Lego Rock Band Export in Pieces

Thousands of gamers flocked to purchase Lego Rock Band not for its interesting developer conglomerate, but rather for the ability to export the game’s 45 tracks for use with the generally more robust Rock Band and Rock Band 2. At a cost of 800 MS Points ($10), players can harness a one-use code to extract the games content for use in series precursors. Unlike previous track packs that provided a directly redeemable marketplace code, the Warner Brother’s published edition demands a slightly more longwinded approach. A packaged code (its insertion itself neglected by countless retailers)  to be exchanged via an external website for a separate digit stream which in turn acquires a licence key, its redemption then allowing a final 1.2gb file containing the track list to be piped down to your console.

Perhaps inevitably, as with most simple activities inexplicably drawn out, the system is in a current state of unease as evidenced by a number of tired posts on the official Rock Band forums. Customer response seems to suggest combined problems manifest in error codes, misaligned DLC privileges and a general, bumbling unhelpfulness via all official channels. At current there is no real pattern to an individual’s success or failure and users experiencing difficulty are recommended to hold tight, with no date given on a potential fix.

While not unreasonable to expect teething problems with any new release, the aggravating hold up plaguing hundreds of series obsessed fans seems a genuine product of a greedy publisher, keen to capitalise on the double purchase inevitably made by hordes of early adopters. The original Rock Band allowed a selection of songs to be exported regardless of disc purchase via a menu option and a nominal fee. However, Warner Brothers Interactive, in what seems a hopeful chase of double revenue, seem to have aimed for both an awkward user experience and lined pockets owing to Harmonix’s DLC obsessed followers, hitting at least one goal strike bang on the head.