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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?
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."
RedOctane not taking Rock Band route
RedOctane and Harmonix are going full steam ahead to best each other in the rhythm game genre. The former allies are now locked in a Cold War with their new parent companies in a rhythm game arms race. Speaking with Eurogamer about future non-Guitar Hero projects, which have not been announced, RedOctane co-founder Kai Huang said, "We're definitely looking and evaluating and have been evaluating all types of different instrument-based games, and drum is certainly one of the ones that we've been looking at ... We haven't made any announcements yet about what we're going to do and when we're going to release a game, but fans can rest assured we're definitely looking at all of those types of games." Huang says the beauty of Guitar Hero is its simplicity. It looks like we're starting to see a clear divide showing between RedOctane and Harmonix. RedOctane will continue down the simple and proven route, while Harmonix is going for something bigger -- much bigger. There's still a lot of debate about which company is on the right path. It'll certainly be interesting to watch these two keep on rockin' down different roads and see who can make it work.
GHII X-plorer plays nice with Rock Band
For those about to rock that just plunked down $90 for Guitar Hero II, we have some good news. On the official Rock Band website, a Harmonix developer by the name of Jason Booth has confirmed that older Guitar Hero guitars will work with the upcoming title. We assume he's referring to the Xbox 360 X-plorer guitar, as the PS2 guitars are essentially incompatible with the PS3.The politics of this announcement are interesting, as the next iteration of Guitar Hero will be developed by Neversoft instead of Harmonix. Harmonix, meanwhile, is working with MTV and Electronic arts on Rock Band. If Harmonix owns the rights to the Guitar Hero controller, it could mean Neversoft will have to develop a completely new one for Guitar Hero III. Throw in RedOctane's (and thus Activision's) legal battle with The Ant Commandos and it gets even more confusing.Granted, GHIII is still a ways off, but we don't relish the idea of dishing out gargantuan sums of money every time a new music game hits.Here's hoping the X-plorer will be compatible across the board.[Via TeamXbox]
Rock Band wireless guitar on GameStop.com
As a general rule, GameStop is perfect for coming up with good video game rumors. In fact, it's practically a rumor generator. That said, this particular product listing is very interesting. Just yesterday, it was announced that Harmonix was working with MTV and Electronic Arts to create Rock Band (think Guitar Hero with a full band). Now we see this listing on GameStop for a wireless guitar controller ($80? Ouch). We have no way of knowing if the controller would be specifically for Rock Band, but we would certainly hope not, considering Guitar Hero II has yet to be blessed with such a peripheral for the Xbox 360. The listing has a ship date of November 1st of this year. Do we really have to wait that long to get some wireless guitar action?And that's when the GameStop rumor train comes full circle, as apparently you can already buy 360 wireless guitars used (they're even back ordered). We'll just have to wait and see how accurate the Rock Band guitar listing turns out to be. Keep your fingers crossed.[Thanks, Shafnitz]
Harmonix introduces "Rock Band" to the world
Harmonix, the legendary minds behind the legendary Guitar Hero titles, have introduced to us the latest idea from their rockin' minds: Rock Band. Along with MTV, Harmonix and Electronic Arts are all gathering their creative forces to create a four-person rock experience, complete with guitar, bass, drums and a microphone for a lead singer. Of course, if you're feeling especially talented, you could be a three-piece band if you can sing and strum simultaneously.Coming to both the PS3 and 360 this coming holiday season (right around Christmas, we'd imagine), there is going to be a wealth of online features to make this game worth the price, even if you've no friends willing to play with you (ahem). Teaming up with musicians across the country and downloading songs... sounds amazing, doesn't it?There's so much coming for this game and hopes are running very, very high. Having been dreamt of for years by gamers and developers alike, the advent of online distribution for games, music, and online features... we can only imagine the badassery this game will provide us. Go ahead and check out the huge preview over at IGN and let us know what you think of this fantastic idea. Not that we're leading you on by calling it a "fantastic" idea or anything...
Guitar Hero going mobile, just like The Who
Hands On Mobile, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Activision to produce a Guitar Hero mobile game for handhelds. While we aren't sure if that means cell phones, PlayStation Portables, Nintendo DSs, Game Boy Advances, HP calculators or all of the above, it's further proof of the massive juggernaut that is the Guitar Hero franchise. Although this franchise was announced before, then canceled, it's now apparently been reborn.Plus with the announcement earlier today of Harmonix' Rock Band, Ubisoft's Jam Sessions for the DS, and even the Mother 3 soundtrack being made available on iTunes -- it's clear that games and music are currently making waves. It's like the horror genre in movie theaters right now. Soon you'll be seeing things like Hammered Dulcimer Champion and Harmonica Savior hitting store shelves. We here at Joystiq are really holding out for Kazoo Knights. Wake us when the announcement is on the way.
Harmonix announces Rock Band
Apart from the lucky few that have received their pre-orders early, 360 owners have yet to get their mitts on Guitar Hero II. It may come as a surprise then, that Harmonix, developer of the GH series, has announced its next project, Rock Band. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like. According to USA Today, players will interact with one of four different devices this time: guitar, bass, drums, or microphone. Not only that, but the game will support online play, allowing different "members" of the band to play with one another across unfathomable distances. What is more, thanks to Harmonix's new owner, MTV, you can expect more original recordings and fewer cover bands this time around. The game will be published by EA and should debut by the end of the year.While we love us some Guitar Hero, we do have our questions. First of all, given the absolute timing necessary for a game of this nature, we have to wonder about the quality of online play. Second, if you manage to get your whole band into one room, you'd best hope you have one huge television. We're not sure the gang will love the idea of squinting the night away as they try to decipher the correct set of rapidly moving colors. And, of course, what happens if you and your friends reach some "creative differences?" What if you have to audition a new drummer? Drummers come and go, you know.Still, the concept is grand, and we can only hope that Harmonix pulls it off. In the meantime, we've got some practicing to do.[Via Joystiq]
