61 Frames Per Second : rock band

Lego... Rock Band?

Bob Mackey — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:00:00 GMT

April Fools' Day was nearly a week ago, so we've all had quite a few days to let our guards down and start accepting everything at face value again. I was lucky enough to not fall for some elaborately-crafted hoax this year, which is why it's hard for me to take a recent 1UP news story without the requisite grain of salt. But, given the calendar date, it seems that Lego Rock Band, a new installment in Harmonix's smash-hit music series, may actually be in the works.

The only evidence we have at this point is an older version of Harmonix's GDC presentation slides accidentally posted to the Internet, which seemingly confirm the game's existence. According to 1UP,

[T]his slide was among a batch that was sent for "speech approval" by Harmonix senior designer Dan Teasdale for his GDC presentation, "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap: Design Lessons Learned From Rock Band," but never shown. According to [Harmonix senior designer Dan] Teasdale's blog, they resurfaced when Think Services posted the earlier versions by mistake.

They seem to confirm the existence of Lego Rock Band, which was apparently set to be unveiled last Friday at GDC, but never materialized. If it's indeed real, it will evidently be arriving later this year between Rock Band: Unplugged and The Beatles Rock Band.

So, what exactly does Lego have to do with Rock Band? To be fair, the interlocking blocks are just as relevant to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. As ridiculous as the pairing of Lego and Rock Band may initially seem, this is a great chance for Harmonix to bring out a kid-branded version of their hit game for the younger set. While the songs available on Rock Band don't get much saltier than your average afternoon FM broadcast, I'm sure there are lots of parents out there who'd rather have their kids playing along with songs that are a little less suggestive. And for the rest of us, this means Harmonix can dump a whole lot of tween-friendly music onto a disc, thereby freeing us from having something like The Naked Brothers Band take up valuable space in Harmonix's weekly releases. Everybody wins.

As of now, Lego Rock Band has not been confirmed by Harmonix, but some kind of announcement seems very likely to happen soon.

Related Links:

Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy--The Beatles: Rock Band Priced and Dated
Rock Band: My Anti-Music
Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin’, a Little Dancin’

Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy--The Beatles: Rock Band Priced and Dated

Joe Keiser — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:00:00 GMT

MTV Games and Harmonix have dropped a handful of details on The Beatles: Rock Band, which is the official name of that Beatles game that was announced last October. Key among those details was the fact that it would be called The Beatles: Rock Band. That certainly doesn’t sound like the “new, full-grown, custom game built from the ground up” that was mentioned back then, but I’ve spent the months since that announcement dreaming of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club RTS so it’s possible that my disappointment is not exactly, um, sane.

I’ll get my other crazy compliant out of the way now, too: the release is scheduled for 09/09/09, which is cute and all but totally conflicts with the Decade of Dreamcast blowout party I have been planning in my mind since, oh, January 1st 2009. But maybe that is just the ship date and everything will be fine!

Yeah, I’m actually pretty happy about this. All I really wanted was a Beatles Rock Band track pack (I was actually disappointed when there was a chance this wouldn’t be just that) so the fact that this is at least that is great news. If they throw in some Yellow Submarine-style animation in the background, well, who could complain, but it strikes me that there’s still going to be more to The Beatles: Rock Band than was announced today.

For the record, here’s the rest of what was announced today:

It will be compatible with all Rock Band instruments certainly, and more than likely all Rock Band-compatible instruments as well
It will be $60 on PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii—that’s pricey, for Wii
If you really need new instrument controllers, you’ll be able to get them, and they’ll be modeled after real instruments used by The Fab Four. But be prepared to pay out the nose for them: standalone guitars will cost $100. That's really pricey, for everyone, but at least they're not necessary.
There’s a premium bundle too, which will go for $250. It hasn’t been specified what that will get you.

Click here for the horse’s mouth.

Related Links:

Now That Harmonix Has The Beatles, What Should a Fab Four Game Even Be?
The Magical Mystery Tour is Coming to Take You Away
Rock Band Takes a Step in the Right Direction

Rock Band in Your Library

Cole Stryker — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:00:00 GMT

A video featuring Nebraska librarians setting up and playing Rock Band with a projector in an auxilliary room of some kind has local taxpayers outraged. OUTRAGED.

As a strict free-market libertarian, I'm a little torn about this. I think it's ridiculous that taxpayers should have to pay for this, and yet they're already paying for music listening stations, DVD racks and rows of computers, though I imagine the movie rentals help to defray the costs of some of these extra-literary programs. Isn't this a logical addition to a the strategy of "bring them into the building; they'll leave with books? I suppose the other reason to be shocked and appalled is that the librarians play test it for an inordinately long time.

Stephen Johnson from G4 disagrees with me:

Rather than being hounded by local investigative reporters and state auditors, someone should give these librarians a pat on their back, a new bookmark, as well as a raise. The people in Nebraska who are outraged over this should really find something else to worry about. Aren't there any cows that need tipping?

I guess if the librarian's job is to bring kids into the library, then they do deserve a raise. I can't help but feel this will do little to educate children. And at a time when many Nebraskans are having a tough time putting food on the table, I can definitely see how this would be interpreted as a slap in the face.

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Rock Band 2

Bob Mackey — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal for only one more excruciating day! Please enjoy.

I used to refer to games like Guitar Hero as the video game equivalent of going on a car ride with your dad. And for the most part, this was true; when your most hated of music genres is overplayed classic rock, the proposition of picking up a plastic axe and thrashing away to the soundtrack of the worst radio stations on earth was not exactly an enticing one. So, being the curmudgeon that I was (and am), I ignored the modern music game based on my prejudices alone--and the fact that I never wanted to hear Lynard Skynard or Journey again for the rest of my life. Little did I know that the fine folks at Harmonix were hard at work on a music game that could appeal to people beyond the demographic of classic rock jockeys. But after doing some research of my own, and getting astoundingly drunk, I was finally able to realize the wonders of Rock Band 2. And now I can never go back.

Yes, the selection in Rock Band 2 isn't perfect; I would personally kill for some Violent Femmes tracks, or perhaps an entire album--but I'm sure we all have our Rock Band Wish lists. Still, nearly everyone I've invited back to my tiny apartment has found at least a handful of songs they were gung-ho about either singing of playing, which is far from what I experienced with the Guitar Heroes of old. It really is the ultimate party game, and I'd rather slap my grandma (sorry, grandma) than try to entertain a room full of hip 20-somethings with any of the casual party offerings on the Wii. You know how fast a good, old-fashioned broken bottle fight would break out if I tried to get people to play a session of Mario Party? If we ever finished, they would surely kill me afterwards.

Related Links

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Braid
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Grand Theft Auto IV
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Fable 2
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Persona 3: FES
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

Holiday DLC for You and Yours

Joe Keiser — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Harmonix has just announced that next week’s Rock Band DLC content will be holiday themed, proving once again that they really get it when it comes to the music game market. The songs are, of course, pretty decent:

Barenaked Ladies – Hanukkah Blessings
Billy Squier – Christmas is the Time to Say I Love You
The Pretenders – Blue Christmas

This is the kind of thing that DLC is built for, especially for games that have built a business model around frequent DLC updates. Such a model allows for the industry to indulge yearly in a little bit of seasonal content, the same way Hollywood spews out the same cheaply-made movie about holiday family awkwardness every first weekend of December. I’m no fan of Christmas movies, but I’m happy and eager to drape games I already like in festive colors for a few days every winter.

Here’s a few other 2008 holiday DLC things to fool around with next to the fireplace this year. No, Guitar Hero isn’t getting anything (humbug). No, Rock Revolution isn’t getting anything either (hey, if you were Konami, would you support that game?).

Lips: Microsoft’s don’t-call-it-a-karaoke-game is getting a pretty nice set of holiday songs. If it can keep up this level of DLC updates, it could eventually become a contender:

Gene Autry – Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer
Brenda Lee – Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
Burl Ives – A Holly Jolly Christmas
Barenaked Ladies – Hanukkah Blessings
Nat King Cole – Merry Christmas to You
Bing Crosby – White Christmas

SingStar: But it would take a while for Lips to catch up to Sony’s original don’t-call-it-a-karaoke-game. The SingStore already has more than 400 songs in it, and with its holiday DLC update it’s flexed its muscles and thrown up Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime. Oh, and these other titles:

Toni Braxton – Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas
Babyface – Sleigh Ride
Shakin’ Stevens – Merry Christmas
Celine Dion – Christmas Eve

Soulcalibur IV: If you hate singing carols but love holiday fetish wear, Soulcalibur IV’s Customization Pack 3 is your fix. It contains all the costuming doodads you need to turn Ivy into a sexy, beardless Santa Claus. I’m not here to judge.

Xbox 360: There’s a holiday theme for the dashboard you probably know about, some skiing clothes for your avatar, and an avatar-torturing snow globe for some reason. But at least it’s something, compared to the…

PS3: which doesn’t have anything official. But the PlayStation Network Store has a third-party Mrs. Claus theme, which creepily attempts to eroticize Santa, infidelity (what, no Ms. Claus?) and freezing to death at the same time. PlayStation Home just got beards, which could probably be turned into festive beards if you ever wanted to venture into Home again.

Related Links:

Santa's Welcome Bounty: Christmas Morning Games
Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin’, a Little Dancin’
Activision Possibly Too Legit to Quit, Working with MC Hammer

Music Game Shark Jumpin’: Activision Possibly Too Legit to Quit, Working with MC Hammer

John Constantine — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

There’s been some talk around the gaming campfire about the possible decline of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band-styled music game. The reasons are pretty much what you’d expect: severe market saturation thanks to Guitar Hero having three very successful years across multiple consoles and games, consumer confusion over available product (what do you mean I can’t use this guitar with Rock Band on Wii?), and just could ol’ fashion fad passing. Of course, November’s NPD report showed that people aren’t quite sick of music games. They just aren’t buying them all on one system any longer. Whether or not music games are still profitable is besides the point though! What really matters is whether or not they’re still entertaining, still fresh, and whether or not there are still opportunities to add-on to the house built by Harmonix. What more can they do? Build a mic as versatile as the one included with Microsoft’s Lips? Create a procedural song generator so any song in existence can be used with the games? Stagnation is the enemy here for sure. Here’s a thought: how about trying to make a decent hip-hop game? It’s been attempted, but never successfully. Maybe that’s the next band game evolution!

But not like this, Activision. Not like this.

It’s only a rumor right now, but if the man himself is telling the truth through his Twitter, it sounds like MC Hammer is working on a project with Activision. The man who popularized Skids for one hazy summer back in 1991 said (Twitted?), “"I got one day to recover, then it's LA to Activision to get a glance of a top secrete project." And then later, "Activision was fantastic ... action!" Secrete action with Activision, eh Hammer? I am horrified.

Look, Guitar Hero the 80s was stupid enough, Activision. Don’t let Hammer back into out lives. He explicitly said we could not touch this and after almost twenty years, I’m inclined to take his advice.

If it does happen, I say Harmonix turns around and makes a Wu-Tang Rock Band. Have an unlockable mode that’s a sequel to Shaolin Style!

Hmmm. Proper.

(Link: The Escapist via Joystiq)

Related links:

Everyone Will be Able to Rock
"Games are about Wanking", Says Limey DJ
Surprise! Nickelback Misunderstands Guitar Hero
Rock Band: My Anti-Music
GWI: Gaming While Intoxicated

"Games are about Wanking", Says Limey DJ

Cole Stryker — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:00:00 GMT

In the latest issue of NME, a British rock rag that hasn't been relevant in decades, has published an article about the relationship between virtual rock stardom via games like Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and SingStar vs. actual rock and roll. DJ David Quatick, who from the above portrait looks like he lives a downright debauched life, says:

Games are not rock 'n' roll, they're metal - aggressive, loud, violent and scared of women. You can't dance to a game or have sex to it. games are still for nerds. Rock 'n' roll is about fucking, games are about wanking. Rock music makes you leave the house and meet drugs, games make you stay in and smell of your own piss.

Whine on, you crazy diamond. I am reminded of one-time NME darling Kurt Cobain, who claimed to spend nearly every waking moment of his youth sitting in his bedroom with a guitar, learning old Beatles songs.

According to the the Guardian Games Blog, the article paints gamers as socially stunted, nerds. Progressive, I know. There is one dissenting opinion, courtesty of the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten:

[Guitar Hero is] teaching you how not to be a rock star. How not to be an arsehole, and how not to seek fame and fortune, because the whole fucking thing's a joke.

The most rock and roll act I saw live last year (and I saw about a hundred) was Crystal Castles at Glastonbury. These journalists need to quit being such crochety old rockists. Oh Chad Kroeger, up yours!

My Top 10 of 2008 in No Particular Order: Audiosurf

Bob Mackey — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

It's the end of another year, and that can only mean one thing: it's list season. Inevitably, you're going to see top ten lists by the thousands; and, as an official member of the enthusiast press, I'm afraid I can't violate my directive. But, to make things a little more interesting, I've decided to assemble my 10 favorite games of this year in non-hierarchical form because--let's face facts--it's hard to pick a favorite. And unlike other top 10 lists, this one will be doled out to you in piecemeal over the next ten excruciating days! Please enjoy.

So, what is there to say about Audiosurf? Unfortunately, I already wrote extensively about the game for a former blogging gig, and since part of my bridge-burning policy involves insulting all of my former employers, I'm going to go ahead and call that website awful. But, as an entertainment writer, it's my job to be repetitive. My job. My Job. Repetitiveness is my job. So I must solider on by informing you of how amazing Audiosurf is--as if you didn't know.

And if you didn't know, Audiosurf turns any non-DRM protected MP3 file (I'm looking at you, iTunes) into a puzzle/racing hybrid rollercoaster. And the most amazing part of this is that it actually does a good job of transforming audio into a physical construction; admittedly, the game is kind of simple, but there's really nothing like experiencing your favorite songs via Audiosurf's Tronlike trappings. And, if you came of age in the 1990s like me, the whole quiet/loud alternarock thing is perfect for the virtual architecture of Audiosurf--as are any songs with tempo changes and strong beats.

The "game" part of Audiosurf is nothing more than simple color matching (think high-intensity Klax), but there are quite a few different modes of play available for almost any kind of hardcore or casual temperament. Audiosurf is no Guitar Hero or Rock Band; but the ability to "ride" any song in the world for the low price of ten bucks more than makes up for the intricately-designed note tracking of the modern plastic guitar genre. The game has unexpectedly become a major part of my life; whenever I buy a new album, I immediately start listening to it by playing the tracks in Audiosurf. Nerdy, but amazing. And an essential part of my 2008.

Related Links:

Miyamoto Says, "It Would Be Great If Music Education Started With Wii Music."
Warner Music Wants More Royalties
Surprise! Nickelback Misunderstands Guitar Hero

The 61FPS Review: LittleBigPlanet - Part 2

Derrick Sanskrit — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:00:00 GMT

My, what a difference a month makes.This time last month I was just about ready to proclaim LittleBigPlanet the late great hope for 21st century video games. Upon completing the on-disc single-player game, there was nothing left to do but explore the multi-player and user-generated options. This is where the game was truly supposed to shine, the "fun" that the advertising keeps referring to.

The good news is that local multi-player is pretty great. Most of the pre-made stages include optional challenges that require teamwork and cooperation and being able to turn to your friend and discuss strategies and enact them instantly is smooth and delightful. Playing online, however, is a tremendous crap shoot. There's no way to really communicate, so play goes from cooperative to competitive instantaneously, which becomes a problem when players share respawn points. If two players attempt to cross a bridge and both fail, they return to the continue gate with two "lives" lost and the game ends twice as quickly. Four players and you've got a recipe for instantaneous game over.

As I mentioned before, the user-creation tools are impressively deep and fantastically easy to use if you're willing to sit through a series of tutorials that rival the on-disc stages in length. If you can dream up a wacky contraption, odds are good you can make it if you're willing to think about all that goes into it. LittleBigPlanet promises endless replay value thanks to its community of constantly-updated user-created stages, and while the patchwork globe interface for finding these stages is novel and charming, and the game certainly can't be faulted for the fact that, as a rule, an overwhelming majority of all user-generated content will undoubtedly be garbage, there are still problems that prevent me from enjoying this key selling feature as much as I should.

Foremost is the method of "heart"ing stages and creators whose work you have enjoyed. While it's nice to see good work rewarded in some way, there seems to be no manner of browsing your hearted stages and creators, which begs the question why allow users to heart them at all? The "hearted" option in the ubiquitous popit menu only shows tools and objects you've hearted for use within stages, which seems redundant as no such object is particularly hard to find in the popit as is. Does anyone really love the bike handlebar with pink tassles so much as to add it to a second separate menu? Second is the incredible censorship and management of user-created stages so far by Sony. Yes, it makes sense that stages based on Mario, Batman and Ghostbusters will disappear eventually, doomed to the realm of copyright infringement, but what of The Azure Palace, the immensely popular user-created underwater stage that introduced complex play mechanics and a degree of polish virtually unseen in the on-disc stages that referenced absolutely nothing outside of itself? That stage was included in the massive cleanup a few weeks ago, much to the dismay of its creator and a large portion of the game's online community. Sure, the stage was soon returned to its rightful place, but it only proves that whomever is making the decisions of what is and is not suitable content is clearly not looking at the actual content.

The potential of endless fun provided by the user-creation tools and community is only as good as the people who use it, and I worry that gamers will grow tired of LittleBigPlanet and abandon it sooner than we'd all like. Just look at Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the biggest selling game of the year, a game that delivered on its promise of exciting new user-generated content every day via wi-fi, and a game that nobody is playing anymore. Still a great game, still great features, but if nobody's playing it anymore than those features are all running dry.

Obviously the second half of this review was much more negative than the first and we can probably pin this on the game's allure and shine wearing off over time. Make no mistake, though, LittleBigPlanet is still pretty damn fantastic. The sheer joy experienced the first time you do any of the hundreds of things you can do in this game is wondrous. While I would love to see the control issues (see part 1) and problematic "lives" system (much like Rock Band, this game would benefit greatly from a "no fail" mode) fixed in downloadable patches later on, LittleBigPlanet delivers on the fun it promises and then some. Even after the community has run dry, the stages already produced by the players, coupled with the intensely though-provoking variety of stages on disc, are well worth the price of admission and then some. Finally, somebody remembered that games don't need to be obtuse, gritty, wordy or pandering, they can just be fun for the sake of being fun.

Grade: A-

Related articles:
If Sales Numbers Mattered, LittleBigPlanet's Commercial Would Be Appealing
Sony Might Just Hate You
Sackboy vs. Muhammad
LittleBigPlanet is Insane
The Natural World of LittleBigPlanet
Sony Fans, Meet Your New Totem, Sackboy

61FPS Reviews:
LittleBigPlanet part 1
Dead Space
LOL
Dragon Quest IV
Ninja Gaidan 2 part 1 & part 2
Metal Gear Solid 4 part 1 & part 2
Wii Fit
Grand Theft Auto IV part 1, part 2 & part 3

Rock Band: My Anti-Music

Bob Mackey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Last Friday, Joe blogged about the curmudgeonly Nickelback and their outrage over how music games like Guitar Hero are supposedly preventing people from actually picking up real instruments and starting bands. As I said in the comments section of that post, if the world needs anything, it's fewer local bands; the town I come from is so lousy with them, you can't leave your car parked anywhere for more than ten minutes without your entire windshield getting plastered with an inch-thick layer of fliers. So I don't think we need to worry about rock and roll going anywhere anytime soon--and if anything, Nickelback is only contributing to the death of the genre, what with their general shittyness and all.

For me, though, Rock Band is my only real musical outlet. You see, between the ages of 16 and 17, I had about a year-and-a-half of guitar lessons--and while it didn't give me much of a musical foundation, I still picked up some fundamental skills that manifested into a sort of prototype Guitar Hero. I'd put on a song, try to play along with it to the best of my ability, and think "Damn, this would be pretty sweet as a video game." Of course, I'm not exactly claiming I had the idea first; everyone knows that GuitarFreaks predated Guitar Hero by a good seven years--I think my imagination was mainly stoked by my obsession with Um Jammer Lammy and the guitar controllers found on the Japan-only arcade release of the game.

So, essentially, I'm now reliving a far less authentic version of my teenage years; but it really doesn't bother me. I may be keeping Nickelback up at night, but at this point in my life, I don't really have the time or patience for playing "real" music. It's a little surreal to play songs in Rock Band that I actually know on the real guitar, but the instant gratification completely makes up for guilt over my stunning lack of musical discipline and my utter contempt for the act of stringing. And now, I'm pretty sure that I have some vague idea of how drums work! Oh, and speaking of drums: any of you aspiring drum players out there, heed my words. Your friends do not want to come over and listen to you drum along to that Rage Against the Machine CD. They're just too polite to tell you.

I'm no hypocrite; if all the kids out there were playing Freelance Writer Hero, I wouldn't even think to bemoan the death of my chosen art. Though I would question their idea of "fun."

Related Links:

Miyamoto Says, "It Would Be Great If Music Education Started With Wii Music."
Warner Music Wants More Royalties
Surprise! Nickelback Misunderstands Guitar Hero

Surprise! Nickelback Misunderstands Guitar Hero

Joe Keiser — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:00:00 GMT

I am sorry that I have to bring up Nickelback here, but this thing they said on Leno just gets me so angry. Even angrier than I usually am at Nickelback, which for the record is “pretty angry.”

But that’s not game-related bile. This is, though: Chad Kroeger told Jay Leno he wants kids to stop playing Guitar Hero and start up real bands. This in and of itself is not a horrible thing to say: apparently Kroeger is having trouble finding bands that are willing to interact with Nickelback, but rather than thinking that is a problem with his own band or his own douchey personality he is rationalizing it away as “there aren’t enough rock bands out there these days.”

But his statement is also based on another fallacy—that a significant number of talented musicians are lost to the world because they get their fix from rhythm games. You hear this all the time, and it is crazy and must be stopped.

Rhythm games are for people like me: those who enjoy music, but don’t have any particular talent for it or drive to create it, to get some simulacrum of a rush we could otherwise never know. They are also for musicians, who can use it to interact with the music they love in a low stress way.

What rhythm games absolutely do not do is scratch the itch musicians have to learn instruments, and to use them to create music. I guess I should not expect Nickelback, a band that has never created “music” as I define it, to understand this. But let’s put it this way: I have never known anyone that has played the guitar, who has stopped playing that guitar after being introduced to Rock Band. On the other hand, I do know people who played Rock Band and found in them a passion that caused them to learn the real guitar.

In a world that followed Kroeger’s logic, the popularity of Madden would ensure that the NFL never drafted another player, NASA would have shuttered following the release of Mass Effect, and Pokemon would have saved the planet from the media circus of illegal dog fighting. Fortunately, that sort of logic is, like Guitar Hero itself, just fantasy.

Easy Access: Eelke Folmer Is a Mule of Epic Proportions

John Constantine — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Easy Access is a semi-regular look at gaming for the physically disabled. For anyone unfamiliar with the term mule, dig this.

I’m garbage at playing guitar. Somehow I managed enough finger dexterity in my youth to actually become competent at playing the trumpet, but there’s always been something about working my way across six strings that’s eluded me. I am, as the kids say, all thumbs. What’s even more embarrassing is that I can’t even muddle my way through playing fake guitar. When Rock Band is inevitably broken out on late Friday nights and I grudgingly yield the mic to a friend, I can only handle the guitar parts on easy, the gaming equivalent of being patted slowly on the head and offered a cookie. A sad state of affairs, no doubt, but my problem with fake guitar is different than that of the real deal. It’s the timing, matching my fingers to the oncoming visual cues, that gives me so much trouble.

Eelke Folmer’s new Frets on Fire (an open source Guitar Hero clone) mod, Blind Hero, might actually let me play on medium or higher. The University of Nevada Reno AP’s game is built specifically for the blind and allows you to play Frets based on sound and touch alone via a specialized glove used in conjunction with the guitar controller. The glove uses pager engines to create haptic feedback, signaling the player when a note should be played and with which finger. Based on a test sampling for twelve players, three of which were themselves blind, the glove works like a charm.

So, yes, I’m thrilled, but, more importantly, Folmer’s work is another exciting step for opening games up to a wider audience. I’ve thought about the largely unexplored frontier of designing videogames outside of traditional interface types a lot in the past few months and Folmer is a pioneer in the field. Blind Hero is just one of a number of game projects Folmer has developed with disabled players in mind. He has also constructed one button versions of Super Monkeyball, Bejewelled, and Mario Kart for paraplegic players, as well as a closed captioning system for FPSs running on the Torque Engine.

You are a mule of epic proportions, Eelke. 61 Frames Per Second salutes you and your drive to rule. Check out the man’s webpage here for more information on his projects.

(Link: Kotaku)

Related links:

Easy Access
Easy Access: Ubisoft and the Subtitle Initiative
GWI: Gaming While Intoxicated
Kenji Eno Is a Mule of Epic Proportions

How Chicago Inadvertently Penned an Anthem for Dead Anime Fathers

Nadia Oxford — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:47:00 GMT

The other day, I was browsing a retail establishment when Chicago's "You're the Inspiration" came over the store speakers. Suddenly, I felt very sad.

It was an interesting reaction and not one I would have had a few years ago. Having surrendered my youth to the modern day equivilent of potato mines (retail), I'm familiar with the safe music that's piped over the speakers to keep the masters and beasts complacent. I would never give Chicago another thought ever again if not for an Elite Beat Agents scenario involving an anime girl's dead father.

Surely I'm not the only one who's come to associate games with certain licensed songs. The Japanese have been sneaky about it since we were kids: Mario's invincibility music is lifted straight from Jesus Christ Superstar and more than one tune in the early Mega Man games sounded like a tribute to Guns n Roses and/or Metallica. But legitimate songs being used in games (or to advertise games) is quickly becoming popular and I'm increasingly interested in the association aspect. This doesn't apply so much to games like Guitar Hero or Rock Band, which usually have you belting out tunes in a club, or possibly a fancy club. I'm referring to instances where a song is used to define a game, or an in-game scenario like the ones in Elite Beat Agents.

For instance, I will forever associate the song "Mad World" with Gears of War--more specifically, a giant goddamn spider from Gears of War (Sidenote: I very much prefer Tears for Fears' half-frantic original to Jules' whiny lamentation). Gears of War 2's commercial has taken the song association route as well, though I don't remember anything about the choice. I am uncool--but perhaps the song is not as an effective choice as Mad World since there's no association in my head?

"Under the Sea," of course, belongs to Bioshock. In fact, Bioshock's licensed selection is brilliant and goes a long way in defining the game overall. "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window" is benign, but "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window" stuttering over and over on a damaged jukebox in a silent, busted-up bar is a memory that will visit your dreams often, if you're like me. Also, there is a specific instance wherein the player hears the sad drone of "Danny Boy". It is a brilliant touch of atmosphere.

I'm limiting myself by gushing on about my experiences alone. What songs have embedded themselves into your memory because of a game? Bonus points if your parents made out to the song as youth and are now horrified to see it squandered in a video game.

Related Links:

Warner Music Wants More Royalties
The Economist Weighs In On Music Games
Wii Are Not Amused

I’ve Got a Driver, And That’s A Start: Now That Harmonix Has The Beatles, What Should a Fab Four Game Even Be?

John Constantine — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:00:00 GMT

I said it way back in June, and I’m happy to say it again today: FINALLY! Today’s co-hosted conference call from MTV and Apple Corps announcing that Harmonix will be developing a game devoted solely to Geroge, John, Paul, and Ringo is, not to be too cutesy or anything, music to my ears. There are really only two pieces of concrete news. First, Giles Martin, son of fifth-Beatle/production-pioneer George Martin and producer of the best Beatles mix tape ever made, Love, will be on music production for the still unnamed game. Shame George himself wasn’t confirmed (or Paul and Ringo for that matter), but Giles has already proven his mettle. The second, and more interesting for videogame-land, is that the game will not bear the Rock Band name, leaving the game to become its own unique artifact covering the group’s entire career. But this begs the question: what will The Beatles game be?

If The Beatles: The Game turns out to be just a four-piece band simulator with all the usual Harmonix trimmings, that would be absolutely swell. I can see it now, every era of the band accompanied by stylized graphic representations: black and white for pre-65, awash in psychedelics until ’69, and ending with the stark, humanist imagery that colored the band’s last couple of years. But part of me wonders if this would be a missed opportunity. The Beatles have a very rich multimedia history: A Hard Day’s Night is still a marvelously entertaining movie that plays off the boys’ natural charisma, Help (weird as it is) remains a winner, and Magical Mystery Tour has stayed, well, interesting. While I’ve only indulged in the soundtrack, Cirque du Soleil’s production of Love has a sterling reputation. And, hell, Yellow Submarine is beloved and the band had almost nothing to do with it. Videogames offer a new opportunity to explore the band’s music and cultural impact but I have no idea how to realize it. A Rocky Raccoon Platformer? Nah, too commercial. Sergeant Pepper’s RPG? Too Japanese. Eleanor Rigby Sims! Ugh, that’s appalling.

Nah, never mind. Just Beatles Rock Band for me thanks. Just make sure to include “You Won’t See Me” in the Rubber Soul portion, Harmonix.

(Link: UGO)

Related links:

The Magical Mystery Tour is Coming to Take You Away
Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin’, a Little Dancin’
Everyone Will be Able to Rock
Everyone Should Be Able to Rock
Why Dontcha Cry About It, Saddle Bags: Konami Sues Viacom Over Rock Band
The Economist Weighs in On Music Games

Everyone Will be Able to Rock

John Constantine — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:00:00 GMT

At the end of June, my concerns for the future of videogames' burgeoning rock star genre were growing by the hour. Activision was waving their new drum kit in EA’s face while Konami tried to get people to like their music games outside of Japan. The big problem? None of those companies appeared to give a damn that they were flooding a market and audience already drowning under a torrent of plastic instruments. Not to mention that none of those instruments were guaranteed to be compatible with games that didn’t come packaged with alongside them. Yeah, Guitar Hero 3 and its electronic axe might be one of the ten best selling games in the history of games but that doesn’t mean the genre bubble can’t burst. Today, another faceless company has helped to allay my fears.

And, would you believe it, it’s Sony doing the allaying.

The once haughty Japanese giant stated on their Playstation blog that they have reached an agreement with Activision, EA/MTV, and Konami to allow every single publisher’s rock & roll instruments will work with every publisher’s games on the Playstation 3. Bought Rock Revolution but want to get in on Rock Band 2’s killer track list? Go for it. Feel like using that gorgeous new Guitar Hero World Tour drum kit with Konami’s new opus? Fine, have fun. Not only that, but SCEA also said that, though it isn’t happening just yet, they’re working on a fix for the original Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3 as well.

This is the first step on the road to peripheral-based music games finally coming into their own. Guitar Hero made them an institution but this agreement will help cement the instrument set as an expandable platform that doesn’t necessitate annual hardware revisions. What else needs to happen to guarantee this glorious, melodious future? Microsoft and Nintendo need to step up to the plate and make the same arrangements on their respective consoles. It’s likely Microsoft has already got this in the bag, but Nintendo? They enjoy screwing over their customers a little too much, methinks. All that would remain after that would be a centralized music store that supported every game and hosted a library akin to iTunes that offered procedurally generated tracks based on the engines developed by Harmonix, Neversoft, and whomever else gets in on the action.

The future, she is bright this day.

(Link: via Joystiq)

Related links:

Everyone Should Be Able to Rock
Why Dontcha Cry About it, Saddle Bags: Konami Sues Viacom Over Rock Band
Warner Music Wants More Royalties

Warner Music Wants More Royalties

Cole Stryker — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

File this one under "Still Not Getting It".

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Warner Music Group Corp, the world's third-largest music company, said on Thursday that video game makers will need to pay more to license songs for music-based video games like "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band."
Warner Music Chief Executive Edgar Bronfman drew comparisons between MTV's launch 25 years ago or Apple Inc's iPod launch five years ago, and today's video game companies like Activision Blizzard Inc and Harmonix, a unit of Viacom Inc.
"The amount being paid to the music industry, even though their games are entirely dependent on the content we own and control, is far too small"

Presumably these additional tariffs will be passed on to players, resulting in pricier song downloads.

I don't think Warner realizes what a good thing it has going with Guitar Hero and Rock Band. This is perhaps the one market for music that can be said to be in a growth stage, and now they want to snuff it out when they should be nurturing it with giveaways, tie-ins and purchase incentives. Warner threatens to pull their music from future releases if they are not appropriately compensated for their tunes. Criminy, how else do they expect to turn kids on to Aerosmith? As usual, the music industry opts for short-term gains and long-term losses.

An alternative strategy: release more content at the current price, reaping higher profits at almost no additional cost.

(via Reuters)

Ready? Okay! Wii've Got Spirit, Yes Wii Do...

Derrick Sanskrit — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:00:00 GMT

There was one male cheerleader in my high school, and every time I saw him in routines at one of the mandatory pep rallies, all I could think was, "I could do that so much better than him!" I wasn't scared of being a cheerleader either, I just couldn't stand that being a cheerleader would require me to A) attend sporting events and B) display school spirit.

Well, Namco Bandai's We Cheer may just be the game to earn me my long overdue varsity letter. These three gameplay videos from E3 make the Wii cheerleader sim look a lot like a cross between Polly Pocket at Elite Beat Agents.

Much like in Elite Beat Agents (or its japanese source Ouendan), you seem to control the cheerleaders on screen by mimicking their movements, displayed on screen as a series of colored lines, only this time you're using the Wii Remote to move your arms around and actually create the cheer movements, unlike Elite Beat Agents' stylus-based touch screen control.

Honestly, I'm not even that bothered by the Hillary Duff and Hoku songs when I know that The Go! Team's "The Power Is On" is also playable, especially considering the fact that Elite Beat Agents got me to enjoy songs by Avril Lavigne and Sum 41 (though I still hate that Coheed and Cambria track in Rock Band). My only real concern is just how bright everything is visually. A little more separation between the background graphics and the HUD interface could go a long way to making this game much more user-friendly.

We Cheer is currently unrated (though it is sure to garner an E for Everyone) and is scheduled to be released on September 15th.

Related articles:
Alternate Soundtrack Redux: Super Street Fighter II vs. The Go! Team
Make The Music With Your Games, Kids!
Watcha Playing: Keeping the Beat, Drum Master Style
Watcha Playing: A Little Singin', A Little Dancin'

Why Dontcha Cry About It, Saddle Bags: Konami Sues Viacom Over Rock Band

John Constantine — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:00:00 GMT

It seems that Rock Revolution isn’t the only way Konami is responding to Harmonix’s meteoric rise to music-videogame power. The house of Castlevania announced that they are suing Viacom, MTV Games’ parent company, and Harmonix specifically because Rock Band and its instrument peripherals violate Konami patents. According to Bloomberg.com, the patents in question detail, “simulated musical instruments, a music-game system and a ‘musical-rhythm matching game.’” They are not, however, suing Activision or Red Octane, makers of the current incarnation of Guitar Hero. Guitar Hero and its original guitar peripheral were themselves designed by Harmonix, so it seems peculiar that Konami wouldn’t direct their hissy-fit at them as well.

What do you think FPSers? Does Konami have a leg to stand on or are they just being babies because no one likes their music games anymore?

Our thanks to Bloomberg and NeoGAFer TheOddOne for alerting us to the breaking news.

Related links:

You Got Served: Zubo Puts Music in Your Combat
Everyone Should Be Able to Rock
Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin’, A Little Dancin’

Whatcha Playing: Fallout (Metaphorically Speaking)

John Constantine — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Truth to tell, I’ve never played a Fallout game. The vast majority of my gaming career has been spent in front of a television, not a monitor, my hands clutching a controller instead of hovering over a keyboard. It’s not a point of pride, let me tell you. Not gaming on a PC throughout the ‘90s meant you were perpetually on the outside of the cutting edge, waiting for advancements to come to Nintendo, Sony, or whoever else’s systems sometimes years later. Deus Ex, Half-Life, Diablo, even Sierra’s King’s Quest V, all games I’ve gotten to try my hand at, eventually, when they were ported to a console, shadows of their former selves. It’s even kept me from really experiencing whole genres; I’ve never played a real-time strategy game for more than a few minutes and my aging laptop could barely run World of Warcraft when I tried it out in 2005. Since that year, though, consoles have started gaining on PCs as the place where developers make their greatest strides. It’s not too surprising. Consoles have turned into high-end computers themselves.

Since finishing off Metal Gear Solid 4 a week and a half back, I haven’t played much of anything. I’ve spent spring 2008 devouring the cutting edge, playing Grand Theft Auto 4, Rock Band, Wii Fit, Hideo Kojima’s magnum opus, playing and replaying the games on Valve’s Orange Box, my morning commute spent with the best the PSP and DS have to offer with games like Crisis Core and The World Ends With You. As summer starts to kick into high gear, I’m finding myself grateful for the encroaching lull in the release schedule. I suppose it’s the fallout from too much of the present. Maybe this is why today’s reveal of Mega Man 9 has me so excited. Art, whatever shape it comes in, doesn’t always need to push at the future’s edges. Sometimes its greatest delights are slightly behind tomorrow.

Previous Whatcha Playings.

Related links:

Mega Man 9 Goes Back to Your Roots. Way Back.
Don't Call it Retro: Mega Man 9 and Design Resurrection
The 61FPS Review: Metal Gear Solid 4

You Got Served: Zubo Puts Music in Your Combat

Cole Stryker — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:00:00 GMT

About a year ago I had a brilliant idea for a game. Take the play mechanics of Rock Band and cram them inside a traditional RPG. This would be awesome! My friends tell me it would only work in Japan, but think about it. Let's say your party approaches a mean ol' dragon. Your character plays lead guitar, your two buddies play drums and sing. In order to defeat the dragon, you have to engage in some 'Devil Went Down to Georgia' style dueling instrumentation. Instead of just hitting 'A' when you want to attack, you bust out a blazing guitar solo.

Each of the instrumets have different powers. You could line up guitar with fire, vocals with ice, drums with earth. Different rhythms produce different effects. A hip hop beatboxer or opera singer could join your party. Play sad songs to defuse angry enemies. The strength of your attack is determined by creative improvisation or meticulous beat matching. Every missed note weakens your attacks. Iggy Pop guest stars! A dwarf with a double-neck Flying V! People getting served! The possibilities are endless! Why hasn't anyone done this yet? I'm a lot more confident in this idea than those mockups of Megaman bosses I mailed to Capcom as a seven year old. Sure enough, some developer thinks its a good idea, too...sorta.

Meet Zubo, an action-rhythm hybrid coming out later this year for the DS. Developed by EA Bright Light, Zubo's combat is driven by music, not too dissimilar to my above brainchild.

Players enter the world of Zubalon to help the colourful and zany inhabitants, the Zubos, defeat an evil force which is bent on world domination. Players can befriend the Zubos they meet along the way, feed and nurture them, help them gain skills and strength, and assist them in their battles with the enemy, the dastardly Zombos.

A key element to Zubo is music, which is intrinsic to Zubalon from its tuneful plant life through to its currency of musical notes. The player will use the music to drive the battles forward, synchronising their stylus action and tapping in time with the musical beats to win!

Made for under-twelves, but still sounds awesome. It's not quite the epic rock opera I had in mind, but hopefully it will push others in that direction. Kotaku's got hands-on impressions. Oh yeah, and Harmonix, let me know if you need any more ideas.

Everyone Should Be Able to Rock

John Constantine — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

When Konami announced Rock Revolution back in May, their re-entry into the rock and roll videogame arena, you could practically hear the gaming world’s exasperation, eyes rolling, sighs exhaled in unison. No one wants stagnation, obviously. Guitar Hero’s fresh approach to music games revolutionized the industry three years ago, a feat Konami’s GuitarFreaks hadn’t managed in the better part of a decade. But no one wants clutter. Yet another band game hitting the public means yet another set of proprietary instrument controllers. Problematic, considering the precedent set by Activision last fall. They made it abundantly clear that they’re not interested in having their instruments completely compatible with another publisher’s software, a point they’ve reiterated by developing brand new drum, guitar, and microphone peripherals (with different functions than those made by MTV Games for Rock Band) for the upcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour. It seems that Konami’s chosen a more reasonable approach. Konami associate producer Keith Matejka told MTV News’ Patrick Klepek, "Compatibility is a big issue for music games. Peripherals are expensive for the user and they are expensive to produce. The existing peripherals all deliver only a slightly different gameplay experience. Different teams have varying perspectives on what should be compatible with each game. I think all guitar- and drum-based games need to be compatible with each other to some level."

He’s absolutely right, and not just from a consumer friendliness perspective. While they’ve sold millions of $90 guitar-and-game sets over the past few years, it’s impossible for Activision to continue monopolizing the market as competition continues to grow. Every publisher making an instrument based game is going to have to contend with the market saturation born out of their own success; people simply won’t buy new instruments every year. For the music game genre to be successful going forward, Activision, MTV Games, Konami, and whoever else joins the fray will need to swallow the same bitter pill hardware manufacturers have choked on for years. The money’s in better software, not gear.

Related links:

Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin', A Little Dancin'
The Magical Mystery Tour is Coming to Take You Away

The Magical Mystery Tour is Coming to Take You Away

John Constantine — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Finally. The Beatles’ slow arrival to digital media has been pretty torturous for us fans. I mean, my CD of Revolver will barely play thanks to all the scratches earned through years of travel and love, and it’s not like I can listen to vinyl on the go. Why go out and buy another disc? It’s 2008, I should be able to legally download the damn thing by now. My newfound love of Rock Band has made things even worse. It seems downright perverse that I can sit down with friends and play Paramore’s “CrushCrushCrush” but I can’t belt out my scintillating rendition of “Happiness is a Warm Gun”. While I doubt that the “talks” EMI and Apple Corps are having with Activision and MTV Games are going to end in time for Abbey Road to hit Guitar Hero 4 and Rock Band 2 this fall, it’s still reassuring to know they’re happening.

Even beyond The Beatles, I’m anxious for Activison and MTV’s games to have iTunes-like access to music. Is it possible to build the software so it procedurally generates the game interface instead of having to hand craft it for each song?

Thanks to Next-Gen for spotting this story.

Related links:

Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin', A Little Dancin'

Whatcha Playing: A Little Singin’, a Little Dancin’

John Constantine — Fri, 23 May 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Last Saturday, I woke up, put on the coffee, and sat down on the couch with the full intention of finishing off the remaining story missions in Grand Theft Auto 4. As the day wore on, though, I found myself continuing to ignore the controller, unable to muster the enthusiasm to play at being a hardened criminal. A whole Saturday was passing me by, gameless. It wasn’t until around nine o’clock that my roommate and I decided to bust out Rock Band that I got to gaming. I’ve been fairly indifferent to the music game revolution of the passed two years for one very specific reason: I suck at Guitar Hero. My finger dexterity simply doesn’t match my thumb dexterity. But, since a friend loaned his copy of Rock Band to my apartment full of twenty-something ne’er-do-wells, I’ve come to see the light, and it’s all thanks to singing. Karaoke videogames are too laden with pop and karaoke bars are simply too expensive for a man of my meager means. Rock Band lets me be Ozzy, Kurt, Shirley Manson, and Ad-Rock and the experience has been eye opening. Even more so than the Wii, Rock Band has proven to me the opportunity offered by alternative forms of control in games. And rest assured, Rock Band is a game, a clearly defined set of rules adhered to in order to achieve a specific goal. I just never thought my drunken rendition of “Say It Ain’t So” would ever be the route to the highest score or the next level.

I still haven’t finished Grand Theft Auto 4 but last night, I tried Wii Fit for the first time, adding a little more physicality to my recent digital rocking. I’m about as sore today as I was after three hours of drumming and singing. I’m not quite sure if Wii Fit is the product it’s been touted to be. So far, it’s missing Nintendo’s secret ingredient: fun. But more on that next week.

Previous Watcha Playings:

Another Slice of Cake

BS Zelda

With a Little Help From My Friends