Rock Band

bounchfx

With just under a week to go, I thought it was about time this game got it's own thread.

Platforms: XBOX 360, PS3, PS2
Release Date: November 20th, 2007(December 19th in Canada), December 11th 2007(ps2)
Website: http://www.rockband.com
Price: $169.99

The most anticipated music rhythm game ever, Rock Band brings together Guitar, Bass, Drums, and Vocals for the ultimate band experience. Not only does it feature a setlist(45 main/13 bonus) containing some of the biggest bands of the past few decades , there will also be continuing downloadable content with tons of new songs as well as albums. (and yes, you can buy per-song instead of forced bundles). There will be online quickplay for up to four people, mix and match online and offline however you wish.

"Band World Tour" mode is the insane campaign mode where you create your characters and travel around the globe gaining fans and playing gigs.
Check out the full scoop here:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/rockband/news.html?page=1&sid=6181242&tag=result;title;0

I would summarize it but there is seriously so much stuff it's worth reading the whole thing.

There's just been an update on the main website, theres tons of new videos of the character creation and clothing, etc, it's awesome. There is going to be another huge update the day the game comes out that will have all these social networking tools for getting people together to rock, it's gonna be nuts.

Officially announced songs are as followed: (thanks to cezar515 @ official RB forums)

Main Setlist
1960's
(1969, 4:31) Rolling Stones - Let It Bleed - Gimme Shelter

1970's
(1970, 2:50) Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Paranoid
(1970, 2:30) Mountain - Climbing! - Mississippi Queen
(1971, 6:08) Deep Purple - Machine Head - Highway Star
(1971, 8:32) The Who - Who's Next - Won't Get Fooled Again
(1972, 3:25) David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars - Suffragette City
(1973, 4:06) Sweet - Desolation Boulevard - Ballroom Blitz
(1974, 5:33) Aerosmith - Get Your Wings - Train Kept A-Rollin'
(1975, 9:49) The Outlaws - Outlaws - Green Grass and High Tides
(1975, 2:10) The Ramones - Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
(1976, 7:47) Boston - Boston - Foreplay/Long Time
(1976, 5:08) Blue

pliang

Good list of tunes

Keg

under a week to go if you're in america. Canadians have to wait until december 19th or so

bounchfx

yeah, sorry.

Starhawk1k

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under a week to go if you're in america. Canadians have to wait until december 19th or so

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Haha, yea, that is totally lame. That's why me and one of the guys at work have decided to drive down for one of the midnight launches in the states just over the border.

Tulkamir

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under a week to go if you're in america. Canadians have to wait until december 19th or so

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Haha, yea, that is totally lame. That's why me and one of the guys at work have decided to drive down for one of the midnight launches in the states just over the border.

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That was me. Sorry about that guys.

notman

Any word on the game getting released without hardware? I just keep hearing prices with equipment, but I'm not interested in the other instruments (right now)... and not having a wireless guitar sucks

Hito

how much are the downloadable songs/albums?

Mishra

well they are releasing it with hardware only for now, i've heard they may release it as the stand alone game eventually

sonic

mishra: you can get the game by itself on the 20th, but you won't be able to get the drums, mic, guitar, etc by itself until feb of next year

Asherr

i read an article/interview the other day with one the producers or something and in it he said after you finish the world tour mode it unlocks an event called "Endless Setlist" where you play through all the songs back to back.

bounchfx

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mishra: you can get the game by itself on the 20th, but you won't be able to get the drums, mic, guitar, etc by itself until feb of next year

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yep. You can definitely just buy the game alone when it comes out, and the GH controllers ARE compatible. I hear rumors that the regular xbox mic works too but most sources have said no...


and fuck yeah, endless setlist is going to be awesome, 6+ hours of rocking non stop! /passes out.

Mishra

ah ok sweet.

notman

[ QUOTE ]
i read an article/interview the other day with one the producers or something and in it he said after you finish the world tour mode it unlocks an event called "Endless Setlist" where you play through all the songs back to back.

[/ QUOTE ]

christ, I hope you can save in the middle and continue later

bounchfx

no, but you can pause.

notman

lol, yeah, my wife will love that

skrubbles

Sweet vids on their website. I've been super psyched about this game since I did some freelance work on it a while ago. Was super into GH2. I don't have a 360 yet though I'd buy one right away, but Harmonix dropped the ball with the peripherals. I'd prefer just buying the game separate and two guitar controllers... Even if I bought the bundle, I'm still one guitar short if the GF wants to play along (which she will). Oh well... I'll probably just wait until February and get the 360 and rockband with 2 controllers! I don't get to be cool like everyone else in November *bitch/whine/moan*

bounchfx

new info guys, check the bottom of the first post

notman

I really feel like they're dropping the ball on this whole wireless thing. It really seems like they'd be able to work something out with MS to get a deal on it. To be honest, I would get Rock Band with the guitar (or other hardware) if it came with wireless. Instead, I'm going to be buying GH3, just for the wireless guitar... then buying Rock Band (game only). I honestly feel it's going to be the better of the two

bounchfx

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I really feel like they're dropping the ball on this whole wireless thing. It really seems like they'd be able to work something out with MS to get a deal on it. To be honest, I would get Rock Band with the guitar (or other hardware) if it came with wireless. Instead, I'm going to be buying GH3, just for the wireless guitar... then buying Rock Band (game only). I honestly feel it's going to be the better of the two

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but then you are missing out on drums and vocals.. which are the main attraction of this game, not to mention playing all the parts as a band...

It's hard for me to believe many people buying this don't already have GH3 or at least GH2, you CAN use those guitars.

That guitar + RB bundle = full set.

for those without one already, GH3 is worth buying, and even if you don't want to, they do sell the other 360 guitars separate, so there you go - full set. It's not like you need solo buttons or effect switches for bass.

Wireless is great, but it's definitely not a necessity. Plus theres a hub, so being far away isn't a problem.

notman

That's what I was getting at... I have to buy GH3 so I can have the wireless guitar. I knew you mentioned before that the guitar's were compatible, that's the only reason I'm buying GH3 (after xmas). But that's a lot of investment. I have GH2, so I have a wired guitar, but I recently relocated my 360 into a closet with the rest of my electronics. My TV is mounted on the wall, and I don't want my electronics laying around on the living room floor. So yeah, the wireless is a big deal to me.

Also, while the other pieces would be cool, the drums and vocals are not the main attaction for me. Am I going to play them all at once? I do want to get them eventually, but to be honest, I'm hoping a wireless version comes out later for that equipment. I would like to have them so my kids can join me (since they love GH also).

I am excited about the game though... I like the set list better and it definitely looks like its going to be a better quality game. I'm not a big fan of the song pricing though It matchs the crappy GH pricing, but with the addition of individual songs.

Hito

I played it a bit at best buy. The game looks good. my biggest complaint is the controller buttons, they're too big, very easy to activate a button accidentally when shifting your hand position between cords. The art is definitely distinct from GH3. A lot more MTV than Metal.

bounchfx

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I'm not a big fan of the song pricing though It matchs the crappy GH pricing, but with the addition of individual songs.

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well, it's actually like 15% cheaper or so, plus you get more content per song.. and yeah, individual song purchases are bad ass as well instead of forced bundles. Five days!!

skrubbles

I actually think the song pricing isn't bad at all! Especially since most of the tracks are original recordings, the packs make sense, the you can buy songs individually... meaning you get the songs you want. The price is cheap considering all fun you'll have playing them.

About the guitars... I have GH2 for the PS2, I don't have a 360 yet LOL. So I'd have to buy a 360, rock band, and GH3, just to have 2 controllers... and honestly I think the rock band controllers look way cooler... plus you get buttons at the base of the neck as well (you don't on the GH3 controllers). The drums and mic aren't the main attraction. My gf and I both want to play on the guitar controllers... I already have electronic drums to bang around on, and I don't feel like singing... so really, buying the bundle just gives me useless equipment. I'm still psyched about the game and want to play it, but I'll probably be waiting until the guitar is sold seperately so that I can get everything I want.

Keg

problem with the rock band guitars is they apparently are not compatible with guitar hero, yet the guitar hero controllers are compatible with rock band.

Don't know if that's intentional within the GH3 or a console issue that might be fixed. hopefully it's something that can be fixed

moose

im holding out for the Symphonic Hero, that ships with trumpets, violins, cellos, violas, flutes, clarinets, oboes, trombones, tubas, baritones, french horns, timpany, snares, basses, and a piano.

kthx

bounchfx

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im holding out for the Symphonic Hero, that ships with trumpets, violins, cellos, violas, flutes, clarinets, oboes, trombones, tubas, baritones, french horns, timpany, snares, basses, and a piano.

kthx

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you mean orchestra hero ? day 1 purchase for me

sonic

My local gamestop is completely sold out of the preorders for the 360 and ps3 versions, and they have been told by their corporate office that they won't until get anymore until around feb of 2008.

Toomas

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problem with the rock band guitars is they apparently are not compatible with guitar hero, yet the guitar hero controllers are compatible with rock band.

Don't know if that's intentional within the GH3 or a console issue that might be fixed. hopefully it's something that can be fixed

[/ QUOTE ]

If you read the disclamer when GH starts you can see it states something like ,this game can be only played with official controller or the default Xbox controller.

Whargoul

Damn you bastards delaying it in Canada! Anyone else in Vancouver want to do a drive down to the US for a midnight launch? Would we have to pre-order or anything stupid like that?

SouL

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Damn you bastards delaying it in Canada! Anyone else in Vancouver want to do a drive down to the US for a midnight launch? Would we have to pre-order or anything stupid like that?

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I have one preordered. But so do 2 other co workers.
I would gladly sell you my copy for.... $500 USD?

b1ll

Thats like 2$ canadian, USD is worth SHIT here now . thats a GOOD DEAL. TAKE IT

Lee3dee

walmart had 8 of them tonight, my roommate and I picked up 1, thought about picking up 2, 1 for ebay but decided everyone will probably be doing the same. Found it hard to get the rhythm down with the drums however the game is awesome with multiple people. The song list is insane, you can play a gig with 1-3 songs back to back.

maybe I should of bought another one for myself. LOL

gauss

picked up a copy this morning at walmart for play with the family over thanksgiving. it's going to be nuts

moose

just played a bit of it - i highly suggest cranking the volume to 50 million if you're doing 4 player stuff, you can barely hear the individual parts. I imagine too if you turn down the ambient noises ala guitar hero 3 it'll be more clear too.

need to do some serious tweakage to the drums and accuracy, was having to hit a 1/8-1/16th early to get it to actually register.

pretty fun though, but the songs dont really feel that exciting that we were playing

Tulkamir

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Damn you bastards delaying it in Canada! Anyone else in Vancouver want to do a drive down to the US for a midnight launch? Would we have to pre-order or anything stupid like that?

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Damn, I mentioned a ways up I was goin down, you could've come with us. Ahh well. :P We were first in line down in the Seattle launch. Can't wait to get home after work to play the thing now.

Oh, and I'll be having a rockband night this weekend likely, anyone from Polycount is welcome to come, just shoot me a PM and I'll let ya know the when and where.

Rhinokey

got a copy thru work, have been rockin away on drums, having tons of fun. the drums and the mic have the benifiet of if you master it it will teach you to really drum and really sing. the guitars are not paralel to real instruments at all

Jesse Moody

YAY MY FIRST SHIPPED TITLE!!!!

Tulkamir

Shit, did you work on this Jesse? Totally didn't realize it. Grats man, great first title to have!

Jesse Moody

Yeah I sure did. Didn't get to do a ton of stuff cause I got on at the end but yeah I worked on it.

Lee3dee

my throat is burning from singing for 4 hours. LOL. The RockBand guitar is by far the worse controller ever. We ended up using GH3 controller instead. The strum bar seems like its not designed for continuous use its almost like a chore to press down on it during the rapid notes that are closely back to back.

anyone else's controller have this similar problem?

moose

badass, sick work jessee, the visuals are freakin great. love the band atmosphere and crowd, all the animated interface stuff is sick too! Very pretty game, even though i may suck at it

SouL

I think all the guitar controllers are like that. It takes a while to get used to.
I think they're trying to eliminate the clicking noise the GH controllers make when you're laying down quick 1/8th notes. I think it's a little more hardcore since it sort of tries to get you to use proper strumming technique (up/down). I had no problem going through quick areas strumming up and down.
The buttons are really click-y. I wish there was more spring to them. The GH3 and the X-plorer both have a nice feel to their buttons.
The upper neck set of buttons need work. I don't like how there's a little lip that encases the set of buttons. Gets in the way.

Aside from that it's a lot of fun, though. Just did some single player stuff along with online multiplayer with some friends.

A lot of the songs are really geared towards including the entire band. It's unlike GH where the focus is to glorify the guitarist.

I love the customization stuff. That stuff is such a pain in the ass to create. Kudos to their dev team to put all that together. All the different hairstyles, make-up, clothes, etc make it worth while to try and pick up money. I wish there were more body types. Like fat dude or fat chick. But I can see how that would lead to scaling issues for animations and accessoies.

I really like the visuals, too. That wierd "homevideo" filter they have is really neat and gives it a bit of a different look. The character styles were really well done, too. They're simple but reall effective at capturing a good amount of personality through accessories. Well dont character models and animations. It almost looks like they might even have custom animations for the fret hand during the solos in the songs.
Compared to GH3 visuals... this really isn't on par in technical terms. But I think aesthetically it's better.
GH3 has the same 4 other dudes that play with you... (by the way, not to be a dousche, but the lead signer in GH3 has a really massive jaw - what's up with that?) while with RB they switch out the different members of the band based on where you're playing (I think). Anyways... it changes, which is refreshing.

Good stuff! Well worth the hilarious amount of money they want for the entire package.

bounchfx

Been playing way too much the since it came out, over 14 hours already.

my first guitar controller broke but I love it WAY more than any of the old guitars. It's just better feeling, and going back to the GH guitars is almost impossible. The problem is that after a few hours of play the strum bar starts fucking up.. I thought the patch today fixed it, as my guitar started working today, but it crapped out again after about an hour!

as long as they get this issue sorted out that will be good, I'm using my roommates RB guitar instead. It's seriously that much more comfortable.

such an awesome fucking game, good god. GOTY.

Malus

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under a week to go if you're in america. Canadians have to wait until december 19th or so

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Better than us poor Aussies, we don't get it until some unspecified date next year...

Guess GH3 will have to keep me rockin' until then.

Whargoul

I tried calling a few stores across the border, but no luck, they're all sold out! I just wanted to pop across and pick it up, any ideas where there might be one in stock, and would hold it for me (so my drive isn't worthless)?

killingpeople

played rock band lastnight as the drummer. it's so fucking awesome! i'm actually having trouble deciding if i should go to a bachelor party or play rock band tonight with my friends. Thanks Harmonix! or should i thank Viacom?

soo much fun. the artwork looks fantastic!

doc rob

Just played this at work a bit: loads of fun.

I could never get into guitar hero as it never felt as natural to me as playing an actual guitar, it was just frustrating.
Drums & mic = win.

acc

Drove over the border with some friends, all sold out everywhere. Well, except for Gamestop where the guy told me that they had them and then quickly caught himself as he went to get one and said they were all saved for pre-orders. Sure they are, buddy. It's not like you would remember that first on a very major and hard to get title that just came out. Gotta tow the company line, punish the drop-in people.

Tons on eBay for $300+ though.

SouL

Hmm. I think my guitar is broken now. After only the 2nd night the downward strum requires a lot more effor to register in the game.
Lame.

adam

We got a copy in the office (neener-neener Cody!), and its fantastic. I love the drums...