$170 for PS3+360 on 11/23
$160 on PS2 on 12/10http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/22/rock-band-to-perform-on-ps2-hits-europe-in-2008/
PS2 version is set to launch alongside the 360 and PS3.
Europe gets the game in 2008.
Complete song list as of now, new songs bolded:
1960s
"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
1970s
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
"Mississippi Queen" by Mountain (non-original recording)
"Suffragette City" by David Bowie
"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath (non-original recording)
"Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult
"Blitzkrieg Bop" by The Ramones
"Highway Star" by Deep Purple
1980s
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush (non-original recording)
"Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash
"Epic" by Faith No More
1990s
"Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters
"Enter Sandman" by Metallica
"In Bloom" by Nirvana
"Vasoline" by Stone Temple Pilots
"Say It Ain't So" by Weezer
"Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Creep" by Radiohead
"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys
2000s
"Main Offender" by The Hives
"Go With the Flow" by Queens of the Stone Age
"Reptilia" by The Strokes
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet"Here It Goes Again" by OK Go
"The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails
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Potentially an April Fools I guess, but I don't see USA Today doing that kind of thing.
Edit - Chris Kohler did mention a couple days ago that this announcement was coming Monday morning. This is real I'd say.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2007-04-01-rock-band_N.htm
Guitar Hero was just the opening act. MTV and the developers of that video game have a headliner in the works called Rock Band, which lets four music lovers gig together in person or online.
Expected in stores for the year-end holidays, the Electronic Arts game (no price set) for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 will be played with four instrument-based video game controllers: two guitars (lead and bass), a drum kit and a microphone.
In the popular game Guitar Hero, players tap color-coded fret keys and strum a guitar-shaped controller in time with scrolling on-screen notes. Rock Band "takes the core premise of Guitar Hero and expands it tenfold," says Alex Rigopulos, co-founder of Harmonix, which developed the game and the Karaoke Revolution games. "It lets you create a complete collaborative band."
MTV is supplying creative and financial support to Rock Band's development, as well as helping make deals with various music publishers.
That means Rock Band will have performances by the original artists. In most previous music games, almost every song is done by a cover band. For Rock Band, some labels plan to supply original recordings. "This game offers a meaningful way for labels to participate in a segment of entertainment they, for the most part, have not been able to," MTV's Jeff Yapp says.
The songs on the new game haven't been revealed yet. Current games include the Allman Brothers, Joan Jett, Kansas, Nirvana and Wolfmother. "We'll be covering a great breadth, from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between," Rigopulos says.
Online connectivity is a key to the game. The developers envision additional songs for online purchase beyond those in the retail version. And players need not be together to jam. "You could have one guitarist in Germany and another one in Texas, a drummer in New York and a singer from somewhere else, and they can play together online," EA's David DeMartini says.
The music game phenomenon continues its crescendo. 2005's Guitar Hero and this year's Guitar Hero II (both for the Sony PlayStation 2) are top sellers, having sold about 3 million copies total, according to The NPD Group. Research firm Interpret says about 6.8 million have played Guitar Hero II.
A version of the game for Microsoft's Xbox 360 is in stores on Tuesday ($90), and Hands-On Mobile today is expected to announce a cellphone version.
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter expects music gaming to grow. "Socially interactive musical games will work well, especially if they have a 'party game' aspect to them," he says. Rock Band "could definitely expand the game demographics."
Sounds pretty sweet, but I'm worried about the price tag if it comes with 4 controllers, and how single player is going to work.
Posts
Here's hoping that the voice quality is rock solid if you're playing online, since they'd probably have to keep the quality at a moderate rate to decrease lag, right?
So, yeah, I am firing on all dicks if it's true.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
Electronic composer for hire.
That's why it mentions that online connectivity is a big part of the game.
Also, I wish it wasn't april 1st so I wasn't skeptical about this. Amazing if true though.
Online play.
edit: Damn, beaten.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
I could see a thriving hardcore community of amateur musicians, or people who just like Guitar Hero already. I don't think you'd have a very hard time finding three other people online.
If they sold the instruments separately, odds are it'll be impossible to find a half-decent drummer though.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
The drum is the most exciting instrument for me. I've played the Guitar Hero guitar to death, I want to try something new. I just hope they do the drums right.
Oh, and I do not looking forward to hearing the microphone component of this game when I am playing online.
I was making a drummer joke. But yeah, I'm thinking that a lot of really, really terrible singers are gonna be online. I can tell you already, that if I ever do any singing, I will sing every single song as if it was performed by ArnoCorps. Also, another joke:
Q.) What do you call a guy who hangs out with three musicians?
A.) A drummer.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
Oh wait, 360/PS3. Ech... I guess I won't be playing this for a while.
And Harmonix aren't strangers to non-cover banded songs... everything in Harmonix and Amplitude was by the original artists.
Then again, that probably had something to do with Sony's pull.
Wait, Electronic Arts? Oh, goody.
Maybe because EA couldn't micropayrape Wii owners? I dunno.
I don't know what the Wii shop network can't be used for downloading new songs and the such.
I fucking hate that in every single fucking game thread, somebody says "Man, this would be great on the Wii", or "Man, why don't they re-release this on the Wii".
But fuck dudes, if a Guitar Hero for the Wii could register the movements I made with the guitar and displayed them onscreen, that would be pretty damn awesome.
Also, speaking of Miis and stuff, I'm really hoping that the next games in the Hero/Harmonix games let you create your own character. Frequency and Amplitude let you create your own Freqs, so a full body character editor would be a pretty cool step. It would be like Tony Hawk-Style create a skater, only with long curly hair and eyeshadow and mesh shirts and Axl Rose-style bandannas and ripped jeans and everything.
edit: On a side note, has anyone else tried to play Guitar Hero Jeff Healey Style? It's fucking hard.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
They did just fine at putting GH waaaaay above Guitar Freaks, so I'm sure it'll work out.
I'm so excited for this.
This thing is going to be expensive...
About the same for me...makes me as giddy as I was when I heard about the Wiimote for the first time.
I'm playing it in my mind already. "skullkid6969" has joined the game ... he picks vocals.. oh shi-
PKMN White FC: 0046 2138 1298
XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
If you can't one player then I'm not overly interested, there's something fun about sitting there grinding away at THAT ONE FUCKING SONG YOU CAN'T DO ON HARD TO GET TO THE NEXT STAGE (yes I suck at Guitar Hero, but I still enjoy it).
Also, Guitar Hero 360 is out soon? Why did I not notice this?
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
Lots of moneys.
OR the game there is a game/instrument bundle for each instrument type PLUS you can order individual instruments.
the only way I see all instruments in a package together is just a discounted bundle from whatever vendor is selling them all.
We kept the info hidden from you. Also: things die. Even kittens and potatoes.
XBL : lJesse Custerl | MWO: Jesse Custer | Best vid ever. | 2nd best vid ever.
Guitar Hero Mobile, eh? heh...
So, now that the game is really really popular, EA is gonna port it to every fucking platform in existence.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Steam / Bus Blog / Goozex Referral
For any remaining doubters, Rock Band is real. You have about seven months to prepare.
BTW: Prepare here.
Well I'll be. I was completely prepared to dismiss this as a gag.
Here's my main question: How in the WORLD are you going to have an online cooperative music game when something like 25 ms of lag is so noticeable (such as the HDTV calibration)? Honestly, I'll fork over the money, and I have infinite faith that this can be done, but I just can't fathom the online functionality.
So, how many Freezepop songs? Nine? Ten?
Guitar Hero DS? Sure.
But isn't it still an Activision property?
Cover your ears.
(Or so we can hope)
INSTAGRAM
Singstar is also horrendously popular.