Blog: The Video Game
Do you like video games? Do you also like reading? Well, that means you're in the minority. But it also means you're the perfect candidate to be a regular visitor to Blog: The Video Game. It's about new games, game news, gamer culture and love.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
'The Who Rock Band' imminent?
There's a rumor going around about many different Rock Band games in the wake of The Beatles Rock Band's success. There's been talk of U2 Rock Band and Queen Rock Band. Now, there's a rumor going around that The Who Rock Band is going to happen. What gives the rumor some clout? It was started by Roger Daltrey, the lead singer of The Who.
According to Joystiq, Daltrey told The Republican, "The game, yeah, yeah, they're going to be doing a Who one next year. There is one planned."
Very interesting. Can we PLEASE have full downloadable Who albums now?
Leading up to the release of The Beatles Rock Band, Dhani Harrison, one of the game's designers and son of George Harrison, talked about how the experience of the game led some testers to tears. The game was a tribute so touching, that even veterans of the music industry began to tear up. Me, the cynic, didn't buy it. I love The Beatles, but come on. It's a video game. It can't be that emotional.
And then I played it.
OK, let's get the technicals out of the way, first. There's nothing innovative as far as the basic instruments go. If you've ever played Rock Band or Guitar Hero, you'll know what to do. The harmonies are certainly a nice addition, especially if you're like me and switch between singing Paul's part and John's part in the middle of the song. Also, if you've got some friends who can really harmonize, you're set.
The game takes you through the career of The Beatles, from the Cavern Club to the Ed Sullivan Theatre to the studio and, finally, to the roof. Unlike previous Rock Band games, there's no flexibility in the game's animated sequences. There's no room for a guy with a mohawk and mustache wearing flannel to sing "Yellow Submarine." That's Ringo's job.
Every song, likeness, and animated sequence is treated with guarded reverence. As a matter of fact, the game is so peaceful and smiley that it's hard to imagine John Lennon ever frowning or any of the four of them ever having an unpleasant moment.
But aside from mild deification, the game's bias leans toward a message that The Beatles were always in favor of: love. The game isn't, "You, the rock star, sky rocket to success." This is a game where you study the various eras of The Beatles. Meanwhile, the entire experience is blanketed by love.
There are enough extras to give any Beatles fanatic an excuse to buy the game, and the achievements really push you to get the most out of the game. And, of course, there's the promise of fully downloadable albums in the future, with Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper's, and Rubber Soul already announced, so the replay value is excellent.
I mentioned that I, too, found this game emotional. It's hard to describe, really, but all throughout "Dear Prudence," a smile was inexplicably plastered on my face. As the song ended, I sighed a breath of wistfulness, as though I was there when The Beatles broke up.
It's a beautifully designed game and a wonderful experience. I'm already itching for DLC. Hopefully, they'll let us have a turn at some of those solo albums (I'm looking at you, Ram).
There's a certain amount of rock 'n' roll sacrilege that occurs when making games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero. In earlier games, there are terrible covers of Rush songs. More wrong, perhaps, are the use of a deceased rock star's likeness in a game, as Guitar Hero has done with Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, and Kurt Cobain (of course, one could make the exact same arguments for Rock Band in the case of George Harrison and John Lennon despite the involvement of The Beatles and their families in the game's development).
However, one of the most delightful and heartwarming examples of rock stars in video games was brought to light today for the upcoming game, Lego Rock Band. Making his video game (and Lego) debut is Iggy Pop. According to Jeux Video, he'll be in the game singing his song "The Passenger." And boy, does he look good.
I know it's silly, but I can't wait for this game. In other Rock Band news, expect a review of Beatles Rock Band soon.
Hey there readers (who I have neglected severely). Do you know what this day is? It's the ever elusive 9/8/09, which means we're mere hours away from the release of 'The Beatles: Rock Band.'
So here's my question for you, dear reader. Are you for or against the virtual Beatles?
I'll be picking it up soon, so expect a review at some point this month.
OK, we get it, you're excited about Guitar Hero: Van Halen. Who isn't? But hey, there's always another, more Rock Band-y option (that doesn't include The Beatles).
According to a press release, the Rock Band Metal Track Pack will be released as a stand-alone disc for all consoles on Oct. 13. Here's the track list:
1. All That Remains - Two Weeks 2. At the Gates - Blinded By Fear 3. Black Tide - ShockWave 4. Blue Öyster Cult - Transmaniacon MC 5. Bullet For My Valentine - Waking the Demon 6. Children of Bodom - Are You Dead Yet 7. Evile - Thrasher 8. Godsmack - I Stand Alone 9. The Haunted - D.O.A. 10. Hawkwind - Master Of The Universe 11. I Mother Earth - Levitate 12. In This Moment - Forever 13. Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance 14. Lacuna Coil - Closer 15. Lamb of God - Laid to Rest 16. Motörhead - Killed by Death 17. Nazareth - Hair of the Dog 18. Queens of the Stone Age - 3’s & 7’s 19. Rage Against The Machine - Bulls On Parade 20. Yngwie Malmsteen - Red Devil
Whoa! Nazareth, Motörhead and Rage Against The Machine on one disc? They really did their best to cover all their bases. Any glaring omissions?
There are a few games coming out this year that I'm excited about. But honestly, perhaps the most exciting game of the year is The Beatles Rock Band. Sure, it's just another Rock Band game in a way, but it adds the option of singing harmonies, it has a lot of great animations and, well come on, it's The Beatles.
A few new videos of songs from the game. Each one demonstrates the "dreamscapes" from the game. Check them out right here:
In lieu of the news of a Beatles game coming within the next year, the people at Harmonix are taking a bold step away from a typical pattern. According to Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopolous, they aren't releasing a sequel to Rock Band 2 this next year.
Rock Band 2 was released a year after the original game came out. The game only expanded on a few initial problems with the original title, but the game has stayed fresh since its release with weekly downloadable content.
Personally, I'm happy to see that The Beatles game will go unrivaled by another Rock Band and am also happy to see the franchise taking a break. The game won't get any less fun without a sequel if Harmonix just keeps our attention with more downloadable content. I only wish Guitar Hero would take the hint and take a hiatus for a while as well. Each franchise is just going to get repetitive and stale if they just keep releasing game after game. Here's to you, Harmonix, on a brave step.
Every important musician has had their own video game: Michael Jackson, Shaquille O'Neil, C+C Music Factory - everybody! So it's about time that the most important band of all time jumped on board.
With a blessing from Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, Apple Corps., MTV and Harmonix have all joined forces to create a Beatles based music game. It'll be ready for the holidays in 2009. A few details are known about the game
- It samples The Beatles entire catalog, from the first album to the last. - It is absolutely not a Rock Band title. - But it will be compatible with Rock Band peripherals. - No specifics on it, but "visual imagery" is a big part of the title. - Tracks are based on UK releases (nerd translation: the US releases of some Beatles albums omitted songs or remixed them to better fit the album, meaning these are the un-tampered versions). - No set console...yet.
This could feasibly be a Rock Band sized game dedicated entirely to The Beatles. Wow. And you were excited about Rock Band: AC/DC.
For those about to rock, please make your way to Wal-Mart's electronics section.
That's right, for those of you lying awake at night, worrying about whether or not AC/DC or some other band will ever make it to Rock Band or Guitar Hero, the wait is over. The New York Times reports that Wal-Mart has exclusive rights to sell an AC/DC Track Pack for Rock Band. That's right, this isn't downloadable content. It's a physical disc to put in your house, seperate from the rest of the Rock Band world.
So here's the problem. Every other song in the Rock Band sphere is compatible with both games, making Rock Band the best backwards-compatible music game out there. You downloaded an entire album on Rock Band? You can get that and all of your other songs onto Rock Band 2. It's great. Activision never quite grasped that, releasing game after game, never getting the satisfaction of every Guitar Hero song on one disc (yet). No, they came up with Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s and the upcoming Guitar Hero: Metallica on top of their regular run.
And now Rock Band is just doing the same thing. Maybe they got desperate for AC/DC and Wal-Mart wouldn't ease up on the rights, so MTV had to strike a deal. Fair enough, I guess. Still, I hope the thing ends up as an imported download instead of its own game (see also iTunes gift cards). That way, you could still buy it would still be Wal-Mart exclusive but still keep the Rock Band 2 title all-encompassing.
"Who's Next" Not Being Released for Rock Band, Evan Disappointed
I love Who's Next. It's my favorite album by The Who. Upon initially hearing the news of the album being included as downloadable content for Rock Band, I was giddy (you can read my giddiness in action here).
But they couldn't get all of the master tracks, so they're releasing a greatest hits compilation instead. OK, fine. Whatever. If that's what they have to do, that's OK. But we were so close! I don't necessarily want their biggest hits or Townshend's favorites or anything like that - I want to be able to play my favorite album in its entirety in video game format. I'm a record collector and there's a lot to be said about an entire album from front to back. This album is a classic. It's much better than The Cars by The Cars or Doolittle by Pixies. I just wanted for it to happen so I could sing "The Song is Over" while my friends played the drums at my side. Is that so much to ask? And that's the end of my whining rant. Here's what is being released, including a few tracks from Who's Next.
“Amazing Journey” “Baba O'Riley” “Behind Blue Eyes” “Eminence Front” “Going Mobile” “Leaving Here” “My Generation” (LIVE) “Real Good Looking Boy” “Sea & Sand” “Summertime Blues” (LIVE) “Who Are You” “Young Man Blues” (LIVE)
Each track will cost $2 individually or $19 for the entire thing. I'll probably get most of them, but I'm still disappointed. You can read a lengthy love poem from me to Who's Next at my other blog.
According to the band, their track "Saints of Los Angeles" sold five times better on the game than it did on iTunes, Amazon.com, and other music retail sites.
I suppose this makes sense. On Rock Band, the song is a challenge. It's not a piece of art, but a level on a video game. People are more interested in the game than the Crüe.
That's right - Mick, Vince, Nikki and Tommy are releasing a brand new song exclusively on Rock Band. Mötley Crüe, baby!
If you were wondering, I really don't care much for them. Really, the only hair metal band song that I ever really, legitimately got into was "Photograph" by Def Leppard. "Saints of Los Angeles" released yesterday on the Xbox Live Arcade and will release tomorrow on the PLAYSTATIONStore. The song will join the likes of "Simple Man" by Skynyrd, "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, and "Call Me" by Blondie. "Saints of Los Angeles" marks the first song to be debuted on Rock Band.
I'd make a "Kickstart My Heart" pun, but it's way too early for that.
Nyko Rocks Out...with peripherals...so I guess they don't really rock out at all...
In November, Nyko released some peripherals for the Wii, the Perfect Shot and Net Connect. The former is a hollow gun that will tote your Wiimote (see the Wii Zapper) while the latter is a peripheral that allows Wii users to connect to the Internet with an ethernet cable (no wireless, no problem). Well, those suckers are at it again with the Frontman guitar. Not unlike the wireless guitar they released for the PS2 editions of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II, the new controller is compatible for the PS3 versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. There's even a little switch that flips between Rock Band mode and GHIII mode, so your PS3 won't get confused. Aww.
I'm no expert with Nyko. They make some handy little devices that make gaming life a little easier - like the Net Connect or the Wii Charge Station - but this controller will cost you $59.99. If you only have one game or the other, I wouldn't waste my money, but this controller could come in handy if you have each game and need a second guitar.
But do these things work better? Do they increase your rocking potential? Just wondering.
Here's to you, Nyko - picking up the slack for inconviences across the gaming world.
Hey "Rock Band" aficionados - ever have this problem? Looks like somebody's been rocking out a bit too hard! Well now is your chance to fix that, thanks to a kid who made some tools in his dad's workshop. Thanks to Derek Brown, the head of DB enterprises (and high school junior) has become an entrepreneur of sorts. After breaking his own "Rock Band" bass drum pedal (with his rocking), Brown managed to fix it instead of sending it in to EA for them to deal with it. Now, he has three pretty cool looking pedal plates that will suit your cause perfectly. You can buy them on Amazon.com for $15-$30. Check them out here.
And now, I will find a way to make the Wiimote shoot lasers. I'll be rich, I tell ya!
Evan Minsker is a journalism major at Columbia College Chicago. Evan has over 12 years of experience in the video game reviews/news field, reporting alongside numerous Minskers and McElroys. He is still terrible at "Halo."
