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Rock Band Blitz hosting tournaments
Prove you're the best at manipulating Rock Band Blitz's power-up combinations, by competing in a new series of weekly tournaments. Harmonix has added the option to enable tournaments on the Rock Band World Facebook page, after which you'll be able to play the three tournaments hosted every week.Each tournament focuses on a single song, and allows you to replay the song as often as you want within that week to get a high score. If you have the highest score or the second-highest, or you're one of three random winners selected for each song, you get "free DLC and other great prizes!"The tournaments continue through March 13. This week's eclectic challenges: "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," "Charlene (I'm Right Behind You)" and "Shout."
Go broke on discounted Rock Band DLC this week
You'll probably have the same reaction we did upon learning of the half-off sale Harmonix is holding on over 1,100 Rock Band tracks this week: "Oh, no." More than one Joystiq editor expressed despair in response to the discounts on both individual tracks and artist packs, on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, because it means an inevitable purchase of too many tracks that can be played not only in Rock Band 3, but in the new Rock Band Blitz, as well.The situation became even more dire when we remembered that the Rock Band World Facebook app lets you build shopping lists for DLC, which then show up in Rock Band Blitz for easy, convenient purchases. Instant ramen, anyone?
Rock Band Blitz coin system adjusted, more coins for all
The economy is rough all over, including inside of video games that just came out, apparently. In response to player feedback collected from Facebook, Twitter and its official forums, Harmonix has changed how coins are earned in its PSN/XBLA score-chasing music game, Rock Band Blitz.First off, power-up costs have been adjusted and Track, Note and Overdrive doodads now cost 100, 200 and 250 coins respectively. The amount of coins earned at the end of a song has also changed; players now receive 100 coins per star earned during the song. Additionally, Score Wars winners will now be granted 1,500 coins, with Score Wars losers taking home 500 coins.Basically, earning more coins more quickly means that players will have to spend less time grinding, and will be less frequently unable to purchase the power-ups needed to potentially earn a song's maximum score. Also, you ever look at a word so long you stop being able to tell whether its spelled correctly? That's where we're at with coins. Coins, coins coins. Coins coins coins -- coins. Coins?
Rock Band Blitz review: Original score
Rock Band Blitz is basically criticism-proof. No matter what qualms I may have about the XBLA/PSN game, they'll end with a recommendation that you should, without a doubt, purchase it. The value proposition of 25 new Rock Band DLC songs, including Queen's "Death on Two Legs," cannot be argued.However, the same people to whom I'd recommend this DLC bundle (and game) most enthusiastically – people who have already played a bunch of Rock Band – are going to be the most confused by Rock Band Blitz. It's different. Disorientingly so.%Gallery-152627%
Rock Band World social app coming to Rock Band 3, Rock Band Blitz this month
Just in case there weren't enough ways to bug your friends online, Harmonix revealed "Rock Band World" this morning, a new social app for Facebook. The app integrates with both Rock Band 3 and Rock Band Blitz, allowing players to challenge their friends, compare scores, shop for music, and accomplish social goals. Accomplishing said goals can earn players in-game coins for Rock Band Blitz, which can then be used to purchase power-ups.The app is now available on Facebook. Rock Band Blitz arrives on PSN August 28 and on XBLA August 29.
Of course Rock Band Blitz has the Moves Like Jagger
As a music game coming out in 2012, Rock Band Blitz is required by law to include Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" in its track list.In addition to complying with recent pop earworm ordinances, Harmonix also revealed the final five tracks to be included with the downloadable game at launch: "These Days" by the Foo Fighters, "Stronger" by Kelly Clarkson, "Death on Two Legs" by Queen, "Give It Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and "Spoonman" by Soundgarden.Check out the full 25-track song list after the break, and a video introducing some new power-up items above. This game has a lot of power-ups.
Rock Band games to be removed from iOS App Store this month
Despite the fad of plastic instruments coming to a quiet end a few years ago, Rock Band is still a fairly popular brand, popular at parties and on the upcoming downloadable console version called Rock Band Blitz. But at least one part of Rock Band's legacy is going away for good: EA has announced that the iOS versions of the game will be off of the App Store as of July 31. Harmonix was the original creator of Rock Band, EA licensed the game and the name to put versions on the App Store (made by third-party developers), and as a result of that license expiring, Rock Band for iPhone and iPad are going bye-bye. All this means is that if you currently own one of these versions, you'll need to get it on your iPhone or Mac and back it up, because after July 31, you won't be able to reinstall it. If you haven't bought it yet, and want to, now's probably the time to do that. After the 31st, you won't be able to buy the app or any more new songs for it. Or maybe not -- Harmonix is currently at work on that Rock Band Blitz game, so there's a chance that, license back in hand, the company could release their own Rock Band game for iOS. Harmonix has released one app before (a non-game app called Vidrhythm), and while the company hasn't shown a lot of interest in Apple's platform beyond that, there's a chance the developer could take to the store itself if they thought the move would be profitable. [via Joystiq]
Rock Band Blitz takes the PSN stage Aug. 28, tours XBLA Aug. 29
Tune up your ... normal controller, because Rock Band Blitz is on the way in just over a month. Harmonix's downloadable music game will be out on PSN August 28, and on XBLA a day later, for $14.99 or its Xbox fun money equivalent.The game works with all your exported Rock Band tracks and DLC, but it'll come packed with 20 songs of its own. Today, Harmonix revealed four more of those: Avenged Sevenfold's "So Far Away," Kool & The Gang's "Jungle Boogie," My Chemical Romance's "Sing," and Fun's "We Are Young." You know, the song that's on the radio between plays of that Gotye song.All Blitz songs work in Rock Band 3, so that $15 is also an excuse to get the band back together.
Rock Band Blitz tracks include Elton John, All-American Rejects, Iron Maiden, more
Harmonix has revealed some of the new tracks that will be headed to its controller-powered Rock Band Blitz. The list features plenty of variety, including Elton John's "I'm Still Standing," All-American Rejects' "Kids in the Street," Iron Maiden's "Wicker Man" and Fall Out Boy's "A Little Less Sixteen Candles." Living Colour has a track as well – we'll let you guess which one.Harmonix has also released a short video explaining some of Blitz's power-ups. Check it out above, and find the partial track list after the break.
Check out the new Rock Band in its life 'Pre-Blitz'
It's taken us a day to upload the footage of Harmonix's Rock Band Blitz prototype, shown at the company's PAX East panel, but here it is! See the sunny "Pre-Blitz," or, as design director Chris Foster called it, "Preblitz," in action here.
Rock Band Blitz is not a cover of Frequency or Amplitude
Yes, I'm surprised too. Rock Band Blitz, despite its superficial similarity to Harmonix's PS2 music games, Frequency and Amplitude, is fundamentally different from those -- and from Rock Band. Well, okay, you're still hitting buttons in time to music, represented by icons coming down the screen. It's not that far gone.But almost everything else has been rethought. Instead of Rock Band's five "buttons" per instrument or Frequency's three, each instrument track in Blitz is limited to two tracks, with imported tracks converted algorithmically from the original Rock Band version. It is, technically, a simplification, but it's still challenging enough when you're juggling four or five instruments. And when you're playing Megadeth's "Symphony of Destruction."%Gallery-152627%
Pre-Blitz: Harmonix on building a new Rock Band from scratch
Harmonix team members Matthew Nordhaus, Chris Foster, Brian Chan, and Jyllian Thibodeau explained the development process that led to Rock Band Blitz, by way of showing us previous versions and iterations of the game. Collectively, these prototypes were referred to as "Pre-Blitz," and epitomized by a brief video of a version that keeps the social basis of Blitz, but with a very different aesthetic.While the final game ended up featuring a sort of rainbow note highway in a musically reactive city, this version is a much sunnier, somewhat more literal "highway" style environment. Somewhere between these two, the team thought of having the music make the city spring up building by building, but that didn't make it.At one point it wasn't even decided where the music would come from. A DLC strategy was important to the team, but it wasn't certain that the game would be a Rock Band game. When it was decided that it would be, the source of music became obvious. And then the team had to convert all the songs from five lanes per instrument to two -- which, Nordhaus explained, made the game way too easy in lower difficulties. Finally, against his better judgment, the team playtested a game with only one difficulty, and it worked.Senior designer Brian Chan explained that the game lost the "track-locking" mechanic from Amplitude and other handheld Rock Bands, in favor of a system that allows players to build "levels" in individual tracks. This allowed people to play in a much more freeform manner instead of following a prescribed, single best scoring pattern.Even the specifics of the controls were in question, with considerations like gestural controls for each instrument. Above is an idea for keyboard controls that used left, right, and a button press to simulate keys.
Rock Band Blitz gameplay trailer; Rock Band 3 tracks not importable
Harmonix's Rock Band Blitz for Xbox Live Arcade and PSN was announced last night, but now the studio is sharing a trailer and some more details on the game. Featuring gameplay similar to that of Rock Band Unplugged (or HMX's Amplitude or Frequency), the game has you sailing down a note highway, tapping blocks and switching instrument tracks for maximum points. There are several control layouts available, allowing you to switch instruments using bumpers and hitting blocks using buttons or analog sticks.Rock Band Blitz will launch with 25 tracks, including "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People, "Jessie's Girl" by Rick Springfield, "Always" by Blink-182 and "Bang your Head" by Quiet Riot. All 25 tracks will be available to play in Rock Band 3. The game will also have access to the full Rock Band Music Store.However, you will not be able to export the disc-based Rock Band 3 tracks into Rock Band Blitz, since they don't reside on the hard drive. Asked whether Harmonix was working on an update to allow import of disc tracks as an option, a representative told us, "We don't have plans at this time."Blitz will be out this summer.%Gallery-152221%
Rock Band Blitz announced for PSN/XBLA, can access existing Rock Band DLC
Harmonix's Rock Band Blitz is coming to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN. It was revealed on G4's X-Play this evening, and showed gameplay similar to that of Rock Band Unplugged. Dispensing with peripherals, the controller-based gameplay has dexterous finger gymnasts cruising down a note highway, hitting blocks and switching between instruments for maximum scores.The title will launch with 25 tracks, but the real coup is that the game can access the current Rock Band library on your console. The game also has access to the Rock Band Music Store for more DLC, meaning there are potentially over 3,500 tracks to import. As a bonus, the 25 songs that are bundled with the game are playable in Rock Band 3.
