There’s some confusion this morning over the wording of an Activision Blizzard press release about the first wave of “Guitar Hero: World Tour” downloadable content.

Reporters and gamers seem to be inferring the “R.E.M. Track Pack,” “Classic Rock Track Pack,” Blind Melon single and “Guitar Duels” will all be exclusive to Xbox 360 users for two weeks.

That’s not true!

Only the R.E.M. songs are exclusive, an Activision Blizzard spokesperson told us. Everything else will be available on other platforms when “Guitar Hero: World Tour” launches on October 30. But if you want to rock the mic as Michael Stipe later this month, you’ll need an Xbox 360 — only for a few weeks, at least.

Will you be buying any of the “Guitar Hero” downloadable content at launch?

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“Tomb Raider: Underworld” today joined “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Fallout 3″ in delivering Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content.

The evolving downloadable content landscape has been an interesting one to watch. It’s suddenly become the last place for platform holders to secure exclusive content.

But what happens if you’re a PlayStation 3 or PC player? You might not like the answer.

An Eidos Interactive spokesperson told MTV Multiplayer the content for “Tomb Raider” is not a timed exclusive and will not appear on other platforms. There are no plans for separate content to be produced for the other platforms.

The content will be delivered in two episodic chunks — “Beneath the Ashes” and “Lara’s Shadow.” The first, “Beneath The Ashes” arrives by Christmas, followed by “Lara’s Shadow” in early 2009. Eidos says the content, combined, will provide “six hours” of extended gameplay.

Additionally, there will be no playable demo of the game for the PS3 version.

Looks like Xbox 360 “Tomb Raider” fans come out ahead this fall. What do you make of this new business practice, readers?

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I spoke with “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” project lead Haden Blackman late last week about the game’s newly-announced autumn downloadable content of new player characters and a bonus Jedi Temple level.

A few things came up that hadn’t made the press release that I believe are important for gamers to know, since they show how LucasArts is handling its DLC differently than many other publishers and developers: Read more…

(Elite Suit, Obsidian Suit, Scorpion Suit)

Electronic Arts is ramping up reasons you should be on board the “Dead Space” hype train soon.

If you pre-order, you gain access to a downloadable “Scorpion Suit.” If you own an Xbox 360, it’s a platform-exclusive “Elite Suit.” On the PlayStation 3, it’s an equally exclusive “Obsidian Suit.”

All three suits are virtually identical, an EA spokesperson told me today. Each provides you with a “new look, increased toughness and increased inventory slots.” You’ll access them through stores found within “Dead Space.”

Here’s what caught my eye, though: there doesn’t appear to be any reason players shouldn’t use the suit. EA couldn’t tell me of any weaknesses to balance out its strengths. “You don’t have to use it if you want to play the game as is the first time around,” said a spokesperson. “The suit will be there in the Stores on the ship, so it’s up the player on when they want to put it on.”

So, if you want to make the game a bit harder, play “Dead Space” with the original suit. But make sure to grab the platform downloads as soon as possible — in the US, the free download expires on October 28. EA couldn’t tell me if they would be made available as paid downloadable content later.

Potential “Dead Space” players, will you be donning the upgraded suit?

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Are you unsure about which version of “Fallout 3″ to buy next month?

If you’re interested in getting the most out of you post-apocalyptic experience, you’ll probably want either the Xbox 360 or PC versions. Bethesda Softworks is delivering downloadable content for “Fallout 3″ to those versions, not to the PS3.

Bethesda still isn’t saying what the content will be. But they at least offered Multiplayer a size estimate. It will be bigger than Bethesda’s infamous horse armor download for “Oblivion,” the studio’s product manager, Pete Hines, laughed. How much bigger? Hines pointed towards the “Knights of the Nine” content for “Oblivion” as a base of comparison for “Fallout 3″ content. It just won’t be as substantial as full-fledged expansion pack, as “Shivering Isles” was, he explained.

Following a four-hour session with a near-final build — more on that later — I asked Hines which version of “Fallout 3″ that people will flock to. Read more…

“Mega Man 9″ is a risk. It marks a return to a style long since abandoned by the industry fused with the advancements of today.

One of those includes the ability to sell consumers additional game features through downloadable content. “Mega Man 9″ on WiiWare, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network are all rigged for additional content — but at a cost.

This is a stark contrast to the last time Capcom tried to reinvent “Mega Man” in a remake of the original, PSP’s “Mega Man: Powered Up,” whose downloadable content was free. But PSP games are also threatened by piracy.

That’s not the case with “Mega Man 9.” Some vocal consumers have cried foul at Capcom’s decision, but let’s break down exactly what you’re paying for and examine whether previous games that tried similar models (remember the “Lumines Live!” debacle?) found success. Then, tell us what you think.

Read more…

“Rock Band” fans on Wii might have missed out on several features the first time around, but MTV Games and Harmonix appear to be fixing that with “Rock Band 2.”

The original release on Wii did not feature downloadable songs — Harmonix blamed it on the lack of storage space — and was limited to offline-only multiplayer.

A USA Today story this morning alleged that both of these features would be included in the upcoming Wii version of “Rock Band 2.”

Harmonix confirmed those reports to MTV Multiplayer this afternoon. “‘Rock Band 2′ for Wii will be fully featured,” said a company spokesperson.

“Rock Band 2″ is scheduled for a release on the Wii later this year. No official release date has been announced. Feeling better, Wii owners?

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In a report issued Friday to review publisher Take-Two’s earnings and EA’s faded interest in buying the company, analysts Michael Pachter and Edward Woo of Wedbush Morgan Securities discussed the near future of the “Grand Theft Auto” publisher.

A stand-out element of their analysis is the following prediction about the performance of the Xbox 360-exclusive “GTA IV” downloadable content, in which they estimate how many of you “GTA IV” owners will buy the supposed two-part offering:

The downloadable content should perform quite well. However, with an estimated 65% of sales on the Xbox 360 platform, the number of downloads remains limited. We expect that two-thirds of all Xbox 360 GTA IV players will seek to purchase downloadable content, with half of those buying both downloads, and with the other half buying only one. This represents around 4.2 million players…

The DLC hasn’t been officially dated, though Take-Two had indicated that it will be released during the November-January quarter. Did Pachter and Woo get it right? Will two-thirds of “GTA IV” 360 owners buy this stuff? But only a sixth buying both packs? If you were planning on getting both, you’re in the minority. Or so they predict.

Surprised?

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Longtime readers of the MTV Multiplayer blog will recall that way back in May of 2008 I reported the request of one average citizen who got the chance to ask Microsoft’s former head of first party game development, Shane Kim, for any change in the Xbox 360 strategy.

The guy didn’t request a new “Crimson Skies.” He didn’t demand a “Halo” jet-ski game. He asked Kim to ditch the Microsoft points system are to start selling Xbox marketplace content in denominations of real currency.

Kim didn’t seem moved by the request and Microsoft has shown no signs of changing. Microsoft sells millions of pieces of content over Xbox Live. I’m sure company executives believe the system works. I’m also sure people who don’t have credit cards like it quite a lot.

But from my perspective, from a reporter who gets most of his disc games for free but pays for most of his downloadable games, I find that MS points limit the number if impulse purchases I make.

I am quicker to purchase a downloadable game through the PlayStation 3 than I am the Xbox 360. The reason is that, when I’m short on funds in my PSN account, I make a purchase anyway. They system warns that it will draw the balance from my credit card, shows me the cost in dollars and cents, and let’s me approve and get my stuff. When I’m low on MS points — I’m down to a fairly useless 150 today — I find myself hesitant to take the extra step Microsoft requires. To get, say, this morning’s XBLA release, “Galaga Legions,” I would need to digitally download a block of points from which I could then extract the needed amount to purchase a game. The system is both less streamlined and just a shade enough more obscure that it diminishes my impulse to make a quick purchase.

Could I be alone in this? I wonder how the money systems for purchasing content on the PS3, 360 and Wii affect the digital shopping habits of other gamers.

Next: I’ve got another tower defense game to play on the DS…

Do you ever get jealous at the amount of free updates Valve delivers for “Team Fortress 2″ on the PC? You might be a console gamer.

Few people would blame you. “Team Fortress 2″ has yet to receive a content update — free or otherwise — from Valve. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking about it.

In response to the recent reveal of new maps, modes and character tweaks for “Team Fortress 2,” I asked the studio if console owners could look forward to this, as well.

Valve’s answer to MTV Multiplayer is open to interpretation. “[There is] nothing to announce — yet,” said Valve vice president of marketing Doug Lombardi.

It looks like Lombardi cryptically placed the “yet” there for a reason. If Valve updates “Team Fortress 2″ on the consoles, will you jump back in?

Solid Snake’s last journey arrived two months ago, and besides concluding an epic storyline, there were promises of ambitious online multiplayer and downloadable content.

Has Kojima Productions delivered?

“Metal Gear Solid 4″ came loaded with hooks for additional music and “Integral” podcasts for Snake’s iPod, more camouflage options and the inevitable upgrades and purchasable expansions for “Metal Gear Online.”

Kojima Productions appears to have delivered on nearly all fronts — five pieces of music, seven camouflage picks (both free) and an $11.99 “Gene Expansion” for “MGO” — but something’s still missing… where are the new podcasts?!

Read more…

The first “Mass Effect” may not be over yet.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk may have primarily talked to me about “Dragon Age” at this past E3. But he told me we could also chat a little about his studio’s sci-fi role-playing game of last year, “Mass Effect.” Really? So how about confirming some new downloadable content?

He certainly came close to doing that:

Multiplayer: What can we talk about regarding “Mass Effect”?

Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder of BioWare: Well we said it was a trilogy so there’s some stuff happening. We’re also looking at some other post-release content. We’re working away. BioWare’s pretty busy these days.

Multiplayer: We got our first DLC for the 360. People can expect there may be some more more coming?

Zeschuk: We’re talking about that. You know how we are. We’re always very circumspect until we can go “Aha! There it is!” With everything we build now, we want to have this long-term relationship with the customer and always have something for them to try. So we’re definitely looking at that for “Mass Effect.”

***

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