'Pac-Man Fever' Makes Rock Band 3 Debut, Renders All Past and Future DLC Irrelevant

There is no longer any reason to continue buying Rock Band 3 DLC. It's done. Music games are, from this day forth, no longer capable of improving themselves, and thus finished. Harmonix might as well pack up its collection of upcoming master tracks and charting tools and plunge them into a tire fire, because the greatest song ever written has finally made its Rock Band debut.

I am, of course, speaking of master songwriting duo Buckner and Garcia's monumental musical achievement, "Pac-Man Fever." Released by Rock Band Network production company Ozone Entertainment, the transcendentally gorgeous song comes alongside three of the group's lesser works, including the beautiful lamentation to the plight of the amphibian, "Froggy's Lament," the Asimovian sci-fi epic "Hyperspace," and "Mousetrap," which is presumably about some manner of mousetrap.

Each track costs 160 Microsoft points, or $2. Though RBN songs begin as exclusives on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 players typically get the most popular tracks in following weeks. Considering this song seems poised to break every download record Microsoft has ever tracked, it should be on the PS3 in no time.

Many have dismissed "Pac-Man Fever" as a mere novelty song derived from Ted Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" in a cynical ploy to capitalize on the booming arcade movement of the early 1980s. What those tone-deaf dilettantes fail to realize is that "Pac-Man Fever" is the greatest song ever written. What's that? Want proof? Such is the demand of an uneducated philistine. That's like asking for proof of the Mona Lisa's status as one of the world's greatest works of art, or Ghostbusters' reign as the greatest movie ever made. It is not to be challenged. It is simply understood.

For anyone interested in acquiring some "Pac-Man Fever"-related wares, be sure to keep an eye out on our various Twitter accounts and the Giant Bomb site. We might have a few goodies to give away in the relatively near future.

Oh, also released this week to the Rock Band 3 music store was some other crap that isn't "Pac-Man Fever." I think there were some Puddle of Mudd songs. Whatever. Let's all listen to "Pac-Man Fever" together and just pretend other music doesn't exist.

Never heard this song before but its catchy.

It's no "Centipede," but I'll take it.

THIS. IS. PAC-MAN!!

Rock Band 3 is fun, but I don't think I'd want to play this...

Giant Bomb best original song winner "Betus Blues" was also released this week. http://www.rockband.com/songs/UGC_5006336

Who is TheOzone?

This is my favourite Alex Navarro thing since that Big Rig game review on another site.

I'd be curious to see what week-to-week sales numbers on the RBN are like these days. Very curious indeed.

Pac Man Fever: Rock Band

We haven't gotten the greatest song ever written in RB. Lemme Smang It is not out.

Yet

@cbirdsong said:

Giant Bomb best original song winner "Betus Blues" was also released this week. http://www.rockband.com/songs/UGC_5006336

Oh shit, I completely forgot Danny B was making songs for this.

Maybe with RBN3 you'll be able to chart pro tracks, cause I can't play regular RB anymore. I got the Squier and all I play now are pro tracks.

@jorbear said:

Pac Man Fever: Rock Band

There's no colon, stylistically it's two pellets from a column of them. ;) /wakka-wakka

C'MON! C'MON!

C'MON! C'MON!

@cbirdsong said:

Giant Bomb best original song winner "Betus Blues" was also released this week. http://www.rockband.com/songs/UGC_5006336

Finally! So many tears of joy!

edit: Wait, wrong song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPeeEoiBWYk Baranowsky's still good, but I love Palsson more. :)

Oh man, I played the vinyl of that to death when I was a kid. Actually, I got a kick out of all the songs on that album. They used to play it all the time at the local arcade too. Great days, for sure!

I don't know if I can believe any of this, since Ghostbusters is not the greatest movie ever made.

Back to the Future is the best. There will be no debate.

This is the best article ever.

@Homeslice said:

This is my favourite Alex Navarro thing since that Big Rig game review on another site.

I love Rock Band, but this leaves me confused and sad. The same week as Puddle Of Mud too. Double sadness.

People still play music games? I got my fill with Guitar Hero 1.

Music games are, from this day forth, no longer capable of improving themselves, and thus finished.

Nope. Still waiting for Rush: Rock Band.

Giant Bomb best original song winner "Betus Blues" was also released this week. http://www.rockband.com/songs/UGC_5006336

Way too late. I lost interest in these games way before Rock Band 3 came out.

If this article is Buckner and Garcia approved, who are we to judge?

DRIVIN ME CRAZY!

I love Alex's passion for all this.

My Pac-Man Fever vinyl is still the gem of my record collection. It's the most beat up looking sleeve I own but the record still plays flawlessly.

Everyone knows the Super Mario Bros. Super Show Theme is way more hip than Pac-Man Fever.That's why it'll never show up on Rock Band 3.Brothers gonna work it out!

Best DLC sense Stan Bush's, "You Got the Touch" from Transformers animated movie. (though that was only on Guitar Hero I think and was FREE!). Looks like it was at least going to come to RBN. Don't know if it ever made it. http://www.rockbandaide.com/8069/sitting-down-good-the-touch-is-coming-to-rock-band/

I don't know if I can believe any of this, since Ghostbusters is not the greatest movie ever made.

Back to the Future is the best. There will be no debate.

I wish I wasn't old enough to remember this playing on the radio.  I also wish I could say I didn't have this as a single 45 record.  Unfortunately for me, as a child, I too had caught " The Pac-Man fever".  Incurable, as it turned out.

...wait, so this isn't ironic?

Bought the vinyl for $5 a week ago (I work at a record store). Best damn $5 I ever spent, if only for the kickass album art.

God damn I thought the Age of playing lame plastic instruments that cost $100 and pushing buttons on it pretending you are playing music was long over.  How is this rock band , hero stuff still going and getting music and how is this news? 
 
Hell it was stupid to play these music games when they was the frucking hot new thing for some reason that makes no sense kinda like how snooki and paris hilton are celebrities but have no talent or value of any kind or do anything fun or special.
 
(Note I saved $100 and the cost of downloading this and floor space by pushing buttons at random in beat to the song on a Nes controler that was not plugged in to anything and listening to a CD of this song while watching a trippy color screen saver and got the same amount of fun.)

Is Alex high?

Most of the time

Not my thing but I love the fact an entire article was written for one track.

This was a great read.

I had the LP when I was a kid. I wonder whatever happened to it.

I thought that this was interesting when announced previously, but when I heard the preview and it had the Pac-Man sound effects at the beginning, I was sold.

@MrCellophane said:

Is Alex high?

No, he's got Pac-Man fever.

The symptoms are the same, and the cure for both is eating ghosts.

The fever is back again.