Rock Band catch-all

FYI, American Express has the Rock Band 2 bundle for XBox 360 for $69 today as part of their "Daily Wish".

Rock Band 3 to include a keytar controller:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/05/exclusive-rock-band-3-brings-keytar-new-pro-mode.ars

Awesome! Rock Band: Depeche Mode, here I come!

Tanglebones wrote:

Rock Band 3 to include a keytar controller:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/05/exclusive-rock-band-3-brings-keytar-new-pro-mode.ars

Awesome! Rock Band: Depeche Mode, here I come!

If there's a keytar, there must be Journey.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

Rock Band 3 to include a keytar controller:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/05/exclusive-rock-band-3-brings-keytar-new-pro-mode.ars

Awesome! Rock Band: Depeche Mode, here I come!

If there's a keytar, there must be Journey.

Let's not forget Freezepop.

AnimeJ wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Tanglebones wrote:

Rock Band 3 to include a keytar controller:

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2010/05/exclusive-rock-band-3-brings-keytar-new-pro-mode.ars

Awesome! Rock Band: Depeche Mode, here I come!

If there's a keytar, there must be Journey.

Let's not forget Freezepop.

Or Alestorm.

I am so burned out on RB games... I think the actual reality of RB: Green Day is what killed it for me.

I don't think I have it in me to spend another $150 for RB3, keytar or no.

I can't think of any reason for Rock Band: Greenday to exist =/

Mex wrote:

I can't think of any reason for Rock Band: Greenday to exist =/

Something's gotta plug the oil leak..

It should have been Rock Band U2, if anything. There you have a band with a long enough history to have gone through some real changes in sound and style. that's what made Beatles: Rock Band work.

But i think they were looking for more harmony in the vocals, and green day does have that going for them.

I did play around with the Green Day demo, and it was actually pretty well done. I don't think a dedicated game was necessary, but if you really like Green Day, it will be fun. Compare that to the Guitar Hero: Van Halen. While VH was at least more deserving of a game, releasing a demo with the members as they currently look was just disturbing. You had "Botox" Dave, and Crackhead Eddie.

But in the end, the golden days of music games have passed on. We may still get interesting stuff down the pipe, but for now it will be desperate stuff like adding keytars.

Jayhawker wrote:

You had "Botox" Dave, and Crackhead Eddie.

But in the end, the golden days of music games have passed on. We may still get interesting stuff down the pipe, but for now it will be desperate stuff like adding keytars.

(Insert juvenile laughter here.)

Also, and somewhat seriously: what's so desperate about the keytar? If nothing else, it's a gameplay implementation of the instrument in general -- it seems obvious that they'll start 80s, but there's lots of piano-driven stuff out there that could make good use of the keytar as a substitute for playing the piano-driven melody on the guitar, which I find always a bit distracting...

SommerMatt wrote:

I am so burned out on RB games... I think the actual reality of RB: Green Day is what killed it for me.

I don't think I have it in me to spend another $150 for RB3, keytar or no.

While I'm with you 100% on the RB:GD bit, I'll most likely be picking up RB3. Hopefully, Madcatz does well enough with the instruments that those are worth picking up as well; I'm still running on RB1 instruments, and an upgrade would be nice.

Jayhawker wrote:

It should have been Rock Band U2, if anything. There you have a band with a long enough history to have gone through some real changes in sound and style. that's what made Beatles: Rock Band work.

Even in my jaded state, I would have bought a U2 game no questions asked. With Green Day... I mean, really? A whole game for these guys? I'm sitting here thinking Dookie... and then "Time of your life," "American Idiot," and then...? Guess I'm just not a big enough fan to care. I'd have gladly bought all of their popular singles from the RB store, but an entire game? Bleh.

But in the end, the golden days of music games have passed on. We may still get interesting stuff down the pipe, but for now it will be desperate stuff like adding keytars.

Well, I think adding a keyboard is a natural extension. I guess making it a "keytar" probably seemed more ergonomic than having another large drum-kit sized instrument.

RSPaulette wrote:

Also, and somewhat seriously: what's so desperate about the keytar? If nothing else, it's a gameplay implementation of the instrument in general -- it seems obvious that they'll start 80s, but there's lots of piano-driven stuff out there that could make good use of the keytar as a substitute for playing the piano-driven melody on the guitar, which I find always a bit distracting...

It's time for Rock Band: Tori Amos.

And while keyboards is something I've been interested in seeing, what I'm really looking forward to is full vocal harmony support. Going back and adding harmony to existing Green Day DLC bodes well for things like the Queen DLC, for example. RB3 is worth the upgrade just to do the Queen tracks in freakin' harmony. HELLZ YEAH.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
RSPaulette wrote:

Also, and somewhat seriously: what's so desperate about the keytar? If nothing else, it's a gameplay implementation of the instrument in general -- it seems obvious that they'll start 80s, but there's lots of piano-driven stuff out there that could make good use of the keytar as a substitute for playing the piano-driven melody on the guitar, which I find always a bit distracting...

It's time for Rock Band: Tori Amos.

THIS.

I do seriously love, love, love Tori Amos, though couldn't imagine her music being fun in a game setting. That said, she's the only singer I know if who harmonizes with herself in the past and through a tesseract.

"Cornflake Girl" is pretty rockin'.

RSPaulette wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
RSPaulette wrote:

Also, and somewhat seriously: what's so desperate about the keytar? If nothing else, it's a gameplay implementation of the instrument in general -- it seems obvious that they'll start 80s, but there's lots of piano-driven stuff out there that could make good use of the keytar as a substitute for playing the piano-driven melody on the guitar, which I find always a bit distracting...

It's time for Rock Band: Tori Amos.

THIS.

I do seriously love, love, love Tori Amos, though couldn't imagine her music being fun in a game setting. That said, she's the only singer I know if who harmonizes with herself in the past and through a tesseract.

Oh, I adore Tori Amos, but that was thoroughly tongue-in-cheek. I'm guessing that the first Rock Band party to play through Little Earthquakes wound wind up sitting around drinking themselves into a soul-crushing stupor. Yeah, you could do a selection of songs that would work really well ("Tear in Your Hand", "Cornflake Girl", "Raspberry Swirl", a bunch of others), but Tori's not really a "party game" kind of girl.

I think they might upgrade a lot of their existing content to support multiple vocal parts. If you pay attention to the band's animations you can see the guitarists sing the backup vocals on most, if not all of the songs. They've done that ever since the first Rock Band. If they've got the backup vocals on a separate track* then they can generate the pitch lines automatically, which means the only thing they'd have to do manually is put in the lyrics.

Keyboard support on the other hand... I wouldn't expect the older stuff to support it, but any song released since they got the keytar working internally is a decent bet.

*And since the animation is generated from the music track data, they may have it ready to go just for the animation routines.

Ranger Rick wrote:

RB3 is worth the upgrade just to do the Queen tracks in freakin' harmony. HELLZ YEAH.

And, as other have mentioned above, playing the piano parts on a keyboard finally. Not having any idea what a RB3 key-tar looks like, I'll go ahead and assume that someone would manufacture a stand for it so it can played like a regular piano.

It would be amazing if we could, somehow, get some Beach Boys with our vocal harmonies.

skeletonframes wrote:

It would be amazing if we could, somehow, get some Beach Boys with our vocal harmonies.

Wouldn't it be nice..

I'm sorry did you say 'keytar' or did you just pronounce guitar like a hillbilly.