Harmonix’ next game: “Rock Band”
Posted by inpheaux on April 2nd, 2007 at 1:27 pm
As expected, right on the heels of the 360 release of Guitar Hero 2 comes word of Harmonix' next game, and it's the next logical step past Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution: You get to play a whole band.
The game is just being announced today, so details are rather sketchy at the moment, but here's what we know:
- Title: Rock Band
- Platforms: 360 & PS3
- Peripherals included: Guitar, Bass, Mic, Drum kit.
- Content: Same general feel as Guitar Hero, but with songs by nearly all the original artists, with some labels contributing exclusive tracks by non-indie groups just for the game.
- Online Play: In. If you don't have 3 buddies to play with in-house, you can round up other band members online.
- Downloadable Content: In. It's expected to be like DLC in Guitar Hero 2. Packs of songs, individual songs, etc. Something like that.
- Release Date: Winter 2007 (estimated)
But there are still a ton of questions. RedOctane is out of the picture, publishing will be handled by EA this time around, so who's going to be making these 8 billion peripherals? A single guitar bumps the cost of Guitar Hero from $50 -> $80, so should we expect Rock Band to retail for over $150? What if it's closer to $200? Will it still be enjoyable if you can't find 3 other players to fill out your band? How the hell is online play going to even WORK when you're talking about a game where fractions of a second mean the difference between nailing a solo and totally bombing?
Right now we just don't know. While I'd love to believe that Harmonix can do no wrong, this concept seems so complex that it has so many ways it could go horribly awry.
To further complicate things, EA & MTV want this on shelves this winter. Sure, Harmonix has probably been working on Rock Band for quite awhile, but to go from announcement to release of the most complex music game ever in just about 9 months is a pretty tall order. Hopefully some of these questions will be answered pretty soon, possibly along with some video of the game in action. I'll admit, I wasn't sold on Guitar Hero when I first heard about it years ago, but once I saw it in action I knew it'd be great. Rock Band might be the same way. Here's hoping.
Sources: USA Today, RockBandGame.com
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