Rock Band Bundle Only Option Available This Year

Via 1up, an interview at the site bits bytes pixels and sprites with the folks at Harmonix clarifies a great deal about Rock Band . The co-op multiplayer rhythm game is due out before the end of the year, and at least in 2007 the only way to get it will be the $169 bundle pack. There's also some information on the game's downloadable content, which sounds like it will be considerable: "Harmonix is committed to providing gamers with a wide selection of new content and promises that one week from launch The Who's famous album "Who's Next" will be made available for download. Harmonix has also scheduled new content to be released every week until the end of 2007 to keep the game fresh throughout the holiday season."

Comments

I want!

[Cy Sperling]

I cannot wait for this one. I have no problem getting the bundle. I know that if I bought the game and only one peripheral, odds are I would be back at the store a week later for the others.

I am psyched that they are appearing to do some whole albums rather than just singles. I would kill to get Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall.

I wonder if they will ever allow midi to work as a controller as my Roland V-Drums would be totally beyond awesome to use in place of the pack-in drum controller.

Re:I want!

[morari]

I would kill to get Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall. I think Animals would be great, myself. The Wall might be a little slow for some of the instruments when taken as a whole however. I'd like to see a Wii release of the game though, personally. Without such, I'm getting Guitar Hero III. The lower price point and smaller amount of friends required helps too...

Re:I want!

[Skevin]

> I wonder if they will ever allow midi to work as a controller as my
> Roland V-Drums would be totally beyond awesome to use in place of the
> pack-in drum controller.

I doubt it. Companies want to make as much money as possible, and which of the following makes more money: letting the user use an open-standards (albeit expensive) MIDI controller he already owns, or creating a proprietary POS controller for exclusive use with your game?

I could actually see someone modifying a Roland GR-1 to play Guitar Hero with. After that, "Pipe Organ Hero" couldn't be too far behind... I'd hate to see Hard Mode!

Solomon Chang

Re:I want!

[PopeRatzo]

I wonder if they will ever allow midi to work as a controller as my Roland V-Drums would be totally beyond awesome to use in place of the pack-in drum controller.

Then why not just get Sonar or Pro Tools, a few musician friends and start a band?

Music is the ultimate MMORPG.

hrm

[coolhandlucas]

This is unfortunate, though understandable given the many different SKUs that will be necessary to sell this beast piecemeal. I was, however, really looking forward to dueling drums on day one, and I'm not willing to buy two bundles to make that happen.

Re:hrm

[Fozzyuw]

This is unfortunate, though understandable given the many different SKUs that will be necessary to sell this beast piecemeal. I was, however, really looking forward to dueling drums on day one, and I'm not willing to buy two bundles to make that happen.

My understanding is that you can only get the game with the bundle pack. Peripherals will be sold separately as it seems the game will only come with 1 guitar and it's capable of being played with 2. If they're going to see the drums at the start, has yet to be seen.

Cheers,
Fozzy

Re:hrm

[Cy Sperling]

RTFA- the game ships with a guitar, a mic, and the drum perph.

On the $169.99 (USD) price point "$100 is asking quite a lot for just a guitar and a game, we think asking $70 more for the drums and microphone that change the experience is an amazing value."

Re:hrm

[Kilraven]

My understanding is that you can only get the game with the bundle pack. Peripherals will be sold separately as it seems the game will only come with 1 guitar and it's capable of being played with 2. If they're going to see the drums at the start, has yet to be seen. According to the article it's one guitar, one mic, one drumset, and the game. Peripherals won't be sold until early '08 - which I'm not sure if they meant actual or fiscal year.

The issue I have with this is things break. While the bundle is a damn nice deal for the initial purchase, what if the drumset or mic breaks two months down the road? I'd rather not purchase some off party piece - they never look or feel the same - or wait six months to purchase a replacement. I want to be able to sign, curse just a little (or a lot depending on how it broke), and run out and get a replacement that day.

Not to mention, dueling drums like Bongos in DK would be nice, as well.

Re:hrm

[Osty]

The issue I have with this is things break. While the bundle is a damn nice deal for the initial purchase, what if the drumset or mic breaks two months down the road? I'd rather not purchase some off party piece - they never look or feel the same - or wait six months to purchase a replacement. I want to be able to sign, curse just a little (or a lot depending on how it broke), and run out and get a replacement that day.

You'd have to really beat the crap out of the Rock Band equipment to cause it to break. While I haven't had a chance to try to the mic yet, the guitar and drums are very solid. If you broke a Guitar Hero guitar, you'll be able to break a Rock Band guitar, but I've never seen a GH controller break unintentionally. The drumset is much higher quality than the DK bongos. It's much closer to a real electric drumset than a toy.

Not to mention, dueling drums like Bongos in DK would be nice, as well.

You can do that online. Or you can have a friend bring over the drums from his own bundle. They should fold up reasonably well for storage or transportation.

Re:hrm

[Kilraven]

You'd have to really beat the crap out of the Rock Band equipment to cause it to break. You'd be surprised what a 4 year old can break with little effort.

All joking aside, as solid as the peripherals may be - if what you've said is true, that's good to hear - you're not going to see a 0% failure rate, and I'd hate to be one of those rare bastards with a broken set. I also will, more than likely, be the only one in my circle with a 360 - even after christmas. So I doubt anyone will bring their own pieces to play with.

But yeah, these are extremely, mild inconviences and not worth the cost of splitting up peripherals at release.

Re:hrm

[Anonymous Coward]

If you can't break the guitar, how can you properly imitate The Who?

Re:hrm

[Osty]

All joking aside, as solid as the peripherals may be - if what you've said is true, that's good to hear - you're not going to see a 0% failure rate, and I'd hate to be one of those rare bastards with a broken set.

That's really only going to be an issue for the drums. If you break your guitar, you can always use a GH2 or GH3 guitar (sucks for you if you buy on the Wii or PS3 which haven't had previous Guitar Hero games). Rock Band is compatible with the GH peripherals, even though the RB guitar is not compatible with the GH games. Since the singing bits are based off of Harmonix' previous work on Karaoke Revolution, I wouldn't be surprised if you could use an Xbox Live headset for the mic (or a USB headset or mic on PS3). At least I hope you can use a headset so I can sing and play guitar at the same time without investing in a mic stand :). So you're covered if guitars or mics break. If your drums break, send them off for warranty repair and focus on the singing and guitar playing portions of the game for a bit.

Will they have a medic class?

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone claiming the rock band label should surely need one or two medics.

I've heard this before

[WndrBr3d]

The biggest problem I have with Harmonix and their PR with downloadable content is they really burned XBox360 users with GH2. Their PR campaign before the games release was that GH2 for the 360 would have "more online content than anyone has ever seen in a game..." (link to interview). This gave people who had already spent $100+ on GH2 for the PS2 (Game/Controller + Additional Controller) a valid reason to buy it again.

Here we are six after GH2 for the XBox360 was released. What downloadable content do we have? Four song 'packs' with songs that were already in GH1, and a song pack of indie bands few have heard of.

So, although the offer of copious amounts of downloadable content for Rock Band is tempting and easy to get excited about, it should be taken with a big, big big big grain of salt.

Re:I've heard this before

[Tetsujin]

The biggest problem I have with Harmonix and their PR with downloadable content is they really burned XBox360 users with GH2. Their PR campaign before the games release was that GH2 for the 360 would have "more online content than anyone has ever seen in a game..." (link to interview). This gave people who had already spent $100+ on GH2 for the PS2 (Game/Controller + Additional Controller) a valid reason to buy it again.

Here we are six after GH2 for the XBox360 was released. What downloadable content do we have? Four song 'packs' with songs that were already in GH1, and a song pack of indie bands few have heard of. Presumably, once Red Octane got bought, all HMX's lofty plans for the Guitar Hero series got transferred to the "Rock Band" line...

Re:I've heard this before

[Bobartig]

Their PR campaign before the games release was that GH2 for the 360 would have "more online content than anyone has ever seen in a game..." Well Harmonix is talking about having new DLC for Rock Band every week, along with full albums available as well. They probably picked up their GHII DLC plans and transplanted them into RB. It was pretty impressive how quickly Harmonix switched gears once the GH franchise was transferred to Neversoft. Their swan song release of "Rock the '80s" was also particularly tepid. Coincidence?

Re:I've heard this before

[Anonymous Coward]

Pricing and DLC schedules for Guitar Hero were handled by RedOctane and Activision, not Harmonix. The guy you're quoting in that interview is a RedOctane employee.

Re:I've heard this before

[frostband]

although the offer of copious amounts of downloadable content for Rock Band is tempting and easy to get excited about, it should be taken with a big, big big big grain of salt.

I believe that is a "Rock" of salt.

Re:I've heard this before

[Anonymous Coward]

The GH2/360 "plans" for DLC remain, and have always been, up to RedOctane, not Harmonix.

Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[jlf278]

I've already preordered (glad to see original price has come down by $30). Having missed out entirely on Guitar Hero, I'm expecting Rock Band to blow me away. However, I'm worried that their downloadable content will be priced similarly to previous offerings, aka insanely high. Hopefully, since it's similar, they'll go no higher than the iTunes route with $1/track $10/album. Anyway, for those who have played a lot of guitar hero, and so would be interested in Rock Band...I imagine this move will convert many purchases of just the game and drum set to full bundles.

Re:Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[Osty]

I've already preordered (glad to see original price has come down by $30).

That "original price" was never anything but a rumor/random guess. "Three peripherals and a game disc? Sounds like $200 to me." I am happy that it'll only be $170, and I've pre-ordered like you.

Having missed out entirely on Guitar Hero, I'm expecting Rock Band to blow me away.

You do realize you can go back and buy/play the Guitar Hero games, right? Just because you missed them when they were brand new doesn't mean you have to miss out on the experience entirely.

However, I'm worried that their downloadable content will be priced similarly to previous offerings, aka insanely high. Hopefully, since it's similar, they'll go no higher than the iTunes route with $1/track $10/album

Producing a track for a rhythm game is more involved than encoding a track to put up on iTunes. You have to separate out the different components (so you can cut out the guitar sound when you screw up a note), you have to have somebody map out the fretboard for four different difficulty levels plus multiplayer, and in most cases you need to pay someone to re-record the song (though IIRC Rock Band is supposed to have quite a few "as performed by" songs rather than "as made famous by"). I'm not saying I like that the prices are high, I'm just pointing out the justifications used by Harmonix and Red Octane for the GH2 downloads. Those justifications will only become more relevant as Harmonix adds songs to Rock Band since they have to split tracks and map notes for four parts rather than just one or two (GH had lead/rhythm or guitar/bass multiplayer).

Then again, if they give me songs that I want (I'd love to be able to download Pearl Jam's "10", for example), I'll pay just about any price for them.

Re:Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[Gothic_Walrus]

However, I'm worried that their downloadable content will be priced similarly to previous offerings, aka insanely high. Hopefully, since it's similar, they'll go no higher than the iTunes route with $1/track $10/album.

$1 a track seems low for this to me - keep in mind that these songs are interactive, and that these have four instrumentations you can play instead of just the guitar track from GH2. Beyond that, the first few albums - Who's Next, Nevermind, and Metallica's "One" - are all headliners and, save for one GH2 track, none of these bands have appeared in Guitar Hero before.

If the price rises, I wouldn't be very happy, but keeping it in line with the 360 prices seems fair to me. If you're not interested, then don't pay for it. I know that, whatever the cost ends up being, I'm probably going to get more play out of Who's Next and Nevermind than I have out of GH2 as a whole.

Re:Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize you can go back and buy/play the Guitar Hero games, right?

Sounds great! Please send me a link where they're available for the Wii.

Re:Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[Osty]

Sounds great! Please send me a link where they're available for the Wii.

If there ever was a game that was worth buying a system for, Guitar Hero would be it. While GH2 on the Xbox 360 is the superior version, the 360's price is still high. Now would actually be a great time to buy a used PS2 for $50-80, a GH2 bundle for $80 (may as well buy new on this, though you could hunt around for a used GH1 or GH2 bundle with guitar), a used copy of GH1 for $10-20, and a used copy of GH2:Rock the 80s for $20-30.

Re:Adding Content vs. Ransoming Content

[__aailob1448]

When prompted on the matter, the Harmonix position was that licensing the song is $1 and then more money goes into creating tracks for 3 different instruments (+mike), and that what you're purchasing has more value than a regular song (depends on the value you place on portability/compatibility).

They said they couldn't say if the song prices would be lower or HIGHER than for Guitar Hero.

Bottom line: I fully expect $2+ songs and $20+ albums.

Wii

[Fozzyuw]

All well and good, but the only news I want about Rock Band is information on when it's being released for the Wii. I was this close *holds two fingers together* at buying a 360 just to get this game but then the Harmonix CEO said they would "Absolutely" have a Wii version. So, I'm holding off until then.

If rabid Rock Band mania consumes me, I guess I'll pick it up for the PS2 until a Wii version is released.

Re:Wii

[azuredrake]

You'd miss out on a lot by buying it on the PS2, I would think, as all Sony console downloads will probably be done through PSN, and it's very hard to get the PS2 online at all. To clarify, by hard, I mean the peripherals cost a lot and the console is not built to make it easy, unlike the ps3 and 360.

Re:Wii

[Fozzyuw]

You'd miss out on a lot by buying it on the PS2

Acknowledge. Which is why it would be only a temporary solution until they get it out on the Wii, which would hopefully have their download content sorted out by then. At which point, I'd trade in the PS2 version. Of course, it's interesting if they decide to release a PS2 "encore" disk(s) that contain the previously download only tracks. I could see that working.

Cheers,
Fozzy

Re:Wii

[azuredrake]

Well, the real loss would be on the peripherals - you'll lose a lot reselling those as used.

Re:Wii

[toleraen]

it's very hard to get the PS2 online at all I don't know about the new PS2s, but the old PS2 just required you buy the ethernet card (~$30), plug it in, and run the setup disk. It took maybe 5 minutes to set up and get online.

Re:Wii

[Mattintosh]

The new (slim) PS2 has ethernet built in.

Too much space

[TibbonZero]

For those of us that live in a major city, this game simply takes too much space. I can deal with cheap DDR pads, as I can fold them away, or a Guitar Hero controller, but in my 180sq/ft studio apartment... this game simply will not fit. I have a real drum set, and it's stacked in a corner, because it just takes up too much space. It must be nice to live in suburbia where you have a room for video games (or laundry even) that is larger than my entire living space. I love Boston/Cambridge.

Re:Too much space

[CastrTroy]

I hear you on this one. It seems to me that this game just requires too much space. Unless you have an entire room dedicated to video games, it seems like something that will just end up getting shoved in a closet to get it out of the way. At which point you'll get too lazy to take it out again, and you'll stop playing.

Re:Too much space

[Anonymous Coward]

Really? Where are you in Cambridge? I just moved out of a MIT dorm room (which was about the same size as your studio) into a 1br in Porter Square that's about 800 sq/ft. But then again, the rent is pretty high ($1850/mo). Unless you're paying like $500/month, then I think you got gipped and should tar and feather your landlord.

Re:Too much space

[toolie]

Holy cow, 180sq ft? I wouldn't be able to survive in a space that small. How do you do it?

Re:Too much space

[Oink]

180 sq. ft? Really? I think my walk in closet is already like 40 sq.ft. Guess there's something to be said for a 5 minute commute. I rather like living in a 980 sq.ft. apartment for $710 a month. Does Austin count as a big city? :P

Re:Too much space

[singingjim1]

Sell the drums. Duh.

Re:Too much space

[Valdier]

I would take it that Los Angeles is not a major city?

Perhaps you meant, "For those of us that live in a 10' x 18' box"...

that is not the norm, and certainly not the standard for major cities.

Re:Too much space

[jollyreaper]

I hear you on this one. It seems to me that this game just requires too much space. Unless you have an entire room dedicated to video games, it seems like something that will just end up getting shoved in a closet to get it out of the way. At which point you'll get too lazy to take it out again, and you'll stop playing. In the suburbs, I hear they even have dedicated masturbatoriums! Wow, such largess!

Re:Too much space

[jollyreaper]

Holy cow, 180sq ft? I wouldn't be able to survive in a space that small. How do you do it? Is that about the size of a typical dorm room, not counting the common area and kitchen?

Re:Too much space

[morari]

It must be nice to live in suburbia[...]/quote No, it's not. Just a tad better than living in the city. Rural areas are where it's at. Copious amounts of room, great sense of privacy, low taxes, no zoning laws, etc. There's really just no reason to live in the city unless you're one of those Starbucks-drinking, suit-wearing corporate tools. :P

Re:Too much space

[Osty]

No, it's not. Just a tad better than living in the city. Rural areas are where it's at. Copious amounts of room, great sense of privacy, low taxes, no zoning laws, etc. There's really just no reason to live in the city unless you're one of those Starbucks-drinking, suit-wearing corporate tools.

There is that whole lack of infrastructure thing, though. If you go too far rural, you can say goodbye to broadband.

Re:Too much space

[absoluteflatness]

Dorm rooms have a common area and kitchen? I should really take this up with Housing Services, it seems I've been fleeced. Plus, I've only got about 160 square feet... So small...

Re:Too much space

[toolie]

Holy cow, 180sq ft? I wouldn't be able to survive in a space that small. How do you do it? Is that about the size of a typical dorm room, not counting the common area and kitchen? Dorm rooms are meant for social living conditions with shared bathrooms and common rooms. You aren't expected to spend the majority of your time in the dorm room - it is really just a place for homework and sleeping. When you are 'home' in a dorm, you can hang out in the commons watching TV or whatever. An apartment you can be expected to spend a lot of your time in, when you are 'home', that is it. I still think 180sq ft is ridiculously small to expect somebody to live in.

Re:Too much space

[morari]

This is, of course, true. It's not as bad as you'd think though. A little inconvenient at times, perhaps. Then again, it is getting better. With a little effort from the necessary parties, it wouldn't even be a problem anymore. My area is supposed to finally have access to cable internet next month. I've done well enough with various satellite providers over the past several years though. The upload isn't very good, there's a few seconds of lag, and you have bandwidth limits, but it's pretty good for general web surfing. Besides, it's very possible to get lucky and be in DSL range. Many rural areas have telephone hubs, if nothing else.

Re:Too much space

[toolie]

No, it's not. Just a tad better than living in the city. Rural areas are where it's at. Copious amounts of room, great sense of privacy, low taxes, no zoning laws, etc. Zoning laws are a good thing. Have you ever been to Pennsylvania and seen how fucked up it is when factories are right next to neighborhoods? It's ugly, literally and figuratively.

Re:Too much space

[morari]

Zoning laws are a good thing? Hehe. I guess for people that would want to be in a neighborhood to begin with...

I for one like being able to run fence and put my horse anyplace I desire, grow food wherever, build onto my house without a permit as well as paint it any color in the rainbow. I buy acreage, not designer bathrooms and ranch houses. While I certainly wouldn't want a factory next door, the closest it could ever get without me selling land is several miles in any direction. I guess that's one of the perks of not being in debt though. I never have had the desire to own a Hummer, after all...

Re:Too much space

[toolie]

You are talking more about home owners associations than zoning laws.

Re:Too much space

[jollyreaper]

Dorm rooms are meant for social living conditions with shared bathrooms and common rooms. You aren't expected to spend the majority of your time in the dorm room - it is really just a place for homework and sleeping. When you are 'home' in a dorm, you can hang out in the commons watching TV or whatever. An apartment you can be expected to spend a lot of your time in, when you are 'home', that is it. I still think 180sq ft is ridiculously small to expect somebody to live in. It sounds small, I was just trying to get a comparison. I never did the dorm thing in college and I've only ever seen two setups. At Florida Atlantic University, the dorms seemed like the bunkhouses used at summer camp, and not in a good way. Communal showers and toilets, multiple people to a room, not fun. At the University of Central Florida, the dorm situation was far more posh, in part probably because it was privately operated in affiliation with the university, technically more like apartments. There were four bedrooms per unit, each with their own shower and bath. Shared areas included a living room with enough room for a couch and chairs, plus a fully equipped if small kitchen. The real prize was that the units also included a washer and dryer so no wasteful trips to the laundromat were required. The bedrooms in the UCF setup were about as large as you would find for your typical middle class home, a little closer to the guest bedroom than master bedroom.

Re:Too much space

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

There's really just no reason to live in the city unless you're one of those Starbucks-drinking, suit-wearing corporate tools. I can think of plenty of other reasons. For example: As nice as it is in the middle of nowhere, and as much as I like it, I could never live there. I can't legally get a driver's license for medical reasons (which is a good thing; I wouldn't trust myself driving, and neither should anyone else), so when I'm visiting someone outside the city, I'm completely dependent on everyone. I'm basically stuck in the house until someone else feels like going out. It's nice being a few hundred feet from a bus stop and a few minutes from the subway, and within walking/biking distance of a lot of things. Mine's kind of an extreme case, but general convenience of things has its rewards.

Re:Too much space

[TibbonZero]

I live practically beside the Prudential building on the edge of Back Bay. It's a really nice street with brownstones. Yes, it's around 180sq fet. Maybe 200sq ft with the bathroom. That includes the kitchen and my closet. It's about the size of a dorm room if not smaller. It's what I need, not what I want. It's $925/month with all utilities included, which is a pretty sweet deal for this area.
I totally hear you that you CAN get more space outside the city. I used to live near Porter Square on Highland Ave, and paid $625/month for my share of a 2br, which was pretty damn big (had large kitchen, living room and dining room, like around 900 sq ft). However it took me an hour to get anywhere, after walking 20 minutes to Davis or 15 minutes to Porter (which sucked hard in the snow) and then taking the Red line to the Green line to get to Back Bay where all my jobs have been.
I've definitely downscaled in size, but at the same time I can walk anywhere, rarely use public transit, walk to work in Cambridge many days, and enjoy living on a really nice street. I'm looking forward to a bigger place next year, but for now... this works pretty well and is a good deal as it goes to live on my own in the city, and keep in mind my main goal in having this place was to live as close in as possible and to live on my own.

Re:Too much space

[TibbonZero]

You've just got to 'think small' and think about what you need vs what you want. I don't need a couch. I have my Aeron chair. I rarely have other people over, and prefer to go out to dinner or elsewhere. I get books from the library instead of the bookstore, so that I don't have to allocate space for them (generally) on my shelf. I build a custom desk that fits my needs exactly. I hang my guitars on the wall. I have only what I need in my kitchen (many things that kick out caffeine), and I have a small twin size bed. It's not the best place to have company (at best I had 5 people in here once and there was barely breathing room it felt), but for myself and my cat it seems to fit ok. I can pretend that I'm living on a submarine or something.

If I really really needed space I could alway loft my bed, but I don't need the space that badly.

Re:Too much space

[toolie]

If that works, more power to you :) I had a friend that moved into a studio apartment when she moved to DC. After a month she moved her bed into the closet just to try to get a change of scenery and free up some space. I think I'd be in her shoes and go stir crazy.

Konami, anyone ?

[damaki]

Now that Rock Band is bound to arrive soon, I am questioning more than ever the international marketing choices of Konami. I mean than Konami already did every rythm that Rock Band will regroup but still, did not have a clue on how to penetrate the american and european markets. Are they totally dumb?
Guitar Freaks has existed for years, and because of its japanise-ish (though nice) tracklist, they never exported it. Same goes for Drummania which definitely rocks. And how about the karaoke thingy? They had these all and discarded the foreign markets.
I guess that some Konami executives must be currently in a mass sepukku movement.
They have all these great franchises but are absolutely unable to exploit these correctly outside Japan.

Well... as long as I can buy those Bemani games, I do not really care. Long live Bemani, hail Beatmania, and all these other venerable but high quality franchises.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[Kilraven]

I'm sorry, but I must quote:

"..what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[heinousjay]

It's the music. It's all about the music. Very few people are interested in a rhythm game with music they've never heard before. For that matter, I found most of the Guitar Freaks soundtrack to be awful. Just not the kind of stuff I'd be interested in at all.

Guitar Hero, on the other hand, includes songs many people here know and love. Rock Band is looking to juice that up to levels heretofore undreamt. That's the only "secret" really.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[damaki]

Yeah, this is exactly my point. How could they not figure out that? It is not exactly rocket science that western people are more likely to enjoy western songs.
They have the games engines, they have a widespread market and... they have problems. It could be that they do not want to pay for already existing music. Most Bemani games features mostly Bemani artists which is probably cheaper than licences.
Still, that's quite a lack of vision.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[Captain Spam]

You do have a point about western markets (i.e. me) more likely to enjoy rhythm games with western songs in it. That's the entire reason Elite Beat Agents exists as a distinct game from... erm... whatever the original Japanese version was, I keep forgetting the name. The songlist is entirely different, the missions are different, and it all in all has a different feel. Switch markets, switch cultures, switch the game up. Basic marketing.

But honestly, the Bemani division may be catching on, if only slightly. Their cash cow is still the DDR series, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It has to be; they haven't really released any US version of DDR since DDR:USA, yet most US arcades (yes, of the few left) can be found with an imported, possibly illegal, definitely untranslated DDR machine in it.

But then comes DDR Supernova, what I believe is the latest in the arcade series (I could be wrong; I like DDR more than most people, I would guess, but I hold no claims in being an expert on the subject). Looking at the game, it appears that they geared it directly for a western market. I mean, besides the fact that the menus and warning screens are in English. In addition to a smattering of songs from past DDR games, it also comes with numerous mixes and/or edits of otherwise western songs. I've seen Jerk It Out, a dance mix of Angel Is A Centerfold, and one or two songs by Janet Jackson in the lineup, and I haven't even looked at it that much in-depth. I'd say that they're possibly getting into the western markets with their rhythm games.

In terms of Guitar Freaks, an arcade nearby has it, and I do enjoy it, but the Guitar Hero series has far too much of a foothold in the US market. If Bemani has plans on reworking Guitar Freaks for western markets, they may be too late already.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[jonwil]

I dont know the details but I have seen a Guitar Freaks, a Drummania and a Keyboard Mania in an arcade here in australia.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[cgenman]

There is a problem within a lot of companies these days where a misstep can cost you your job, but no steps will lead to promotions. I've heard from reliable sources that Konami of America has been hesitant to make the capital commitment (and risk) that a large hardware launch here would make. The investers didn't "get" it, and the marketing people didn't dare risk their own necks. You'd think that everyone would be chomping at the bit to bring over an entire lineup of games that prints money, but no risk is better than any risk.

Similarly, in any company as big as Konami, regional politics can take an ugly toll. SEGA's infighting of the Japanese Saturn vs the American 32X nearly killed that company. I'm guessing something similar has happened / has been happening at Konami.

Re:Konami, anyone ?

[damaki]

These are import arcade machines, not localized ones.

LOVE Guitar Hero

[40ozFreak]

Guitar Hero is one of my favorite games. Who would have thought that taking a concept like DDR and turning it into a guitar shredding rockfest would turn out to be one of the most fun gaming experiences on the market? I can't wait for this one, because it is the next logical step in the evolution of Harmonix' franchise.

I do wonder how well the havoc of four people playing different instruments will work out in a single room, on one television. Hopefully it will be alright for those of us that don't have cutting edge TV technology in our homes. I'm not sure how four different screens will appear on a 27" television. Do you think they'll do the 4-pane window split like in multiplayer FPS games? That might be squeezing things too tightly on smaller TVs.

Re:LOVE Guitar Hero

[Diginosis]

From the screenshots it appears as though there will be 3 note tracks (just like in guitar hero) one for each instrument. The vocals will be listed on the top with the octave bars like kareoke revolution or singstar . If you can play guitar hero with 2 guitars and read it this isn't much more of a stretch. Bigger however is always better right? =)

Re:LOVE Guitar Hero

[Chibi Merrow]

Who would have thought that taking a concept like DDR and turning it into a guitar shredding rockfest would turn out to be one of the most fun gaming experiences on the market?

Konami, as they did this a long long time ago with Guitar Freaks, one of their Bemani games. Problem being of course it didn't have classic American/British rock on it, so not gonna fly over here...

Guitar compatibilty.

[trdrstv]

Rock Band is compatible with the GH peripherals, even though the RB guitar is not compatible with the GH games.

Wha, huh? First I heard of that. I realize both GH, and RB are going to add special things to each guitar that won't be present in the other, but for the core gameplay of 5 fret buttons, strum and Whammy bar... all indications point to them being interchangeable.

Re:Guitar compatibilty.

[Osty]

Wha, huh? First I heard of that. I realize both GH, and RB are going to add special things to each guitar that won't be present in the other, but for the core gameplay of 5 fret buttons, strum and Whammy bar... all indications point to them being interchangeable.

Up until recently, the Wikipedia article on Rock Band (yeah, I know, it's Wikipedia) had a note saying that the RB guitar would not be compatible with GH even though the GH controllers are compatible with Rock Band. In a way, that makes sense -- Red Octane can't change up the Guitar Hero guitar too much because it has to maintain backwards compatibility with the previous GH titles. Harmonix could change the RB guitar if they wanted, since RB is a new property. Although the guitars are physically similar (minus the additional high fret buttons for solos on the RB guitar), we have no idea about how they're wired or what signals they send. It's quite possible that the RB guitar doesn't follow the same interface as the GH guitars, in so far as what the GH games expect to see from a guitar. Harmonix would have no problems writing code to handle both the new RB guitar and the older GH guitars, since they created the GH guitars in the first place. Red Octane and Neversoft, on the other hand, wouldn't necessarily have access to Harmonix' specs for the RB guitar.

I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens, but I'm not going to bet on the RB guitar being compatible with GH. If it is, great. If it's not, oh well. I already have an Xplorer, and I'll pick up a wireless Les Paul with GH3 at the end of this month. I'll also get the Fender Strat with RB, so I'll be set for guitars on all fronts.

Does anyone know who owns the rights to AC/DC?

[jonwil]

I want to see AC/DC on Rock Band and wonder if starting a petition to whoever owns the rights would make them more likely to say yes (as opposed to the no answer they have given in the past)

How exciting!

[Tol Dantom]

How exciting that premium content that I must pay exorbitant prices for will be released not even a week after the game is released, further mocking me by ridiculously not being included in the original purchase even though its ready at the same time. Where do I sign up?