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Video Games => Video Game Chat => Topic started by: Glorb on July 08, 2008, 05:32:39 PM

Title: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on July 08, 2008, 05:32:39 PM
I was informed today of the existance of RB2. As much as I love Harmonix, it looks like they're taking the Neversoft approach, which consists of taking features from the competing game and making them bigger (the only exception being the lack of create-a-song mode). This puts the average buyer (i.e., one without millions of dollars to spend on music games and peripherals) in quite a tough spot. Do you buy Rock Band 1 or 2? Or do you buy GH:WT? Each one is likely to cost exorbitant amounts of money, and the peripheral sets are quite different (especially the drums), so you can't simply buy four peripherals and a copy of each game (well, the RB instruments will be compatible with each other, at least).

But there's the issue of: is a sequel really necessary? I consider Rock Band a perfect game in that it sets out to do a certain thing and succeeds in every field imaginable, so why not just keep releasing songs? The only way I can find this acceptable is if Harmonix makes the downloadable songs compatible with both games (it would suck to be forced to play one song on one game only), and I'm not sure that's feasible.

I'm sure info has changed by now, so feel free to correct me on whatever.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Negative_Zero on July 08, 2008, 05:48:03 PM
I personnelly found GH3 Song list better than Rock Band's, but I had the Wii Versions so that probably changed it, il be buying World Tour instead
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: CrossEyed7 on July 08, 2008, 05:52:17 PM
Well, there's a rumor that RB2 will have all of RB1's songs as free DLC. Still, I don't see much of a point in releasing another full game. Seems like expansion packs would be just as good if they wanted to add anything other than just more songs. But WT looks like it's going to be better anyway. Mostly for the better drum set and the fact the Wii version won't be completely crippled like RB Wii was. And Create-a-song. I won't be able to make anything good, and neither will 90% of the other people playing, but really, that's the case with all user-generated content. That 10% of good stuff will be as great as always.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on July 08, 2008, 06:43:48 PM
I'm guessing CAS will be removed/vastly toned down for the Wii version.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Wiiario on July 09, 2008, 05:32:19 AM
I'm guessing CAS will be removed/vastly toned down for the Wii version.

Actually, in an interview, Neversoft was quick to note that the Wii version will have all the features that the PS3/360 owners get.
Including full DLC!
Also, they, unless they were really REALLY lazy, would have no problem putting Create-a-Song on there.
It doesn't require a lot of hardware power, and the songs would be running on the same exact engine that the normal game runs on.
And the hard drive issue?
Fully playable from an SD card, like Brawl.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Shyguy92 on August 01, 2008, 02:23:49 AM
Wiiario don't hit Enter ever again.

And GH4<RB2 hands down. If it turns out the Wii version sucks, then I'll just won't buy either unless it's MONSTER cheap.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: missingno on August 01, 2008, 02:53:52 PM
The only good part about Rock Band is the drumming. Those fake guitars are simply mediocre.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Zarkanthesmasher on August 01, 2008, 04:27:26 PM
I'm really sick of all these music games with fake instruments. They've become the new Madden NFL in the video gaming world. >_<
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 02, 2008, 12:48:27 PM
In that everyone plays them? How's that bad?

What I hate is that it makes people fancy themselves as music experts. Anyone who says "OMG! I love the Beastie Boys, they were in GH3/RB!" is immediately a target of my hate.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: CrossEyed7 on August 02, 2008, 01:39:01 PM
(https://themushroomkingdom.net/board/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimgs.xkcd.com%2Fcomics%2Fmusic_knowledge.png&hash=c6d1c65dfdbd12c2b4cd88d35eaa0917)
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Chupperson Weird on August 02, 2008, 10:25:19 PM
It's even worse when I'm playing some music I've known for years, long before Guitar Hero was ever invented, and then some idiot is like "hey it's that song from Guitar Hero!" and also mention how they have no idea who it actually is. This has happened at work.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Koopaslaya on August 02, 2008, 10:26:42 PM
^^

The feeling's mutual.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 02, 2008, 10:34:31 PM
and then some idiot is like "hey it's that song from Guitar Hero!"

It actually goes "omh you guise its taht song from gh!!!!!!!!!", but I get what you mean.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Chupperson Weird on August 02, 2008, 11:18:20 PM
People can talk like that in real life?
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 02, 2008, 11:32:21 PM
I've seen it.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: MushroomJunkie on August 15, 2008, 10:40:50 AM
Who agrees with me that the Guitar Hero Games are mostly just hype?
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: bobman37 on August 15, 2008, 03:09:54 PM
Pretty much no one.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Chupperson Weird on August 15, 2008, 04:04:22 PM
I think "hype" is entirely the wrong term for such a thing.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 15, 2008, 07:10:16 PM
The GH games aren't hyped or overhyped or what have you; they've got the quality to back it up. Thing is, Neversoft's turned what was essentially an indie niche peripheral game and turned it into a massive, mass-market money machine (magnificently making monster monkies), which is both good and bad. For one, Neversoft isn't as good as Harmonix when it comes to translating sound into note charts. Whereas Harmonix will essentially match them up completely, regardless of difficulty, Neversoft designs the charts with sheer difficulty in mind. For example, in Reptilian in GH3, that catchy riff had you play notes that didn't actually exist (turn the band volume down and listen to just the guitar track, and you'll hear nothing when you hit those notes), just to make the song harder. And lead guitar plays bass synthesizer notes in Knights of Cydonia, which makes no sense to me.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Lizard Dude on August 15, 2008, 09:03:45 PM
Pretty much true, Glorb the Orb, but I would like to point out that guitar plays huge piano parts in multiple Nine Inch Nails songs in RB.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 16, 2008, 09:09:57 AM
Well, that's because they didn't want the guitarist passing out from boredom (though that can't be helped if it's a NIN song!! ZING!!). They did the same thing for the sax solo in Frankenstein in GH1, if I recall. But at least they got those note charts right. Neversoft would still have you play them, but make everything a three-note chord and stick a bunch of soundless notes in between the other notes.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Zarkanthesmasher on August 16, 2008, 11:54:37 AM
In that everyone plays them? How's that bad?

What I hate is that it makes people fancy themselves as music experts. Anyone who says "OMG! I love the Beastie Boys, they were in GH3/RB!" is immediately a target of my hate.

No, I mean in that every new version is just basically the same game with a few new features and new songs - just like how Madden NFL is just always the same game with a new roster and a few new features. The problem is, no one can really blame them for not innovating, as franchises like these couldn't really change at all without wrecking their fanbase. Still, it gets annoying when games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band overshadow more innovative releases.

And before anyone says "Smash Brothers is the same way," keep in mind that nintendo only releases one Smash Brothers per console, and each version has a TON of new features, characters, modes, unlockable content, etc - not just a minimal ammount. Plus, each new game improves, while Guitar Hero and Rock Band stay basically the same. Also, we're like on the 6th Guitar Hero, and it hasn't been even 5 years yet.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 16, 2008, 01:38:19 PM
Well, see, if the first game in a series is absoluetely awesome and achieves exactly what it set out to do, then there's not much to improve on, so you'll have to add more features. GH1 didn't have any major flaws of any sort unless you counted some below-par song covers, so all GH2 did was improve the window of time for hammer-ons and add a co-op mode while keeping the game quality itself high.

Innovation only works if you've got the gameplay to back it up. Alone in the Dark (the new one) is a perfect example of this.
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: The Chef on August 17, 2008, 03:05:32 PM
Gameplay is a non-word.

Say it again: "Innovation only works if you've got a good game to back it up".
Title: Re: Rock Band 2
Post by: Glorb on August 17, 2008, 05:47:43 PM
What ev.