RockBand
Latest
Rock Band drum image based on fuzzy memories
The latest Game Informer has a feature about Rock Band, with mockups of the controllers. Or, rather, pictures of a microphone and a Fender Stratocaster, and a mockup of the drum kit. The image may or may not resemble the final drum kit, depending on whether or not Harmonix changes the prototype and on whether or not the Game Informer team has learned the secrets of Mega Memory.According to the caption, "This isn't an exact representation of the drum kit -- Harmonix should reveal the final design soon. We crafted this picture from memory based on the time we played with the prototype." It's got everything we need: stuff to hit and stuff to kick.[Via Digg]
Rock Band's microphone, prototype drum set unveiled
Hot on the heels of Rock Band's Stratocaster (which we've now learned will act as the guitar and bass) being unveiled, a scan from Game Informer has blessed us with shots of the game's (apparently) wireless microphone and drum set. The mic, which appears to be standard fare, could potential come bundled with the game, and it is even noted that Harmonix may support "other USB microphones as well." The real standout here, however, is the prototype drum set, which reportedly "won't change much" from the picture you see above. Notably, the game will also include a "real pair of wooden sticks," and those who have fallen head over heels for their current Guitar Hero II controller will appreciate the ability to use it with Rock Band. Click on through to see the page scan in its entirety.
Rock Band Stratocaster controller revealed
It's always comforting to put a face to a name, and for those who have been raucously awaiting more details on the elusive Rock Band controller, dig in. According to a purported GameStop newsletter, the ten-button axe does indeed favor a Fender Stratocaster, and while the frets appear fairly subtle head-on, those looking down on the device will notice the colorful labels (shown after the jump) that they've grown used to. Additionally, the tidbit also divulged that the instrument "would allow players to manipulate sound through reverb, flange, wah, delay and more," but there was no mention of the presumably lofty pricetag that this thing would eventually sport. Looks like the Fender fanboys will soon be able to really duel it out with the Gibson purists, eh?
Behold, the Rock Band guitar!
In the latest GameStop newsletter, we get our first glimpse of the Rock Band Fender Stratocaster guitar. It's clear that Harmonix, EA, and MTV are aiming for an authentic music experience, as the controller appears to be a genuine guitar at first glance. As we've revealed before, the controller features 10 buttons, five at the top of the neck and five at the bottom. The button colors are cleverly positioned on both sides of the neck, effectively ditching the toy-like design of previous Guitar Hero controllers. The newsletter also reveals that players will have many effects, including, "reverb, flange, wah, delay and more." We have to agree with Joystiq though, it's high time we started hearing about how much Rock Band is going to cost.See a close-up of the buttons after the break.
First glimpse at ten-button Rock Band guitar controller
Harmonix was just getting us warmed up, it seems. Instead of the five fret buttons we've grown accustomed to on the past Guitar Hero series, the Rock Band official Stratocaster-based guitar controller displays ten fret buttons. On the second pic embedded below, you'll notice the five new buttons down at the base of the neck. We can only imagine what kind of sick guitar solo action Harmonix has in store for us with these.The pics arrive courtesy of a Gamestop newsletter, which also details the new features embedded into the guitar controller. As we reported earlier, guitar effects will play a large role, allowing the player to flange, wah, reverb and delay their way into guitar gaming bliss. No official pricing was included at this time, though we wouldn't be surprised to see something closer to $79.99 or thereabouts for the controller alone. Price be damned, we're still going to have to give this bad boy a spin. Anyone else?
Rock Band guitar shown in latest GameStop newsletter
We knew the Rock Band guitar was going to be based on the Fender Stratocaster and now, thanks to a GameStop newsletter, we get the clear internet-ready picture of what it'll actually look like. The ten button controller (you read that right, check out another pic after the break) has five frets at the top and another five frets of the same color below. Considering we haven't seen the in-game interface, we assume these are for the designated solo sections mentioned in the Game Informer info released last week. The button colors can not be seen from the front, but are viewable from the player's perspective when they're rocking out.The GameStop blurb also says that the guitar will allow players to manipulate sound through "reverb, flange, wah, delay and more." This thing looks great, but there is still absolutely no word yet on official pricing. It's time to talk cheddar and unless EA/MTV/Harmonix got some insane deals in manufacturing, we're starting to be just a tad concerned about the matter. Let's hope we can put a price on this music soon.Update: Just to be clear about pricing, it's still up in the air. We contacted Harmonix and were told, "We have not finalized any pricing or packaging details for Rock Band at this point. Any speculation at this point is just that -- speculation."[Thanks Chris]
It came from the internets: Rock Band info from Game Informer
A member of the NeoGAF forums has posted information on Harmonix's Rock Band that purportedly came from the latest issue of Game Informer. The article goes into some detail about the instrument controllers, including the guitar, drums and microphone.According to the post, the guitar/bass controller in Rock Band will feature ten buttons -- five at the top of the neck and five near the body. The new buttons will be used during designated solo sections using only hammer-ons and pull-offs (i.e. no strumming). A five-way switch will let you switch between special effects that you can purchase in-game. The Xplorer 360 guitars will still reportedly work with the game, however.The microphone is said to work as a tambourine for parts of a song where no vocals are present, and a phoneme detector is meant to judge whether or not you're singing close to the right words. The drums are described as a set of four colored pads with a stand and a kick pedal, ready to be struck with real drum sticks. Also listed in the NeoGAF post are details on how multiplayer will work and descriptions of the in-progress visuals. If that's music to your ears, you might want to go and suggest some songs to be included in the final game at Rock Band's website.
Fresh Rockband details simply rock
Over at NeoGAF, Sallokin posted brand new Rockband details that come from next month's issue of Game Informer. Highlights from the article include descriptions of all the instrument peripherals (sorry, no pictures), confirmation that the microphone doubles as a tambourine during longer guitar solos, extensive character customization, and the idea that the whole band doesn't fail when one member doesn't live up to their rockstar status. Also interesting to note is that Rockband branded guitars will include five additional fret buttons (ten total) for special solo sections. The article also confirms four songs from the game (all master tracks) including Weezer's "Say It Ain't So", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again", and Nirvana's "In Bloom". Make the jump for random tidbits of Rockband info that may make you say "Guitar Hero III who?".
A deluge of Rock Band details courtesy of Game Informer
For a game which we've known very little about since it was announced, having so many Rock Band details elucidated so suddenly is like Christmas come early. Except, if that were the case, we'd have the game by now. There's too much for us to discuss fully, so we'll focus on the points we find most interesting. Emphasis is on the online play, with a strong community based system (read: Myspace clone) for finding other bandmates, the ability to create a band logo and to customise your avatar. There is no clarification of whether PS3 and 360 users will be able to play together. We strongly hope they will. Due to Microsoft requiring special circuit boards for their peripherals, the controllers will be console specific. The guitars will have ten frets. The normal five near the top of the neck and an extra five near the bottom, used exclusively for solos. There is also a five-way effects switch, with purchasable effects such as Flange and Wah. We've always wanted to fit those words into a post. USB microphones will be supported, giving us another reason to pick up Singstar when it's released. The drum controller promises to be a "TV dinner tray stand, only cooler," which could go either way, really. We hope it'll be a decent sized piece of equipment. It will come with wooden drum sticks and have four pads to hit with them. Check out the rest of the details at NeoGAF and, if you want to see the accompanying images, pick up the latest issue of Game Informer. We certainly will.[Via CVG]
Excited about Rock Band? You will be after reading this interview
In an interview with IGN, Alex Rigopulos (CEO of Harmonix) revealed some details about the development process of Rock Band. Despite remaining tight lipped regarding actual specifics of controller set-ups, pricing, songs or gamplay he still managed to say enough of the right things to get us sufficiently excited for the game. Again. Sounds impossible, right? Read on. When asked whether Rock Band would feature strong single player gameplay for each instrument Rigopulos responded, saying "I can't speak to what Activision has planned for future versions of Guitar Hero, but what I can say is that Rock Band's guitar game alone will be more substantial than any of the prior Guitar Hero releases." He then goes on to remind us that there will be a singing section, a drum section and a co-operative band section on top of the guitar portion of the game. If each of these four game modes are as big as he is indicating then Rock Band is going to be truly immense. I can already hear RedOctane quaking in their boots.As for those potentially bank-breaking controllers, Rigopulos says that making a game like Rock Band requires good quality peripherals to enhance the gameplay experience. As a development team full of musicians, Harmonix is determined to make the controllers for Rock Band feel more authentic than any instrument peripheral we've seen before. As a drummer himself, Rigopulos has seen to it that the new drum controller is "a real piece of hardware."Read the rest of the interview for more info. Also, don't forget to suggest which songs you'd like to see in the game on the official website. Our excitement for Rock Band is peaked (until Harmonix throws some gameplay info our way, at least), how about you?
Harmonix needs Rock Band song suggestions
Harmonix needs your help. With their wannabe Guitar Hero killer Rock Band releasing later this year, Harmonix is looking to the community for songs to include in the game. To tell them about a song/band, head on over to Rock Band's official website and suggest up to four rocking songs that you feel would be a great fit for the game. MTV and Harmonix will then look at all the suggestions, tally up the most popular, and try their darnedest to include the top songs in the game. It's kind of like a musical democracy.We just have to ask, what songs will you be requesting to be included in Rock Band?[Via IGN]
Tell Harmonix how to Rock with your Rock Band song suggestions
Those of you who are keeping an eye on the official Rock Band website will notice something new today. Harmonix is requesting that their fans, fervent and obsessive as we are about our virtual music playing tastes, send them song suggestions for their upcoming title. We hope Harmonix is ready for what will no doubt be an unyileding barrage of track names crammed into their inbox. This is a great opportunity for us who found the Guitar Hero II tracklist lacking to make the songs available for Rock Band really stand out. So do your part and submit some classic tunes for us to rock out to when the game is released at Christmas. Once you've done that, post a comment and let us know what it was you suggested. We're curious.If you feel like suggesting some songs by Jimmy Eat World, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Snow Patrol or Something Corporate then go for it. Transparent? Maybe. An opportunity we'd be silly to pass up? Definitely.[Via Joystiq]
Harmonix wants to know what you'd Rock Band to
Harmonix has posted an open letter to future rockers asking what they'd like to see in their upcoming title Rock Band. Other than letting us know that the Rock Band guitar will be modeled after the Fender Stratocaster, we really don't know much more about the title. Obviously, the song list isn't complete yet and they need our help. We'll give them song ideas as long as they promise to keep the peripheral prices in check.Now remember, as much as Harmonix might read our comments to see what people suggest, it's probably best to officially submit them directly. Things we'd like to see are contemporary, but a little off the beaten path. The fear with Rock Band is that because MTV and EA are involved, it's going to be all, like, Total Request Live (is that show still on?). How about some Cake, Beck and Scissor Sisters? Thankfully, Harmonix has always been good about including local Boston bands (their offices are in Cambridge, Ma) in their games to keep some true indie flavor in the mix. We're sure you all have suggestions -- let em rip! But remember, submit them on the official Rock Band site to have some chance of making it count.
Harmonix doing best to keep Rock Band price 'affordable'
How much are Harmonix's Rock Band peripherals going to cost? Harmonix's Art Director Ryan Lesser said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that the $300 price cited for the full Rock Band peripheral set by Gamestop is false, and even went so far as to say the $150 - $200 price brought up in focus testing wasn't correct either. How low (or high) can she go? Form a line, it's time to limbo!Lesser says, "There's no way we're going to make a game that people are not going to be happy about buying. We scrutinize every little piece that goes into every peripheral to make sure that it's affordable and still really high quality." He added, "I think when it's just rumor and no one has anything tangible to hold on to, people can be afraid -- but the fact is we're very conscious of it, and we're doing our best to make it awesome and affordable."Lesser says one of his "orders" was not to "let anyone know anything about pricing" of the peripherals and says Harmonix is far from releasing the actual price of peripherals at this point for reasons he can't talk about. We just need to know how big our coin jar needs to be to start saving. Nutella jar size, pickle jar size or, you know, much bigger?
Rock Band's peripheral prices in focus testing
Time to get serious about pricing with the Rock Band peripherals. We hope to find out soon if a Rock Band funding jar needs to be set next to the PS3 jar. As we reported earlier this week, the sticker price of Rock Band currently on Gamestop's website, including all peripherals, rings up to between $300 - $350 USD. Although some make the arguement that you're only supposed to pick one peripheral and then the price isn't so bad, we prefer to get our games "whole," with the option of inviting friends, sorority houses and/or The Osmonds over to play.GameSpot reports that focus testing is currently being done to see where consumers will find "the price is right." Their "reliable" source says the focus-group was asked if a Rock Band bundle package with "a wireless guitar, a drum kit and a microphone" would be reasonable at $200. The idea wasn't "terribly popular." Around the $150 mark is where the focus-group apparenly got on the bus to funkytown. A Harmonix representative admits to the testing and told GameSpot, "We are conducting consumer focus groups for Rock Band but have not finalized any pricing or packaging details. Any speculation at this point is just that -- speculation." Part of the focus testing also involved discussion over a Wii version of Rock Band, although Xbox 360 and PS3 are the only two systems currently slated. Either way, $200 or $150 for a bundle that includes Rock Band and 3 of the 4 peripherals isn't so awful. That second guitar missing from the bundle may or may not be a controversial added buy, but we still need to wait and hear official word. Still, $200 and under is a far less jagged little pill to swallow than the "estimated" $300 that Gamestop continues to list.
Wii Warm Up: Rock Band to empty Wii owners' wallets?
A Gamespot reader participated in a focus group about Harmonix's Rock Band, and then, being a civic-minded individual, did the Right Thing and blabbed about it to the Internet. Apparently, he was told by the test administrators that the rhythm game would be coming to the Wii. Don't hyperventilate-- we know the idea of an EA game going multiplatform shatters your worldview, but we will get through this together.Harmonix (developer of the wonderful Frequency and Amplitude, as well as Genuine Cultural Phenomenon Guitar Hero) is considering selling the game, a wireless controller, a microphone, and a drum kit (with a kick pedal) as a bundle. They tested price points of $150, $175, and $200 on the focus group, looking for reactions. Guess which one they preferred?We don't want to know if you aren't planning on buying this (Harmonix music game = insta-buy for us), but we would like to know which configuration interests you the most. Are you interested in any one instrument in particular? Plan to go in with some friends and form a band? Or are you just going to buy the whole thing yourself?[Via NeoGAF]
Rock Band to feature Fender guitars and equipment
Harmonix and EA announced that their upcoming rhythm game, Rock Band, will feature a Fender Stratocaster guitar peripheral, and Fender guitars, basses, amps, and other equipment in game. Rock Band will also feature BOSS and Roland in game. CEO of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation Bill Mendello showed great interest and enthusiasm in Harmonix using Fender equipment in the game, commending the developer's ability to capture the essence of rock 'n' roll in digital entertainement. So, since the GH II Gibson X-plorer will play nice with Rock Band, which one are you going to side with? Fender or Gibson?
Rock Band guitar modeled after Fender Stratocaster
Just when you've finally gotten that old PS2 guitar to work on your shiny new PS3, along comes news of the next plastic instrument from Harmonix. The one-time Guitar Hero devs are busy working on Rock Band for their new corporate overlords at MTV and, part and parcel to that enterprise, is the creation of an entire suite of new instrument-based controllers. First on that list is the guitar, which will be modeled after the legendary Fender Stratocaster, so all you would-be Jimmy Pages out there can play the part that much better (no word on possible Led Zeppelin songs, so our hunger strike continues). Along with the Fender deal, they've announced branding arrangements with Roland (they make synthtastic synthesizers) and BOSS (they make boss guitar effects pedals). They did not announce potential marketing partners for the drum and microphone peripherals, but we imagine they won't be settling for no-name knockoffs. Trouble is, aren't these peripherals gonna be pricey enough already? Inquiring nerds wants to know: what's the Fender name adding to the bottom line?
New Rock Band details - Fender Strat controller coming
Harmonix have signed an exclusive deal with Fender, guitar maker extraordinaire, to design the upcoming Rock Band controller around their ultra-popular Stratocaster model. There's a bit more teaser information on the game itself to follow.When asked about whether the new controllers will be compatible with Guitar Hero III onwards, or vice-versa, Harmonix responded saying that they would love for that to be the case. Guitar Hero I and II controllers will be compatible with Rock Band (cutting the price slightly for those wanting the Ultimate Rock Band experience), but that the new controllers would have a couple of new features over the old ones. Whether the new Fender Strat controllers will be compatible with Guitar Hero III, however, is up to Activision but is something the guys at Harmonix would be very interested in making happen.Responding to worries of a lack of single player mode, due to the apparent focus on online-play, Harmonix made sure to reassure everyone that there will be a "deep, complete solo experience" for each of the different instruments. So that Guitar Hero, Donkey Konga, Singstar combination idea you thought up down the pub last year is even closer than you think. As for fears that the online play might be ruined by lag, we're told not to worry. It's a problem "for which we have a unique solution...and it's a heck of a lot of fun in action."
Rock Band will be compatible with Guitar Hero controllers
Thanks to the announcement of Rock Band, our hands were so swollen from high fives that by the end of the night our then pudgy digits could barely wrap around our existing guitar controllers. And that got us to thinking -- sweet mother of maniacal minotaurs! This is going to be one pricey musical toy! It sure would be nice to actually be able to afford Rock Band without having to sell one of our writers on the black market. If only there was a way that we could, you know, use our existing stack of Guitar Hero products.1UP put on their investigating shoes and -- burrowing through the official forum -- found such a confirmation from Rock Band development member, Jason Booth. Debunking a (now edited) IGN article, Booth says, "For some reason, IGN posted that Rock Band will not be compatible with Guitar Hero guitars. I thought I'd drop in and let you know that this is not correct." Sweet, delicious vagueness.So exactly which guitars will you be using to rock? We already know that PS2 guitars won't work on the PS3 without an adapter and said adapter has been deemed "impossible" by the manufacturer. The only other candidate is of course the Xbox 360 controller which, along with the newly endowed effects pedal port, makes it the clear winner in this situation.For PlayStation 3 owners and those who don't plan on picking up the recently released Guitar Hero II for the 360, GameStop has come up with a list of speculative prices for various sets of Rock Band. Though nothing regarding prices or even separate packages have been discussed, seeing the numbers already has us tugging at the collar. [image: NeoGAF]
