rhythm-games
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Rocksmith's Bass Expansion comes to PC on October 16
Ubisoft has announced that the Bass Expansion for its educational guitar game, Rocksmith, is arriving on the PC on October 16. The DLC pack, which includes bass tracks and teaching functions for either a standard 6-string guitar or a 4-string bass guitar, hit Xbox 360 and PS3 earlier this August.In addition to content for the game's current songs, the Bass Expansion allows you to access bass information for any DLC songs in the future, so it's quite an investment. The Bass Expansion will be available for $29.99, the same initial price as the console versions. One important bass-playing thing it won't teach you is how to look cooler than the lead guitarist while you play. Better get started working on that right now.
Rumor: Harmonix prepping 'unique motion-gaming IP' ... with storylines
We thought Harmonix had its hands full with Rock Band Blitz, but the Cambridge-based developer may also be preparing a new IP – and for the next generation of consoles. According to several different job listings, the developer is looking for narrative, content and level designers, and one software engineer to help out with "a unique motion-gaming IP.""Harmonix seeks an accomplished Narrative Designer to incorporate creative story lines into gameplay on a unique motion-gaming IP," reads just one of the positions discovered by Supererogatory. This particular gig is a 12-month contract position, while the others make mention of a "music-based motion-gaming IP" and seem to be for more established positions.A narrative-driven, rhythm-based motion game? Sounds a lot like one of our favorite games ever. [Wait, surely you meant this? - Ed.]
Review: DJ Hero
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/DJ_Hero_is_fresh_by_every_conceivable_definition_of_the_word'; DJ Hero could end up being the most divisive video game ever created. It flies proudly in the face of certain qualities I've come to expect of the casual-aimed rhythm genre -- qualities such as accessibility, recognizability and general ease of play. Activision's latest possesses none of these characteristics: It's got a sheer learning curve, it exclusively features music that has been mashed into an indistinguishable pulp, and it's easily the most difficult peripheral-based rhythm game I've ever played. (Dance Dance Revolution notwithstanding, of course. These legs just weren't made to flail.) Everyone who plays DJ Hero will either hate it to its core, eject the disc and toss in a more familiar musical standby, or, if they possess a certain collection of odd inclinations, they'll fall wildly in love with it. I fall into the latter group, though the small assembly of friends I recently had try their hands at the game fell firmly into the former. Yes, those people aren't writing this review, but I thought it important to note their existence. For my part, I found DJ Hero to be fresh by every conceivable definition of the word. %Gallery-64592%
Screen Grabs: DJ Hero makes cameo in Kid Cudi video, comes back full circle
Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today's movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dt com. Something very peculiar popped up while we were watching Kid Cudi's "Make Her Say" music video. Just as the song is winding down, Mr. Cudi (also known as Scott Mescudi) can be seen "air scratching" while someone in the above frame takes the pantomime one step further with DJ Hero's turntable peripheral. The connection runs much deeper, though: the song was produced by Kanye West, whose rise to fame arguably came when he produced Jay-Z's critically acclaimed album The Blueprint... and Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, in turn, happens to be one of the two artists (along with Eminem) promoting DJ Hero. Funny how that works out. Video after the break, and jump to the 3:03 mark if all you really want is another glimpse of the controller. [Thanks, Laxuo and AG Beast]
DJ Hero Renegade Edition now accepting callers, lists for $199.99
So how badly do you want that metallic DJ Hero turntable? The game's official website is now directing your attention to GameStop and Amazon, both of which are now accepting pre-orders for the Renegade Edition (due to launch October 27th alongside the standard bundle) for just one copper Lincoln under $200. That's a $80 premium over the regular bundle but does also include a stand / carrying case hybrid and a two-CD collection. Then again, it's also well over the cost of the entire instrument bundle for Rock Band 2 or Guitar Hero World Tour. Anyone gonna bite? [Thanks, HArry]
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.
Video: Beatles Rock Band books surprise gig at Xbox 360 meetup
Last night Microsoft held an E3 2009 post-press conference event, and while Natal wasn't anywhere within our reach, we did happen upon Harmonix's Beatles Rock Band stage, an appropriately cliché setup on the rooftop of The Standard Hotel. We'll be getting more thorough hands-on time with the instruments later in the week, but for now, enjoy a glimpse at the concert ensemble, blasting forth with (confirmed!) three-part harmony.
DJ Hero's turntable, crossfader peripheral spotted in E3 preview
Admit it, you weren't satisfied by those initial concept images of DJ Hero's button-laden turntable. Yeah, us neither, but thanks to a screengrab reportedly from a television promo for Spike / GameTrailer's E3 2009 coverage, we've now got a brief glimpse of what Activision's peripheral looks like in physical form. In addition to getting somewhat of an idea of its size, we've also got the first peak at the crossfader attachment. No clue on if that means we'll be needing a second turntable, but with any luck we'll get to find out for ourselves early next month. [Via Joystiq]
The Beatles: Rock Band guitars confirmed, pre-order club announced
MTV Games and Harmonix have announced The Beatles: Rock Band will have two standalone guitars made available alongside the forthcoming Liverpudlian music rhythm game. The Rickenbacker 325 and Gretsch Duo Jet, played by John Lennon and George Harrison allegedly throughout their respective careers, are set to go on sale when the game launches in September for $100 bucks a pop. For those of you playing along at home, that equates to $250 for the full "premium" bundle plus another $200 for both of these guitars, altogether adding up to a whopping $450 for you serious Beatles fans. We spoke with Mariana Agathoklis at MTV Games this morning who said, "These guitars are really for the hardcore fans."Additionally, the "pre-order club" has officially opened for business at the game's official site, allowing those who've already pre-ordered the game to access "breaking news and access to exclusive game elements including art and behind-the-scenes footage." The bad economy has us in a bit of a fiduciary bind -- maybe you fine folks pre-ordering the game would be so kind as to shoot us a tip when the hot scoops hit?Update: Mariana at MTV Games asked us to clarify that these guitars will be compatible with "all Rock Band instruments, as well as most Guitar Hero and other music game peripherals." We've also added an image of the guitars in question in a gallery below, direct from the pre-order site to your eye cavities.%Gallery-51667%
Beatles Rock Band features multi-mic support, harmonious performances?
Wouldn't it be great if you and your mop top-clad friends could all sing together in the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band? According to a rumor found in the latest issue of Game Informer, Harmonix is doing just that: including multiple-microphone support for players to harmonize on the tracks. Not much else is given, but a NeoGAF forum poster who last week claimed to have played an early version adds that three mics were being used -- one for each instrument -- and there was also a new harmony trainer mode to ensure your vocal talents were up to snuff. We'd advise a good bit of skepticism, no matter how much sense it seems to make or how many of you dreams would come true if this turned out legit. In the meantime, you can go back to deciding which of the Fab Four you're gonna pretend to be first when the game launches on September 9.[Via Joystiq]Read - Multi-mic supportRead - Harmony trainer
Rumor: Patapon Spin-off?
According to EGM's Quartermann, their top guy for all things rumorlicious, something "Patapon-related" will be popping up on the PlayStation Network. It seems that this unique rhythm game might actually be getting some sort of spin-off. Patapon has barely just been released in the west and already we're hearing rumblings of a sequel or a spin-off. Hey, we're not complaining; we're just a little surprised. It would be nice to have another Patapon game, little eye people and all.[Via 1UP]
GameTap's top 10 rhythm games of all time
We play a lot of rhythm games at Joystiq HQ. Not because we like them, mind you, but because they're part of our strict training regimen for our competitive show choir squad, the Joystiq Jumpin' Junebugs. It's a little known fact that every video game blog has such a team, as required by the Digital Communications Act of 2006, and every year, we meet at an undisclosed location to compete for a year's worth of unspoken superiority. We all take it pretty seriously -- we really shouldn't be telling you this, but a certain GameSpot editorial director was recently let go after skipping two consecutive choreography rehearsals.Jared Rea, GameTap blogger and Joystiq retiree (not to mention former Junebug captain), recently compiled the top ten rhythm games of all time. While we're pleased as punch to see newcomer Rock Band taking the number one spot, the unceremonious exclusion of Gitaroo Man from the list is unforgivable. We'd sit and sulk if we had time, but there's an exhibition match against the Kotaku Flying Pompadours this Wednesday, and we've yet to perfect the harmony on "We Built This City."
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]
Joystiq Review: Guitar Hero (European release)
Note: Guitar Hero has been released in the US for six months, but is a new release in Europe. This review uses the European version of the game. Once, I dreamed of being on stage, lights in my eyes and music in my ears. Yesterday, for five glorious, rock-filled minutes, I was living my dream. Sliding my fingers up and down the fretboard in power chords, using fingers which haven't borne callouses for years, I was creating music… and what music it was! Songs I remembered tentatively picking out came to life, finally, with consummate skill. The fact I was pressing five brightly coloured buttons on a reduced-size guitar that looks like a child's toy is irrelevant. I was engrossed in the music, concentrating hard, picking out notes and chords with a frown when I missed and a smile when I did well, the audience's cheers and boos echoing my success. Welcome to Guitar Hero.
