First it was live, then it was down and now it's live again. The Rock Band community site brings, as promised, some awesome social features for the already fantastic game. You can create a profile and link it to either your Xbox 360 or PS3 account and have all your bands and character data imported. Upload photos, keep a blog, add friends, fill out your favorite artists... go nuts! I am really looking forward to the future ability to get t-shirts made with your band name on them and junk. There is a ton of potential and I hope they keep the community going for a while. At least, until the next big thing hits and people get bored of Rock Band. Hah!
posted by Chris on December 17, 2007 11:36 AM in Music
We should just name this feature "songs in Rock Band that we really like". While I usually scoff at bands that have the pedigree of opening for AFI and the like, Coheed and Cambria fascinate me. Their albums are all part of a huge sci fi story arc surrounding two characters, Coheed and Cambria. They have this fantastic alt-metal epic sound, and this track titled Welcome Home is one of the most fun songs to play in Rock Band. Okay granted, they are all fun.
You just can't beat a music video featuring a double necked guitar. COME ON.
Your Personal Soundtrack is a semi-daily feature at The Weekly Geek where we profile a song that we have stuck in our heads, making it a sort of Personal Soundtrack. Check out the archives here.
posted by Mack on November 19, 2007 4:00 PM in Music
I think we can officially declare that we've arrived in the future. No, they haven't invented the flying car, that's still in the future future. Ray guns? No. Hoverboards? Not yet. Buttons on your chest that make chicken noises? Sadly, this technology is still years off. But what we do have now is a guitar that can tune itself. Yeah! Well I guess when I say that we have it now what I mean to say is that it will be out in 17 days. Which is sort of like now. Kinda. You know what, forget it. The future is later. But still, robot guitar.
Overview: You know it, you love it. It's Guitar Hero. Now for the Xbox 360, this version features an all-new X-Plorer controller and 70 tracks (some of which aren't on the PS2 version). Also featuring downloadable content, this is the definitive version of Guitar Hero II. It's fun and difficult, the multiplayer is solid and the achievements come steadily. But how is the controller? Song selection? How does it look? Do you still get that weird optical illusion where everything is slowly moving upward after a song? The answer to most of these questions and the rest of the review after the jump.
posted by Chris on January 25, 2007 10:01 AM in Games
I am actually surprised that more companies haven't tried to copy Guitar Hero. It's such a horrifically successful franchise, it demands clones. Gilligames announced today they are working on a title called Shady O'Grady's Rising Star, which claims to be a sort of band creation RPG for the PC. Curious naming decisions aside, this actually sounds quite interesting. You get to build your band from the ground up, choosing clothes and hairstyle, genre and more. You even get to trash hotel rooms! From the release:
In Rising Star, you start out as an eighteen year old rookie musician in one of ten music types: rock and roll, jazz, ska, rap, pop, blues, metal, punk, folk, or country. Choose your home sweet home from over 120 cities located throughout the U.S., and recruit compatible musicians for your band. You’ll start off as poor, starving artists, as you landscape the local parks and deliver beer to the area pubs for a little cash. The jobs can be grueling as often you’re expected to drive like a bat out of hell to cover 3/5 of a mile in ten seconds in your beaten up ‘band-van’ to complete some insane delivery run for a couple hundred bucks. However, in this game, just as in life, money changes everything. Some spending cash will allow you to get familiar with the local club scene. Make enough connections with the club owners and bands, and soon you’ll score your first gig. You’ll get to enter Battle of the Bands, where initially you may be outshined by more experienced bands. But with some practice, you’ll be getting better and winning prize money in these competitions. Eventually, you’ll deal with larger venues, managers, producers, record contracts, product endorsements and more. You’ll write songs, and practice practice practice, until you’re ready to R.O.C.K in the U.S.A. Initially, the audience will wonder, “who are you?” But if you stay hungry and put on a couple great shows, your fame will rise until everybody wants you. You’re success in Rising Star won’t be some sort of mystery achievement – it’s all hard work and a lot of pressure to get to the top. It’s sad but true, but something as simple as a van breakdown on the way to Baltimore could mess with your career and have you crying bitter tears.
That's a pretty tall order. Sounds a bit like a scripted adventure game mixed with Guitar Hero mixed with SimCity. There's even a map editor. Wait, what exactly is this game?
posted by Chris on January 11, 2007 9:56 AM in Games
Rockers Mastodon have recently released a very cool piece of self-promotion for their new album Blood Mountain, a Flash game called Quest for Blood Mountain. Dodge rabid dogs! Be a tough-looking viking thing! All set to some heavily rocking Mastodon metal. It's difficult and kinda fun! Apparently there are secret codes for the game hidden in flyers for the band being handed out "all over the country" so if you are a fan of needlessly difficult flash games, get to it.
posted by Chris on January 5, 2007 10:42 AM in Games
Red Octane released images of the box art and guitar for Guitar Hero II on the Xbox 360 today, and it looks hella sweet. I really wish I had a 360 about now. This just may be the ultimate version. Downloadable content? Xbox Live online play? Rocking out against complete strangers, brought together only by the power of pure rock? It's almost enough to make me drop some cash on an Xbox right this second. Almost.
The red SG guitar does have a ton more street cred, in my opinion. The 360 guitar design (while an actual guitar design) reminds me more of Poison-era hairspray rock than anything else. Maybe that's not a bad thing!
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I am actually surprised that more companies haven't tried to copy Guitar Hero. It's such a horrifically successful franchise, it demands clones. Gilligames announced today they are working on a title called Shady O'Grady's Rising Star, which claims to be a sort of band creation RPG for the PC. Curious naming decisions aside, this actually sounds quite interesting. You get to build your band from the ground up, choosing clothes and hairstyle, genre and more. You even get to trash hotel rooms! From the release:
Rockers Mastodon have recently released a very cool piece of self-promotion for their new album Blood Mountain, a Flash game called Quest for Blood Mountain. Dodge rabid dogs! Be a tough-looking viking thing! All set to some heavily rocking Mastodon metal. It's difficult and kinda fun! Apparently there are secret codes for the game hidden in flyers for the band being handed out "all over the country" so if you are a fan of needlessly difficult flash games, get to it.