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== Pricing ==
== Pricing ==
No official price or game bundles have been officially announced, but it has been confirmed instruments can be purchased in a bundle with the game or individually.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} After rumors surfaced about the game costing between $150-200 USD, Harmonix Art Director, Ryan Lesser, stated "We're far from releasing prices at this point. So I wouldn't take any of that stuff too seriously."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25131 | title = Nordic Game: Rock Band will be affordable, says Harmonix exec | work = GameIndustry.biz | first = Ellie | last = Gibson | date = [[2007-05-18]] | accessdate = 2007-08-04}}</ref> Several online stores have listed bundles (consisting of the game, drum kit, microphone, and guitar) for preorder for $199.99.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/23/rock-band-now-available-for-pre-order/ | title = Rock Band now available for pre-order | work = [[Engadget]] | date = [[2007-07-23]] | accessdate = 2007-07-23 | last = Melanson | first = Donald }}</ref> However, Electronic Arts (the game's publisher) has stated that these pre-release pricing schemes are "pure speculation".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80266 | title = EA ignores Rock Band listings | date = [[2007-07-24]] | accessdate = 2007-07-24 | last = Purchese | first = Rob | publisher = EuroGamer}}</ref>
No official price or game bundles have been officially announced, but it has been confirmed instruments can be purchased in a bundle with the game or individually.{{Fact|date=July 2007}} After rumors surfaced about the game costing between $150-200 USD, Harmonix Art Director, Ryan Lesser, stated "We're far from releasing prices at this point. So I wouldn't take any of that stuff too seriously."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25131 | title = Nordic Game: Rock Band will be affordable, says Harmonix exec | work = GameIndustry.biz | first = Ellie | last = Gibson | date = [[2007-05-18]] | accessdate = 2007-08-04}}</ref> Several online stores have listed bundles (consisting of the game, drum kit, microphone, and guitar) for preorder for $199.99.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.engadget.com/2007/07/23/rock-band-now-available-for-pre-order/ | title = Rock Band now available for pre-order | work = [[Engadget]] | date = [[2007-07-23]] | accessdate = 2007-07-23 | last = Melanson | first = Donald }}</ref> However, Electronic Arts (the game's publisher) has stated that these pre-release pricing schemes are "pure speculation".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=80266 | title = EA ignores Rock Band listings | date = [[2007-07-24]] | accessdate = 2007-07-24 | last = Purchese | first = Rob | publisher = EuroGamer}}</ref> Just recently, the pricing for the 360 version has been announced. http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=128668


==Reception==
==Reception==

Revision as of 02:46, 12 August 2007

Template:Future game

Rock Band
File:Rockband-logo.jpg
Developer(s)Harmonix Music Systems
Publisher(s)MTV Games
Designer(s)Harmonix Music Systems
Platform(s)Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release
[1]
[2]
Genre(s)Music video game
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Rock Band is an upcoming music video game under development by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and to be distributed by Electronic Arts Partners. It is currently scheduled for a North American release on November 6, 2007. Developed both for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Rock Band will offer players the ability to function in a virtual band by providing up to 4 players with the ability to utilize three different instrument-based peripherals (a guitar peripheral for guitar and bass guitar sequences, a drum peripheral, and a microphone) and allowing them to interact through both online and offline multiplayer capabilities. Current Harmonix parent company MTV will be providing both financial and creative support to the process, leveraging its stature to facilitate deals with record companies for licensing rights to songs.[3] Several record companies have pledged their support by offering master recordings.[4]

While there has been no official announcement regarding a Wii version, Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos, when asked if there was a possibility of seeing the game on Wii, responded "Absolutely."[5] Rigopulos also suggested additional features in an interview with GameSpot. Some of these include offering entire catalogs for an artist, instead of just one song.[6]

Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series and Gameplay in the Karaoke Revolution series

Reusing many gameplay elements from the popular Guitar Hero series, Rock Band players will use peripherals modeled after musical instruments to simulate the performance of rock music. Players will play these instruments in time with musical "notes" as they scroll towards them on the screen. Rock Band will expand upon the Guitar Hero series, in that it will offer gameplay for drums and vocals, in addition to lead and bass guitars. The game will feature independent single-player campaigns for three of the instruments (lead guitar, drums, and voice) called "Solo Tour Mode",[7] as well as a band campaign for multiple players called "Band World Tour".[7][8] Other multiplayer modes include "Head-to-Head Play" and "Band Co-Op Play."[7] Also included in Rock Band will be "Tutorial Mode" and "Practice Mode,"[7] which will allow players to practice songs for each instrument. All multiplayer modes will support any number of offline players, online players, or any combination of the two.[7]

Each instrument is represented by a different interface: bass guitar (left), drums (middle), lead (right), vocals (top).

On-screen, Game Informer describes the game as a combination of the Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution gameplay elements.[9] Instead of a single guitar neck (as there is in Guitar Hero), there will be three vertically scrolling sections along the bottom of the screen, one each for lead guitar, drums, and bass. Along the top of the screen will be the vocals display, which will scroll horizontally, similar to Karaoke Revolution. The remainder of the screen is used to display the band's characters as they perform. Within the main co-op mode, all players earn points towards a common score, though multipliers and the equivalent of Guitar Hero's "Star Power" are tracked separately for each player.[9] The bass guitar player can raise his multiplier to 6x, compared to 4x, because as noted by a Gamespot preview, "bass can get a little dry sometimes".[10] If a player fails to play well enough, their section will become grayed out, but any other player can activate their "Star Power" to bring failed players back into the song.[9] If all players are still active upon the song's completion, the band will be rewarded with a special "jam session".

When creating their band, players will be able to create and customize their game avatars (complete with adjustable hair, body type, clothing, tattoos, and onstage movements), as well as their band logos.[8]

Instrument peripherals

The Fender Stratocaster replica guitar controller, which features 10 frets and an effects switch.
The drumset, which features 4 foam pads, a bass drum pedal, and real drumsticks.

The game will feature special Rock Band-branded guitar controllers modeled after the Fender Stratocaster; these will be similar to the Guitar Hero controllers. The Stratocaster controller will have 5 additional fret buttons located further down the neck to be used in special solo sections.[9] Additionally, the controller will feature an effects pickup switch. Harmonix has confirmed Guitar Hero guitar controllers will be compatible with the game, as well as other third-party guitar controllers.[11][7] The company has also said that Rock Band will also support the use of additional third-party controllers, and, should Activision (the current publishers of Guitar Hero) request it, they can make the Rock Band guitar controller work with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.[citation needed]

Rock Band's microphone instrument will be similar to the model used in the Harmonix-developed Karaoke Revolution games. According to an article in Game Informer, "Vocalists sing along to the rock tunes as they always have. Additionally, a phoneme detector will pick up the individual vowels and consonants."[12] The microphone can also be used as a tambourine and cowbell when there are no vocals.[13]

The drum controller is similar to the DrumMania arcade game, and will be based on striking one of 4 foam pads, representing the snare drum, tom-tom, hi-hat, and crash/ride cymbals. The set will also feature a kick pedal for bass drum and will ship with a pair of authentic drumsticks. The legs of the drum peripheral can adjust in height or be detached if the user wishes to place it on a table-top, while the kick pedal can be adjusted laterally. Harmonix representatives have said on numerous occasions that "If you can play the drum parts on hard, you can pretty much play the drums [in reality]."[8][7]

Soundtrack

On the song selection of the game, Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos says: "We'll be covering a great breadth, from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between".[14] Currently, five record labels have been confirmed to have agreed to supply master recordings by their artists for use in the game, including EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group's Universal Music Enterprises, and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment.[15]

On June 7, 2007, Harmonix announced that they would be taking requests for possible songs and bands. Fans may go to the game's official site and nominate up to 4 songs to be in the game.[16]

The July 2007 issue of Game Informer revealed the first 4 songs from the soundtrack. [12][9] On July 4, 2007, IGN revealed more songs from the game's soundtrack in a hands-on preview.[8]

On July 3, 2007, MTV previewed Rock Band at their "Under the Radar" conference which included Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle" in a gameplay demonstration.[17] However, a post from Sean Baptiste, a Harmonix employee, on the official Rock Band forums indicates that this video was an early build and that this song may not actually be in the game; the video has been subsequently pulled from news sources.[18]

Nine additional songs were confirmed at the 2007 E3 convention. Additionally, Queens of the Stone Age has confirmed that a song from their latest album, Era Vulgaris, will appear in the game.[19]

The soundtrack, known to date, is as follows. Tracks listed in bold denotes it being a master track.

Downloadable content

Additionally, the game will support downloadable tracks, including full albums. Users can download the albums in their entirety or on a track-by-track basis.[21] The first of these will be Who's Next by The Who, which will be made available shortly after the game's release.[20] Other Metallica tracks will be made available for download, as well.[22] GamePro magazine has claimed that Nirvana's Nevermind would be an album download,[1], but in light of this news, Sean Baptiste of Harmonix has stated that the only confirmed Nirvana song for Rock Band is "In Bloom".[23] Every subsequent week after Rock Band's release, there will be new downloadable content.

Downloadable content will consist of the following:

Pricing

No official price or game bundles have been officially announced, but it has been confirmed instruments can be purchased in a bundle with the game or individually.[citation needed] After rumors surfaced about the game costing between $150-200 USD, Harmonix Art Director, Ryan Lesser, stated "We're far from releasing prices at this point. So I wouldn't take any of that stuff too seriously."[24] Several online stores have listed bundles (consisting of the game, drum kit, microphone, and guitar) for preorder for $199.99.[25] However, Electronic Arts (the game's publisher) has stated that these pre-release pricing schemes are "pure speculation".[26] Just recently, the pricing for the 360 version has been announced. http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=128668

Reception

Rock Band was featured at the 2007 E3 convention, garnering much attention and receiving awards, including the Game Critics' "Best of E3 2007" awards for "Best of Show", "Best Hardware/Peripheral", and "Best Social/Casual/Puzzle" ,[27] 1UP's "Best of E3" [28] and GameSpot's "Best Stage Demo"[29] and "Best Xbox 360 Game".[30]

References

  1. ^ a b "Rock Band Preview." GamePro, September 2007. Accessed July 27 2007.
  2. ^ "Rock Band at Game Stats". Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  3. ^ "Music games won't be solo gigs anymore". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  4. ^ ""USA Today: Harmonix announces Rock Band for Xbox 360, PS3". Retrieved 2007-04-02.
  5. ^ "Rock Band on Wii? - IGN.com".
  6. ^ "Q&A: Rockin' Out With Rock Band. - gamespot.com".
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Rock Band Official Website". Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Blevins, Tal and Jeremy Dunham (2007-07-04). "Pre-E3 2007: Rock Band Hands-On". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  9. ^ a b c d e Kotaku - Rock Band Details Explosion
  10. ^ Shoemaker, Brad (2007-07-05). "Rock Band Hands-On". Gamespot. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  11. ^ "What We Know: Analyzing Harmonix's Rock Band new from 1UP.com". Retrieved 2007-04-13.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "Rock Band: The New Album", Game Informer, pp. 62–69, July {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  13. ^ In a 2006 April Fools joke, Gamespot suggested that Harmonix was developing "Cowbell Hero"; as life imitates art, Rock Band is now known to include two of the article's suggested songs, "Don't Fear the Reaper" and "Mississippi Queen".D'avril, Premiere (2006-04-01). "April Fool's: Harmonix announces Cowbell Hero". Gamespot. Retrieved 2007-08-06.
  14. ^ Rock Band: Harmonix, MTV, EA To Bring Us Rock Band
  15. ^ Burman, Rob and Hilary Goldstein (2007-04-02). "Harmonix's Next Game Revealed". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Dormer, Dan (2007-06-07). "Harmonix Wants Song Suggestions for Rock Band". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Video: MTV shows its future in virtual worlds, new 'Rock Band'". Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  18. ^ "HMXSean Post at Official Rock Band forums". Retrieved 2007-07-03.
  19. ^ "Queens of the Stone Age Unveils New Lineup". Blabbermouth.net. 2007-05-07. Retrieved 2007-05-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "E3 07: Rock Band to support album downloads". Retrieved 2007-07-11.
  21. ^ Goldstein, Hilary and Chris Roper (2007-08-03). "Rock Band Post-E3 Interview". IGN.com. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Mitchell, Richard (2007-07-11). "Rock Band picks up Metallica, entire album DLC". Joystiq. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ Baptiste, Sean (2007-08-01). "September Gamepro NEW INFO!!!!". Harmonix Forums. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
  24. ^ Gibson, Ellie (2007-05-18). "Nordic Game: Rock Band will be affordable, says Harmonix exec". GameIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2007-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Melanson, Donald (2007-07-23). "Rock Band now available for pre-order". Engadget. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ Purchese, Rob (2007-07-24). "EA ignores Rock Band listings". EuroGamer. Retrieved 2007-07-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "2007 Game Critics Awards". Game Critics. 2007-07-31. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ 1UP Staff (2007-07-27). "1UP Network's Best of E3 2007 Picks". 1UP. Retrieved 2007-07-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. ^ GameSpot Staff. "E3 07 Editors' Choice Awards - Best Stage Demo". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
  30. ^ GameSpot Staff. "E3 07 Editors' Choice Awards - Best Xbox 360 Game". GameSpot. Retrieved 2007-08-04.
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