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For those of you without a connection to Xbox Live, Harmonix is releasing a stand alone disc of some of its hit DLC today for Rock Band or Rock Band 2. For $30, twenty songs are included, which is $10 cheaper than downloading these tracks separately. Rock Band is not required to play this add on.

Rock out to the full setlist listed below.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Reviewer Tae K. Kim played both the Xbox Live and PSN versions of the game and found no discernible differences in the core gameplay. The PSN version does have remote play enabled so you can play it on your PSP, which is pretty sweet. But regardless of which platform you play it on, it's awesome.

The original Bionic Commando on the NES remains one of my favorite games of all time, so I was pretty geeked for Rearmed. After playing it, I'm happy to report that Capcom did me proud by delivering an awesome update to the classic game that's worth every penny of the purchase price.

I really hope other publishers who own classic franchises are paying attention: this is how you revitalize classic games to meet today's standards. Capcom basically went in and gave Bionic Commando the "Six Million Dollar Man" treatment: they rebuilt it with bigger and better technology. The graphics got a very noticeable facelift and the gameplay received all sorts of amazing tweaks. You still have to use your grappling hook to get places--I guess asking Capcom to incorporate a jump button and redesign all of the environmental puzzles was too much to ask for--but you now have access to a whole bunch of new tricks like being able to toss grenades and pick up objects with your claw to hurl them around.

The levels were also redesigned to include secret areas; if you played the original, you'll feel right at home but do a little exploring and you'll definitely be rewarded. The addition of timed challenges was also a nice touch and I can't wait to see the user videos showcasing expert claw techniques that are sure to crop up after the game's launch. Oh, and that's not even mentioning the cool 2-player co-op version, which I hope more classic games incorporate: co-op Mega Man, maybe?

Capcom really did a great job of walking the fine line between paying homage to the classic and moving in a new direction. Of course, Rearmed isn't perfect: the controls take some getting used to, the hacking mini-game's sort of lame, and the game is still brutally tough--curse you spiked floors!--but it's a great update that I heartily recommend to old school NES fans and new gamers alike.

Fun Factor: 4.00

PROS: An excellent update to a classic game. New graphics and gameplay tweaks are spot on.
CONS: The controls take some getting used to; difficulty is still fairly high.

As if the mere thought of another Rock Band so soon wasn't shock enough for you. How about the ability to have all the DLC added to your game as well as music from the original disc. This will push the set list for the game to an all time high, especially since Rock Band 2 will already have over 100 songs from an Unrivaled Blend of Classic, Developing and New Artists. This is big news for Harmonix and will definitely keep people happy since a lot of content was put on DLC for the first game. Also DLC will keep on flowing onto the market since they will be ported over to the next installment anyway, so don't expect them to slow down for one second on the albums and packs released on a weekly basis. Rock band 2 will also have an Upgraded World Tour, Battle of the Bands, Set Challenges and Drum Trainer which you should have know would have been added but the biggest addition is the ability to Compete Against Other Bands Online. This of course is a great inclusion to the franchise since last time around you could only play with others online, not compete head to head. I for one am truly excited to get a group of friends together to take on another set of people and rock their faces off.

There are a huge number of great downloadable games available for all three major platforms, but these titles are not as popular as traditional releases. Compared to retail products, there is little buzz for games on the Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network and Wii Channel. For example, with more than 12 million 360's sold this generation, it is astonishing how few downloads occur. Sales figures are not readily available, but for example, in the first week of sales, the top selling XBLA rhythm shooter, Rez, had only 25k downloads! Here are a few ideas to enhance the success of downloadable games:

1. Make the purchasing process painless: Microsoft point conversions confuse the consumer and do not have any benefit. Why can't Rock Band songs just be $1.99 instead of 250 points like they are on the PSN? A simple one-to-one conversion is the easiest way for consumers to make a well-informed purchase.

2. More advertising: Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony need to take it upon themselves and advertise downloadable games in magazines, online and television, similar to what we see with AAA releases like Halo, Metal Gear Solid and Super Smash Bros.

The gameplay in Go! Sports Skydiving is separated into two basic modes: formation and landing. In landing players try to land on a specific point and in formation gamers spin around with a team of up to three other skydivers making various formations like The Donut or The Unipod. Sounds simple enough until you remember that this game relies almost entirely on the Sixaxis controller, which is touchier than Jennifer Aniston when asked about Brad Pitt (Zing! - Ed) Even the slightest tap of the Sixaxis can send you off course in a big way, making precise movements painfully difficult. Even if you do have the hands of Michelangelo and master the sensitive controls, the game is hollow because there just isn't much left to do after you've pulled the cord. Each jump lasts a mere 1-2 minutes so unless you've played online, where you can load your score on a leaderboard, there's nothing to earn for your effort when you hit the ground.