So we’re approaching the end of the first month of 2011, and in the grand tradition of each year feeling identical to the last (what with months being a concept of time and all that) January still feels as cold and miserable as December 2010.
But that’s not really important, what’s important is what this year could bring us in the world of videogames. This could potentially be one of the more important years in gaming for a while. In 2011, could we see…

The End of the Gaming Drought?

The games come flooding back!

Every year there is a unique phenomenon where for several months, the release schedule dries up and we’re left parched from the beginning of the summer until the holiday season when developers decide to simultaneously release all their blockbusters and expect us to buy them all. However in the last couple of years a lot of games are being moved from the holiday season to the early months of the year after, which is also giving us more polished experiences as a result. Last year was a bit of a mess with the solution being to avoid the holiday squash by simply moving it to January until March instead. This year it’s been mostly avoided, with all the blockbuster games slowly trickling out across the year, so while the holiday rush will still be around (and when won’t it?) we should have to wait less time between each blockbuster game this time round.

Kinect for the Hardcore?

I think I actually heard the scoffs as I typed that. This one is a damn sight harder to argue as an idea, but think about it this way: Whenever new technology comes about, especially in gaming, the majority of the early stuff can be considered a tech-demo. Think about to the release of the DS and the early games that forced rudimentary understandings of touch screen gameplay on you. Think about the Wii. Kinect and Move are no different in that both are showcases of new technology which will start off lame and unrepresentative of their true power, then evolve slowly into unforgettable experiences only possible with that technology. However, Move already has hardcore games (though for the sake of argument forget that some are just previously released hardcore games with motion controls added) so out of the two, Kinect is the one most lacking in something that’ll really hook the hardcore gamer. I’d be incredibly surprised if at E3 Microsoft didn’t suddenly reveal a set of games that’ll be more essential playing for the hardcore than the casual gamer. After all, it’s not just about hooking the audience, it’s about keeping them in, and it’d be a possible death toll if Microsoft didn’t have their best people working on something already. I mean, button-less gameplay is something that seems alien and scary, but just like it took time for the DS and Wii to have their features used for good rather than evil, the same will be true for Kinect.

3D Gaming’s Fate Decided?

Another technology yet to prove itself is 3D in gaming, and while Sony have spent the last year telling everyone it’s totally worth splashing out ridiculous amounts of money on a 3DTV, glasses and relevant games, Nintendo are telling everyone to buy the no-glasses-needed 3DS. I get the feeling that no matter what happens companies will try and force 3D on everyone, but whether it proves to be a success in the short term or not will be decided by how the 3DS and 3D gaming on the PS3 fare, and whether it’s really an innovative new way to play games or another Virtual Boy in waiting.

iPhone Gaming Market to be deservedly recognised?

Despite not owning an iPhone or an iPod touch (I like buttons, okay?), even I can name several games that people owning the technology consider must haves. While it started building up last year, I think this year is going to be the year when many gaming sites start really embracing iPhone games in the same league as the other portable consoles. After all, Apple earned more money from the portable gaming market than Sony did, and there’s a reason Nintendo consider Apple their main rivals, not Sony. This year will hopefully see the world of iPhone games taken a lot more seriously in games, and this’ll also help give light to more indie developers and grant some more success to some truly innovative ideas.

The Year of the Indie?

In this case, I don’t mean the annoying bands that sound exactly the same or that annoying kind of indie, I mean the Independent Developers that sometimes come along with incredible ideas or the most amazing games. Take Super Meat Boy last year and the attention that started surrounding it, and it’s well deserved. It’s one of the greatest games of last year, and the attention it got is a good precedent for the future. This year could see more independent games that deserve it, like Super Meat Boy, get more attention and the limelight they deserve. That goes for the aforementioned iPhone market, too.

Shooters becoming fun again?

I’ve made it clear many times that I find a lot of current shooters very samey and all filled with the same faux-attempt at realism and cover-based shooting that while it gets the job done and can be fun, doesn’t hold much interest for me any more. Which is why I have done and continue to champion Bulletstorm as the game that is going to revitalise the way we shoot the living heck out of people in videogames. It’s ballistic, it’s bombastic, and it’s totally fucking nuts. Even if it isn’t the greatest thing ever, it’s going to change the way some future shooters are played and will bring the fun back.
Cementing that return of fun in shooting comes Duke Nukem Forever. We’ve waited thirteen long years for Duke to come along again and his ironically over the top macho mannerisms and propensity for one-liners have come full circle to the point where they’re now a refreshing image to see in the realm of shooters, and the game looks to do what Bulletstorm is trying to do – bring back silly dialogue, over the top and nonsensical stories and concentrate on the thing that matters most – killing things in the most silly and fun ways imaginable. Bank on those two games being big hitters, and if not, then may god have mercy on the shooter.

Out with the old, in with the old?

The music genre is on it’s way out. There’s no easy way to say it but the way the genre got milked meant that it soon became the old and is now in the latter stages of it’s lifespan. I hate to consider it because I’ve only recently gotten into it and I’m finding it to be a heck of a lot of fun, but the amount of Guitar Hero and Rock Band games that came out in the last few years borders on the obscene. Sadly, Guitar Hero’s not been doing well enough for itself and we’re seeing it slowly peter out, and Rock Band 3 should have been the swan song the genre deserved, but has sold poorly, unfortunately.
Couple that in with the Call of Duty franchise, which last year suffered a terrible blow when the majority of Infinity Ward walked out in circumstances we’ll not truly know until the long and expensive court trial where the money could go to making better games, arguably. Sure, Treyarch are holding onto the mantle now, but it’s hard to believe that Modern Warfare 3 won’t be anything other than a cash-in and a 6/10 game at best at the moment, and the way Activision are milking Call of Duty for all it’s worth while the money’s still good? I expect this year to be the last that the Call of Duty franchise hits it big.
To avoid ending on a sour note, though, we could see the revitalisation of several other franchises propping up in their stead. Duke Nukem’s back, and with that is it’s own franchise, for example. The success of Dead Space 2 could easily see the franchise hit back in the way EA hoped from the first. E3 alone will probably spawn the return of several franchises that have been absent for a few years, and we can always hope some of those will be games we’re dying waiting for. Personally, just give me Timesplitters 4 and I’ll be happy enough.

What about you fine people? It’s all well and good me making my predictions about the year ahead, but what do you think?

Besides, if 2011 doesn’t deliver, there’s always next year…

-Jokesound

For me this years Eurogamer Expo was going to be different. Of I suppose in a way it was different for everyone because of the new venue, but for me it was an extra special occasion. Why you ask? Well this years Expo marked the official start of my new role as the resident video editor of PlusXp. Having had a great response to last years videos contributed by Mark Boss it seemed only natural that this year we try to make some videos of our own. Now, I know, I know, some of you may think that I only got the job as I am the only team member with a video camera, but I maintain that it was my boundless enthusiasm which really shone through. I am still going to write, but from now on when I am not writing you are likely to find me with a video camera glued to my hand. It will be a little like leading a double life. So watch as I dive headfirst into the nearest phone both, spin around wildly and emerge as the new Video Editor of PlusXp. Swish!

P.S. Don’t worry, we didn’t kill Boss. He is still very much alive at www.markboss.com

Now, on to the Rockband.

I entered this years expo with three clear goals in mind. Firstly to find the Rockband 3 stage and write a review (naturally) secondly to take as much video footage of the expo as possible and perhaps capture some sneaky interviews and thirdly to find and review Fable 3. Those of you who are regular readers will know that my quest to find Fable 3 ended in an unexpected but extremely through video interview, and much to my surprise Rockband 3 followed suit. Upon approaching the Rockband 3 area I was greeted by gentleman who was not only incredibly enthusiastic but also impressively knowledgeable about the game. I had to find out more and upon asking his name I found out that I was in fact chatting to Brien Chan a senior designer of Rockband 3. It was time for an interview. A very impromptu interview.

In addition to the above interview I naturally  took it upon myself to throughly rock out on every available instrument throughout the duration of the Eurogamer Expo. This was my first chance to get my hands on with the new hardware and there were once again surprises in store.

Having previously voiced my ‘concerns’ over the true to life guitar controllers I approached the new axes tentatively. Only to find out that I was in fact once again in love.  At this years Expo Rockband were showcasing the first in the new range of pro guitar controllers, made up of 6 plastic strings and 17 frets with 6 plastic buttons per fret. You do the maths! Though the new guitar was a lot more complicated to play, the guys at Rockband have built in several features which make the process a lot easier than expected. To begun with, though the buttons are very narrow, they are also quite raised making them a lot easier to distinguish between than I had first anticipated. In addition to this when you strike one of the plastic strings, the corresponding string on the screen wobbles, making it surprisingly easy to identify which string you are playing. I will admit that having some knowledge of an actual guitar did help in the beginning, but I think over time most people would be able to pick this up.

Though overall I was impressed with the new guitar one of my prior concerns was confirmed. The new guitar only has 17 frets. This is not only distracting if you play a real guitar (I found myself trying to hit the 17th fret far to high on the neck) but also means that if you are hoping to use this game to learn to actually play the guitar it could end up being more confusing than helpful. Still, as distracting as this may initially have been this did not put me off queuing for several more turns. It is safe to say that my guitar collection is likely to be expanding further in the near future. Oh and I also caught a brief glimpse of the Fender 6 string Rockband compatible guitar as it was removed from its case and flashed our way for a few seconds. Its a Fender. Enough said.

In contrast to my genuinely positive experience with the new guitar, the new drum kit was something of a disappointment. Having previously been very excited by the new kit and its added cymbals, upon playing I actually found it little different from the old Rockband kit. Though the new cymbals made the gameplay more realistic, little had been done to change the way the drums appeared on screen and I found this dissapointing. Unlike the Guitar Hero drum kit with its extra line, Rockband have simply changed the notes to be either plain circles or dented circles to incorporate the new cymbals. To me this seemed quite un-inventive. It was not exactly that the drum kit was bad. This was not it. It just wasn’t as revolutionary as the other new instruments. Though it looked more impressive when played it would seem that the gameplay had changed very little, which to me is a great shame. Despite my reservations I will temporarily hold my judgement for one simple reason. Most people (myself included) did not test the new kit beyond hard mode, and I believe Expert mode may just hold its salvation.  I truly hope that in expert mode more attention will have been payed to the drum solo’s leading to more variation between cymbals and toms. This and only this would make the cymbal addition pack worthwhile. I suppose we will have to wait and see.

Finally the keyboard. I could not leave the Rockband area without trying out the new addition to the Rockband instrument family. My first impression of the keyboard was mixed. To start with it looks more impressive from the players point of view than it does from the observers having completely the opposite effect to the new drum kit.  In simple terms it looks epic on screen, but very small and slightly strange in reality. The keyboards well… less than generous proportions meant that watching people play was actually quite amusing. I was like watching an adult intensely concentrating on a child’s toy. Funny, but not particularly impressive. There was good news though. Brian Chan confirmed to me that we will be able to connect a full size keyboard via a midi adaptor. Whew! So on to the gameplay. As I have already said the gameplay was very impressive making up for the size of the pint size peripheral. In basic mode the keyboard was relatively easy to pick up, however as the runway started to scroll the keys became a true challenge. It is clear that a lot of attention has gone into making the keys as visually exiting as possible, and thought I have never before had the urge to play the keyboard the impressive array of notes had me in places quite mesmarised. It was clear that if you want to master pro keys it was going to take practice, but like the new guitar this did not seem an impossible task.

Now for some closing thoughts. In all honesty my first hands on experience with Rockband 3 was something of a revelation. Though I initially thought that the new controllers would be overly complicated and nearly impossible to play, upon picking one of the new guitars I was instead struck with an undeniable sense of, well, joy. It was as if the new controller brought with it endless new possibilities for challenge, re-inventing a genre which was growing undeniably stale. When holding the new guitar I marveled at its complexity both daunted by its concept and yet still compelled to try it. It seemed to throb in my hands, tempting me away from my previous judgements and beaconing me to try it. When raising my plectrum and striking my first clumsy note I felt a glimmer excitement I had not felt since the first time I picked up a plastic guitar. As the music got faster I began to miss notes but found that once again it didn’t matter and played on smiling. After all, this was not about perfection. I was simply excited to face the new challenge before me. I was once again truly excited about Rockband.

Until next time,

24

x

Rockband 3

Due for release on the 29th October 2010

MTV Games. Harmonix. EA Games.

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/2010/03/guitar-hero-van-halen-2/ http://www.plusxp.com/2010/03/guitar-hero-van-halen-2/#comments Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:54:45 +0000 GuitarGirl24 http://plusxp.com/?p=3078 The Final Verdict.

Well I have kept my promise. It seems like a long time ago now that I was giving you all the low down on the Van Halen Demo but after a lot of strumming, a few harsh failures (and a bit of sneaky Bioshock 2) I am back to give Guitar Hero Van Halen its final Verdict. I feel that the phrase ‘Final Verdict’ is very appropriate when reviewing this game, for more reasons than one. Many people I have spoken to have judged this game quite harshly with opinions that in any court would suggest a verdict of life imprisonment or even death by burning. In other words, they speak of the game only with contempt anger and disappointment. I however feel that every case heard in the gaming courtroom must have defense as well as prosecution, and so I shall endeavor to give you a fuller picture before giving a final verdict. Please rise, put your left hand on the plastic guitar and swear to tell the truth the, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Gh Court is in session.

The defence:

Opening Statement
“The defense pleads that Gh Van halen is an innocent party, created only to amuse, challenge and entertain members of the gaming community. The songs were varied, playable and most of all challenging adding valuable content to a hugely popular series. The gameplay was solid throughout and challenged the player to explore many varying techniques in order to complete the game ”

Evidence.

1. The Set list is Varied, and provides a wealth of new songs. As strange as the choice of songs initially seems, Gh Van Halen does in a strange way have something for everyone. From ‘Painkiller’ By Judas Priest and ‘Master exploder‘ by Tenacious D for the rock heads to ‘I want it all’ by Queen for your mum, this is a mixed bag unlike any other. For some time now music based gaming has been a firm party favorite, and after rigorous testing with the Plus xp-house band I can confirm that though Van Halen may be slightly disjointed in career mode, it was more than enough to satisfy everyone during party play. True it does not have the varied brilliance of say Gh 5 or Rockband 2, but if like me you have a hard-core band who have pretty much exhausted all of the songs currently available any content becomes good content.

2. The difficulty has definitely increase. I can now confirm it. Though I have a feeling the days of ‘Family friendly’ gaming are far from gone, this title embraces a little of the spirit of the earlier Gh titles. How does it do this you ask? by taking the difficulty once again up to epic proportions. Of course. I feel that despite all of its flaws this game is in one way back the way nature intended, with songs progressing from easy and accessible to nearly impossible within a single setlist. I should also say at this point that this game challenges the player to explore many of the more recent Gh playing techniques. This title had its fair share of staggered chords, slide solo’s and four finger chords, making it a challenge for even the most dedicated Gh rocker. Though I kept my promise and completed this game, I must now confess that I am still battling with ‘Hot for teacher’ ‘Spanish Fly’ and ‘Erruption’ in Expert mode. For some this would be a cause for distress, but to me it brings a great sense of joy. Things are back the way they should be. Difficult.

3. Cathedral.  As expected this game is quite tap slider heavy, something which causes me great sadness. Though I will use the tap slider if desperate I am not its biggest fan, and though this is obvious unjustified prejudice I am certain that I am not the only one who feels the same way. There is however one shining ray of holy light for those of you who like me think that using the slider is *cough* Cheating *cough*. I am talking of course about the Van Halen Solo “Catherdral” which I am pleased to report is both extremely challenging and without a tap note in sight. As the game finishes with three of Van Halen’s most famous solo’s the tap free nature of Cathedral makes it impossible to complete this game without homing both your tap/slide skills and your traditional solo skills. Sliders beware, solo properly or fail miserably!

The Prosecution.

“Gh Van Halen was an overpriced disappointment with few surprises and even less atmosphere. The band clearly had little to no input with this game, and though the setlist was more difficult the songs chosen made no sense leaving the game lacking in both theme and purpose.”

Evidence.

1. Lets face it, Guitar hero Van Halen has little or no story line. In the good old days Gh titles encouraged you to connect with your band by showing you their progression from rock wannabes to rock gods. In more recent titles this has been taken to new levels, by allowing you to help your band members build their careers, earn cash and even defeat enemies, adding much needed dimension and a true sense of purpose to the games. I am disappointed to say that Gh van halen has little to none of this vital content. You begin the game as Van Halen at the end their musical career, which personally left me feeling both confused and as if there was nothing left to be achieved. Though in the past I never really valued any of this atmosphere building content, I must say that its absence was extremely clear when playing this game. At points it was difficult not to wonder ‘Why am I doing this again?’ which can never be a good thing. Sadly Gh Van Halen simply cannot compete with the, more atmospheric, compelling band orientated releases such as Gh Aerosmith, metallica and more recently the beetles Rockband.

2. It is undeniable, the set-list makes no sense. Though the setlist doesn’t look to bad on paper I have to say that even I (with quite a strange taste in music) found it a little unnerving. Unlike the Gh compilation titles (5/World tour etc..) which are strangely allowed to mix up genres, as time progresses I have come to expect most band based Gh titles to have a sense of theme and identity. For example, Gh metallica had a strong metal theme which ran both through the character creation, cut scenes and most importantly the setlist. Van Halen mixes songs which are just frankly un-mixable, in many cases leaving the player as much confused as inspired. ‘Painkiller’ with ‘Stacey’s mom?’ No Thank-you.

3. It is also clear that the band itself had very little input in this game. Further adding to the disappointment factor of this game is the remarkable lack of band themed content. Whereas Gh metallica told the story of the band using songs, video and pictures, Van Halen used only songs with no structure or explanation. Even without being a big Van Halen fan I found the lack of the usual band based ‘Treats’ a little strange. Van Halen fans expecting a glimpse at the lives your hero’s? Prepare to be disappointed.

4. It is a little tap slider heavy.  Though the gameplay is quite varied it is still virtually impossible to complete this game without using the tap slide bar. Though this will not bother everyone, if your like me and enjoy doing solo’s the old fashioned way you will be disappointed by pretty much all of the last gig. Also if you have an old pre-tapslide style guitar beware, in expert mode this game is not for you.

5. Your efforts are not rewarded.  Hours of trawling through career mode and what do you get? Nothing. No battle with the devil, no fire and the flames, no flying carriage of rock, no skyscraper, and certainly no fireworks. Three solo’s and thats it. Nothing.

The Verdict.

Ok, so lets be realistic here. What were we expecting? I said in my initial demo review that there was not very much new happening here, and to be honest why mess with a format that works. True this game lacked a lot of the atmosphere and mod-cons of Gh 5 but overall it delivered what we have come to expect from these titles, more songs. The one thing which has really suffered during this game is not the all important gameplay but the atmosphere. I would say that if you love titles such as ‘The beetles Rock Band’ for the rounded, thought out story you are likely to be disappointed by Van Halen, but if you are simply after more/harder songs this is for you.

On this note. Many have said that simply providing new songs is not enough to warrant a new release, and that this would be better left to downloadable content but I would argue that this is not necessarily so. After-all, though X-box live is pretty widespread I know plenty of people who are unable to have access, meaning that if Gh went over entirely to downloadable content they would be, well F****d. If like me you are lucky enough to have access to X-box live I am happy for you, but I ask you. Is it fair to punish all of those who live in the countryside/low net speed areas/with their parents/in student halls, just so you can be opinionated? There is simply no justice in that.

I Agree that this game is no game of the year, however if treated as an expansion pack its challenging setlist makes Van Halen actually a lot of fun. If you are a dedicated Gh fan, looking for a bit of a challenge I say ignore the critics and have a go. If you are a Gh Virgin looking to pop your Virtual rock cherry I would steer clear. After-all this game is much more about Rock than Romance and you are likely to be disappointed.

24
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Oh, I almost forgot. For those of you who read my Van Halen review and are wondering if this game helped me regain my ‘GuitarGirl’ status I am pleased to say that despite this somewhat damming review, I have once again found my love of the plastic guitar. In the end it was not so much a new game which helped me regain my fret mojo, but a little help from my friends. Don’t believe me? Here is a tasty easter egg to prove it.

Enjoy x

This weekend however, the whole core witing team finally got together for a day of arcade gaming and general Rockband-ary, and believe me when I say that Gaming journalist teams don’t get any better than this one.

So what happens when you get an FPS nutter, a RPG Lunatic, a Beanie Wearing strategist, a plastic guitar wielding Goddess and a guy who just loves to film everything gaming related under the sun, into the same space together? Yep, you have guessed it, some pretty Epic gaming carnage, topped off with a sprinkle of comedy mayhem. So what did we get up to for about twelve hours? Well gather round children, for I shall tell you of the legend that is the Plus XP first meet up.

As we were in London, we thought it would be stupidly rude for us not to hit the biggest arcade in the glorious capital, The Trocadero. Some of you frequent viewers have now probably guessed that this place is kind of my local now. But hey who the hell can refuse endless amounts of arcade gaming? Well I say endless amounts, more like how much arcade gaming can we get away with a fiver?

When we first entered the huge awesomeplex that is the biggest ammusement arcade in London, Leon and myself didn’t hesitate in finding the Street Fighter IV Arcade cabinets. Back when both Leon and myself had Xbox Live gold, we would constantly play this game. I was new to it back then and he would forever be taking me down with Ryu. I however eventually discovered M.Bison and from then on we had some Epic battles. So you could imagine what happened here.

It was a heated battle, that eventually ended up in me losing. My verdict, never trust an arcade stick, play with a console controller.

With gaming meet ups at the Trocadero there is always something you have to do as a tradition. It happened when GuitarGirl, MarkBOSS and myself met up with the guys at Ready-Up at the same location. This tradition is none other than the Rambo Arcade machine Rally.

Yes I Felt Like Kicking It Rambo Style, But Something Tells Me That MarkBOSS Needed A Gun Too

Defiantly one of the most Awesomely-Epic arcade game out there. Nonstop shooting and killing, and yes there is even a Rambo rage function. Hence the face.

So after we killed our fair share of terrorists we hit other arcade machines such as Mario Kart, Bishi Bashi, a peculiar game involving jumping up and down repeatedly and what we have lovingly dubbed the W1N machine. A simple game called stack ‘em, where you have to stack blue boxes to reach the top. It’s all about timing, and if you miss you fail but still get some tokens to save up or spend at the prize shop, hence why it’s called the Win machine. Mark being awesome managed to get to the top of this mighty block tower and picked up a jackpot of 500 odd tickets, the lucky bugger. Mind you I still have 56 and I am proud of them.

Then we decided we were a bit tracaderoed out. By trocaderoed out what we really ment was we ran out of pound coins. So we headed back to GuitarGirls flat for some gaming.

Till the early hours we were playing the likes of Rock Band, Worms Armageddon, Vigilante 8, More Street Fighter IV and, well plenty More Rockband.

This is what we actually look like when we game....seriously!

You may remember me mentioning before that MarkBOSS was at this wonderful shin dig (well of course he was, he is part of the team) now, when markBOSS is around you know he is going to be armed with his Video camera. We have some classic Rockland moments lined up for all you Plus XP readers soon. Unfortunately they will not be with us this post, we are all busy people when we aren’t gaming.

So that was about it for one of the most Crazy fun filled Saturdays there has ever been since Eurogamer. I hope you enjoyed reading about it and hope to have another one soon. Maybe a community meet up, who knows.

I’ll leave you with this parting shot of the Plus XP team gaming when things get ugly. Come on guys you can’t expect all our gaming encounters to be all sunshine and lolly pops.

Garv

P.S. if you want to see the rest of the photos from the Meet, check out our Facebook Page

One thing about the game however, is really bothering me. Unlike previous Rockband games, in this game to play the singing career you need a proper microphone, the normal x-box live headsets don’t work. Now usually this would not be a problem (seeing as most people with the band kits have a mic) but with the addition of 2 and 3 player harmonies this becomes very frustrating. I can’t even try out this new feature without buying a second mic (which I probably won’t use outside this game anyway) and seeing as i usually play alone or with a full band and not 2 singers I cannot justify buying a second mic. This has made me wonder why Harmonix has decided to stop the use of the live headsets. Is it because they are not as effective, or simply a scheme to make people shed out for the extra microphones? With this thought, my mind begins to ask the higher question, are official Rockband Mic’s really necessary to complete the game? Or is it possible to equal or beat your score using an X-box live headset instead. Also, and perhaps more importantly, are singers without the proper microphones truly at a disadvantage, or are they just using this as an excuse for their poor singing? I decided to conduct a short experiment to find out once and for all.

The experiment went as thus. Using Rockband 2 on expert mode I sang a 3 song setlist with the official Rockband Mic and noted down the scores. I then sang exactly the same songs with the X-box live headset and compared these scores with the original set. The results were quite conclusive-

Blondie-One way or another
Rockband Mic- 128,332 (I put this down to having no warm up!) 5*
X-box live headset- 130,863 5*

Kansas- Carry on my wayward son
Rockband Mic- 106,613 4*
X-box live headset- 91,056 4*

Tenacious D- Master exploder
Rockband Mic- 38,230 4*
X-box live headset- 34,486 4*

It looks to me that though the scores are consistently higher with the Rockband mic, it is possible to get the same *rating with a score almost as high with a live headset. Overall this experiment has taught me three things.

That it is more fun to sing with the Rockband mic
The Rockband Mic gives slightly better results than the Live mic
The same star level can be achieved with the Rockband mic and the Live headset.

To conclude, though the Rockband mic gives slightly better scores, in my opinion the scores are not different enough to warrant scrapping the Live headset altogether. This tells me that Harmonix have scrapped the live headsets in the Beatles game either to try to improve the gaming experience, or simply to sell more microphones and make more prophet. I am sad to say that I believe it is the latter, sorry Harmonix, your busted!

- GuitarGirl24

I have finally taken the plunge and ‘upgraded’ to a traditional stand alone Rockband drum kit today. It may seem odd to be telling you guys this but it has made me think, which is better, the stand alone or portable drum kit? Seeing as I am now part of the probably very exclusive (and slightly sad) group of people who now have both, I thought I would rate them to find out once and for all which one is truly worth investing in and which is soon to be retired to the cupboard under the stairs.

I must at this point confess that I am not going to be including the Guitar hero drum set in this review. Why!?! You ask? Well the answer is simple. I don’t own a Gh Kit! So thats the end of that.

Rockband Stand alone kit

Pros

• It is the much loved original drum set and will always have a place in our hearts/bedrooms
• The layout is easy to play and has a nice angle
• It is height adjustable
• It comes with wooden sticks
• The pedal is durable
• The buttons are easy to reach
• It has a stick holder

Cons

• Its costs a bit more
• It takes up A LOT of space
• You cant move the drum pads around
• It takes longer to assemble
• The sticks although wooden are still flimsy (I think they will last about 3 days)

Rockband portable Kit madcatz

Pros

• Its portable baby!!!
• It costs less
• It packs away into a very small space
• The drum pads can be spaced out any way you like
• It has a nice design on the drum pads (prettier)
• It is durable
• It is quick to assemble

Cons

• The drum pads have a habit of moving when you play, I have to tape mine to the table
• The Buttons are quite hard to reach at times
• The pedal is smaller than the one supplied with the original edition and tends to move A LOT while you play
• When it is placed on a high table the angle makes it hard to play
• It comes with plastic sticks (mine broke about a week into using it)

So there you have it. They rank equally (though only on paper). If you ask me they both have their good and bad points. The portable kit has been my loyal companion for a year now and though I don’t think the makers really researched how many people keep waist high tables smack bang in front of their TV’s (here’s a hint, it’s not many!) it has always been reliable and great fun at parties. The new kit I consider a little treat to myself for serious high score building, it’s bulky, but without the annoying distraction of a constantly moving foot pedal. It’s really just about finding the right kit for you, or if you’re like me throwing sanity out of the window and buying both!

Sorry this has all just been a load of noise…. Hopefully it will be GH5 next time!

- GuitarGirl24

As you’ve probably guessed by the name, I’m a big fan of music based gaming. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t say that I’m the undefeated champion of these games or anything, but most people who have seen me play (sometimes for 6 solid hours or more) would tell you that I truly am a Rock-Hero addict. Over the last few years I have grown addicted to both the Rock Band and Guitar hero series, and am here to give you all the news and updates on the new additions to this loud and proud gaming revolution.

A sneak peek at The Beatles: Rock Band

Though I have an unprecedented love of the music based gaming genre, I have never been as excited by the band specific releases as I have been about the compilation based games. Needless to say with Guitar hero 5 just around the corner the Beatles Rock Band had not been at the top of my gaming wish list. However when I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at the game earlier this week I was pleasantly surprised.

The graphics have certainly improved (though I was playing it on on a massive HD TV so what can I say) with great attention to detail being played to the atmosphere created within the game. The likenesses of the characters was great, and the new retro fret bored patterns were a nice touch. I also really enjoyed the innovative use of graphics within the recording studio levels. The session begins in a standard recording studio, but as the song builds your characters are taken on on a journey into a surreal, extremely colorful, fantasy land before being gently transported back into real life. Its a bit like stepping into a hippy dream, and though Paul McCartney and John Lennon skipping in circles can be a little distracting at times its a nice touch.

Now to the gameplay, the important bit! I sampled both the drum and guitar modes, and though I didn’t get to play all of the songs I did pick up on a few changes. The guitar mode is basically the same as it was in Rock Band 2, however the  first  few songs I played seemed far easier than those in the previous titles. I soon selected a song which claimed to be more difficult, but though it was a little harder it still failed to really challenge me. At a guess, I would say that the difficult songs come quite far towards the end of the game, making this a good choice for newbies and parties, but perhaps not the most challenging addition to the series. There is also the option to add a second singer to the band, which makes this game even more of a party favorite. As for the drum setting, there were some changes here; the biggest thing I noticed was that the overdrive activation method had changed. The large solo bar (previously used to activate overdrive) has gone, and has been replaced by a smaller strip with a double note at the end. This set up leaves less freedom for the drummer to solo, but is helpful if like me you don’t like missing out on the programed solo’s when the overdrive bar comes at an inconvenient time.

Overall I would say that this game is a lighthearted, fun edition to the Rock Band series. The choice of songs looks good, the gameplay is up to scratch and the graphics certainly won’t disappoint. As for me, not a lot can beat Guitar hero 3 and Rockband 2, but for Beatles fans its a must.

- GuitarGirl24

Back in the early part of last year. Neversoft thought it would be  great idea to go down the rout of portable gaming and release Guitar Hero On tour for the Nintendo DS. This game had a small four button peripheral and a pic shaped stylus for you to rock out with. Even though I seemed to get hand cramps from the thing I could definitely see the appeal for the casual gamer on the go.  I mean come on even my mother owns the game so it must work on some level.

Harmonix have now gone down the portable rout with Rockband Unplugged, a new title for the PlayStation Portable. I gotta say, for me it doesn’t cut the cake, more like takes the cake, puts it in a blender in an attempt to make a really nice smoothie for everyone but fails, miserably.

The idea behind this game is to control the whole band, with no peripheral of any kind either. You have to use the up and left arrows accompanied with the triangle and square buttons which is OK but nothing special (and sometimes a little confusing with the other buttons). Then when the song kicks in you have to control each instrument one at a time, how is this done? Well you have to hit a certain amount of points on each instrument before switching with the L and R buttons. Very odd indeed, the challenge in it is all the instruments gradually start spewing gems for you to hit and if you muck the slightest bit up you find yourself sprawled over each instrument like some sort of mad man. Not the greatest way to enjoy your favorite songs on the go. But yu never know, as this is only a demo maybe in the full game you will get single instrument play, if so then I could definitely see this game working quite well.

OK this may be me being picky here but the demo doesn’t even let you play one whole song! Mid way through your instrument fumbling, the song fades out and then says buy the full game! *Hurls PSP*, maybe its because I’m used to 360 demo’s I’m not sure, but surly at least  one whole song wouldn’t hurt.

So if you want a good-ish portable music experience I suggest getting GH on tour or similar for DS. Just leave Rockband Unplugged … well unplugged.