Anyone who logged on last week will know that my last contribution was a rather excited outburst giving you a sneaky look at the newest Guitar hero controller. I will not lie. I will always be a guitar hero girl. I was hooked at Gh3 and never looked back. I do however acknowledge that there are a lot of Rockband aficionado’s out there and it simply wouldn’t be fair to talk about the new guitar hero hardware without also having a nosey at the newest offering from the Rockband music room. I am usually a Gh girl through and through, but believe me when I say that this time the guys at Rockband really have turned it up to 11…

For a while now there have been rumors of a complete Rockband instrument overhaul, but I must admit I was initially skeptical. On completion of the online demo, Greenday Rockband showed a small but significant teaser in the form of a keyboard symbol. At this time it was easy to assume that this would be largest change made to rockband this year, however after what we have now seen at E3 it is clear that the keyboard was merely the start of the Rockband re-design.

With this I am calling all Rockband Guitarists, Drummers, Vocalists and Keyboardists to listen up and listen good! In honor of E3 week here is my very special (and perhaps slightly sketchy) summery of some of the features the new rock band hardware. Clear out your virtual music rooms, its time for an overhaul.

Keyboard
I am of course obliged to start with the newest member in the Rockband family, the keyboard. For a while now we have pondered over the appearance of the new keyboard controller, but we need ponder no more because here it is.

Is it a Keyboard or a Keytar?

Looking like a cross between a keyboard and a keytar the Rockband keyboard seems, well kind of unsurprising really. More interesting perhaps is the way the keyboard appears on screen. From what we have seen so far the keybord appears on screen in a similar way to the guitar and drums, but with a twist. Due to the sheer number of notes, instead of having a static runway strip the on screen instructions for the keybord will scroll from left to right allowing players to see only three colored sections of notes at a time. Arrows will indicate when the runway is about to move from left to right, and as the songs get more complicated the movements will become faster and more frequent.

A little fuzzy granted, but you get the idea

In another interesting twist it seems that there is going to be the possibly of using a small patching unit to connect a normal keyboard so that it can be used within the game. Though the unit itself will obviously cost money the idea of being able to use your existing instruments is very creative, and will more importantly save space. Space which you could use to buy…say maybe a new guitar…

Pro-Guitar
This brings me conveniently onto the new Pro-mode Guitars. Not only because in website team band sessions the guitar is often the most popular instrument, but also because out of the classic instrument set it is the guitar which has had the most attention.

If this one isn't real enough for you...

At this years E3 two new models of virtual guitar have been unveiled, both more advanced and awe inspiring than ever before. The first, the ‘Mustang pro’ guitar shown seems to be kind of a half way house between a classic Rockband controller and a real guitar. Though this guitar still has buttons along the frets, it has ditched the strum bar completely and replaced it with a set of 6 playable strings. I should also take the opportunity to now mention that as well as using these new controllers to play pro Guitar, it is also possible to use them to play Pro Bass. This means that Bass players will not be left out of the instrument based excitement, bless their cotton socks. Back to the topic of the Guitar itself  I may be a Gh girl at heart, but even I will admit this is exciting. Though this new controller is massively more advanced than anything we have seen before, it could be easily argued that impressive though it may be this is still not a true representation of a real guitar. To start with the strings are fixed to the body and do not continue up the neck, and further to this it only has 17 frets as opposed to the standard 22. This doesn’t really bother me, but if you are the type to be disappointed by this lack of realism don’t worry. Enter the second pro guitar.

...then how about this one

Check out this little beauty. In addition to the upgraded standard guitar Rockband were also seen showcasing a fully game compatible Fender Squire stratocaster guitar. Unlike the standard Pro guitar this nifty bit of kit has a full fretboard and fully functional strings. If you like the idea of realistic rocking out this one is for you, I for one doubt it will ever get more real than this.

At first glance it is easy to get distracted by the impressive good looks of these guitars, but do not let image distract you from the bigger picture. The effect they will have on the gameplay runs far deeper than a set of strings and a shiny scratch plate. It is clear that with the stunning level of detail and realism that has gone into creating these new guitars the aim of this mode is no longer to simply play hit songs and beat the games career mode. No, to the guys at Rockband its clearly not about this anymore. Pro mode claims to teach you the basics of how to play a real guitar, using real chord formations and finger placements to teach you as you play. Because the guitar has so many buttons the classic on screen system no longer works. In the new on screen layout instead of simply having 5 colored lanes representing varying individual notes, we now have 6 lanes each representing a string. In addition to the colors each note you are asked to play now has a tiny number above it corresponding to the fret you are supposed to play the note on. A bit complicated no? Anyone good at maths? In theory by playing pro mode guitar you are supposed to be able to transfer the skills you learn in the game onto a real guitar and thus become a guitarist. Though this is undeniably an impressive use technology, I am starting to worry that Rockband is moving a little too far away from the original point of the game.

Not really related to what I am saying I know but we all like more pictures of guitars

I play games to have fun and unwind. If I wanted to learn to actually play the guitar I may as well spend my money on my dream guitar, learn to play it from tab and have the rest of the Plus-Xp team stand behind me holding up cardboard stars and occasionally throwing glitter at me to mark my progress. Ok so this may sound a little bit silly but my point remains the same. So far the rrp of these new guitars has not been mentioned but I am assuming that they will not come cheap. Then even if the price is not enough to put you off I am betting that the complexity of the new on screen instructions in conjunction with the sheer number of buttons will leave many players more frustrated than entertained. I hate to be pessimistic about all of this as new guitars are very aspirational and exciting, however the way I see it a lot of the appeal of Rockband is that you can play it with friends and share the experience. In all honesty behind all of the excitement and Guitar lust I fear that to many players the new guitars run the risk of being more off putting than inspiring, and in a game originally designed to be played together this is not necessarily a good thing.

I still want a go one one though…I can’t help it… its just so epic… let… me… at… it…

Drums
Now to the drum kit. As an enthusiastic (and thats putting it mildly) Rockband drummer I was pleased to see that the Drum Kit has also had a Makeover. In addition to the 4 classic drum pads three new symbols have been added to the kit, making it more true to life and just generally more shiny.

Shiny, Shiny

The three new symbols aim to mimic the set up of a Standard basic rock kit by adding a high hat, plus crash and ride symbols to the existing three toms and snare we are all familiar with. Though I expect the game will continue to be, well lets just say ‘creative’ with which pad makes which sound, these new symbols will almost certainly make the drumming experience more realistic, more challenging and therefore more fun. Oh and I should also say that from what I have seen so far it looks like these symbols will be available to buy as an add on to an existing kit saving us money and effort. Nice.

Vocals
Not much to say here I’m afraid. I suppose there is a limited amount you can do with a microphone really… Perhaps the singers will just wear a hat and feel special that way, it may work. Not to leave the vocals out completely I will mention the fact that Rockband three will be including multiple harmonies Harmonies as seen in the beetles Rockband. I suppose this is nothing very new and exciting, but its all I have.

Now thats what I call full band play baby!

Thats it really, everything I know about the new rockband kit in one neat little post plus my added musings on the guitar. Ok, so perhaps the post wasn’t that little, but just one more quick footnote to finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if after reading this some of you find yourselves peering hopelessly into your tragically empty wallets with a mixed look of both great excitement and vague dismay on your faces. It would after all be nieve to imagine that these sorts of kit upgrades would come cheap, however there is hope for all you skint little guys. As well as showcasing all of this new kit the guys at Rockband have also made it very clear that the old instruments will still be compatible with the Rockband three content. You won’t be able to play pro mode with your old instruments, but you will still be able to play all of the same songs in the older, much more familiar Rockband format. There have also been whisperings form the team about new content for the original instruments, meaning that if you prefer your old controllers you wont be left out.

Thats really it now…No more footnotes…I want to buy more plastic guitars…

Until next time,

GuitarGirl24
x

Who wants new instruments?

]]> http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/rockband-three/feed/ 0 http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock/ http://www.plusxp.com/2010/06/guitar-hero-warriors-of-rock/#comments Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:46:16 +0000 GuitarGirl24 http://plusxp.com/?p=3803 A pre-post post

I had no plans to write anything tonight. If anything I was ready for a quiet night in with my duvet and a good dvd…AND THEN I SAW THIS….

Its just so shiny....

Yes people, its official. I returned to the country today to find that the internet has been littered with images of a guitar made of what can only be described as the heaviest of heavy metal. Well actually no, its still plastic, but you see what I mean. Looking like some sort of axe of the gods, it not only has an entirely interchangeable body but also claims to be the biggest controller yet. Oh and they have removed all of the extra stuff like the slide bar and unnecessary buttons, a decision which wins my instant approval. In my opinion the bigger and scarier they make the controllers the better the game and I in all honesty can’t wait to get my hands on one.

Look! Interchangeable bodies

Apart from tempting us with leaked images of a snazzy new axe the guys down at GH headquarters have remained relatively quite about their new release. So far only 2 of the 90 new songs promised seem confirmed, and though there have been rumors of new modes no official details seem to have been given as yet. Though the lack of solid information is quite evident my excitement at these new images is no less intense. It is obvious from the title, trailers and new controller that this game is taking the guitar hero series back to its almost comical rock/heavy metal roots and I am very hopeful that a lot more will be reviled about this title at E3 next week. Until then a final treat for you all. After a bit of light digging I have been able to turn up a pretty cool trailer. Being a guitar hero geek I watched this and got so excited I almost nerdgasmed, because of this I think everyone else should watch it too.

Guitar Hero characters turning into heavy metal beasts? I’ll take some of that…to go…with fries…I should eat something…its all just too much…

Until next time,

GuitarGirl24

x

Guitar Hero Warriors of rock is set for release in September 2010. Until then watch this space.

With the hype for christmas building I find myself in the mood for reminiscing. Guitar Hero 3, my first ever Gh title was in fact a christmas present. Therefore this seems like a perfect time to look back over all of those songs which brightened many a long and tedious winter day. I refused to buy the greatest hits disk because I disagree with the choice of songs it offered (quite frankly I thought I could have chosen better with the game cases, a blindfold and a set of darts but thats neither here nor there) so without point or purpose here is how I would have done it, from Gh1 through to World Tour. My perfect set-list.

NB: These are not the songs I am best at, or indeed the most challenging (as you will see). They are merely those which I find most amusing, that I would pick up my plastic guitar and decide to play first. Though if you get the chance to play me and want to win, perhaps best avoid these songs. OR if you want to make me happy, choose them all!

Infected- Bad religion GH1(Dark, in a sexy way)

More than a feeling- Boston GH1(You just have to sing along!)

Spanish Castle Magic- Jimi Hendrix GH1(One big upbeat solo, always fun)

Carry on my wayward son- Kansas GH2 (I love the quiet section in the middle, beautiful and hypnotic)

Cherry Pie- Warrant GH2 (love the solo, also so tacky its good)

Who was in my room last night- Butthole surfers GH2 (I can’t help but thinking during the solo ‘Oh yes….he went there’)

Sweet child o’ mine- Guns n’ Roses GH2 (its just a classic)

Jessica- Allman brothers GH2 (whats this…I don’t know it…OMG TOPGEAR!)

Free Bird- Lynyrd Skynyrd GH2 (its just so pretty)

Talk dirty to me- Poison GH3 (nice easy end solo)

When you were young- The killers GH3 (miss the euphoric notes and you have to leave the room)

Paint it black- The rolling stones Gh3 (Black, Black like the Sky…)

My name is Jonas- Weezer GH3 (easy but so pretty)

Even flow- Pearl jam GH3 (they rock, great live too)

Black Magic Woman- Santana GH3 (Full of Twiddle and Widdle)

Rock you like a Hurricane- The scorpions GH3 (Cheesy!)

La Grange- ZZTop GH3 (an all time gh fave of mine)

Hellicopter- Bloc Party GH3 (I sing the word ‘Helicopter’ through all the ending notes to make it more fun, it doesn’t go with the tune at all but hey)

Stricken- Disturbed GH3 (good for the rage days)

Devil went down to georgia- Charlie Daniels band GH3 (Best moment ever, and I mean ever)

Monsters- Matchbook Romance GH3 (Great end to Co-op mode, fiddley and fast, like many a drunken fumble)

Avalancia- Heroes del Silencio GH3 (Euphoric, love the slide)

Don’t hold back- The sleeping GH3 (Good for a lift)

Prayer for the Refugee- Rise against GH3 (So beautiful, and sad)

Through the fire and the flames- Dragonforce (A Fetish, So hard but soooooo good)

18 and life- Skid row 80’s (One for those ‘Well, it could be worse’ moments)

Holy Diver- Dio 80’s(Makes me laugh, I finally understand Jack Black Alllllright)

The Warrior- Scandal 80’s (Stewie Griffin’s I-pod commercial)

What I like about you- The Romantics 80’s (It just doesn’t stop with the double notes)

Play with me- Extreme 80’s (I struggled with this in expert until my fingers ached, just because I loved it so much)

Dream On- Aerosmith (Easy to play but truely perfect song)

Train Kept a Rollin- Aerosmith (I like the increase in pace, fun on drums when playing rockband)

Mama Kin- Aerosmith (Exciting from start to finish)

Beat it- Michael Jackson WT (fun in band play, who doesn’t know it)

Everlong- Foo fighters WT (I LOVE to drum this song! I mean LOVE)

Hot for teacher- Van Halen WT(Fast, Furious, Sexy…How could it not be there)

La Bamba- Los Lobos WT (No NOT LaMamba! A chidhood fave of mine)

Lazy Eye- Silversun Pickups (simple but beautiful)

Love Removal Machine- The Cult (Sexy when played on drums)

Purple Haze- Jimi Hendrix WT (The day I kept my x4 through the entire end solo was one of the happiest days of my GH life…)

Enter Sandman- Metallica (So powerful on drums, its soooo satisfying)

One- Metallica (Passing the end solo in this was a major milestone for me)

Nothing else matters- Metallica (All love songs should in my opinion have at least one guitar solo…)

And there you have it. Now all I need is for someone to put it on a disk for me so I don’t have to keep swapping them over…Someone…Anyone…Neversoft? Now that I have opened up my most private, and personal music preferences I would very much like to hear from you guys. So tell me, Staff, contributors and gamers of the world, what have I missed? Do you have an absolute favorite that you re outraged I have not included? If I have forgotten your true favorites (And no picking the hardest songs just to try and show off, I’m onto you) Drop me an e-mail/comment and I will be happy to make a full apology in writing at some point during my future posts and add your song to the list, just because I’m nice like that.

Thats it from me this week. I’ll be at Eurogamer with the rest of the team in London next Saturday, and hopefully, If your all good, I’ll be able to give you something a bit more juicy then, and I don’t mean a peach.

Until we meet again,

- GuitarGirl24