The patch to enable song exporting in Rock Band--the feature that will let you add songs from the original release into the soon-to-release Rock Band 2--has gone live on the Xbox 360. Along with the update, Harmonix has nailed down the details on pricing and which songs will be available for export.
The patch adds an "export disc" option to the game's extras menu and will allow players to pony up 400 Microsoft points (five bucks to you and me) to export 55 songs.
If you're sharper than I am, you immediately noticed that there are more than 55 songs in the original Rock Band. Yes, some tracks will be unavailable for export. Those tracks are...
Paranoid - Black Sabbath (cover)
Run to the Hills - Iron Maiden (cover)
Enter Sandman - Metallica
In addition to those, owners of the European version of the game won't be able to get Tokio Hotel's Though the Monsoon.
The info goes on to say that the required fee is to compensate the license holders of the music for the "expanded use" of the material. Harmonix has also reiterated that the RB2 disc will contain 84 tracks, and that 20 free downloadable tracks will be available following the game's launch.
Those are three good, fun tracks from the original Rock Band, and they'll certainly be missed. Well, two of them are covers, so that's not that big of a deal. And I have to imagine the Metallica song is missing due to whatever deal Activision signed with the band when it nailed down Guitar Hero: Metallica. So maybe it's not a very noticeable loss at all. How's about you? Does this make you want to make sure your original Rock Band disc is close at all times so you can go back to those songs?
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