Topic: rock band

[beo]

yeah, we've known about this one for a while, but it's not far off now and now there's some video of it in action:

OMG. WANT WANT WANT.

as someone who has had many drunken nights indulging in the singstar series, invested quite a few hours in guitar hero, and owns a set of drums, this looks like the perfect game. every game developer should stop what they are doing right now, BECAUSE NO ONE WILL PLAY ANYTHING ELSE EVER AGAIN. omg omg omg.

so, anyone else excited about this? what accessories do you see yourself investing in? i'm definitely getting the drums first off...

[NatchDan]

Holy Jebus!

[beo]

i should also note that since finding the above vid, i've read that it was leaked from some kind of developer conference and represents an early build of the game (and accessories), with a song that may not even be in the final version.

[Quemaqua]

Meh.  Why not just get a fucking band together?  I hate to sound like a dick, but I could never justify wasting time like that in a billion years.  Obviously this is because I'm a musician, so I guess it doesn't apply to anyone else necessarily, but... yeah, that just seems weird to me.  It's one thing to fiddle around with yourself or a friend, but it just seems really strange to suddenly involve more than 2 people.

[TheOtherBelmont]

My only gripes with the game is I don't see it being any fun unless you can have people to play it with all of the time, that's what's nice about Guitar Hero is I can play it by myself and don't have to rely on other people to get the full effect of the game.  The game is probably going to be ridiculously expensive too.   I probably won't get this because of those reasons, not to mention singing in a mic for a game is not happening with me.  The only thing that looks somewhat interesting is the drums.

[beo]

it's fantasy - i'm not good enough to succeed at any real level in a proper band. there's a massive difference between playing a game based around music, and actually playing music. it's akin to comparing playing quake to joining the army (well ok, not quite as extreme). someone in the joystiq thread which i ganked this from posted a link to a rather apt comic that i think addresses your point que.



at the end of the day, i think it will be immense amounts of fun, and when you've got a few people round, you can swap round who plays what to keep it exciting. i can honestly see myself and my friends playing this for hours at a time. my favourite mode in GH2 is co-op and this is just a massive extension of that.

the mic thing looks very similar to the way singstar works, and trust me, in a party environment, it's a lot of fun. it will be expensive to get the entire kit, but it will be entirely possible to play it single player with just one of the instruments (from what i understand). plus, and i'm not sure about this - the option to play online via xbox live could be immensly cool.

i'm sounding like a PR guy for this game, but since the original guitar hero game came out, i've been wishing for a drum version, and even joked about how they should do one with an entire band - so this is like my dream game. i never thought any company would be brave / stupid enough to make it, but i'm so glad they did. it will be ridiculously expensive to get the entire kit, but the child like excitement that seeps from my every pore just thinking about it suggests that i probably will.

[Quemaqua]

Well, like I said, my own thoughts don't apply to everyone.  Though to be fair, if people practiced playing real instruments as much as they did GH+GH2, they could play a lot of fucking stuff.  But it's no fun to learn the basics, which is why people don't.  You can know absolutely nothing and still get satisfaction out of GH or whatever, which is why people latch onto that instead of learning how to actually play something.  But that doesn't change the fact that if they put in the same amount of time with only that extra bit of effort to get over the initial suckage, they'd be able to play stuff just fine.  I don't put nearly as much time into playing my guitar lately as most of the GH addicts I know put time into playing the games.

Anyway, I guess most of the people I know personally who really like GH are also musicians, so if we all got together and starting playing Rock Band, I'd feel like an idiot and ask everyone what the fuck we were doing. Again, that doesn't apply to everybody, it just seems really strange to me.

[beo]

yeah, i can't really disagree with you in principle - but other than hammering skins in a rather eclectic fashion, my musical skills are limited, so something like this is great. i think all that really matters is how much fun it is, and despite the time wasted on guitar hero when i could be more productively learning guitar, it wouldn't be as much fun. the end result may be more satisfying, but when i'm having computer game time, i'm not trying to better myself, i'm going for escapism - and for many people who enjoy music, but suck at it, this is escapism into a world that they normally would never have access to, but always wished they did.

anyway, we all know it's a waste of time. isn't that what computer games are? i'm not disagreeing with you - if you were in a room full of people who could actually play instruments and sing, it might be a bit weird to play a game that is mearly mimicking those talents. although saying this, the two biggest GH freaks i know are accomplished guitar players - so there is obviously more appeal in there somewhere than pure immitation.

[Quemaqua]

I don't disagree with you either.  I mean, some people just aren't musical, and even some that are still find these games really fun.  I mean, I enjoy them too to an extent, it's just the guilt sets in for me after a while... so I dunno'.  But yeah, fun is something totally different, and while I find actual music a hell of a lot more fun, that's because I've taken the time to learn it (to some degree, anyway).  Before you do that, it's definitely not very fun.

[NatchDan]

So I poked around the wikipedia page for this today and apparently it's out on the 20th.

I'm excited. Anyone else? To address your points, Que, I've been trying to get a band together for months now. When I mentioned rock band, I got four people in five minutes. Two of those other people play an instrument - one drums, one just picked up bass (three days ago, to be precise) - but either don't have the skills or can't afford to join a band. The drummer has no kit - he's way more able to drop $50 on a game, which'll be just as fun as all the other GH games (ie almost illegally) than $500 on a basic kit.

</2c>

[idolminds]

Isnt Rock Band something like $180?

[shock]

160$ for PS2 version, 170$ for PS3/360 version.

I really like the concept, but the price is going to be a big hurdle.

[MysterD]

GameSpot
9.0 from GameSpot

GameSpot's major complaints are the price -- and this goes right along w/ it, that they have broken the microphone and the drum-pedal quite easily....

Other than that, they say it's basically like Guitar Hero, in style and w/ its type of gamemodes and all-- but the big difference is w/ the addition of the drums and vocal aspects. They also say it's one of the best party games ever made.

They say the drumming aspect's definitely the hardest part of the game.

Around 45-50 songs are in there, approximately.

GameSpy
Short Review
5 stars from GameSpy

GameSpy thought the drumset and mic pieces held up well, unlike GameSpot.
They complain there's no online mode and that the game for all four pieces is expensive.

GameSpy's Monster 11-Page Review/Guide here for Rock Band

[scottws]

A guy at work called every game-selling store in the city pretty much and they all basically said they sold out first thing this morning.

[MysterD]

A guy at work called every game-selling store in the city pretty much and they all basically said they sold out first thing this morning.

Hmmm...I'm curious how many copies of the Special Edition game stores will carry, since that basically comes w/ all three big pieces -- the mic, the guitar, and the drumset.

I'm guessing you can probably use your Guitar-Controller from GH games for this game?!?!?!
If so, you'd just have to buy the drum-set and mic, I'd guess.

EDIT:
Make it four pieces -- there's the bass, too...

[scottws]

Right, I should have stated he was looking for the big bundle.  The stores had copies of just the game.

[NatchDan]

We learned on release day that Canada now has to wait another month. Fucking... Fuck.

[MysterD]

GameTrailers
9.3 from GameTrailers.

Regular written review there
Video review link at the very bottom of that page

[MysterD]

Oh, this is funny...Activision's calling out Harmonix for the incompatibility issues w/ the game-guitars...

Namely since originally, Harmonix called out Activision for such issues.

[PyroMenace]

K-Man and I have frequented wal-marts here in town because they have the game there to try out. Both wal-marts we went to the drum kits were busted, typical.

[MysterD]

K-Man and I have frequented wal-marts here in town because they have the game there to try out. Both wal-marts we went to the drum kits were busted, typical.

That sucks.

I do recall G-Spot mentioning it's very easy to break the pedal on the drum kit.
And that the mic can get messed-up easily and not  accept sounds correctly, either.

[NatchDan]

Fucking balls this game is awesome. srsly.

I will never understand why Que likes GH but hates the idea of this, but we're playing through it with 3 (2 when the missus is at work). I was the drummer and then the singer, and the difficulty curve is perfect. The difficulty system on vocals is cool - lower levels of autotune the harder you choose. The new guitar takes a little getting used to, but as my buddy said:

"It's like Windows XP. It takes some getting used to and at first you hate it, but then you realise - it's softer."

The only problem we had was that EVERY SINGLE "mystery" setlist we played was "Creep" followed by "Maps".

[Quemaqua]

I don't like GH and hate the idea of RB.  I don't find the concept all that appealing in either case, really, hence why I don't own them.  I got GH well out of my system just playing it a couple times at a friend's house.  It just seems even more ridiculous with RB because then not only am *I* wasting time simulating music when I could be making it, I'm dragging a couple of other people into it with me when we may as well be spending the time practicing actual songs and feeling like we actually accomplished something.  I don't begrudge anyone the raw entertainment value they provide, especially if they aren't particularly musically inclined (or if they're like you Dan and are just completely all about music and it's just another way for them to get music in there), I just feel like a dipshit whenever I take part.  My life affords me very little time to do all the things I want to do, and a lot of them are already entertainment to one degree or another.  I just can't rationalize simulating one thing that I already find entertaining with a shallow facsimile of the actual item, and even less so because I already don't practice the actual item even a fifteenth as much as I should.

[NatchDan]

Okay, that makes more sense. Admittedly I do produce more music than the average joe, (though far, far, far less than FAWMer Tim Wille). Still, from what I gathered from playing today, RB is a far better instructional tool than GH. You're not gonna learn guitar, no. But it'll show you exactly where your vocals need tweaking and how, and it's actually a kickass fun way to learn genuine drum parts. Sure, the drumkit layout is odd, but you're basically there. I am saying this also as a drummer's son who has been a learner a while.

[Quemaqua]

That may be true... haven't really tried it.  My issue is more the whole getting multiple people in the same room to do something with music.  I guess I feel like if I got that far, I should do something better with it.

[PyroMenace]

Well a friend came over the other night and brought Rock Band over. We played the whole night, it was a lot of fun. I would like to buy it, however I dont think I can justify paying 160$ for it because I think the equipment has some issues. The drum kit works just fine however the klaking noise it makes is extremely obtrusive to the gameplay and I think a sound dampening kit would be a necessity and thats like an extra 20$. Also the guitar that comes with it I do not like... at all. The fret buttons dont feel as good and the strum bar is really stiff and becomes more difficult to use for quicker note strumming. I am considering picking up a guitar hero controller and the Rock Band game itself for the 360 cause theres a lot of good music in this Id love to play. Plus I really enjoyed the world tour setup its got going on.

[NatchDan]

This is STILL NOT FUCKING OUT IN THE FUCKING UK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD EA

[beo]

This is STILL NOT FUCKING OUT IN THE FUCKING UK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD EA

this.

also, have you seen the price here? depending on where you buy from, both the game and accessories cost between £140 and £170 ($280 - $340). not really sure how it's justified that we pay double. people blame VAT, but that stands at 17.5%. oh yeah - there's always the shipping, apart from the fact that i could buy it from america on ebay, ship it here and it would still cost less.

i need this game, but feel like i'm willingly accepting rape if i pay these prices. if i could somehow steal it, i would have no qualms in doing so.

grrrrr.

[Ghandi]

Remember that fucking tea tax you guys put on us? Yeah.....payback is a bitch.

[W7RE]

I went out of town to stay with a friend for about a week not too long ago, and he had Rock Band. It was a fucking blast to play. Most of the time it was me on guitar (he suggested I use his GH guitar instead of the RB one), my friend on vocals, and his roommate on drums. When I was bored after he went to bed or whatever, I would do random songs with the guitar by myself. My biggest gripe would be that while it definitely seems like the better game, just because of the multiplayer/multi-instrument aspect and customization, Guitar Hero 3 has a hell of a lot better song list (for my taste at least). I guess I just never got into a lot of the classic rock that RB seems to have.

It's too bad it costs so much, but with the equipment you get, I can see why it does.

[NatchDan]

I prefer the Rock Band song list to every other game so far, but that's just my taste.

[PyroMenace]

Well I finally broke down and pretty much updated my GH stuff. I bought a wireless 360 les paul controller, that came with Guitar Hero 3 and then I picked up Rock Band, just the game itself, not any of the accessories with it. The controller feels freakin perfect, waaay better than the Rock Band one and it looks rather snazzy too. Now I spent some time with both of the games. I'm already pretty familiar with GH3, I started the career mode on expert and tried that out. Expert on GH3 is less merciful than what Rock Band throws at you, but I think somehow Rock Band feels more natural than GH3. GH3 throws these unnecessary tricky double and triple frets at you just to be more difficult while Rock Band's note layout ties better with the song. The biggest differents and what really separates the two is just the sound difference. Rock Band's sound is leaps and bounds better than GH3, its more clearer and has more volume, while GH3 can sound a bit muffled sometimes. I ended up downloading some songs for GH3 and was disappointed in how they compared to Rock Bands stuff, in fact I think Im going to stay clear of GH3s DLC from now on plus its more expensive. They had some Def Leppard songs released, they were live versions which sucked, but I took a chance on it anyway since I cant even preview the fucking thing which was another red flag, needless to say after listening to it, it was pretty bad. So lesson learned: Rock Band >>>>> GH3. Even if your just purchasing Rock Band to play with a guitar controller it blows GH3 out of the water. 

[MysterD]

Well, this looks like a nasty issue for Rock Band 2 on the X360.

I guess many people are having trouble, since the game might have a bug that'll just wipe out your band's career in World Tour Mode.

[MysterD]

No new Rock Band game planned for 2009