Harmonix's "Rock Band"

[Hell Toupee]

Ok, for those who don't know...

The "Guitar Hero" intellectual property was sold to Activision. Activision is making "Guitar Hero 3" and releasing "Guitar Hero Rocks The 80s" for most game systems. This left Harmonix without a music game, so they went back to the boards because they wanted to create something bigger that would incorporate more instruments and allow you to make a 'band'. The resulting game is called "Rock Band", but up until now, most of the details have been rather minimal. Harmonix has finally released some info about the game (a LOT actually) and it sounds too good to be true...

From Game Informer:

"- One disk with 4 separate campaigns. Guitar, Drum, Bass and Vocal. Each can be played on its own from start to finish, in addition, a full band game is designed to allow for one huge co-op playthrough.

- Will feature full support for four player online play on both 360 and PS3. Any combination of on/offline play will work and each player can pick their own difficulty setting.

- Flexible community system will allow you to find bandmates anywhere in the world

- There will be a way for you to share your band's triumphs with the world, but the details are still under wraps.

- Musical fret-boards are now transparent so you can see more of the background visuals. Guitar is on the left side of the screen, Bass on the right and drums down the middle. Vocals scroll from right to left along the top of the screen.

- Guitars and Bass now have 10 frets. 5 for the regular sections of the game and 5 for the newly designated solo sections.

- Whammy bar is back as is the tilt to activate rock band's version of star power

- there is a five way switch on the guitar that allows for 5 different self-applied effects to the sound.

- Singing is now more in depth. There is a phoneme detector that will pick up individual vowels and consonants you say. Build up enough highly judged phrases and you'll be able to sing free-form. If you do well enough in free-form, then you'll trigger the vocalist's version of star power.

- Microphone doubles as a tambourine on many songs to combat super long guitar solos where the singer doesn't have much to do.

- Drums are apparently insane. You use actual sticks and hit one of four colored pads in front of you, in addition to a kick pedal attached to the drumming unit. Drummers will also have the ability to do fills etc. in their own little free-form section, do well and you'll trigger the drummers version of star power.

- If one person fails, the whole band does not fail, their section simply turns gray and they have to sit out the rest of the song unless one your band mates initiates star power, which will bring you back into the fold.

- If all bandmates can reach the end of a song, you'll be greeted with one huge free-form jam session.

- There will be a character creation system, and you can create multiple avatars that play different instruments.

- Four themed clothing stores in addition to licensed guitars and pedals and other rock paraphernalia.

- A full set of mo-cap stage movements have been added for each instrument. You can decide whether your vocalist moves like Axel Rose, or stands his ground like Clapton.

- 40 performance venues planned

- All peripherals will be unique to each platform. This isn't the developer's decision. Apparently MS peripherals require special circuit boards.

- You'll be able to craft your own band logo

- The HUD in the screens isn't final but is a good indication of what you can expect

- 4 songs announced in the article, not sure if this is new or old but whatever.
Weezer - Say It Ain't So - Original Master Track
Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Original Master Track
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again - Original Master Track
Nirvana - In Bloom - Original Master Track

INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTIONS

Sorry I can't post photos so my descriptions will have to suffice

Guitars/Bass

Guitars are an exact 3/4 replica of a Fender Strat.

Xplorer guitars will work for 360 owners, but you may not be able to pass on all the new stuff this model has.

Five familiar buttons near the top of the neck, five buttons near the body of the guitar. You will use these new buttons during specially designed solo sections using ONLY hammer ons and pull offs, no having to worry about your strum bar. Signature Fender 5-way switch has been added. By shopping at the in game store you'll be able to purchase several virtual effects pedals such as Flange, Wah, Chorus and Echo. These can be applied during your song by setting the 5 way switch to the desired effect.

Microphone

There will eventually be a Rock Band branded Mic

Other USB mics will be supported, but Harmonix will probably NOT allow the use of the 360 headset due to its low fidelity. Mics will be usable as tambourines during certain songs.

That's all for mics!

DRUMS

The picture of the drum peripheral in the mag is not final.

It consists of four pads, a kick pedal and legs for the enire unit to stand on. Think of it as a TV dinner tray stand only cooler

Leftmost pad (red) is your snare drum, everything else doubles as toms and cymbals depending on the song.

A set of real wooden drum sticks will ship with the unit.

A piece of the stand can be taken off so that the unit can sit lower, or on a coffee table.

There is a kick pedal

If you play drums in this game on hard or expert, then you're really playing the drums. Apparently you could sit down at a real set and play the same songs."

One word: Awesome.

[Wherle]

 

Game-gasm.

[Jonathan]

They've outdone themselves.

Do they have any other titles, or are they just focusing all their time and development energy on this?

[Hell Toupee]

At the moment, they're only focusing on this.

Which is probably a good thing.

[tim]

The only negative thing about Rock Band is its potential price point... this could be pretty expensive.

[Hell Toupee]

Expensive, yes... but OH MY GOD...

Beta version, but dayyyyyum.

[Wherle]

DUDE!

I so want to play that game. Drums or vocals. I'm over the guitar portion at this point.

[Cockney Rebel]

Expensive, yes... but OH MY GOD...

Beta version, but dayyyyyum.

My my, Axl's lost weight!

So, it's all round Toupee's the evening of the game launch then?!!! 

[Hell Toupee]

And the fact sheet from Harmonix... with more COWBELL! (look in the mini song list):

Rock Band will be hitting both the Xbox 360 and PS3 this holiday and comes with four gameplay types and five game modes.

Gameplay
Guitar gameplay: Rock blistering solos to rock's best tunes! Challenge your rock star status on the screen while strumming a slick guitar that's modeled after the legendary Fender® Stratocaster®.
Drum gameplay: Capture the power, physicality, and sheer fun of real drumming with Rock Band's custom drum kit controller featuring four pads, kick pedal, and real drum sticks.
Bass gameplay: Bust out defying rock rhythm with the bass guitar option, which offers different parts to play in every song, and some unique gameplay twists.

Modes
Tutorial Mode: Master the basics! No need for experience. Pick your weapon of choice and ascend from beginner to rock god.
Practice Mode: Perfect your tune! Breakdown any part of any song at your preferred speed.
Quickplay: Perfect your tune! Breakdown any part of any song at your preferred speed.
Solo Tour: Take it on the road! Pack up your instrument of choice and set out on the open road for a fun and challenging single player career mode.
World Tour: Conquer the world! Live the ultimate rock band lifestyle when you form a band locally or online and set out on tour. The journey to rock stardom takes you from small town bars to world-renowned venues. Earn fame and fortune along the way to secure rock star necessities.

Key Features
Unrivaled song library! Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists - from punk, metal and alternative to classic and southern rock.
Rock 'n' Roll Never Dies! Full support for downloadable content delivers never-ending challenges.
Play together in your living room or across the world! Rock Band™ offers deep online functionality, allowing players to rock together whether they're in Rhode Island or Reykjavik.
Create your own rock avatar! Mold a unique rocker using Rock Band's character creator. Chose from gender, body shape, face, hair, clothes, tattoos and signature moves. Don't forget to pick your specialized rockin' instrument. Drumming in the spotlight! Showcase a real drum solo with Rock Band's freestyle drum fill windows featured in each song. Break out your own rhythm and style as anything goes!
Call out the crowd! Vocalists can bring the crowd to their feet during Rock Band's freestyle vocal fill windows. Ad-lib your own words or shout to the crowd to raise the rock intensity of the performance.
Save your mates! Band mates can fail out of a song for poor performance, but the band still plays on. Rescue your failing mate by busting out signature moves and blistering solos to wow the crowd with showmanship.
Boost your bonus! Earn bonus points for your band during Rock Band's Unison Phrase opportunities if everyone plays perfectly. A single mistake blows the phrase for everyone.

Songs
Major record labels and leading music publishers have signed on to provide unrivaled access to master recordings and legendary rock artists with hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and 2000's. Record labels partnering with MTV Games and Harmonix include EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group's Universal Music Enterprises and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment. Music publishers partnering with MTV Games and Harmonix include EMI Music Publishing and Warner/Chappel Music.

Some of the songs that will ship on Rock Band™ disc include:

The Who: Won't Get Fooled Again (master)
Mountain: Mississippi Queen (cover)
David Bowie: Suffragette City (master)
Black Sabbath: Paranoid (cover)
Blue Oyster Cult: Don't Fear the Reaper (master)
Nirvana: In Bloom (master)
The Hives: Main Offender (master)
Weezer: Say It Ain't So (master)

Instruments
Guitar Controller
Modeled after the legendary Fender® Stratocaster® and used for both guitar and bass parts.
• A second set of fret buttons on the neck of the guitar. Using these buttons players can "finger tap" notes in solos - no strumming required
• A five-way FX switch lets players choose their own showboating audio FX, including flanger, wah wah, echo, and chorus
• Wired & Wireless versions

Drum Controller
Captures the raw power, physicality, and sheer enjoyment of real drumming.
• Big circular pads that can take a bashing
• An awesome foot pedal that emulates the resistance and speed of a real kick drum pedal
• Real drum sticks
• Built in joypad with buttons and direction pad for easy control of menus and other UI

Microphone
Let's players belt out the lyrics to some of the most recognizable rock anthems of all time!
• Hand held microphone with authentic styling and weight
• Rates singers in real-time, using pitch, rhythm and phoneme detection
• Percussion breaks - tap the mic against your hand to play the tambourine and cowbell notes

[rva]

There's such a thing as going too far, isn't there?  While it looks cool, it seems like it would be more fun in a group.

And drum set with four pads comes pretty close to being a real drum set, singing's the same, and how hard is it to play bass?
Why not just get a band and play for real?  I can probably play every single part to "Say It Ain't So" right now... I just need someone to play with.

[Hell Toupee]

Finalized drums (folds to sitting or standing playing position):

[Hell Toupee]

More songs... also coming to PS2 (probably without the online features)...

"LEIPZIG, Germany--Previously confirmed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Harmonix announced today that Rock Band will be coming to the venerable PlayStation 2 platform. The PS2 version of the game will feature "many" of the modes of the 360 and PS3 games, and will also incorporate some all-new gameplay elements.

European versions of Rock Band will also be getting localised content for the different countries in the region, both downloadable and on-disc.

The following 10 songs were also announced for Rock Band, and all will be original versions:

Rolling Stones -- "Gimme Shelter"
Deep Purple -- "Highway Star"
The Clash -- "Should I Stay or Should I Go"
Faith No More -- "Epic"
Smashing Pumpkins -- "Cherub Rock"
Radiohead -- "Creep"
Beastie Boys -- "Sabotage"
Jet -- "Are You Gonna Be My Gir"”
OK Go -- "Here It Goes Again"
Nine Inch Nails -- "The Hand That Feeds"


Rock Band's on-disc lineup now totals 26 tracks, including Metallica's "Enter Sandman," Nirvana's "In Bloom," and Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive." "

[Butter]

This game needs a cowbell attachment for "Don't Fear the Reaper".

[Jonathan]

That is an excellent point, Bruce Dickinson.

[Hell Toupee]

Added:

Garbage “I Think I’m Paranoid” (Master)

The Pixies “Wave of Mutilation” (Master)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Maps” (Master)

Hole “Celebrity Skin” (master)