Today, MTV and Harmonix figuratively streaked through E3, bearing all their private parts as they released the 84 song set list that will come with Rock Band 2.

We are not worthy.

The duo now have a stranglehold on the music game kingdom; new peripherals aren’t what’s going to win this battle, but rather the songs that will be included, if any of the names on the list provide any indication. I can hear Activision taking a crap in its pants.

The selection is more diverse in terms of the genre than the previous iteration. Just listing off a few of the band names: Disturbed, AC/DC, Beck, Tenacious D, and yes… Bob freakin Dylan! Oh yea, and regulars like Kansas, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rush, and Journey (as well as a few lukewarm ones like Linking Park and Jimmy Eat World). And to cap it all off, a single by the name of “Shacklers Revenge,” off of Gun’s and Roses’ much anticipated forthcoming album “Chinese Democracy”! Is that the sound of a tap out bell I hear? Here’s the knock-out punch:

They then went on to announce that all the original tracks form Rock Band 1, as well as your DLC, can be transfered over to Rock Band 2. And to put the icing on the cake, they wanted to include 100 total songs on the disc, but couldn’t fit them on. So coming up this fall, MTV will be releasing 20 master tracks to download, for free. So lets say that leaves us with a approximate total of 500. Ok, just tap out now!

All in all, this is a huge announcement for MTV and Harmonix–just when it looked like Guitar Hero was gaining ground, they get slapped down once again. It’s yet to be seen if there will be changes made to the Band World Tour Mode (maybe online?!?), or any other significant changes to the gameplay. Yet, while us music junkies hold our breath, we wait to see what the retaliatory blow from Acitivision will be.

From IGN