Rock Band Unplugged is a 2009 rhythm game developed by Harmonix in partnership with Backbone Entertainment, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation Portable. It is the third installment in the Rock Band series and the first to be exclusively developed for a handheld console. The game was released in North America and Europe in June 2009.
The core game is functionally similar to the note-matching gameplay of Harmonix's previous titles, Frequency and Amplitude, with the player responsible for playing all four instruments—lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals—using the Portable's controls. Game modes are similar to Rock Band'''s, and the soundtrack includes a number of songs that have already been a part of the Rock Band series. Additional tracks will be a time-limited exclusive to Unplugged before they are released as downloadable content for the console games. The game supports the addition of new songs that can be purchased through the PlayStation Store.Rock Band Unplugged, in addition to being released separately, was also released as part of a "Limited Edition Entertainment Pack" that also includes a Rock Band Unplugged-branded PSP, a 4GB memory card, and a voucher to download the movie School of Rock. A voucher for an exclusive 5-song demo of Rock Band Unplugged that is compatible with downloadable content was included with the PSP Go.
Gameplay
The main gameplay modes in Rock Band Unplugged are similar to that of the console versions of the game. In Tour mode, the player creates a customized band, plays sets of songs at venues around the world, earning cash and fame, and unlocking new vehicles, venues, and staff. Songs completed in Tour mode then become available in Quick Play mode, which allows any song to be played without the need to create a band.
Songs in Rock Band Unplugged feature tracks for the same four instruments as in Rock Band: lead guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. During the Quick Play and Tour modes, gameplay is similar to Harmonix' previous games Frequency and Amplitude: The player presses combinations of buttons on the PSP to match notes in time with the rhythm of the currently-selected instrument. After completing a phrase without missing any notes, the instrument continues to play automatically for a set amount of time, allowing the player to switch to another instrument using the shoulder buttons. Successfully completing multiple phrases in a row builds a score multiplier, as well as allowing the song to play in its entirety. Not completing a phrase in a track for an extended period of time will drain the Crowd Meter for that instrument, eventually causing the instrument to fail. A failed track will eventually cause the entire band to fail if not saved in time.
Overdrive is handled similarly to the main Rock Band series. By hitting certain white-colored sections of notes placed throughout a song, the player fills the Energy Meter. Once the meter is at least half full, the player may press down on the D-pad or X to activate Overdrive, which revives all failed instruments and enables a temporary state that boosts the score multiplier and slows the degradation of the Crowd Meter for all instruments. During solos, the player is automatically switched to the appropriate instrument; each note is scored individually, and the phrasing and track-switching elements do not apply until the solo is over.
Two additional modes, Band Survival Mode and Warmup Mode, are included in the "Extras" section of the game. In both modes, notes are scored individually, instead of being divided into phrases. Tracks will not play automatically, causing the Crowd Meter for unselected instruments to continually drop in Band Survival Mode. In Warmup Mode, only the currently-selected track is affected by missed notes. No multiplayer mode is included in the game.
The Nintendo DS version of Rock Band 3 and Lego Rock Band feature identical gameplay to Unplugged.
SoundtrackRock Band Unplugged features 41 tracks, all of them master recordings, chosen from the songs present in Rock Band 2 and those present in the main games' Music Store. The game uses the PSP's Wi-Fi capabilities to provide additional downloadable content from music providers through the PlayStation Store. Players can also download new tracks to the PSP through the PC version of the PlayStation Store. Ten songs were made available for download on the day of the game's release, and two new songs were released each week until November 19, 2009, when further DLC development was cancelled; Harmonix, while stating that Unplugged has "run through [its] planned state", has not ruled out future downloadable content but are presently focused on other Rock Band projects. There is no cross-compatibility between music libraries for Rock Band Unplugged and the console versions of Rock Band, nor any interaction with the PlayStation 3 version of either Rock Band game.
The songs included in the game are as follows:
Song title Artist Decade Genre Song length "3's & 7's" Queens of the Stone Age 2000s Alternative 03:34 "ABC" Jackson 5 1970s Pop/Rock 02:55 "Ace of Spades '08" Motörhead 1980s Metal 02:49 "Alive" Pearl Jam 1990s Grunge 05:40 "Aqualung" Jethro Tull 1970s Progressive 06:34 "Buddy Holly" Weezer 1990s Alternative 02:40 "Carry On Wayward Son" Kansas 1970s Progressive 05:26 "Chop Suey!" System of a Down 2000s Nu-Metal 03:30 "Come Out and Play (Keep Em Separated)" 1990s Punk 03:17 "De-Luxe" Lush 1990s Alternative 03:29 "Drain You" Nirvana 1990s Grunge 03:43 "Everlong" Foo Fighters 1990s Alternative 04:50 "Float On" Modest Mouse 2000s Indie Rock 03:28 "Gasoline" Audioslave 2000s Rock 04:39 "Holiday in Cambodia" Dead Kennedys 1980s Punk 04:38 "I Was Wrong" Social Distortion 1990s Punk 03:58 Siouxsie and the Banshees 1980s Pop/Rock 04:04 "Kryptonite" 3 Doors Down 1990s Rock 03:56 "Laid To Rest" Lamb of God 2000s Metal 03:50 "Less Talk More Rokk" Freezepop 2000s Pop/Rock 04:59 "Livin' on a Prayer" Bon Jovi 1980s Rock 04:12 "Message in a Bottle" 1980s Rock 04:50 Jimmy Eat World 2000s Pop/Rock 02:46 "Miss Murder" AFI 2000s Alternative 03:26 "More than a Feeling" Boston 1970s Classic Rock 04:45 "Move Along" All-American Rejects 2000s Emo 04:00 "Mr. Brightside" 2000s Alternative 03:42 "My Own Worst Enemy" Lit 1990s Pop/Rock 02:49 "Our Truth" Lacuna Coil 2000s Metal 03:47 "Painkiller" Judas Priest 1990s Metal 06:06 Nine Inch Nails 1990s Rock 05:15 "Pinball Wizard" 1960s Classic Rock 03:01 "Rock Your Socks" Tenacious D 2000s Rock 03:33 "Show Me the Way" Black Tide 2000s Metal 03:59 "Spoonman" Soundgarden 1990s Grunge 04:06 "Today" Smashing PumpkinsThe Smashing Pumpkins 1990s Alternative 03:19 Rush 1970s Progressive 04:54 "What's My Age Again?" Blink-182 1990s Punk 02:28 "Where'd You Go?" 1990s Alternative 03:27 "White Wedding, Part 1" Billy Idol 1980s Rock 03:30 "Would?" Alice in Chains 1990s Grunge 03:27
The songs included in the Rock Band Unplugged Starter Pack are as follows: Song title Artist Decade Genre "Everlong" Foo Fighters 1990s Alternative "ABC" Jackson 5 1970s Pop/Rock "Buddy Holly" Weezer 1990s Alternative "Ace of Spades '08" Motörhead 1980s Metal "What's My Age Again?" Blink-182 1990s Punk
Downloadable content Song title Artist Decade Genre Release dateSong length "Crushcrushcrush" Paramore 2000s Pop/Rock 03:05 "Feed the Tree" Belly 1990s Alternative 03:30 "Gimme Three Steps" Lynyrd Skynyrd 1970s Southern Rock 04:45 "Hysteria" Muse 2000s Alternative 03:46 "Inside the Fire" Disturbed 2000s Nu-Metal 03:37 "Just a Girl" No Doubt 1990s Pop/Rock 03:17 Thirty Seconds to Mars 2000s Pop/Rock 04:06 "Typical" Mutemath 2000s Alternative 04:12 "Under The Bridge" Red Hot Chili Peppers1990s Alternative 04:26 "Wonderwall" Oasis 1990s Rock 04:21 "Constant Motion" Dream Theater 2000s Progressive 06:57 "Sex Type Thing" Stone Temple Pilots 1990s Alternative 03:38 "Afterlife" Avenged Sevenfold 2000s Metal 05:36 "Dr. Feelgood" Mötley Crüe 1980s Metal 04:53 "Sin Wagon" Dixie Chicks 1990s Country 03:37 "Losing My Religion" R.E.M. 1990s Alternative 04:27 "Still Alive" GLaDOS and Jonathan Coulton 2000s Pop/Rock 02:57 "Here Comes Your Man" 1980s Alternative 03:17 "Pride and Joy" Stevie Ray Vaughan 1980s Blues 03:40 "My Curse" Killswitch Engage 2000s Metal 04:11 "My Iron Lung" Radiohead 1990s Alternative 04:39 "Casey Jones" Grateful Dead 1970s Classic Rock 04:24 "The Boys Are Back In Town (Live)" Thin Lizzy 1970s Classic Rock 04:27 "Funk #49" James Gang 1970s Classic Rock 04:10 "Smooth Criminal" Alien Ant Farm 2000s Rock 03:27 "Had a Dad" Jane's Addiction 1980s Alternative 03:49 "Renegade" Styx 1970s Classic Rock 04:18 "The Number of the Beast (Original Version)" Iron Maiden 1980s Metal 04:48 "The Trooper" Iron Maiden 1980s Metal 04:14 "Heartbreaker" Pat Benatar 1970s Classic Rock 03:31 "A Favor House Atlantic" Coheed and Cambria 2000s Progressive 03:15 "She's Not There" ZombiesThe Zombies 1960s Pop-Rock 02:23 "Black Sunshine" White Zombie 1990s Metal 04:13 "Lucid Dreams" Franz Ferdinand 2000s Alternative 03:32 "Riad N' the Bedouins" Guns N' Roses 2000s Rock 03:36 "I Stand Alone" Godsmack 2000s Nu-Metal 03:54 "Love Spreads" Stone RosesThe Stone Roses 1990s Alternative 05:48 "Bring Me to Life" Evanescence 2000s Nu-Metal 03:54 "Back from the Dead" Spinal Tap 2000s Rock 03:59 "Wake Up Dead" Megadeth 1980s Metal 03:40 "Flathead" FratellisThe Fratellis 2000s Alternative 03:17 "Monkey Wrench" Foo Fighters 1990s Alternative 03:56 "Lonely as You" Foo Fighters 2000s Alternative 04:41 "Know Your Enemy" Green Day 2000s Rock 03:12 "Red Barchetta" Rush 1980s Progressive 06:23 "Jeremy" Pearl Jam 1990s Grunge 05:13 "Headknocker" Foreigner 1970s Classic Rock 03:23 "The Rock Show" Blink-182 2000s Punk 02:52 "All I Want" OffspringThe Offspring 1990s Punk 01:55 "Kool Thing" Sonic Youth 1990s Alternative 04:07 "My Old School" Steely Dan 1970s Classic Rock 05:45 "Waking the Demon" Bullet for My Valentine 2000s Metal 04:08 "Toxicity" System of a Down 2000s Nu-Metal 03:45 "Excuse Me Mr." No Doubt 1990s Pop Rock 03:06 "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" Dropkick Murphys 2000s Punk 02:35 "California Über Alles" Dead Kennedys 1980s Punk DLC Week of 11/17 - AFI 5 Pack & The Bangles & Them Crooked Vultures Retrieved May 27, 2010.03:31 "You're No Rock N' Roll Fun" Sleater-Kinney 2000s Indie Rock 02:31
Currently, "Toxicity", "Under the Bridge", "Back from the Dead", and "Smooth Criminal" are no longer available through the PlayStation Network store.
Band Unplugged Lite On March 10, 2010, Rock Band Unplugged Lite was released on the PlayStation Network, which is a downloadable version of the game. The Lite version includes the 5 Starter Pack songs, but can accept all downloadable content (DLC). The in-game Music Store enables users to download any of the original Rock Band Unplugged songs for the same price as the existing downloadable songs. Original Rock Band Unplugged songs can only be purchased through the in-game Music Store, while additional DLC songs can be purchased from either the PlayStation Store or the in-game Music Store. The lite version was removed at one point from the PlayStation store.