today announced that downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto 4 will not be released this holiday season, dating the new episode for February 17 of next year.

Titled "The Lost and Damned," the DLC will center around a new main character, and features a plot that intersects with the main storyline of the original game. The DLC will also include new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles and music.

Pricing will be announced at a later date.

"Technical or licensing restrictions" will prevent Wii owners from receiving all of the Guitar Hero World Tour downloadable content that PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 players can access, publisher Activision Blizzard has revealed.

As the Wii's online Shop Channel lacks the ability to bundle multiple downloads into one purchase--the store only allows songs to be sold individually--some downloadadable content, such as last week's Jimi Hendrix Track Pack, will not be available on Wii.

"Certain artists prefer to keep the integrity of the track pack rather than releasing singles," Activision Blizzard told MTV Multiplayer, referencing the Hendrix pack.

Ubisoft Montreal's Prince of Persia (PC, 360, PS3) is planned to receive additional content after its December release, and producer Ben Mattes promised that the content will be worth users' hard-earned money.

"We certainly have plans for downloadable content," confirmed Mattes in a video interview for French site Gamersyde, which was cleverly spotted by Eurogamer.

"The intention is to do downloadable content that adds significant value, so I don't think you'll see downloadable content of a new skin or a new weapon or something like that," he added.

Mattes elaborated to describe what shape the DLC could take. "[Maybe] it's going to be a new story, a new experience, maybe a prequel, maybe a sequel--we're going to do something that really offers a lot of value for the player," he explained.

Sporting colorful new visuals to complement the series' wall-running, leaping and bounding, Prince of Persia lands for consoles on December 2 followed by the PC release on December 9. The promised DLC will arrive "sometime next year."

It looks like Guitar Hero World Tour won't be the only multi-instrument music game getting new songs from The Killers as downloadable content next Tuesday.

Harmonix's rival series Rock Band will also receive three downloadable Killers tunes on November 25, publisher and studio owner MTV Games confirmed with Wired.

The Killers Rock Band Track Pack
• "Mr. Brightside"
• "Smile Like You Mean It"
• "Spaceman"

Per usual, those tracks will hit Xbox Live Marketplace on Tuesday, November 25, followed by a PlayStation Store release the following Thursday, November 27.

MTV did not disclose a price, but the tracks are expected to sport the usual pricing: 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50) for the entire pack, 160 Microsoft Points ($2) for individual tunes--the same pricing Activsion employs with Guitar Hero World Tour DLC.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has seen the future, and it is subscription-based gaming, a business model that the leader called the "Holy Grail."

"The Holy Grail is taking a business, already a very large and successful business that's focused on packaged goods that you sell once ... and turning that into a subscription business or a semi subscription business where we have an ongoing relationship with consumers," explained Zelnick at the BMO Capital Markets conference this week as noticed by Kotaku.

Zelnick was eager to indicate that the lucrative DLC trade is an intermediate step toward that business model. "Looking ahead, the biggest opportunity that we see for the industry as well as for us is downloadable content," the executive stated, offering paid downloads for Grand Theft Auto 4 and BioShock as solutions to the thriving used game trade.

There are limitations to the plan, Zelnick conceded. "The triple-A titles that people really want to have that are really must have are in the best position for this business model," he said. Further down the food chain, however, Zelnick believes that "you won't be able to apply a subscription model to mid-tier titles."

It's a particularly loud week for downloadable Rock Band tracks as punk rockers The Dead Kennedys and Mission of Burma join the metallic ladies of Lacuna Coil and In This Moment for a trio of three-packs.

Courtesy developer Harmonix, this week's full list is as follows.

Dead Kennedys 3 Pack - 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50)
• "California Uber Alles" - 160 Points ($2)
• "Holiday In Cambodia" - 160 Points ($2)
• "Police Truck" - 160 Points ($2)
Mission Of Burma 3 Pack - 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50)
• "Mica" - 160 Points ($2)
• "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" - 160 Points ($2)
• "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" - 160 Points ($2)
Century Media Girls of Metal 3 Pack - 440 Microsoft Points ($5.50)
• In This Moment - "Forever" - 160 Points ($2)
• Lacuna Coil - "Closer" - 160 Points ($2)
• Lacuna Coil - "Swamped" - 160 Points ($2)
Individual Tracks
• Crooked X - "Gone" - 80 Points ($1)

All tracks are masters, and as always the songs will hit Xbox Live Marketplace next Tuesday, November 18, while they arrive on the PlayStation Store on Thursday, November 20.

It's that time again. The PlayStation Store has received its weekly Thursday update, bringing with it a slew of downloadable content in the form of games, expansions, demos and digital trinkets all available for electronic purchase.

This week brings the PlayStation 3 release of Certain Affinity's Age of Booty (PS3, 360, PC) and costumes for so many games you'd think Sony was making up for a dud Halloween. LittleBigPlanet, Hot Shots Golf, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Need for Speed: Undercover all receive ways to dress up, whether players control Jedi, Sackpeople, golfers, or cars.

As always, the full update directly from Sony follows... Read more

In celebration of the pending Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release of DICE's Mirror's Edge, EA has promised downloadable content for the first-person parkour action game and a January release for the PC port, which was delayed back in September.

"To keep the action coming after launch, DICE is currently developing downloadable content that will be available at the beginning of the year. More details to be announced shortly," reads a press release from the publisher.

The release may be short on details, but Sony has previously flaunted exclusive DLC for the PlayStation 3 version of the game. However, that exclusivity could apply to a specific level or release, not DLC in general, leaving the PC and 360 versions open to DLC.

Meanwhile, a specific date has not been set for the delayed PC version. Rather, only a release window of January is known at this time.

Update: Downloadable content for Mirror's Edge will be released in both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 form, EA DICE confirmed with GameCyte.

Epic president Mike Capps hinted recently that methods aside from new-copies-only DLC might appear to incentivize gamers away from the used game trade, which for years has taken potential profits from developers and left it in the hands of retailers.

"I've talked to some developers who are saying 'If you want to fight the final boss you go online and pay $20, but if you bought the retail version you got it for free,'" explained Capps to GamesIndustry, explaining one possible strategy that could take form.

Epic's Gears of War 2 is taking a stance against used game sales

Around the Epic offices, used games aren't exactly welcome. "We certainly have a rule at Epic that we don't buy any used games--sure as hell you're not going to be recognised as an Epic artist going in and buying used videogames--because this ... Read more

Grand Theft Auto 4 producer Dan Houser revealed that the open-world hijacking sim's upcoming DLC release could slip out of its fall 2008 release window.

"I'm not sure. It's going well. But we don't know a date," remarked Houser to Variety when asked about the release date. "We're still figuring out a few things. We're more focused on quality than dates, always have been," he added.

The first of two 360-exclusive downloadable expansion packs for Grand Theft Auto 4 has been expected this fall, according to persistent statements and rumors. Officially, the DLC is expected by publisher Take-Two in its fiscal Q1 2009, putting it between November 1 and January 31, 2009.

"We hope to be announcing [a date] in the next few weeks," said Houser.

Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the horror action game Dead Space will receive "premium upgrade packs", publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

Available November 13 on the Xbox Live Marketplace and November 20 in the PlayStation Store, the packs will offer a variety of player suits, weapons and weapons skins. In addition to the ten packs available for both platforms, there will be two platform-exclusive downloads too.

A complete list follows

• Astronaut Pack: Download the Astronaut Suit and Weapon Skin Pack, featuring an amazing Astronaut Suit and new skins for the Plasma Cutter, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper! - $3.00 / 240 MS points
• Big Gun Pack: Download the Steam Punk Force Gun, the ultimate in Necromorph-killing destruction. - $1.00 / 80 MS points
• Heavy Damage Pack: Download the Heavy Damage Weapon pack featuring a cool new look and massive firepower for the Plasma Cutter, Contact Beam, Pulse Rifle, and Ripper.... Read more

Okay, so it's not exactly the same as Marty McFly's time-traveling DeLorean, but the Jansen 88 Special that's coming to Burnout Paradise next year is pretty close, right down to those burning flame trails and, yes, a hover mode.

It's one of the four Legendary Cars that, as developer Criterion revealed today on its site, are coming to the open-world racer at some point in 2009. The other three? The Cavalry Bootlegger, Manhattan Spirit and the GT Nighthawk.

The cars will be among the game's premium downloadable content, available in both individual and discounted bundle form, though exact pricing was not disclosed. Burnout Paradise is currently available on PS3 and 360, with the PC version due in February.

It's the highest-profile update to Sony's online marketplace since last week: Kojima Productions' Metal Gear Solid 4, which is no doubt a PlayStation 3 exclusive, has emerged in demo form. Players who haven't taken a shot at Hideo Kojima's cinematic stealth-action magnum opus are highly encouraged to do so.

Also appearing is Episode 6 of Qore, Sony's digitally-downloaded video magazine. In this issue is a look at Tokyo and a look at the Home beta you'll have access to--if you bought an annual subscription before the end of October.

Per Thursday tradition, here's the full update list from Sony:

Qore

Qore Episode 06: November, 2008 ($2.99 for episode / $24.99 for Annual Subscription)
Episode 06 of Qore: Presented by the PlayStation Network travels to Tokyo to take an up-close look at the gaming culture, but still keeps things close to... Read more

After a brief delay, Harmonix has released the 20 free downloadable songs for registered Rock Band 2 owners on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Those that registered their unique code on the game's official site should receive an e-mail with the download code and instructions shortly, if it hasn't arrived already. The offer will be extended to the Wii version of Rock Band 2 when it hits in December.

The free songs are as follows:

• The 88 - "Sons and Daughters"
• Authority Zero - "No Regrets"
• Between the Buried and Me - "Prequel To The Sequel"
• The Cab - "Bounce"
• The Chevelles - "Get It On"... Read more

Foo Fighters fans, your time has come. The band led by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl already has its classic "Everlong" as a part of Rock Band 2, but now players of Harmonix's rhythm-music series can get their hands on the entirety of the Foo's breakout album The Colour and the Shape, using master recordings, starting next week. The tracklist is as follows:

• Doll
• Monkey Wrench
• Hey, Johnny Park!
• My Poor Brain
• Wind Up
• Up in Arms
• My Hero
• See You
• Enough Space
• February Stars
• Walking After You
• New Way Home

The whole album comes at the price of 1600 Microsoft Points ($20), or tracks can be purchased individually for 160 Points ($2). Per digital marketplace tradition, the album drops on Xbox Live on Tuesday, November 11 and on the PlayStation Store on Thursday, November 15.

Update: Harmonix has hit an "unexpected delay with getting the content online with Microsoft" and "have suspended sending out the token codes until the content becomes available," going by a new post from the developer.

"We hope to have this resolved in the next 24 hours and apologize profusely for the delay," wrote community manager Sean Baptiste. "Again, we apologize for the delay and are working our butts off to get the content out to you."

Original Story: If you've bought Rock Band 2 and registered for the 20 free downloadable songs that were slated to arrive yesterday, Harmonix hasn't forgotten.

On its official forum, the studio noted that download codes for Xbox 360 owners began going out last night, but that "due to the volume of emails being sent, these will roll out over a 24 hour period." Harmonix also stressed its appreciation... Read more

Capcom and developer Zen Studios have partnered to bring a Street Fighter II-themed pinball table into Zen's downloadable Xbox Live Arcade game Pinball FX.

Meant to promote the November arrival of Capcom's downloadable Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the Street Fighter II board will hit Pinball FX as downloadable contentcome November 12.

No pricing was disclosed, but Capcom issued the following bullet points:

• Enter the World Warrior Championship fighting as Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, and Guile and battle against Sagat, Evil Ryu, Vega, and Balrog. Advance... Read more