RockBand
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Joystiq hands-on: Rock Band
In 1999, Konami of Japan unleashed DrumMania on Japanese arcades and with it, the ability to link the machine together with GuitarFreaks for session play. This was considered a novel idea at the time, though it wasn't the most affordable setup. The following year, they released a home version of DrumMania, complete with the appropriate controller. That is, of course, if you had no intentions of playing the game with any sort of accuracy.Jump to the present day and not only has Harmonix solved the problem of session play, but they've also produced a drumming peripheral that challenges the quality of Konami's original arcade beast. Sticks in hand, we sat down behind Harmonix's latest kit, flipped the difficulty to hard and proceeded to lay in like few others have before. If there is any doubt as to the mastery of rhythm wielded by Harmonix, Rock Band surely squashes it.%Gallery-3923%
Rock Band hits Europe in 2008, new tracks
Electronic Arts has confirmed that Rock Band won't see the light of day in Europe until 2008. The confirmation comes not long after Red Octane founder Charles Huang predicted that producing enough music peripherals for a worldwide launch would prove too difficult. Naturally, EA didn't explain why Rock Band won't see Europe in 2007, but we imagine Huang's reasoning is pretty sound. EA also announced that a PS2 version of the game is in the works, and it will launch alongside its current-gen cousins in Europe next year (and presumably in the US as well). Finally, EA revealed ten new master tracks for the game: "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones "Highway Star" by Deep Purple "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash "Epic" by Faith No More "Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins "Creep" by Radiohead (!) "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys (also in GHIII) "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails See all the confirmed tracks after the break.
Rock Band to perform on PS2, hits Europe in 2008
Harmonix and MTV Games have announced that 2008 will see the release of a PlayStation 2 version of their musical peripheral extravaganza, Rock Band. The non-HD concert will take place alongside the launch of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions in Europe, both of which will feature "extensive localized music content" on-disc and for download in order to make up for missing a now much quieter Christmas. Publisher EA also revealed ten new master tracks to be featured on Rock Band: "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones "Highway Star" by Deep Purple "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by The Clash "Epic" by Faith No More "Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins "Creep" by Radiohead "Sabotage" by Beastie Boys "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go (We'll be playing this one on a treadmill.) "The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails You'll find a full list of confirmed songs after the break.
Europe, Australia get no Rock Band in 2007?
Rock n' Roll is a harsh mistress. There can be no doubt about that. It's so harsh, in fact, that Europe, Australia, and New Zealand won't be seeing Rock Band until next year. At least, that's what it looks like. Yes, we know. Let it out. Let it all out. We can hear the lamentations being shouted at computer monitors all the way on the other side of the Atlantic and Pacific. During a GameSpot interview, Red Octane founder Charles Huang noted that he didn't think Rock Band would see release in Australia and New Zealand by the end of the year. He then refined his statement to cover "multiple territories." When contacted by GameSpot UK for comment, their EA rep responded, "We don't think [Rock Band] will be released in Q4." Huang cited the difficulty of producing enough peripherals for a worldwide launch as a likely reason for any delays.Keep in mind that Huang works for Rock Band's closest competitor, so a delay is probably in his best interests. Still, given EA's comments about the UK, Australia and New Zealand's rock fate isn't looking too bright this year.[Via Joystiq]
EA confirms Rock Band in US 2007 despite AU and EU delays [Update]
According to Red Octane COO Charles Huang "multiple territories ... will not see Rock Band this Christmas." Now remember, Red Octane makes Guitar Hero and is the competitor to the Harmonix developed, EA published, Rock Band. Huang believes Australia and New Zealand are out this year and expects those territories to pay $275 Australian for the game and peripherals. Speaking with Gamespot AU, he says possible release delays can be attributed to peripheral manufacturing output and that this could reach beyond the Asia-Pacific region. Huang says, "I'm not singling out Australia -- probably it will be multiple territories that will not see Rock Band this Christmas is my guess." EA Australia won't confirm the information, but GameSpot UK was told by their EA rep, "We don't think [Rock Band] will be released in Q4."EA confirmed with Joystiq that Rock Band is still coming to the US in 2007. Although there is still no announced release date, no confirmed peripheral price, and we've heard hardly a peep about the game from the corporate side since the good buzz generated by E3. And we know we were working with "prototype" peripherals that hadn't gone into mass production at E3. We've asked for comment from EA about what's going on with the game and its peripherals. We'll update as soon as we hear back.Update: EA got back to us and said that "everything is on track to launch the game on time" in the US. They'd also like to clarify that no European or Australian ship dates were ever announced and "at this point everything else is pure speculation." They won't answer specific questions regarding US peripheral supplies, we asked if they can guarantee at least a guitar for every copy of the game, but they do say that they're "working as hard as [they] can to produce as many copies of the game as quickly as [they] can." And finally, in terms of a release date, "We're almost there! Rock Band will ship this holiday in North America for the PS3 and Xbox 360."
EA and Activision find mud, start slinging
We knew it had to happen eventually. EA and Activision have officially begun sniping one another in regards to Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. In one corner, you have Activision's Will Kassoy who sees Guitar Hero III as a highly accessible sequel in a genre-defining series. Furthermore, he says that Rock Band may prove too complicated for the average gamer, while Guitar Hero III offers fun for everyone. EA, naturally, takes a different stand. According to EA's Frank Gibeau, the various choices available in Rock Band (guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) is precisely what makes it accessible. As Gibeau notes, some folks would rather sing than play guitar. Which will ultimately win? Gamers will decide later this year.[Via Joystiq]
EA and Activision talk smack about rock battle
Activision and EA traded a few barbs with each other over this fall's Battle of the Brands, pitting upstart Rock Band against stalwart Guitar Hero III, over at GameDaily BIZ. Their arguments are about what you'd expect, with Activision saying that Rock Band isn't accessible enough and EA saying that Rock Band is, in fact, so very accessible that it makes handicap ramps look more like ramparts.While they're busy towing the company line, we're a little more interested in where you stand on the issue. Will you be venturing into the unknown? Or will you dance with who brought you, so to speak? Will you do both? Or, will you be like us and abandon both in favor of the secret dark horse: I Can Play Guitar.
Rock Band bundle packaging spotted on Gamestop and Amazon
On of our eagle-eyed readers has noticed that the Gamestop and Amazon Rock Band cover art has been replaced. Now, instead of a bland DVD box (we hope that uninspired art is a placeholder), we can see the box that the bundle will come in. Only the PS3 version has been changed, the 360 version has remained the same. There's not a whole lot more to say about it, except: how exciting! There's nothing like buying a game and getting a huge box full of stuff. Right? Though we're curious. How are they going to fit a guitar and drum kit into that box? Unless it's some Ikea style flat-pack deal. Flat-pack video games. Whatever next?[Thanks Jared!]
X3F Meetup: Red Robin tonight, with special guest!
So, initial response to our X3F meetup at Red Robin tonight has been good, but we've got some great news for those of you coming, and those of you on the fence. Nick King from Threewave Software shot us an email saying that he'll be showing up, and got the go ahead from his CEO to give exclusive details on the multiplayer component of their upcoming Wolfenstein game. We told him that if he had any swag lying around the office, that he's more than welcome to bring it along. The Red Robin in question has been informed of our attendance and we have a reservation under "X3F" and scored the patio. The weather is cloudy, right now, so we'll gauge whether we take the festivities indoors or not later this evening. Again, feel free to RSVP in the comments section, or by shooting me an email at david [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com, with the subject "Red Robin" to confirm your attendance. Bottomless Fries FTW!When: 7:00 PM, Tonight (August 8th)Where: Red Robin at Broadway & Oak in Vancouver, BC, CanadaWhat: Good food, times, giveaways, and Wolfy detailsWho: Full RSVP list after the breakNote: We're going to be bumping this story up throughout the day so that those in the Lower Mainland will have a chance to see it and perhaps make some last minute plans.
The $60 Rock Band saga continues
[Update: Best Buy has sent an e-mail to all Rock Band pre-orderers admitting to the mistaken listing and cancelling the existing pre-orders. "We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. Because you are a valued customer, we would like to offer you a $5 Digital Coupon* toward a future purchase at www.BestBuy.com," the note reads, in part. Hey, it was always a long shot, but at least we get a coupon for our trouble.]If you've been reading the updates to our story on the $60 Rock Band package with included controllers offered by BestBuy.com, you know that the site stopped taking pre-orders some time Monday night and took down the product entirely on Tuesday morning. Well, this morning things started getting really interesting.BestBuy.com re-posted the product description pages for Rock Band this morning with a few key changes. The product description now clearly states that the drum, guitar and microphone accessories are "sold separately" and "optional" (Optional? We'd like to see them play the game without 'em!). These notes were not on the version available on the site from at least last Thursday through Monday night, as the above scanned printout clearly shows. Pre-orders are no longer being offered for the item, which has the same SKU and Best Buy ID number as the original posting.So what about those of us that pre-ordered before the bait-and-switch. We called Best Buy and talked to a customer service representative who seemed just as confused as we were. First she checked to see if she could simply add the peripherals to the order but, unfortunately, BestBuy.com does not yet have the Rock Band controllers in its system (unlike Amazon and GameStop). She then checked to see if other orders placed on Monday had received any special consideration, but none showed any change from the original order. At one point she tried to argue that the original description may have just meant that the game merely supported the peripherals, but the printout we have clearly states that the peripherals were included (that one little word is key here).We were then forwarded on to a BestBuy.com floor supervisor, Chris, who we walked through the whole situation once again. Chris asked us to fax the printout we made of the earlier version of the page and said he would forward the matter to their corporate headquarters. Chris said in situations like these the corporate HQ has to decide whether to amend the orders already placed or provide some other form of restitution to those affected.Chris said he expected to have some sort of answer by tomorrow, and you'll be sure to hear about it as soon as we do. In short, don't cancel those pre-orders just yet. Joystiq is on the case!
Rock Band for PS3 bundled with wireless guitar
If you've been following Rock Band news at all, you're probably aware that there are going to be bundles where you buy the game and get the instruments as well. No, there aren't any official prices, but that's okay because it's starting to seem like the PS3 is going to give you a mighty fine deal. Amazon and Gamestop both list the bundles for $199, except the PS3 version comes with a wireless guitar whereas the 360 version has a wired guitar.We're not exactly sure if this is going to be the final prices or availability of the game and its instruments, but if it is, why is the PS3 getting a wireless guitar for the same price as the 360's wired one? The folks in charge of Rock Band certainly have some SKU control to take care of before the game releases, or else there are going to be a lot of questions, problems, and ambiguous answers for their pricing and controller bundles. Still, if the PS3 gets a wireless guitar for $20 less than the competition, we're not going to complain.[via Joystiq]
360 Rock Band to include wired guitar
Well kiddies, it's starting to look grim for the rock stars out there looking to get some wireless guitar action in Rock Band. According to the details on Amazon.com, the Xbox 360 version of the Rock Band bundle (currently priced at $199) comes with a wired guitar. The PS3 version, on the other hand, has a wireless guitar listed. We can't help but recall the price memo that listed a $20 discrepancy between the PS3 and 360 wireless guitars. Is the cost cutting solution to include a wired guitar with 360 Rock Band? It's looking that way, yes. If you want wireless freedom, you may just have to add $79 to your Rock Band purchase. Granted, none of this pricing information is official at this point, but we must point out (along with Joystiq) that right now you're signing up for a wired guitar if you pre-order the Rock Band bundle.[Via Joystiq]
Rock Band bundles have wireless guitar on PS3 and wired on Xbox
We've been working on getting answers to what's going on with Rock Band's peripheral pricing for a long time. There are still no "official" prices to be found, but there is one anomaly regarding the wireless Xbox 360 guitar that is really starting to kick up questions. This $20 difference in the prices between the Xbox 360 wired and wireless guitar, which Joystiq first reported on back in May, has come back around in a sneaky way with the Rock Band bundles. Both Amazon and GameStop currently sell the Rock Band bundle for $199, with one key difference: The PS3 version comes with a wireless guitar and the Xbox 360 version is wired.So, for gamers looking to avoid the currently marked $20 difference between the PS3 ($59.99) and Xbox 360 ($79.99) wireless guitar prices, the bundle is apparently not the answer. We also spoke with Red Octane yesterday, following up on questions we had at E3 about the price point of their Xbox 360 wireless guitar. Given Red Octane's already dramatic history on this wireless issue with Microsoft, we wanted to know if licensing issues and cost to the consumer had been worked out for this guitar and Guitar Hero III's release. They couldn't officially answer at this time, but the GH III bundles are currently identically priced on GameStop's website."Officially" none of this information means anything at this point. Although consumers should be made aware that the Rock Band bundles they're currently purchasing on GameStop and Amazon for the Xbox 360 are officially marked as wired, while the PS3 version is marked as wireless.[Thanks Zachary]
Impromptu X3F Meetup: Red Robin in Vancouver on 8th
Hopefully the short notice isn't too much of a bad thing, but if you live in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada, X3F (myself) will be wining and dining at the Red Robin in Vancouver (Broadway & Oak) tomorrow, Wednesday the 8th, at 7:00 PM PDT. As an added bonus, there will be a couple Rock Band shirts that'll be given away, the sizes of which are XL, along with some other goodies leftover from E3. Directions can be found here, as well as contact info for the restaurant itself here. Use the comments section as a form of RSVP, or shoot me an email at david [at] xbox360fanboy [dot] com, with the subject line Red Robin. Based on response, I'll shoot a reservation to the Double R under X3F. Depending on the weather, we may stake out the patio overlooking downtown. If you're in the area, we hope you can make it down.
Dash update preps 360 for wireless guitars
Major Nelson sends word that a Dashboard Update is now available. Users will be prompted to download the update the next time they sign into Xbox Live. Before everyone goes crazy looking for fabulous new features, you should know that this is not the Fall Update. Most of you probably figured this out, as it is still summer. All the update does is ready the 360 to accept those fabulous wireless guitars that ship with Guitar Hero III and Rock Band later this year. It's good to know that the 360 will play nice with the wireless guitars and all, but we'd really like to know how much they're going to cost.
Even at $199, Rock Band: SE for 360 lands on Amazon's bestseller list
Remember all that talk about how Rock Band would have a hard time selling those pricey accessories? Apparently, it won't be so hard after all. The Xbox 360 version of Rock Band Special Edition -- including the game, a drum set, a guitar and a mic -- for $199 is crowdsurfing in online retailer Amazon's bestseller list for video games. As of 8:00 p.m. ET yesterday, it was ranked 10th, though it was 4th place as recent as yesterday afternoon, reports Punch Jump.On the list of Xbox 360 bestsellers, the game currently ranks 3rd; for the PlayStation 3 bestsellers, that version is currently ranked 9th. While not as great as Best Buy's $60 screwup, it certainly beats Gamestop's previous $300 estimate (now also at $199).
Best Buy offering $60 Rock Band pre-order w/ accessories
[Update 4: The latest developments in this saga can be found in a new post.][Update 3: I just received the following message in an e-mail from Scott with Best Buy Customer Care: "At this time we are looking into why this page isn't working on the website. Please keep checking to see it once we have fixed it. I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and thank you for your patience and understanding."][Update 2: As of Tuesday morning, the product description pages for Rock Band are no longer available on BestBuy.com. A customer service representative told Joystiq that existing pre-orders tshould still be valid for the moment and that the order could be changed if price or product description changes happen on subsequent versions of the site.][Update: It appears Best Buy has taken down the pre-order links as of late Monday night. We'll let you know if and when they come back up, and if we hear anything more about Best Buy honoring the advertised price and features for those that did get orders in.]BestBuy.com has put up pre-order listings for the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Rock Band. That doesn't sound like a big deal until you hear about the price each version is listed at: $59.99. That's a lot less than the $300 Gamestop estimate that was getting thrown around a while back.We know what you're thinking: This deal is probably just for the game disc, without the special controllers needed to make it work. Au contraire -- the product features clearly state that "included drum, guitar and microphone peripherals enable players to perform music together." [emphasis added]. Even if Best Buy realizes their mistake and raises the price, their pre-order FAQ states "you will always receive the lower of the two prices."We can't guarantee that Best Buy will actually honor this great deal when the game comes out in November, but it seems to us like they might have to. We recommend putting in the order now, printing out the applicable product features description and receipt, and arguing your case when it comes time for the in-store pick up.
Harmonix CEO talks about E3 award
We hope that Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix, was happy when Joystiq gave Rock Band the Best in Show Award for E3, but just in case he wasn't, the Game Critics Awards also gave them the same award just to make sure. Rigopulos recently spoke to Newsweek's N'Gai Croal about their Game Critics award saying that they took a break from beta to polish off "several crates of champagne."With all the delays lately, it's good to know that Rock Band is still on track for its holiday release. Rigopulos says all the major stuff is out of the way and they're just bug-fixing and polishing the game. He also believes that the music game genre has "finally arrived" and become a major mainstream category in games. Now we're just waiting to see if the mass produced versions of Harmonix's new guitar, mic and drum hardware (the prototypes at E3 worked well) hold up to the quality which Red Octane's guitars have -- ignoring those two weeks in April.%Gallery-3923%
Metallica in Guitar Hero III, not just Rock Band
In a conference call where Activision re-tooted their own horn about how much money they made so far this year, they also let it slip that Metallica would be in Guitar Hero III. The song will be One, a master track off of Metallica's ...And Justive for All album. This may sound like old news, but you're probably getting confused with Rock Band also having Metallica. Yes, it is going to be hard to keep track of what games have which songs in this holiday rhythm showdown.During the conference call Activision also said that Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s was the best-selling game on its first day in Activision history. They also said they are significantly increasing guitar production to meet the expected demand of Guitar Hero III this holiday season.
LittleBigPlanet and Killzone win Game Critics Awards
Was there any doubt that LittleBigPlanet is the most original game of E3? The Game Critics Awards have named Media Molecule's 2D wonder the "Best Original Game" of E3 this year (a week after we named it the best PS3 game; and Joystiq also named it the "Best Original Game"). In addition, Killzone earned special honors in graphics -- it didn't match the visual fidelity of the original trailer, but boy did it get close. Finally, the Game of the Show was Rock Band ... a multiplatform release that'll find its way on PS3. Not a bad line-up of awards for the PS3, no? [Via PlayStation.blog]
