Rock Band/Guitar Hero - Discuss DLC, forming bands, and which is better.

FoolKiller

I wonder if they sell more or less when it is a relatively new, and mostly unknown album that they sell. I mean, it isn't as new as the Metallica album GH did, but still, I have barely given the new GnR album any attention and only know of Shackler's Revenge. I have zero desire to purchase this because I don't know any of the music.

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Eh, you don't want to know, lol. Shameless Nine Inch Nails rip-off, if you like that kind of thing its probably a good buy but I find NiN pretty boring and lacking feel and the same thing here.

I respect bands supporting their new material though, thats always good, but it doesn't mean I have to like their new material, lol.

That one GnR song in RB2 i gave up after 2 failed attempts at the intro. Had limited time to play as many songs.

Pic84 you are going to love the drums set. It has a learning curve if you are used to the RB 4 note set up. The trickiest thing for me was the middle drum. I instinctively hit between the blue and green pads . I have a warranty from Best Buy, they'll replace it no questions asked.

Nine Inch Nails has no feel?!

Trent Reznor is made of feel.

We just bought RB1 for the PS3 last night after Game Stop put the starter package on sale for US$99. So far we've been playing just about everything on Easy or Medium, and in an hour or two we managed to buy the first tour bus and we've opened up through Boston and New York gigs, but haven't played any.

I still hate the premise of this game (at least the guitar part; the drums and singing translate more directly to the real thing), but I had fun playing with my wife and kids last night. We've got a band called Urban Biscuit going. I look like the guitarist from Ratt.

Duke

Nine Inch Nails has no feel?!

Trent Reznor is made of feel.

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I'm sorry but the Hand that Feeds is the 2nd dullest song to play in RB1 behind Creep by Radiohead, I have little care for the quality of the music if its so boring to play in the game....seeing as I am playing a game not listening to music (though I don't like them in the first place anyway - though that isn't something that stops me enjoying playing other bands I'm not too fussed about).

Hate the premise of the game? Well seeing as the original intention of these games was to just make people explore their musical tastes and also potentially encourage people to pick up the real instruments I think they do this very very well. They don't have to teach people anything, just inspire them, but at the very least the guitar side of these games does help with hand co-ordination and getting you to use your little finger (or not if you can't break the habit). The vocals side teaches you about different octaves and controlling that and your pitch. Drums essentially does teach you the basics of drumming and I imagine you could apply what you learn in the game to real drums fairly easily and quickly.
But really, the best part of these games is introducing people to new music and just providing a great party game thats a lot of laughs. They do it pretty well.

As I said, the vocals and drumming do translate more directly to their real counterparts, so I don't really have a problem with it. But with the time it takes to get really good at guitar in one of these games, you could actually learn to play the real guitar. Plenty of decent starter instruments to be had for $99 if you shop around.

Duke

As I said, the vocals and drumming do translate more directly to their real counterparts, so I don't really have a problem with it. But with the time it takes to get really good at guitar in one of these games, you could actually learn to play the real guitar. Plenty of decent starter instruments to be had for $99 if you shop around.

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But the point isn't to learn guitar - its to inspire people. If they don't get inspired, or quite simply, don't have the time, money or necessary motivation, this game merely lets them play instead of.
Playing real guitar takes, time, motivation, money (lets not kid ourselves here, it isn't just the guitar you need to pay for, but it depends on what you want to play) and lots of frustration.

Some people just want to imagine they are playing real guitar and have no intention of learning a real instrument, especially if they just want to play their favourite artist or song now rather than learn bits of it over time.

Same goes for drums really, they're even more expensive.

I think perhaps you are viewing this game the wrong way - it isn't a learning tool, its a game primarily and isn't trying to teach you something, its just trying to provide with a fun game experience with the secondary objetive of inspiring you. If you learn anything thats a bonus but it isn't the point of the game.

Also, playing a plastic guitar is a lot easier on the hands, not everyone enjoys going through blisters, lol, especially if they lack motivation to further their playing.

Duke

Nine Inch Nails has no feel?!

Trent Reznor is made of feel.

We just bought RB1 for the PS3 last night after Game Stop put the starter package on sale for US$99. So far we've been playing just about everything on Easy or Medium, and in an hour or two we managed to buy the first tour bus and we've opened up through Boston and New York gigs, but haven't played any.

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Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssss. You have been sucked in.

And if you are looking for a second guitar that is slightly cheaper than the official Fender I can suggest the Nyko Front Man. It is especially good if a female wants a guitar for them, as they have an optional pink pick guard included. My wife loves hers. My friends hate when they come over and I hand them the pink guitar and say, "Here, you get to play with Pinky because the Fender is setup for lefty mode."

Now, get Rock Band 2 and $5 on the PSN store will have most Rock Band 1 games added into one big collection. Plus, if you like the multiplayer career mode Rock Band 2 allows you to do that with only one band member present, so progress is not dependent on someone else being available or even willing.

I still hate the premise of this game (at least the guitar part; the drums and singing translate more directly to the real thing), but I had fun playing with my wife and kids last night.

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I think that you have misconstrued the premise. If you look at Dan Teasedale's (from Harmonix) presentation from GDC you will see that the premise was not to emulate playing instruments, although they wanted that to be as close as possible, but to emulate the feel of touring, which is why they dropped some of the goofy gimmicks from their previous games and why it works better in multiplayer. You tour with a band.
Here's his presentation in a 17MB PDF.
http://cmpmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/vaul...yDeedsDone.pdf

We've got a band called Urban Biscuit going. I look like the guitarist from Ratt.

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I believe that Rock Band will also work with rockband.com to allow you to make custom merchandise. Your kids can each have their own tour shirts with their Rock Band character on them, or you can have the whole family sporting their Urban Biscuit shirts.

Let us know if you are looking for some online multiplayer.

Ardius

I'm sorry but the Hand that Feeds is the 2nd dullest song to play in RB1 behind Creep by Radiohead, I have little care for the quality of the music if its so boring to play in the game....seeing as I am playing a game not listening to music (though I don't like them in the first place anyway - though that isn't something that stops me enjoying playing other bands I'm not too fussed about).

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I really enjoy The Perfect Drug in the game.

I have to say, listening to music and playing Rock Band are two totally different things for me. I love playing some songs in the game (Rush, Boston, Metallica) that i would never even consider listening to in real life.

I suppose it works out well for me, considering that the majority of my favorite bands are too "under the radar" to make it into Rock Band even though they're wildly popular. It's a shame; i know some that would be perfect for the game.

Giancarlo

I have to say, listening to music and playing Rock Band are two totally different things for me. I love playing some songs in the game (Rush, Boston, Metallica) that i would never even consider listening to in real life.

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See, I enjoy both songs that are fun to play and songs that I also just happen to enjoy. Fortunately, in the case of Boston, Rush, Foo Fighters, No Doubt, and The Who I like them and they are fun to play

I suppose it works out well for me, considering that the majority of my favorite bands are too "under the radar" to make it into Rock Band even though they're wildly popular. It's a shame; i know some that would be perfect for the game.

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You're going to have to explain that because I don't think that computes.

Personallly a few under the radar bands that I like that made it into the game are Lacuna Coil, L7, and Jonathan Coulton.

FoolKiller

You're going to have to explain that because I don't think that computes.

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I'm talking about bands that don't play in arenas, don't play in shows where tickets start at $30, and who are actually interested in talking to their fans.

I think my best example is Damiera. I saw them at a local venue for $13, bought a shirt from them for $5 that is $15 on the net, and talked to them afterwards. I even pointed out to the singer about subtleties in the venue (carpeted walls that cancel out echoes) that make their stop-go music even more intense when heard live. He totally agreed with me, and told his bandmates about it.

That show was sold out quickly, and they're really cool guys that make great music. It's music that's really technical but also has great melody, which is perfect for a video game like Rock Band. And yet i doubt anyone at Harmonix has ever even heard of them. They wouldn't be able to, not over all the "Give us moar Disturbed!!1" pleas that go on in the forums on their website.

To me, it's amazing that artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Malmsteen get preference over guys like these. Those songs are painfully dull on anything but guitar. It's as if Harmonix still feels they need to attract Guitar Hero players. I think that story is over and done with.

Giancarlo

I'm talking about bands that don't play in arenas, don't play in shows where tickets start at $30, and who are actually interested in talking to their fans.

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While we all have our preferences for these kinds of bands (I demand Sparkle* Jets UK and Eve's Plum) the simple fact is that they are making the game for a large audience, and well, if you can do a show for under $30 at a small club (I've seen Stroke 9, Wheatus, and Zebrahead at $1 shows) you aren't that popular yet.

Plus, we do have the obscure bands in the Bonus Songs or Harmonix Songs. They just happen to be bands that the game developers play in or personally have a taste for. I was quite happy to get Flyleaf. "I'm So Sick" isn't their best song, but it is their big single.

Giancarlo

I'm talking about bands that don't play in arenas, don't play in shows where tickets start at $30, and who are actually interested in talking to their fans.

I think my best example is Damiera. I saw them at a local venue for $13, bought a shirt from them for $5 that is $15 on the net, and talked to them afterwards. I even pointed out to the singer about subtleties in the venue (carpeted walls that cancel out echoes) that make their stop-go music even more intense when heard live. He totally agreed with me, and told his bandmates about it.

That show was sold out quickly, and they're really cool guys that make great music. It's music that's really technical but also has great melody, which is perfect for a video game like Rock Band. And yet i doubt anyone at Harmonix has ever even heard of them. They wouldn't be able to, not over all the "Give us moar Disturbed!!1" pleas that go on in the forums on their website.

To me, it's amazing that artists like Stevie Ray Vaughn and Malmsteen get preference over guys like these. Those songs are painfully dull on anything but guitar. It's as if Harmonix still feels they need to attract Guitar Hero players. I think that story is over and done with.

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Well, lets keep this in perspective, they do want to make money, not just provide good music. If they get the rights to big names of course they are going to use them over smaller names even if it doesn't work as well.

Also, I get the impression a lot of the DLC is picked on the basis of either being great on drums, guitar or vocals rather than always being good on all instruments, as thats kind of the point with DLC - to personalise your game, so if you're a drummer, you buy the content good on drums, etc.

So this leads to getting some DLC which is only really good on one instrument. But at least this provides us with some good variety, and its not like the game is lacking in content that is great for all instruments.

Also - lets be fair, Harmonix do make an effort to try and cover as broad a scope as they can, especially of new and upcoming bands, the 20 free DLC being a major example along with the bonus songs and competitions, etc that they use to get new bands into the game.

I love the quirkiness of Freezepop . Plus Brain Power is fun on all instruments imo. Super Sporde is very funn too being the only song i've ever came close a full combo(missed by two notes) on expert.

Freezepop is officially the greatest thing to come out of Harmonix, yes even more than their games lol.

LaBounti

Pic84 you are going to love the drums set. It has a learning curve if you are used to the RB 4 note set up. The trickiest thing for me was the middle drum. I instinctively hit between the blue and green pads . I have a warranty from Best Buy, they'll replace it no questions asked.

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Actually I've played the drums before, Only Medium/Hard though, I have to get good when I get the new set. What I ment is my old drums stoped working, so I called and got a replacement fore free from activision!!!

I nearly forgot the DLC update.

Rock Band

• “Better”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Catcher in the Rye”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Chinese Democracy”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “If the World”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “I.R.S.”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Madagascar”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Prostitute”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Riad N’ the Bedouins”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Scraped”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Sorry”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “Street of Dreams”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “There Was a Time”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• “This I Love”— Guns N’ Roses ($1.99)
• Rock Band - Chinese Democracy (Album) ($19.99)

Guitar Hero World Tour

• “Black Friday” by Steely Dan ($1.99)
• “Bodhisattva” by Steely Dan ($1.99)
• “Kid Charlemagne” by Steely Dan ($1.99)
• Guitar Hero World Tour - Steely Dan Track Pack ($5.49)
  EU Only
• New Slang’ by The Shins, £1.59/€1.99

And next week Rock Band is getting some Styx and REO Speedwagon.

FoolKiller

And next week Rock Band is getting some Styx and REO Speedwagon.

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Indeed, I will be considering this purchase...

Sorry I didn't manage to meet up again tonight, Giancarlo, I came back on after tea but you were gone

Hey, is there a bass controller for the PS3 Rockband? I see there's an X360 version, but not necessarily a PS3 job. I've heard very bad things about the "Widowmaker" bass; any other oprions?

Finally Somehting worth my cash on guitar Hero. Steely dan . Do it again is my favorite song in GHWT so I'm very interested in more from Steely dan.

Duke

Hey, is there a bass controller for the PS3 Rockband? I see there's an X360 version, but not necessarily a PS3 job. I've heard very bad things about the "Widowmaker" bass; any other oprions?

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If there is a specifically designed bass controller for PS3 I haven't seen it. I just stick to the usual guitar controller.

There isn't. They are the same... unless you're talking about a controller from an independent manufacturer... then it's possible.

mPWRD

There isn't. They are the same... unless you're talking about a controller from an independent manufacturer... then it's possible.

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For Rock Band 2 they put out an official bass guitar on the 360 that has a split strum bar so that you could up-pluck it instead of strumming. As far as I know there isn't one for the PS3.

Never heard of that... sounds interesting.

Check it out here.

http://www.rockbandstore.com/detail..._bass&SESSID=c0987cf9558edcd05f51673b1737261c

Cool... 70 bucks though... that's a lot.

Yeah I wouldnt use it. There's no reason to go that fancy. if Bass was really that hard on most songs I'd go for it, but I have no trouble playing Bass on almost all songs.

The guitars also cost $70...

And you're right, bass isn't hard, but that's if you play it incorrectly. When you do up-strum it's actually pretty challenging.

Giancarlo

The guitars also cost $70...

And you're right, bass isn't hard, but that's if you play it incorrectly. When you do up-strum it's actually pretty challenging.

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Very true, but I strum up and down so Im half way there? haha

mPWRD

Cool... 70 bucks though... that's a lot.

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That's the same price as the guitars, which is why I still haven't replaced my RB1 guitar with the broken tilt sensor (select button works for now).



BTW, check my avatar.

Actually I prefer the Guitar Hero controller's SP/OD Activation. I love the "Palm Mute" Idea, and it keeps me from having to move my guitar around...