BIT. TRIP Beat is a pong type game for the iPhone/iPad. The game challenges players to hit an object with a paddle as the object is streaming towards them. As the beat hits the paddle, music is created. The more balls the player can stop from getting by the more points they will earn.

The beat that is flying towards the player represents the beats of the music. Each beat that is deflected will create a song. The player tilts the iPhone/iPad to align the paddle with the beat to deflect the beat and create a song. The paddle easily moves, so the device does not need to be tilted that much. It is easy to tilt the device too much and have the paddle go all the way to the top or bottom of the screen, which causes the player to miss the beat. It took a bit of play time to get use to the control mechanism.

If enough beats are not deflected, the player is in danger of losing. The screen will go gray and the player needs to start deflecting more beats or they will lose the game. If the player manages to deflect the next beats, the screen will return to normal and the game will continue.

The graphics in the game are basic, but the game is about building music. The beat is represented by a square on the screen and as the game gets more difficult, there are more and more squares on the screen.

Over all, the game is entertaining, but challenging. The controls are sensitive and it can be hard to get the paddle to deflect the beat. BIT.TRIP Beat is unique and combines pong and music simulation games into one. It may sound like a strange idea for a game, but it works. If you are into arcade style games, check out BIT.TRIP Beat in the Apple App store.

THQ announce the release of Beat City for the Nintendo DS. Beat City consists of twenty different mini-games where players have to keep the beat to restore the city.

Each mini-game requires players to use the stylus to tap, swipe or hold the beat. Players follow the beat to try and score a high star rating. Each time a player completes a mini-game they get closer and closer to restoring Beat City. The city has been destroyed by Dame Isolde Minor and her Cacophony Corporation. Players need to get Dame Isolde Minor and her Cacophony Corporation out of the city, since they bring nothing but dull monotony to the place.

If you like music simulation games and own a Nintendo DS, check out Beat City at any of the major retailers.

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Deep Silver Inc. announced the release of DJ Star for the Nintendo DS. DJ Star is a music simulation game that allows players to imitate their idols and become a DJ star themselves.

Just like the real world, players start out playing small gigs and working their way to larger and larger venues. Players work their way up in the career mode setting. Players travel to super clubs around the world to spin their discs and try and become the best DJ the world has ever seen. Players scratch using the Nintendo DS touch screen and will be scratching to more than 40 well known songs from genres of electro, R&B, and more. If players get stuck or just need a break from scratching, there are mini-games to play as well.

If you are interested in being a DJ, check out DJ Star in your local retail store.

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LoudCrowd.com is a site for people who enjoy music and enjoy playing games set to music. The music is not bad, but it may not be to everyone’s taste. The music does fit the games, though. The point of the games is to get as many points as you can. 

Each game has a certain amount of points the player needs to attain. The game can be played more than once to attain all of the points needed. The points are accumulated until you reach the allotted point value. Once the point value has been reached, the player will get the prize. Each game has different prizes associated with them. The prizes are new music tracks, clothes for your avatar or shoes for the avatar.

Players gain points by spinning records. There is a paddle that rotates along the outside of the record and players have to collect dots as they fly from the center of the record. There are four different difficulty modes, beginner, skilled, expert and crazy. There are also bonuses that make your paddle bigger and hinderences that make the paddle smaller.

LoudCrowd provides a social network element, as well. Users have profiles they can create. The profiles allow users to enter a web site they have such as my space or twitter. All things that can show other people what you are interested in.

If you are into music and like games set to music, check out LoudCrowd. Players can create an account for free and hang out with other people who enjoy music games and music.

Music games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band have been very popular with gamers of all types, but they can be expensive for the companies that produce the games. Activision Blizzard pays a blanket license fee of $20,000 per song in the game and hopes they can make up the money in sales of the game. So far they have been able to recoup their costs with game sales, but Acclaim thinks they have a better method.

Acclaim is getting ready to release Rockfree, a flash-based massive multi-player online (MMO) music game. The game mechanics are similar to Rock Band or Guitar Hero, but the song licenses are different. Acclaim is not paying a whopping $20,000 license fee. Rockfree gives players three free slots to upload their music. If a player wants more than three slots, they can pay a monthly subscription fee of 99 cents.

Acclaim has worked out a deal with the music industry to give the publisher and the song artist 20% of the microtransaction split evenly. Acclaim estimates the 20% of the microtransactions will amount to $14 per month per subscriber.

Definitely an interesting model. Intead of paying a huge flat fee for a bunch of licensed songs, Acclaim can now pay the artists and publishers a small percentage of the sale. If their predictions are right, it could lead to more money for the music industry than a flat fee. It will be interesting to see if this model will work or not.

Thanks VentureBeat