Official Rock Band (Main Titles/Spin-offs/DLC/Network) Discussion

[PrettyNier]

It aint all shit.

Judas priest is there and uh, some coheed and cambria songs. haven't heard any of those ones though.

everything else is shit though, especially pantera

[triptych]

Serj Tankian – “Empty Walls”
Serj Tankian – “Sky is Over” +



those two are /okay/

[PrettyNier]

i thought the video for empty walls was hilarious

the song was okay, but man that was all about the video for me

[FRET]

they announced Deftones yesterday, p. cool

[Camo]

they announced Deftones yesterday, p. cool

Yeah, I suppose they did. I guess I'll update this weekly again.

Hey gang,

Next week we'll see the Deftones hit the Music Store with a gnarly 3 pack! This marks the first appearance of the Deftones in the RB library, and they're accompanied by a single from another new-to-RB group, Crown of Thorns. Boys Like Girls (who you may remember from Lego Rock Band) round out the week with a single of their own.

Remember, these songs come out the same day that Green Day: Rock Band launches, so if you pick that up you'll have another 40+ songs to play! Enjoy!

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 system (June 8):

Deftones – “Cherry Waves”
Deftones – “Hole in the Earth”
Deftones – “Minerva”
Boys Like Girls – “The Great Escape”
Crown of Thorns – “Rock Ready”

(All tracks are original master recordings)

(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation 3 system June 9)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Deftones Pack 01” as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii.

Price:

$1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track

$5.49, £2.49 UK, €3.99 EU (440 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Deftones Pack 01”

$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per track

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

[FRET]

Bought Green Day, it's actually really good.

[Camo]

ROCK BAND 3 INFO

Ever since Rock Band expanded the musical video-game stage in 2007 to add drums and vocals to the Guitar Hero experience, players have been clamoring for keyboards.

Consider that request filled. Rock Band 3 (due for the holidays for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii) expands the virtual band to seven (drums, lead and bass guitar, keyboards, lead vocals and two harmony vocals). "With the introduction of keyboards, we get to bring a ton of amazing new music onto the platform, which will help feed the appetite for music for years to come," says Alex Rigopulos, CEO of game studio Harmonix.

Among the 83 new songs to be included, Rigopulos says, "it's hard to pick a favorite, but for The Doors to be making an appearance on Rock Band finally with their classic Break On Through, I love that one. And Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody is endlessly fun."

The success of Rock Band and follow-up Rock Band 2 propelled sales of music games to more than $1.6 billion in 2008 — with the help of competing Guitar Hero titles. Despite a wide variety of new games in 2009 including The Beatles: Rock Band and DJ Hero, annual sales fell by nearly 50%.

That slide inspired the Rock Band 3 development team to try to recapture the fun "that really started this whole phenomenon in the first place," says project director Daniel Sussman.

During the game, green, red, blue, yellow or orange keys flow on a "stream" representing the notes to be played on five corresponding keyboard keys. In a new authentic Pro mode meant to help players segue to actual instruments, all 25 keys are used; the streams shifts left and right to cover the correct keys. The keyboard also works as a MIDI keyboard that can be connected to a computer. "This is a real instrument and a real device," says senior designer Sylvain Dubrofsky.

In addition to the new keyboard controller, also due for the game's release are two advanced guitar controllers that take advantage of the Pro mode, one a full-sized, fully functional Fender guitar (all sold separately, no prices yet).

Other Rock Band 3 advances: improved animations, refined gameplay features — players can drop in and out of games, or change instruments and difficulty settings without stopping songs — and a easier-to-use song menu.

"Our ambition for Rock Band 3 was really to re-energize and reinvigorate the (music game) category and advance it and move it forward," Rigopulos says.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010...0_ST_N.htm (includes video)

Development of Rock Band 3 began immediately after the September 2008 release of Rock Band 2, says project director Daniel Sussman at Cambridge, Mass.-based Harmonix.

As work continued, the music category's slide in sales made the design team deepen their focus. "We saw a kind of staleness in terms of game-play innovation," Sussman says. "Really, the main focus of Rock Band 3 development was finding new ways to experience the music and actually doubling down, if you will, on our investment in compelling game play.

"We are adding a new instrument (a 25-key, fully functioning MIDI keyboard) and we're adding a whole new mode, which is designed basically to answer that staleness factor."

The result, he says, is "an experience that is both accessible to players who are just getting into this thing, and builds something for the hard-core player who is maybe a little bored with where music games are."

Sussman and several key members of the Rock Band team (Harmonix senior designers Sylvain Dubrofsky and Dan Teasdale, and public relations gurus John Drake of Harmonix and Jeff Castaneda of MTV Games; you can see them all playing the game in the accompanying video) recently demonstrated Rock Band 3 for USA TODAY's Game Hunters and offered a test drive of the new keyboard controller, as well as the game's new authentic Pro mode aimed at helping players develop skills usable on real instruments.

"Everybody who wants to keep playing on the instruments they already have, we have enhanced new features and new gameplay for you," Dubrofsky says. "It's up to you to decide where you take this."

More on the advances for Rock Band 3 (due for the holidays for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS):

•Better story. Design your own characters and session musicians from improved character models and watch their story unfold throughout the game. Your band members are seen getting into the van to go to a show, and practicing as well as performing. They even appear as you choose songs to play. "It is a really cool way to make sure you are always in the narrative no matter which mode you are in," Teasdale says. "The entire game is essentially one story of your band."

Everything you do earns achievements in the goal-based career mode. "Previously our career modes weren't really about getting better as a Rock Band player, it was about investing time," Teasdale says. "We developed this entirely new career mode based around unlocking achievement-like goals to show your progression through the game, and also give you incentives to get better.

"We have hundreds and hundreds of these goals across instruments and gameplay modes and across (downloadable content). It is a really great way to finish Rock Band in your way, based on your skill, and not on some predetermined path of songs."

•More fluid gameplay. Players can jump in or out of songs without interrupting a song already in progress. They can also change instruments or difficulty settings during a song without pausing. "It's a really cool way to get rid of that friction that players have when they are in a party situation," Teasdale says.

Another party-friendly mode, "road challenges," is described by Teasdale as "taking Rock Band 1 and 2's band world tour (mode) and merging it with Mario Party. We tried to find a way to get the core experience people had playing the band world tour and the things they really enjoyed, like getting the van or getting random set lists, and putting that into a setting that you can finish in an evening instead of a week. So now we have all these tours which are actually you going on a tour of the East Coast or touring across the world, and you are finishing that in three hours or whatever time you think you have to play."

•Revamped song-filtering system. With the Rock Band library expected to grow to about 2,000 songs by year's end, it has grown too big for simply scrolling. With the new system, "you can say, 'only show me songs in Rock Band 3' or 'only songs under three minutes' or 'Eighties metal songs from my (downloadable) collection,' " Teasdale says. "It's a really cool way to take your full library down to a manageable list of songs."

Not to be forgotten, the keyboards' addition — along with carrying over the three-part harmonies from The Beatles: Rock Band and new Green Day: Rock Band games — means that "you can play as a seven -player band," Teasdale says, "which is an amazing experience."

•Rock Band Pro. This new music learning mode lets players develop real-world music-playing fundamentals for keyboards, guitars and drums. More realistic music notations replace the standard color-coded notes during gameplay. For guitar, numbers flow down the screen along six guitar strings, telling you where to place your hands on the neck and when to strum.

Two new guitar controllers in the works have actual strings where you strum; one is a full-sized, fully functional six-string Squier Stratocaster from Fender. "It can tell where your fingers are based on technology in the neck and the bridge of the guitar. No buttons," Drake says. "While you're playing it, it feels exactly like playing a real guitar," because that's what you're doing.

The other is a Fender Mustang Pro controller from accessory maker Mad Catz with a field of buttons in each fret. As your fingers compress the smaller non-colored buttons on that guitar's neck, your finger positions are represented in the game's display. "You can go from plucking single notes to power chords and bar chords, we have crazy stuff like tapping and slides," Dubrofsky says. "If you ever had any aspirations of connecting with the music in a deeper way ... you are really going to like Rock Band 3."

For drums, three new cymbals are added to the standard four drum pads, and you are forced to play the correct cymbal at the right time. "It really immerses you more. You feel more like a drummer," Dubrofsky says. "It's not only for expert levels. You can come in on easy and actually play Pro drums. We have all the different levels established. It's actually really fun. You are playing up on the high hat or down on the snare, and it feels more like a kit than ever before."

On keyboards, Sussman says, "we're actually utilizing the full two-octave range that the keyboard controller has. Everything that you are playing, whether you are playing on easy or expert, is accurate musical information. The track looks like a real keyboard track, and you are playing notes on the keyboard that if you were to step away from the game and were to play on a real piano, they would be the right notes."

Pro players can use the mode for private practice or incorporate it while others play the game's standard arcade modes. "You can be an expert keys-player playing with an all easy band, no problem," Drake says.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2010...0_VA_N.htm

Rock Band 3, which adds keyboards to the music game setup, will feature keyboard parts in most of the planned 83 songs on the game disc when it hits stores this holiday shopping season.

"There's this whole other world of music where keyboards plays a prominent role that has been largely neglected (in Rock Band games) because of instrumentation," says Harmonix CEO and co-founder Alex Rigopulos. "The introduction of keyboards ... gives us access to a new world of content."

For the partial song list, announced today (by decade), click below:

2000s
Combat Baby -- Metric
Dead End Friends -- Them Crooked Vultures
Get Free -- The Vines
Lasso -- Phoenix
Me Enamora -- Juanes
Oh My God -- Ida Maria
Portions of Foxes -- Rilo Kiley
The Hardest Button to Button -- The White Stripes

1990s
Been Caught Stealing -- Jane's Addiction
In the Meantime -- Spacehog
Plush -- Stone Temple Pilots
Walkin' on the Sun -- Smash Mouth

1980s
Crazy Train -- Ozzy Osbourne
Here I Go Again -- Whitesnake
I Love Rock and Roll -- Joan Jett
Just Like Heaven -- The Cure
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
The Power of Love -- Huey Lewis and the News
Sister Christian -- Night Ranger

1960s-1970s
Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen
Break On Through -- The Doors
Crosstown Traffic -- Jimi Hendrix

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/...-so-far-/1

I'm sort of skeptical about this realism approach. Regardless, OMGOMGOMG fuck Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (yes, it's actually called that), Rock Band 3 is in town .

[Alpha Six]

I honestly don't give a shit about GH or RB, but I really like the idea of that realism approach, while still giving the option to play the game old-style.

[Camo]

OZZY OSBOURNE THRASHES ONTO ROCK BAND WITH SIX SONGS, INCLUDING THREE UNRELEASED SONGS FROM UPCOMING ALBUM SCREAM!

Cambridge, Mass. – June 7, 2010 – Harmonix and MTV Games today announced that rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, will make his Rock Band debut June 15 with a six pack of songs in the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™.

“It’s great to bring my songs to Rock Band, especially material from the new album, Scream,” said Ozzy Osbourne. “I hope Rock Band players around the world are ready to have their living rooms invaded by me!”

Scream – Osbourne’s first album in almost three years and 10th studio album overall – is set for a June 15 release via Epic Records. Produced by Ozzy and Kevin Churko, both of whom did the same honors for Ozzy’s 2007 worldwide million-seller Black Rain, the new album is fueled by the red-hot first single “Let Me Hear You Scream.” Ozzy’s band consists of Ozzy’s new guitar player, Gus G., bassist Blasko, drummer Tommy Clufetos and keyboardist Adam Wakeman.

Ozzy Osbourne’s career has spanned four decades, and his music is as relevant today as ever. On any given day, you can hear his music blasting at sporting events, in the movies, on the radio, in TV commercials, video games or on your MP3 player. Ozzy is not only a legend and an icon, but is a pioneer in his genre of music. He has helped open the door for countless bands by giving them their big break by taking them on tour or by taking them on Ozzfest, his all-day metal festival, now in its 15th year.

With more than 400 artists, including Jimi Hendrix, The Who, AC/DC and Green Day, who are exclusive to Rock Band, as well as more than 1,500 songs available through the Rock Band platform and 68 million songs sold through its download store alone, Rock Band is the undisputed sales and content leader in the interactive music space, providing the deepest and best selection of artists, songs and albums.

Rock Band DLC additions for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii
One of the best-known rock vocalists of all time, Ozzy Osbourne began his career in the 70s with Black Sabbath, which released 10 albums and sold more than 50 million albums worldwide. Ozzy embarked on his solo career in the 1980s and has since sold another 50 million albums worldwide on his own. The rock legend has won two Grammy® Awards, an MTV Movie Award, was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame and the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and his reality series, The Osbournes remains the highest rated series in MTV history. And now, the Godfather of Heavy Metal is coming to Rock Band.

Ozzy will make his Rock Band debut June 15 with a six pack of songs spanning his solo career. From his latest and 10th studio album, Scream, are “Diggin’ Me Down,” “Soul Sucker” and the album’s first single, “Let Me Hear You Scream.” These songs are available exclusively through Rock Band until the album’s release June 22. “I Don’t Wanna Stop” from 2007’s Black Rain, “Crazy Babies” from 1988’s double platinum No Rest For the Wicked, and “No More Tears” from the 1991 four times platinum album of the same name, will also be featured as downloadable content in the Rock Band Music Store.

"Harmonix and MTV are excited to bring Ozzy Osbourne's epic music to Rock Band," said Paul DeGooyer, SVP, Electronic Games and Music, MTV Networks. "It’s very cool that Ozzy fans will get to experience both his classic and very latest songs through our platform."

MTV Networks is celebrating Ozzy Osbourne’s debut in Rock Band across its television channels, including the following:

• VH1 Classic: Airings of a special 30-minute show celebrating Ozzy’s career and new album that will begin airing June 15
• MTV2: Ozzy will host a special edition of Headbangers Ball and You Rock the Deuce, airing the week of June 20
• MTVU: Special Ozzy segment in The Feed

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3 system (June 15):

“Crazy Babies”
“Diggin’ Me Down”
“I Don’t Wanna Stop”
“Let Me Hear You Scream”
“No More Tears”
“Soul Sucker”

(All tracks are original master recordings)
(These tracks will be available in Europe on PlayStation 3 system June 16)

These tracks will be available for purchase as “Ozzy Osbourne Pack 01” as well as individual tracks on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 system, and as individual tracks only on Wii.

Price:

$1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per track
$9.99, £4.99 UK, €7.99 EU (800 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Ozzy Osbourne Pack 01”
$2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per track

** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change. **

[Britt]

I didnt feel like going through the entire rockband 3 article.

But just in case it didnt say, that Fender Mustand controller has 17 frets with 6 buttons on each.
that is 102 Buttons as apposed to 2's 6 frets with one button on each.

[Camo]

Amy Winehouse -- Rehab
Anthrax -- Caught in a Mosh
At the Drive-In -- One Armed Scissor
Avenged Seven Fold -- Beast and the Harlot
B-52s -- Rock Lobster
Beach Boys -- Good Vibrations
Big Country -- In a Big Country
Blondie -- Heart of Glass
Bob Marley & The Wailers -- Get Up, Stand Up
Bronx, The -- False Alarm
Chicago -- 25 or 6 to 4
Cure, The -- Just Like Heaven
David Bowie -- Space Oddity
Deep Purple -- Smoke on the Water
Def Leppard -- Foolin'
Devo -- Whip It
Dio -- Rainbow in the Dark
Dire Straits -- Walk of Life
Doobie Brothers -- China Grove
Doors, The -- Break On Through
Dover -- King George
Echo and the Bunnymen -- Killing Moon
Elton John -- Saturday Night’s Alright
Faith No More -- Midlife Crisis
Filter -- Hey Man, Nice Shot
Flaming Lips -- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1
Foreigner -- Cold as Ice
Golden Earring -- Radar Love
HIM -- Killing Loneliness
Huey Lewis and the News -- The Power of Love
Hypernova -- Viva La Resistance
Ida Maria -- Oh My God
INXS -- Need You Tonight
J Geils Band, The -- Centerfold
James Brown -- I Got You
Jane’s Addiction -- Been Caught Stealing
Jimi Hendrix Experience, The -- Crosstown Traffic
Joan Jett -- I Love Rock and Roll
John Lennon -- Imagine
Juanes -- Me Enamora
Lynyrd Skynyrd -- Free Bird
Maná -- Oye Mi Amor
Marilyn Manson -- The Beautiful People
Metric -- Combat Baby
Muffs, The -- Outer Space
Night Ranger -- Sister Christian
Ozzy Osbourne -- Crazy Train
Paramore -- Misery Business
Phish -- Llama
Phoenix -- Lasso
Police, The -- Don’t Stand So Close to Me
Poni Hoax -- Antibodies
Pretty Girls Make Graves -- Something Bigger, Something Brighter
Primus -- Jerry Was a Race Car Driver
Queen -- Bohemian Rhapsody
Queens of the Stone Age -- No One Knows
Rammstein -- Du Hast
Ramones -- I Wanna Be Sedated
Raveonettes -- Last Dance
Rilo Kiley -- Portions of Foxes
Riverboat Gamblers -- Don’t Bury Me… I’m Still Not Dead
Roxette -- The Look
Slipknot -- Before I Forget
Smash Mouth -- Walkin on the Sun
Smiths, The -- Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before
Sounds, The -- Living in America
Spacehog -- In the Meantime
Steve Miller Band -- Fly Like an Eagle
Stone Temple Pilots -- Plush
Swingin’ Utters -- This Bastard’s Life
Tears for Fears -- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Tegan and Sara -- The Con
Them Crooked Vultures -- Dead End Friends
Tokio Hotel -- Humanoid
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers -- I Need To Know
T-Rex -- 20th Century Boy
Vines, The -- Get Free
War -- Low Rider
Warren Zevon -- Werewolves of London
White Stripes, The -- The Hardest Button to Button
Whitesnake -- Here I Go Again
Who, The -- I Can See For Miles
Yes -- Roundabout

Some good songs. A LOT of odd choices. Overall meh. Opinions?

[Maxpphire]

Police, The -- Don’t Stand So Close to Me
Tears for Fears -- Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Who, The -- I Can See For Miles


Some good songs. A LOT of odd choices. Overall meh. Opinions?

Well I approve.

[Woppet*]

DJ hero 2 auto be good. Deadmau5 and the Chemical Brothers.

[Camo]

I really think we should take this debate in a different topic at this point, it's been de-railed enough.

Fair enough, we'll take it here.

I don't know, probably just because the series is nearly identical to guitar hero, and aside from adding in other instruments for the sake of co-op it adds nothing too new into game play.

Yeah, NOW it's nearly identical to Guitar Hero since GH added the other instruments as well. Though now, with the addition of a keyboard and pro-modes, Rock Band has yet again propelled itself miles ahead of the competition.

And the other instruments weren't added for the sake of co-op. They felt it a good idea to add drums and singing because it was meant to emulate the 'band experience'. They most certainly do add something new to gameplay. Playing guitar and playing drums are two completely different experiences; sure, they both involve hitting notes to corresponding gems on-screen, but that doesn't mean they have the same gameplay.

And I don't see what fun it is to play a set of songs the company provides compared to actually trying to come up with music.

Leave the music writing to those who wish to write music. Hell, these games do nothing but inspire people to expand their musical tastes and get more involved in the music. Instead of just listening to a song, you become immersed in the song, actually playing along with the beat. I fail to see how it ISN'T fun. I mean, I hate to use this argument, but you don't see people getting mad at the CoD players telling them to just join the army. Rock Band is a game, people, and a damn fun one at that.

[StarSock64]

I'm not a big fan of these games either but I don't think all of the appeal is "durrhurr I'm making music!!" but also the fun of scores and feeling skilled with your button pressing/timing. ...Because it's a video game. Of course you do that kind of thing with instruments too but you're not trying to best your high score on an instrument. If you don't have musician friends it's something fun to do together, too.

I mean I play real instruments (not the guitar~~) but I don't play instruments and rock band/guitar hero for the same reason