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Rock Band As the Costly New MTV?
With the announcement of Rock Band, fans of the Guitar Hero series are well and truly pleased. Despite the fact that GH controllers will work with the game, with all the peripherals the game is going to be ridiculously expensive, assuming you want to get an entire band together. "Specifically, the 'Rock Band Wireless Guitar Controller' will retail at $79.99 (40 quid approx), the standard 'Rock Band Guitar Controller' at $59.99 (30 quid approx), the 'Rock Band Drum Set' $79.99 and the 'Rock Band Microphone' at $39.99 (20 quid approx)." Beyond that, though, Kotaku's Brian Crecente takes a look at the game in a broader context, wondering aloud if the game will be a new version of MTV ... or at least, a new version of the way MTV used to be. Introducing new bands, songs, and sounds to consumers via videogames seems like a fairly natural way of trying things.
you forgot to throw in the $4.99 "Bic" controllers for the audience watching you. When a ballad comes on they need the proper "light and sway" technique!
The original generic sig.
Harmonix hasn't confirmed any of the prices posted by EB/Gamestop. Not saying it won't be that expensive, but those prices are "pure speculation".
Warning: Apple/Nintendo fangirl. Likes her electronics cute & cuddly. May be rabid.
Or for an additional $199.99, you put up a webcam and record your band in action, upload to YouTube, and that would be the new MTV.
Virtual Betting on Facebook for non-geeks.
I can't understand the excitement over these games either. If you're going to put hours and hours and hours into pretending to play an instrument, why not put those hours into actually learning to play the instrument?
On the other hand, pretending to play an instrument and "is this the new MTV" really are a couple sentiments that belong together.
Until you can include a box of vapid, angst ridden 20-somethings whining about themselves this will simply be unable to compete with the quality entertainment that is MTV.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
It's not unheard of in the world of Music games at all, which may explain why the genre has trouble with the US market. If you're familiar with Konami's Bemani series (which, I might add, has much of this functionality since Guitar Freaks and Drum Mania can be linked, and are in fact on the same disc when sold for the home market), expensive controllers are the way things work. A beatmania controller is about 7000Yen (~$70US) in Japan, and pop'n mini controllers are comparable. If you want *good* (so-called "Arcade Style"), full arcade size controllers, you can expect to drop upwards of $300 on a single controller for these games. A good controller for Drum Mania (a MIDI drum set) can cost over $1000! Even a cheap-o DDR pad will run you $25 here in the US. A good one is usually in the $75-120 range for foam insert based ones, and $200+ for a sturdy metal one.
The Japanese are more gadget oriented than USians, though, and this may explain at least some of the success of the series in the Japanese market as compared with its difficulty here in the USA.
In today's Penny Arcade, Tycho shared some similar thoughts about the game being a venue for new talent. http://www.penny-arcade.com/
I don't think it's very likely that Rock Band will include tools of a high enough quality to create serious music, especially since its a console game. Allowing people to upload their own songs requires tons of regulation (for obscenity, copyright infringement). It seems far too early to tout this game as the Next Big Thing for music. It'll be like Guitar Hero, with more instruments.
Personally, I think the new MTV already exists in MySpace (and to a lesser extent YouTube). There have already been numerous artists whose popularity on these sites has landed them record deals. Its a better breeding ground for new bands: there is much more infrastructure for rated and discovering related talent to what you like, especially when you factor in that all the legitimate rock stars have MySpace pages for their bands. New music videos are premiered there. Concerts are announced "secretly" for MySpace fans, with tickets only purchasable via the site. And since MTV (and now MTV2) almost never show music videos any more, this is where people go to see them.
I can't wait to see someone hack a Real Doll into a USB Groupie.
There is a war going on for your mind.
On the other hand, it's a way for someone like me (who is tone deaf) to pretend to play a guitar and not sound completely horrible. If 4 years of band practice didn't solve my tin ear, but I can still rock out in Guitar Hero.
I read the internet for the articles.
Ok, two things.
Number one: You KNOW that they're not going to allow midi hookups. Or at least I feel you should know, if you're thinking about it much. Given the history of gaming and peripherals, I'd rate that as VERY wistful thinking.
But on to your other point, of hoping it is more "real"... How "real" is it exactly that you want? That you have to actually play a real instrument well? (Which is what it sounds like you're moving towards?) If you are a person capable of doing that (which it sounds like you are) then you don't NEED THIS as a game.
The purpose of most games is for a chance to pretend that you are something you're not, and act under a different set of rules than normal. Counterstrike, you get to pretend to be a swat-team member or a terrorist. Normally society frowns on people running around with guns and shooting each other. But here's a make-believe way we can try it out and have fun!
Well, guitar hero is for people to pretend that they can play guitars and are rock stars. It serves its purpose remarkably well. It is SQUARELY aimed at people who can't play guitar, but enjoy the fantasy of being on a stage, "wailing" on their "axe". I think it is safe money that "Band" will be similar, allowing some game-mechanic that maps well onto music, so that people can pretend to be playing in a band. (The only toss up is the vocal, which I'm expecting will be sharing a lot of technology from kareoke machines.)
The thing though is... The fact that its not more "real" isn't its weakness, but its strength. It puts a plausible, rock-feeling experience into the hands of a bunch of people who wouldn't otherwise get one.
If you actually ARE one of the people who can play drums and guitar, then you don't NEED this game to be more real. If you want the next level up for reality, then all you have to do is go find a couple of similar people and make a REAL band, which as people seem to never tire of pointing out, is far more rewarding anyway.
Bonus points for yelling "Freebird!" Even more bonus points if the track currently playing is not by Skynyrd.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Well, today, sure, but, back "in the day"...they actually did play music videos, and they were often pretty trend setting.
Ah...the good old days of "I want my MTV..."
*sigh*
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
The thing about Guitar Hero is that you are just matching buttons to elements on a screen. That is what makes it not really very "real"...
But if you played earlier games from Harmonix like Frequency, they supported modes that really did let you create music. You had fewer options note-wise than with a full keyboard, but many tracks of instruments - you could come up with some really different stuff that way. That's what I expect to see out of Rock Band, and even if it's fewer notes than you could get out of a real guitar if you are choosing among several notes and choosing when they play, along with what instruments play when... that is real.
I'm sure playing the game will be the same, but people creating remixes which are essentially whole new songs is what excites me.
Freezepop even had a remix contest where fans did remixes on a Freezepop song "Science Genius Girl" in Frequency and submitted it to the bad for evaluation, the winning track was included on a CD with some of their other music.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
As someone who knows how to play various instruments (having been in band/orchestra for many years), I will say that playing an instrument when you're good at it, can be a lot of fun. However, there's also the years upon years of experience of practice that it takes. And even then, it's obvious that most folks just won't ever have the talent that rock stars have.
On the other hand, with much less practice, I can play a video game that simulates the skill involved in playing a musical instrument. It's immersive (crowds cheering for me) and I'm playing actual songs that I like (versus "Row row row your boat" for the first few weeks while learning a real instrument). Furthermore, since it's easy for me to pick up and learn, it's probably easy for my friends as well. So, in short time, my buddy and I can get in some awesome, and fun, guitar duos.
Of course Guitar Hero II should not be an actual replacement for learning guitar, but it was never meant to be. Just because it's impractical in that sense, though, doesn't mean it's a stupid idea of a game.
On a personal note, I have noticed that a lot of my fellow former-musician friends also have taken a liking to Guitar Hero. Your comments seem to imply that we'd be the first to realize that a game like Guitar Hero is a waste of time. It's actually the opposite. Since we've all understand how much time and energy it took to master our respective instruments (for myself, it was the violin and the trumpet), we know that it can take months, if not years, to get good enough at the guitar to even come close to playing some of the well-known rock songs. The decision ultimately becomes quite simple. I'll take rocking with Van Halen in only a few hours, thank-you-very-much.
-- jchenx