Wow - vacation, back injury, kids birthdays and preparing for travel doesn't leave me much time to blog.  But I am determined to get back into the habit, so here goes...

Guitar Hero II is everything I hoped it would be and more - a truly awesome combination of music and games and an entertainment experience that never gets old.

HOWEVER - the pricing (as decided by either Microsoft or Red Octane, I'm not sure which) of the additional downloadable songs via XBox Live Marketplace is totally out of whack.  For those of you who don't know, they've packaged up some of the songs from V1 into groups of three and are charging 500 points for them.  (about $6.25)  This has surprised and outraged many gamers (like myself) who were expecting MUCH lower prices - 100 points per song at the extreme top end, and much less per song for bundled packages.

I've decided to wait and see - I am not going to download any new (old) songs until the prices come down.  If they never do, then I'll just wait until the '80's edition comes out later this summer. 

RedOctane and/or Microsoft:  You guys are making a big mistake.  This pricing has turned an absolute home-run of a game, a game that gives you and OBVIOUS leg up on the PS3, into a source of frustration and anger from your most active fanbase.  These things should be FREE, or at least VERY cheap.  Make your fans happy and they will evangelize for you.  Make them angry and they will be your worst nightmare.

Tycho from Penny-Arcade said it best:

Guitar Hero II DLC Is Insulting And Ridiculous

The ability to extend Guitar Hero with downloadable songs was main reason I made the investment in the next-gen version.  Investment is the right word, too:  I choked down that ninety dollars with a lot of twisting and full-body spasms.  It was like an anaconda swallowing a sheep.  But the idea that I'd be able to snag expansions and classic tracks straight over the wire was some comfort. 

The pricing on these new songs is simply a bad call - and knowing that Guitar Hero III is going to hit in a few short months makes me wonder how valuable this stopgap content actually is.  Five hundred points (or $6.25, in human money) for a three song pack is the work of a diseased mind.  These things should be priced like gumballs, obvious to any person who passes by.  Bundle them together.  Something.  Something that would make me feel like less of an idiot for buying your product again.

I understand that the songs are now 5.1, and that they include the second track for co-operative play - it isn't just the old *** hurled up on the auction block.  The pricing is still extortionary, and I've bought my last track.