neolego Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 OK, I got to play my Brother-In-Law in Rock Band over the weekend. It was the first time that I've been able to play. I have to say that I really liked the game, but Rock music is not my thing. I only knew like 3 songs on the play list (Wonderwall, Wanted Dead of Alive, and Simple Man). I managed to get a hold of the Guitar on most songs and I played Medium (I have played GH before) and I took the drums good at Easy. However, when they passed me onto the vocals it was terrible because I didn't know any of the songs. I couldn't find the note and the timing was horrible (as is with a lot of rock songs). So, that got me to thinking. I would not buy Rock Band for the simple reason I don't relate to the track list and no matter how fun the gameplay is, without songs that you enjoy playing it's just a chore. Then I had a vision of what I think the next Rock Band could be and I wanted to share it with you guys and get your opinions (and by "your" I mean everyone's but Timbo.....j/k). Here is my idea, the sequel would be call "Band". Drop the Rock part of the name and of the game. It should first and formost be backwards compatable with any songs that you've downloaded as well as the Rock Band tracks. However, the new game would focus on various Genres of music. Rock, R&B, Pop, Country, even Latin music would be included. At the same time, track packs and full albums would continue to be released. EA is a money hungry company, and as the publisher I find it odd they chose to exclude the mass music fans in favor of obscure Rock fans. I think it would be a hit and probably one of the best selling games of all time, if marketed right. So, what do you guys think. Would you be open to the next Rock Band gaming expanding their vision? Or, are you one of the whiners who would complain that Rock is the only music that you should be able to play? neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I'm a drummer, and the basic drum set has snare bass toms and cymbols, and yet, the rock band drum pad has no cymbols. i'd love to see number two with a cymbol attachment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Ohhh another thread where Neo takes a hugely popular game and decides he doesn't like it as it is so it has to change to pander to his personal whims... Hehe yeah you totally set yourself up for that Not sure if you've seen the preview for Guitar hero 4 in Game informer..? I suspect that might end up being what you are looking for. It's looking like it goes the whole band route and if nothing else then you can make your own tunes & just Jam etc... I'm going to hold up my hands here ( before I get accused of hypocrisy ) and say I've not played either RB or GH, yet... it's on my I should make the effort someday list. **** and on a different note ( gotta love a great segway pun) **** I just 'rediscovered' Galactic Civilisations II on my laptop and I'm (as we speak) downloading the latest updates for that it will probably keep me quiet for the next couple of months. I forgot how much I love this game ( it's even drawing me away from GTA4!) If you like 4X games then this is pretty much as definitive as it gets... not to mention that It lets me be a huge megalomaniac and crush the galaxy in my iron fist Bwhahahahahahahahaahahaha.... * ahem* T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 OK Timbo, I know it might take a while for our slower members (see: TBT), but you can't jump to different subjects in a Rock Band Thread. This is the new and improved Video Game Discussion Forum buddy. If you wanna talk about a crummy PC game, you better start a thread ! Kidding, in fact, I don't know if they are related, but I'm stoked for Civilization Revolution! Back onto the subject (*wink**wink*), I am not trying to anything to my "personal whims" , but I am saying that as much fun as I had playing Rock Band over the weekend, I personally won't own the game because of the track list. I am just plainly saying I think EA would kill the competition is they dropped the "Rock" tag and make the game a music game for all music fans. That would be wonderful. As is, I am really interested in GHIV because of the create your own song stuff, plus their Drum Set is WIRELESS and has High Hats (Cymbols). So, I will probably pick that up and I'm hoping they broaden the scope of Music for their new game. Even GH: On Tour (for the DS) has several POP and light Rock songs, I want them on the console! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 OK Timbo, I know it might take a while for our slower members (see: TBT), but you can't jump to different subjects in a Rock Band Thread. This is the new and improved Video Game Discussion Forum buddy. If you wanna talk about a crummy PC game, you better start a thread ! Kidding, in fact, I don't know if they are related, but I'm stoked for Civilization Revolution! Opps old habits die hard! I'm used to having one place for everything... and yeah Civ Revolution looks like it's going to be great... I'm a big strategy game geek T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 27, 2008 Author Share Posted May 27, 2008 Yeah, I've actually never played a Civilization game because I'm not a PC gamer, but I've been following Revolution and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Would look at us rebels, we just can't stop getting off topic, lol. neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 I bet that I and at least 20 other people would buy a "Jazz Combo" game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestlé Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I dunno, Neo... RB already IS one of the best selling games of all time. RB2 WILL be backwards compatible on all previous downloaded songs AND were tyhe ones who ORIGINALLY planned to have song writing in the game. GH4 is a COMPLETE knockoff, and I'm not gonna touch it. As far as different music goes, sure some of the songs aren't my fav.s but with roughly 200 songs to choose from (and more every week) there is a HUGE library for RB. Also, did your brother-in-law unlock all the songs? Oh, and welcome to my world Neo... Where "disliking RockBand" is hypocrisy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsomedevil Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 EA is a money hungry company, and as the publisher I find it odd they chose to exclude the mass music fans in favor of obscure Rock fans. What? If rock is so "obscure", why is the MAIN music section in any music store titled "Pop/Rock"? What exactly do "mass music fans" listen to, Neo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luke314pi Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Personally I don't want to see a Rock Band sequel. I think the original is perfect, and can continue through DLC for a very long time. However, since a sequel is inevitable, I would like to see a few new gameplay modes, like online co-op career mode (which was supposed to be in RB1), bass career mode, create your own playlist longer than 2 or 3 songs, child mode for when my son wants to play (GH4 has this), and an improved guitar and drum set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 What? If rock is so "obscure", why is the MAIN music section in any music store titled "Pop/Rock"? What exactly do "mass music fans" listen to, Neo? First off, you clearly stated yourself it's titled "Pop/Rock" and from my evaluation, there are no Pop songs, even though mainstream puts them together. As far as the "obscure" part of my statement, there were bands like "Jet", "Hole", "The New Pornographers", "OK Go", Mountain", The Hives", "Deep Purple", "The Outlaws", etc. I've never heard of one of those bands. I would think if you were trying to sell a game to the masses you would add more stuff that people could relate too. Sure, they have Bon Jovi and Aerosmith and The Police and Nirvava, but the obscure far outweights the popular. Again, I'm not talking about hardcore rock fans, but I'm talking about casual music fans that, like me, don't really listen to rock exclusively. It's those people that feel disconnected from the game. As the a Sequel, I agree that the set up is good like it is so they wouldn't have to release a new game. My idea works with DLC too, just start releasing music from other Genre's for download, with full albums available as well. Just make it like iTunes the game! I will say that I prefer the GH Guitar over the Rock Band guitar by a landslide and I really like the high hats on GHIV, so if they go more mainstream with their track list I may be picking that up, unless Rock Band shows something better before then! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) "Deep Purple" Deep Purple isn't exactly an obscure Indie band. In my opinion, the joy of these games is to "rock out" on your guitar and equipment. It doesn't really matter if you are familiar with every song, so long as you can rock! In regards to your implication that there isn't much diversity in the choice of "rock" songs, well, I respectfully disagree. The 2nd and 3rd Guitar Hero games have Primus, the Allman Brothers Band, Dick Dale, the Police, the Stray Cats, Charlie Daniels, the Beastie Boys, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sonic Youth, Slayer, Cream, Dead Kennedys, to name a few. To label any of those bands as pure "rock" would be an unfair pigeon-holing, and not a one of them sounds even remotely like any other. They incorporate jazz, swing, reggae, country, the blues, and punk, at the very least. I wouldn't object to seeing the Meters, P-Funk, Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earle, Wes Montgomery, or some other "genres" being more fairly represented, but I also wouldn't be surprised to see some of them pop up in a future game, as each of these groups "rocks" in its own way. Also, I don't understand who would want to play "pop" on video game instruments. Maybe my definition is different than yours, but what is the joy of playing the Carpenters, N Synch, Madonna, or Britney Spears on guitar. Maybe I could do with some Motown, or some other 60s stuff, but wouldn't you need a synthesizer to play just about anything "pop" from the 80s on, anyway? Edited May 28, 2008 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 Great post karamozov and you just proved my point. You are defending "rock" because it's what you like and I would prefer to play "pop" because it's what I like. There's no right or wrong answer here. I'm not saying do away with rock music, I just think they should add diversity. Pop, for example, covers way more than you've mentioned. It's shorted for Popular music. You can add Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer and Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and Billy Joel and a host of other amazing guitarist to your list. However, the point is I want to play a song that I like, you may can "Rock Out" to Deep Purple, but I would prefer to "Rock Out" to "Too Much" From Dave Matthews Band or "Run Around" from Blues Traveler or "Let Her Cry" from Hootie and the Blowfish or even "This Time Around" by Hanson. Or what about "Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks or "Online" by Brad Paisley or so on and so forth. The point that I was making is that there is so much more music available than just "Obscure" rock, and whatever you say about Deep Purple, they are Obscure to the non-rock crowd. neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) or "Let Her Cry" from Hootie and the Blowfish or even "This Time Around" by Hanson. May the lords help us when those songs come out on a game . It will sell about 1 copy, to you, I'm guessing. (seriously though, you would actually want to imitate the bland, easy guitar strumming of a Hootie and the Blowfish song? I simply don't understand how that could possibly be fun, but maybe its just my bias. . .I doubt it, though.) Maybe you are right about my being biased toward the music that I like (which is just about everything EXCEPT bland, easy-listening music like Air Supply or Hootie, or sentimental cheese like Garth Brooks), but I don't agree with your definition of pop, either. Hootie and Hanson--yes. Dave Mathews, no. Even though I don't like him, he is a weird jazz, rock, Grateful Dead/Phish-stoner music hybrid. Actually, I would call Clapton the definition of 60s-70s rock (he was in Cream, after all, which had a GH song), and Tom Petty and John Mayer are more "rock" than "pop" in my mind. Billy Joel could also be construed as "rock," but is a problem, because he does piano music, which would open a whole new, potentially excessive can of beans for the Rock Band series. But the point is, if pop music includes Clapton and Petty, then it certainly has to include a heavy proportion of the bands included in Guitar Hero/Rock Band. I do agree that the country guys you mention are more "pop" than anything else, though. They most assuredly do not "rock." And seriously, you've never heard "Smoke on the Water?" Edited May 28, 2008 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 The point that I was making is that there is so much more music available than just "Obscure" rock, and whatever you say about Deep Purple, they are Obscure to the non-rock crowd. neo Please tell me you are joking about Deep Purple? As pointed out Smoke on the Water is one of the most well known songs of any genre! - It's opening bars are almost as recognizable as Beethovens 5th. Also saying that Clapton isn't associated with Rock is not helping your credibility. I suspect that "Rock" was picked because it's A) really popular and B ) Because the songs lend themselves to the game play and are a lot of fun to play guitar to... as compared to the elevator muzak status of some of the songs you suggested. (Elevator Hero anyone? You press the button for the floor you want and watch the numbers on the screen go up ... Comes with it's own elevator panel controller! ). I suspect that as these games get more popular that they will spread where they take songs from but will have to be fairly picky because they need a strong guitar part to make them playable. I think you need to start your own Software company Neo and see how well 'Pop Band' would sell (And Grand Hugging Auto - Instead of stealing cars and killing etc you go around the city hugging people for points?), perhaps make them Wii exclusives... T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 28, 2008 Author Share Posted May 28, 2008 First, let me say that I did a youtube search and found "Smoke on the Water" and while I did recognize the starting measures, I still have no idea what the song is and from the video I watched I still have no idea what the dude is saying. Maybe you are all right, I guess it is just me. So, I guess I'll just go back into the corner and enjoy LEGO Indy next week and forget the possibilty of a more friendly Band game. For the record though, Guitar Hero: On Tour for the DS looks great and includes great, POPular songs like "All Star", "Heaven", and "Spiderwebs" just to name a few. That's all I'm saying, just include songs that appeal to a wider audience than just hardcore rockers! But, have it your way and I'll keep my mouth shut from here on out! As for your idea Timbo, I agree. I wish I could start my own company, I don't know what I'm doing but I said right after GHII game out on Xbox360, I wish I could make a GH game myself. If I could I would, and I bet my GHA would be awesome. You could "borrow" cars from any of the outstanding civilians in the game by giving them a big hug. You could then race your friend around town trying to find the best gas prices and then run your "borrowed" car through the car wash, Premium or Deluxe? Then, you can't end the night without a little extracirricular activities, so you can swing by your Grandma's house and honk the horn. She's come get in and you can drive her to the Bingo Hall and try to take the old people for all their worth. Dude, that game would be amazing! I would so win a Spike Video Game Award for that!! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestlé Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 First, what KAm & TBT say are true: Just because a song is good DOES NOT make it fun to play. 2 Songs come to mind, Roxannne & This ain't no scene it's an arms race. Why are they "unfun?" BO-RING. Which is why HArmonix probably picked rock. The guitar needs to be strong to carry the game. Second, It's true, there are some obscure bands in there, but I'm actually glad there are. I didn't know about 30 seconds to mars or Yeah yeah yeahs before RB and I love them! Just because a song isn't old doesn't make it bad. Change is good. I don't know Neo... Sounds like you fall into the mistake at looking at games for whats not fun, rather than the other way around. I agree, sometimes I'll look at the American Idol downloads and think: Where's Sweet Home Alabama for RB? But, on the other hand RB is the shining pinnacle of music games so far and I love how much it has to offer. Lastly, I wouldn't count on that song list for GH4. If you didn't like the song list for GH3, Activision is making GH4 so... Maybe you'll get to play against Satan again. For those of you who want to know: -Harmonix made Guitar Hero 1 & 2 then sold the license to Activision -Harmonix went on to create Rock Band... Activison went on to create nothing and cashed in on GH by making the 3rd one identical to the 2nd -Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 will be out his fall with no new instruments but online World Tour, the ability the write songs and more. -Activision announced Guitar Hero 4 will be released early next year and will have online coop and song writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadpool Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 First, what KAm & TBT say are true: Just because a song is good DOES NOT make it fun to play. 2 Songs come to mind, Roxannne & This ain't no scene it's an arms race. Why are they "unfun?" BO-RING. Which is why HArmonix probably picked rock. The guitar needs to be strong to carry the game. Second, It's true, there are some obscure bands in there, but I'm actually glad there are. I didn't know about 30 seconds to mars or Yeah yeah yeahs before RB and I love them! Just because a song isn't old doesn't make it bad. Change is good. I don't know Neo... Sounds like you fall into the mistake at looking at games for whats not fun, rather than the other way around. I agree, sometimes I'll look at the American Idol downloads and think: Where's Sweet Home Alabama for RB? But, on the other hand RB is the shining pinnacle of music games so far and I love how much it has to offer. Lastly, I wouldn't count on that song list for GH4. If you didn't like the song list for GH3, Activision is making GH4 so... Maybe you'll get to play against Satan again. For those of you who want to know: -Harmonix made Guitar Hero 1 & 2 then sold the license to Activision -Harmonix went on to create Rock Band... Activison went on to create nothing and cashed in on GH by making the 3rd one identical to the 2nd -Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 will be out his fall with no new instruments but online World Tour, the ability the write songs and more. -Activision announced Guitar Hero 4 will be released early next year and will have online coop and song writing. Let us remember Nestle that "good" can also be an opinion. I wouldn't say that "This ain't a scene, it's an arms race" is a good song by ANY stretch of the imagination. In fact, I'd say it takes a big stretch to make almost any Fall Out Boy good To be fair, I've got some odd tastes sometimes. That doesn't change the fact that Rock Band needs more Queen. Hell, EVERYTHING needs more Queen. I'm gonna have to go commision a Freddie Mercury now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsomedevil Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 But, have it your way and I'll keep my mouth shut from here on out! I think that would be a great idea after suggesting Hanson should be included in Rock Band/Guitar Hero! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 I think that would be a great idea after suggesting Hanson should be included in Rock Band/Guitar Hero! Honestly, I hadn't heard of that group since 1998 or so. So, naturally, I youtubed: Yes, it sucks. BUT, if they did a really simplified, "pop hero" game for little kids. Like, with a guitar with 3 buttons or something, I bet it would sell to the tweens. As TBT! suggests above, this kind of game may well sell on the Wii. Seriously. I don't know about no "Fall Out Boy," but I do know about this: . Oh, teen angst! Song is just slightly dated, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 I think that would be a great idea after suggesting Hanson should be included in Rock Band/Guitar Hero! Honestly, I hadn't heard of that group since 1998 or so. So, naturally, I youtubed: OK, You can't judge the group by their 1st single. Mmmbop was a kid pop song, it was their first release. The group grew up and their last two albums have been great. Again, this comes down to preference, I think putting Deep Purple on the game was a bad idea, and you think Hason would be. Again, it just comes down to consumer preference. But, for the sake of my argument, this is the song that I mentioned from Hanson: This Time Around Again, it may not be your thing, but it's a far cry from "Mmmbop" and a very cool, very contemporary rock song! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Again, it may not be your thing, but it's a far cry from "Mmmbop" and a very cool, very contemporary rock song! neo Once again you're basing your argument on personal opinion and well my opinion is that song sucks... Give it up Neo, The only thing I've learnt from this thread is that I don't want to be stuck in a car on a long journey and have your mp3 player attached to the stereo!! :biggrin: T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 The only thing I've learnt from this thread is that I don't want to be stuck in a car on a long journey and have your mp3 player attached to the stereo!! :biggrin: T. Yeah, you could just pull me out of the car and beat with me with a baseball bat.....you know, anything acceptable like that! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBT! Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 The only thing I've learnt from this thread is that I don't want to be stuck in a car on a long journey and have your mp3 player attached to the stereo!! :biggrin: T. Yeah, you could just pull me out of the car and beat with me with a baseball bat.....you know, anything acceptable like that! neo Ok I'll take your lets stereotype TBT because he played GTAIV comment ( I'm such a social misfit...just like the other millions of players, there must be a crime epidemic happening) and raise that to... Best idea I've heard all week... perhaps I could swing the bat in time to some rancid pop tunes? :biggrin: T. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neolego Posted May 29, 2008 Author Share Posted May 29, 2008 Dude, that sounds like a game. Extreme Grand Pop Auto: Music Edition. That would go down like Gangbusters! neo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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