As each week passes, the MTV Rhythm Game Track Finder becomes a more complete database for searching rhythm game music.

In fact, we are almost at a point where there are no additional older games to add, aside from a few miscellaneous “DDR” titles. We’ve searched GameSpot, IGN, AllGameGuide, and even Wikipedia, but out list gets shorter and shorter each week. If there are any glaring omissions, please let us know so we can get those games added right away.

This week’s updates includes one of our last archival additions, Tecmo’s “UNiSON: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance,” our weekly “Rock Band” update, as well as the remainder of the “Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore” downloadable content for both the Xbox 360 and PS3.

“UNiSON” was a bit of a surprise; we didn’t even know it existed until we stumbled upon it in Wikipedia last week. Once we saw it, we made sure to add the full U.S. release song list to our database. It appears to be one of the most story-based rhythm games on this list, but it also has one of the smallest track listings as well. It tops out at only 12 songs. but one of them is the classic “O.P.P.” by Naughty By Nature, so it’s okay.

The full update is below:
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore (Xbox 360, PS3) 40 Songs Added
Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3) 3 Songs Added (Blondie’s “Hanging On The Telephone,” Sonic Youth’s “Kool Thing,” and The Clash’s “Train In Vain”)
UNiSON: Rebels of Rhythm & Dance (PS2) 12 Songs Added

As always, go to trackfinder.mtv.com, for all this and more — it’s the definitive search engine for all your music gaming needs.

Late last week Patrick and I sent an essay question to a couple of gaming’s most knowledgeable and quotable financial analysts.

We wanted to know when they thought the PS2 would drop in price to $99 in the U.S.

This was our full question:

Sony dropped the price of the first PlayStation to $99 in 1999, four years after the system’s release. The PS2 has been out since 2000, and in almost double the time, still has not dropped to $99. There are many reasons for this: lack of competition for the PS2 in the back half of the last hardware generation; Sony’s struggles getting the expensive PS3 off the ground; etc. The question is: Do you think the PS2 will go down to $99? When and why?

In short order, we heard back from Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities and Evan Wilson of Pacific Crest Securities.

Neither gave us reason to expect a price drop any time soon. And one of them gave us two games to blame: “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band.”

On Thursday evening, Pachter left us a voicemail, in which he said:

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EA has figured out how to make Monopoly fun again. And as a video game, no less.

Shocking, I know, but I swear it’s true.

Later this year, “Monopoly” the video game will be released for the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 2, and it won’t be the game you grew up playing.

Sitting down and playing the upcoming version of Monopoly is like sitting down to play a game loosely based on the board game of the same name.

For example, the board you have come to know and love is receiving a complete overhaul, replacing the Avenues with cities from around the world - picked by fans for the Monopoly Here and Now: World Edition that will be released later this year.

A facelift is nothing new, but for the video game one particular game mode that made this version of Monopoly stand out over every edition of Monopoly that you’ve ever played - even the Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy Edition. [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: I have a set of John Deere: Monopoly next to my desk.]

The big breakthrough in EA Casual’s upcoming video game is an optional play-style called “Riches Mode.” There’s no money involved in this mode. It’s based entirely on property ownership, and you get to play with multiple pieces each turn. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to play this new version of “Monopoly.” Read more…

Research group NPD published a 2008 report on online gaming earlier this week, announcing that 72 percent of the total U.S. population ages 6-44 plays video games.

One of the items in the release:

Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 is the top system used, with 50 percent stating they play games online via that system. On average, Xbox 360 owners spend the most time per week using their 360s to play games online, followed by PC and PS3 owners using these respective systems for online game play.

That squares with what I’ve long assumed: Xbox users seem to be much more into online gaming than the norm. I contacted NPD to find out more about online usage of the other consoles, and was provided with some additional info. This new detail doesn’t describe how heavily people who own a given console use it for online. But it does indicate which consoles get people online, something that is surely a reflection of the installed base:

Among those who use a video game system for online gaming, Xbox 360 (50%), PlayStation 2 (22%) and Nintendo Wii (18%) are the top three systems used, with Xbox360 continuing to command a dominant lead.

It was a slow week for the Rhythm Game Track Finder, but it wasn’t completely silent. We were able to get all of the announced tracks for the next console iteration of “Guitar Hero” added.

19 tracks for the upcoming release of “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” were added, 13 from Aerosmith, and six from a variety of other classic bands. This ratio helps keep within the 60/40 split of tracks that was recently described by Gamespot. With 21 more tracks to go, will your favorite Aerosmith songs be making their way into the Rhythm Game Track Finder?

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PS2, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) 19 Songs Added

As always, go to trackfinder.mtv.com, for all this and more — it’s the definitive search engine for all your music gaming needs.

Most of this past week’s track finder update came courtesy of a giant mouse, and “Rock Band” heads to its hometown for one rockin’ track pack.

The two full games added to the Rhythm Game Track Finder this past week were brought to you by Disney. Both “Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix” and “High School Musical: Sing It!” have Mickey’s stamp of approval. “DDR Disney Mix” is packed with twenty songs that you most likely grew up singing along with like ” Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” and (the perpetually annoying) “It’s A Small World.” Thanks to the game, you can dance along to them. In addition, it features the first appearance of Chubby Checker’s dance classic, “The Twist.” We also added the second game for the phenomenon that is “High School Musical.” “Sing It!” adds 23 more HSM songs to the database, as well as a couple other modern day Disney classics from the likes of Aly&AJ and Jesse McCartney.

This week’s “Rock Band” update offers a track pack from the band that shares their name with Harmonix’s hometown, Boston. When the songs go live later this week on Xbox Live and the PSN you’ll be able to jam to one of the greatest karaoke songs of all time “More Than a Feeling.” It’s about time.

This week also saw an update to one of the games that was already included in the Track Finder. The Xbox version of “Karaoke Revolution” was updated with fourteen tracks additional tracks that are platform-specific exclusives. Ten of the fourteen songs are master tracks for some of the greatest Motown songs of all time including “Stop! In the Name of Love” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” The entire list of updates is below.

Dance Dance Revolution Disney Mix (PS1) 20 Songs Added
High School Musical: Sing It! (PS2, Wii) 30 Songs Added
Karaoke Revolution (Xbox) 14 Songs Added
Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3) 6 Songs Added (Boston’s “Hitch a Ride,” “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Rock & Roll Band,” “Smokin’,” “Something About You”)

As always, go to trackfinder.mtv.com, for all this and more — it’s the definitive search engine for all your music gaming needs. 

The Rhythm Game Track Finder saw one of it’s most diverse updates ever last week, with the addition of one game, one video editor, and two sets of DLC.Some of MTV’s biggest artists including Snoop Dogg, Paramore, The Black Eyed Peas and C + C Music Factory (come on … they were big once) help round out the now 60 different games included in the Track Finder.Some of the biggest names in hip-hop come together to help gamers prove who has the best skills in “Get On Da Mic.” With 40 different tracks from artists like Kanye West, Dr. Dre, NWA, and Digital Underground “Get On Da Mic” spans the old school to new school hip-hop, and should have a little something for everyone.

This week’s “Rock Band” updates come courtesy of South By Southwest, and Earache Records. Last week’s songs (the announcement came late, which is why they weren’t included in last weeks update) were from bands playing the “Rock Band” showcase at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, TX last week. This week’s tracks are all Earache Records artists, and, as you may be able to guess, a bit on the heavy side. At the Gates, Evile, and The Haunted will all put your eardrums to the test.

For all the updates check the list below.
Get On Da Mic (PS2) 40 Songs Added
Power Factory Featuring C + C Music Factory (Sega CD) 3 Songs Added
Rock Band (Xbox 360, PS3) 6 Songs Added (Serj Tankian’s “Beethoven’s C***,” Paramore’s “crushcrushcrush,” Black Tide’s “Shockwave,” At The Gate’s “Blinded By Fear,” Evile’s “Thrasher,” and The Haunted’s “D.O.A.”)

What do Will Smith and Charles Van Doren have to do with each other? Mostly nothing, but they were both indirectly brought up in this week’s edition of “What We’re Not Playing.”

Following the release of “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” last week, the releases this week were a little thin, but not too thin to pick out a handful of games not to play. Read on as “Condemned 2,” “Buzz” and even “Smash Bros.” get the WWNP treatment.

PatrickKlepek: Trivia games are frustrating because there’s always someone who knows every answer.
PatrickKlepek: With someone like that, what’s the point in playing?
JasonCipriano: Unless you’re that guy.
JasonCipriano: Which sometimes (more often than not) I am.
JasonCipriano: Not to sound like a know-it-all… but I am an abyss of useless knowledge.
PatrickKlepek: If we’re doing trivia about the “Hellraiser” movies, maybe.
PatrickKlepek: Other than that, count me out.
PatrickKlepek: Congratulations. I will never play trivia games with you.
PatrickKlepek: (Or at least you better be on my team.)
JasonCipriano: Awesome.
JasonCipriano: I think that means I win

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Apparently the kids love this “High School Musical” thing.

In fact, they love it so much so that it has spurred a series of video games, the first of which was added to the Rhythm Games Track Finder last week.

The 12 songs of “High School Musical Makin’ The Cut” for the Nintendo DS made their way into to the database, and coincidently, they’re all performed by the” High School Musical” cast.

Also added were two upcoming track packs for “Guitar Hero III.” The Modern Metal Pack features a total of three tracks by The Deftones, Thrice and Avenged Sevenfold. We also dropped in a threesome by those rowdy sons of Boston, The Dropkick Murphys. The tracks “Famous for Nothing,” “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya” and “(F)lannigan’s Ball” will be hitting your Xbox 360 and PS3 just in time , so that you can spend your St. Patrick’s Day pretending you’re Irish in front of your TV. And the best part — it’ll be free.

For all this week’s updates, see the list below:

• Flow: Urban Dance Uprising (PS2) 50 Songs Added
• Guitar Hero III (Xbox 360, PS3) 6 Songs Added (Deftones’ “Hole in the Earth,” Avenged Sevenfold’s “Almost Easy,” Thrice’s “The Arsonist” The Dropkick Murphys’ “Famous for Nothing,” “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,” “(F)lannigan’s Ball”)
• High School Musical Makin’ The Cut (NDS) 12 Songs Added

We aren’t sure what’s up with this week’s “Rock Band” announcement (it’s already three days late). Hopefully they’re putting the final touches on “Still Alive.”

San Francisco — After making three “LEGO Star Wars” games, you’d think Traveller’s Tales would have it down pat by now.

But lightsabers and Batarangs aren’t quite the same thing.

“LEGO Batman: The Videogame” producer Loz Doyle told me at the Game Developers Conference last month that the team is still working on what the Wii version’s control scheme will be like. “We’ve been messing around with the different ways we can do the Batarang,” he said. “We don’t want people throwing their Wii-motes out the window. I can just imagine mothers calling us up. We are working on it.”

So while I didn’t a chance to see the Wii version of the game, Doyle gladly demo-ed the Xbox 360 version for me in a W Hotel suite, a block away from GDC.

With Doyle having worked on all three incarnations of the “LEGO Star Wars” games, I wondered what it was like for him to transition to a new IP. “It was quite strange at first because I’ve been doing ‘Star Wars’ since 2003 or something, so then I had to switch to a completely different universe and different characters,” he said. However, Doyle and co. were allowed more creative freedom this time around, since the games aren’t strictly based on movies like “LEGO Star Wars” was.

The game is broken up into 18 levels, with three different story arcs (six levels per story arc) featuring the standard two-player, drop-in/out cooperative play (online co-op play is available for the Xbox 360 and PS3). The stories were penned by Traveller’s Tales, with approval from Warner Bros. and DC Comics after they were written. “It seemed only natural that the over-arching story was a big breakout from Arkham Asylum,” Doyle said. “Once they broke out from Arkham Asylum, they break off into three groups, which enables us to have three stories that aren’t linked to each other.”

They weren’t inspired by any one medium: “I think everyone on the team has at some point watched all the films, the TV series, the animated series, read the comics,” he said. “We’ve got some massive Batman fans up at Traveller’s Tales, so that was really useful. But yeah, I don’t think we took particular inspiration from a specific film or TV show, it’s more that we kind of looked at a character, and we built the story up based on how that character would behave.”

While I didn’t get my hands on the controller, I did bombard Doyle with questions as he played through some early levels. Read on…

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