MTV and Harmonix have announced a release date for their highly anticipated title, Rock Band 3. The sequel will be hitting store shelves for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Nintendo DS on October 26, 2010, just in time for the developer to use the term "Rocktober" - a major plus for the company's PR team. It's like they've stumbled upon a pre-made advertising campaign. 

On top of that, the developers have revealed some pre-order incentives, as if you needed an excuse to put money down towards the sequel. Gamestop shoppers will find themselves getting three pieces of DLC at launch ("Burning Down the House" by Talking Heads, "My Own Summer" by Deftones, and "Blue Monday" by New Order), Amazon shoppers will get a $10 coupon towards another game purchase and an in-game guitar, and Wal-Mart-ers will walk away with a $10 eGift card.

The full press release is below, but, to be honest, I'm pretty sure I covered it all here. You can read the text below and try to prove me wrong, but on a slow news day like today, I take pride in the fact that I was able to reword the press release to make it shorter, smarter, and sexier.

MTV Games and Harmonix Announce Rock Band 3 Pre-Order Campaigns at GameStop, Wal-Mart and Amazon

Pre-Order Rock Band 3 Now and Receive Great Promotional Offers Including Exclusive Downloadable Content and Credit Toward Future Purchases

NEW YORK, NY – July 19, 2010 - MTV Games, a part of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), and Harmonix Music Systems Inc. today announced consumer pre-order opportunities with major North American retailers GameStop, Wal-Mart and Amazon for the highly anticipated Rock Band 3.

With more than 30 awards and nominations following its impressive E3 2010 debut, including multiple Best Music and Best Casual/Social game accolades, Rock Band 3 will feature an incredible 83-song setlist and access to far more music than any other music game, as well as innovative new gameplay modes and instruments. The game will ship on October 26, 2010 in North America for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft (MSRP: $59.99), PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system (MSRP: $59.99), the Wii system from Nintendo (MSRP: $59.99), and Nintendo DS (MSRP: $29.99).

GameStop Pre-order* Opportunity:

GameStop shoppers who reserve Rock Band 3 for PlayStation 3 system or Xbox 360 in advance receive three downloadable Rock Band songs at launch:

· Burning Down the House by Talking Heads

· My Own Summer by Deftones

· Blue Monday by New Order

Amazon Pre-order* Opportunity:

Amazon shoppers who reserve Rock Band 3 for PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360 and Wii in advance will receive access to an exclusive in-game guitar. Additionally, for a limited time only, PlayStation 3 system and Xbox 360 owners who pre-order Rock Band 3 in advance on Amazon will receive $10 off a future videogame purchase.

Wal-Mart Pre-order* Opportunity:

Walmart.com shoppers who reserve Rock Band 3 for PlayStation 3 system, Xbox 360 and Wii in advance will receive a $10 eGift card for a limited time.

Developed by Harmonix, the world's premier music videogame company, published by MTV Games, and distributed by Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), Rock Band 3 will ship simultaneously worldwide in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other territories. Rock Band 3 will be compatible with all Rock Band™ and The Beatles™: Rock Band™ peripherals, as well as most Guitar Hero® and third-party instrument and microphone controllers. Mad Catz is the official peripheral manufacturer and distributor for Rock Band 3 game controllers.

The Rock Band platform stands next to none in music content, with 2000 songs scheduled to be available at the launch of Rock Band 3, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC and Green Day - all exclusive to Rock Band. With more choices for fans than any other music-based videogame, Rock Band is, without question, the industry leader in providing the best selection of interactive musical content, songs and artists. Rock Band pioneered offering content in a variety of ways, through on-disc gameplay, game export, downloadable content and the Rock Band Network. The Rock Band platform allows fans to interact with their favorite music in a unique and hands-on way, as well as giving artists the ability to reach fans through a whole new channel.

For more information on Rock Band 3, art and video assets, please visit http://www.rockband.com/press.

*Conditions and restrictions apply. Please see retailer for details.