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'Rock Band 4' to get online multiplayer later this year
One of Rock Band's biggest draws has always been local multiplayer. When four or five people are in the same room, jamming away on plastic instruments, it's hard not to crack a smile. Of course, it's not always possible to get people together, so developer Harmonix is working on bringing online multiplayer to Rock Band 4. It's due this holiday and will offer a "Quickplay-esque" experience for you and a few friends. So if someone can't make band practice -- or your group is miles apart -- you can still play together and prepare for that all-important reunion gig.
'Rock Band 4' and 'Guitar Hero Live' are basically board games
The puppies always get excited when I open the hall closet. As the heavy, wooden door slides open with a twist and a pop, my two tiny dogs run over, tails wagging, because opening that closet means one of three things: The pups are going for a walk, I need to sweep, or it's time to play Rock Band 4. My boyfriend and I store the plastic guitars in that closet, and as I slide them out, brushing past jacket sleeves and cardboard boxes, even the puppies understand what's going on. We're having a party.
Beamz laser instrument gets upgraded to please hardcore laser rockers and gamers alike
The demonstration of four-player Rock Band Mobile at Samsung's CES 2011 press conference was pretty slick, but to the folks at Beamz, that kind of music gaming is still so amateur compared to its laser switch-activated jam sessions. That's because they've redesigned their original product to be more living room-friendly thanks to a black paint job and a slimmer profile. They've also tried to appeal more to the gaming set by expanding the Beamz song library beyond the original 80 developed by independent artists to include "top hit jams" - aka cover versions of top 40 tracks -- and 35 licensed "video songs" from Disney and EMI. So if you'd like to laser thump the bass to Blondie's Heart of Glass music video, you can. Additionally, the Beamz software has been upgraded to support up to three laser instruments on the same track and recording for a real band experience -- though it still only runs on PCs. For $200, we don't expect these to fly off shelves, but for those who've mastered the whammy bar, it's at least another way to get your faux music-making fix. %Gallery-113166%
Rock Band Reloaded out now on App Store, Puzzle Quest 2 out soon
Two big sequels have hit the App Store in the past day or so -- as the holidays are here, more big name titles will be forthcoming for sure. First up, EA has released Rock Band Reloaded, a new version of the popular Rock Band music game series for iOS. This one plays generally the same as the first game as you have to tap certain notes on the screen as they slide down the board, but there are quite a few new options, including new songs (15 now, more free tracks coming soon, and more available via in-app purchase) and a new vocal mode that allows you to sing into the iPhone's microphone. The game is also updated for Retina Display, and it has awards and achievements to earn, though strangely, EA hasn't embraced Game Center quite yet. The iPhone version is $4.99, and the iPad HD version is $9.99. And Namco should have Puzzle Quest 2 on the App Store, though at the moment I can't find it out there. The puzzler/RPG title is terrific (I really enjoyed it on Xbox Live Arcade), and it looks like Namco has decided to go with a full release for $9.99 rather than going episodic as they did with the first title. Either way, the game is great -- hopefully it'll be back out on the App Store soon.
Activision unveils gnarly new Guitar Hero axes for Warriors of Rock
Some of you might be surprised that a game as simple as Guitar Hero is on the precipice of its sixth iteration, and others still will just want to know what the latest axe is going to look like it. Well, behold! Today we're witnessing the debut of the new "shredding-friendly" design, replete with cutaway sections in the body and an aggressive, modern look. The cutaways are possible thanks to an internal redesign concentrating the electronics into the neck and fretboard, which will also allow you to swap different bodies around the controller parts. Yes, that does mean you'll be able to play without any body appendages at all, if you wanna be all contrarian about it. Another design, a GameStop exclusive, is also on show, and you can see it just after the break.
DJ Hero hands-on
Activision's being pretty guarded with DJ Hero at the moment. Not only is it available only behind closed doors at its E3 2009 booth, but even then we weren't able to get our own hands-on time with the game, relegated instead to playing guitar along with someone else on the deck through that Monkey Wrench / Sabotage mashup. We did, however, get a chance to play take it out of the darkly-lit room and get a good feel of its weight and build quality, which we might add is pretty solid. Click on through for our full impressions and a video showing off the DJ vs. guitar mode.
Bandai rolls out new Tamagotchi Music Star designs, earplugs not included
Bandai's been busy in their genius labs brewing up some "high tech" amusement, and they have the newly announced Tamagotchi Music Stars to show for it. You've probably been dying to create a digital diva or virtuoso all your own, and now you can, with six different options such as Glam Rock, Techno Sound, and Rising Star to choose from. Your character gets to join a band, go through hours of practice, auditions and rehearsals before making it big. Sound exhausting? Well fame comes at a price, kid. No word yet on price or availability, but you can check out their site for lots of info and a few shots of the designs. Oh: and rock on.Update: We just got word from the company that the Music Stars will retail for $14.99
Follow the bouncing ball with Ontama
Ontama is a new rhythm game for the DS. Which is, really, all we needed to know for our hype-generating machine to go into full power. In case you hadn't noticed, we tend to get worked up about the music games. Rather than telling little mini-stories like Elite Beat Agents, Noise Factory's new game seems to be a somewhat more stripped-down, arcade experience, with characters that seem to be limited to describing gameplay. We don't exactly know how the game works, but we can tell that you touch little round creatures (probably the Ontama themselves, since that translates to "sound balls" or "music balls") to send them into icons on the top of the screen; you then hit directions and buttons that correspond to those icons at the right moment, like Parappa the Rapper. Enjoy the trailer after the break, and see if you can figure out a little bit more of what's going on.
Boogie gameplay impressions: this is not DDR
MTV's Stephen Totilo got a chance to test EA's Boogie at an SSX Blur launch party, and has only now had an NDA lifted, so he can talk about it. The most shocking thing from his impressions is that it sounds really innovative. Rather than going down the Bemani/DDR "push buttons in time with the music" route, EA Montreal has created an improvisation-based game where you use controller gestures to try to satisfy the audience with your dance moves. The Nunchuk moves the alien guy's body while the Wiimote controls where his head is pointed. Success in the game is a matter of using a variety of dance moves and somehow being "stylish." There are no onscreen indicators of what to push when.Our first instinct is to rail against the game for being too dumbed-down and lacking any of the precision of pretty much any other music game, but that doesn't seem to be the right way to think about it. This may be a game about dancing in time to music, but it is a different kind of music game. And until we have conclusive proof that it's not good, we're going to be excited about the prospect of EA of all people expanding our favorite genre.Note: you may have to scroll down to find this article: individual MTV multiplayer stories can't be linked.
Cheer up! More Ouendan 2 scans are here!
Every day we get to see even one more frame of Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 is a good day. Just getting an excuse to type the awesomely overblown title out makes us smile. And today we have two nice, big magazine scans to stare at. The scans show two of the new levels, and we have descriptions of the objectives thanks to the language wizards at NeoGAF, who can instantly make small amounts of Japanese become English. The first level involves Tsuyoshi Hanada, the student from the first level of the first Ouendan, and his job search. The second involves a salesman who wants to peddle sneakers in space. The screenshots from this level indicate that the rival Ouendan team will be playable! The full scans are available after the post break. Click them (rhythmically, of course) for larger versions. [Via NeoGAF]
Gitaroo Man to rock on the PSP Nov. 14
If you were hesitant to pick up the extremely cheap Gitaroo Man import last month, then you may be excited to know Koei is shipping the rhythm game to our shores come Nov. 14.IGN has already released a Gitaroo Man review giving it an 8.8 and says it's "one of the finest games the genre has ever produced." Pretty lofty words indeed.And to make sure there is at least a few things new in the port, Koei has included an ad hoc Duet mode. [Via Joystiq]
