Student Life » rock band

‘Band Hero’

Paul Dohmen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:37 +0000

(MCT)

Rating: 3/5 stars

“Band Hero” is the latest musical game from Activision (makers of “Guitar Hero”). It is done in the “Rock Band” style, where up to four people can play any combination of drums, guitar, bass and singing. The game is designed with a younger audience in mind, and, therefore, this game has a different track list than usual, as the songs are all top 40 pop hits. This isn’t that bad though. Songs such as “American Pie” and “Pretty Women” are included. Also of note are three Taylor Swift songs.

I did not like “Band Hero” as much as I like “Rock Band.” I have some major criticisms about how the screen is set up when you are playing with other people. In “Rock Band,” how well everyone is doing is presented in a bar on the left side of the screen. It is easy to see where everyone is without disturbing your ability to see the notes. In “Band Hero,” this information is split up, so that each person can only see his or her own status. This is highly annoying because when someone is about to fail, you don’t know who it is. Also, if you want to see how the band is doing overall, you usually just glance at the star meter that is easy to see in “Rock Band”; but in “Band Hero,” it is nearly impossible to see how many stars you are going to receive because the star meter is really tiny.

The track list for “Band Hero” is also tiny. There are only 65 songs, and, while there are some good ones, there are not that many songs that I feel like I really need to play.

And then the drums. I don’t know who thought it would be a good idea to have the bass pedal notes be the same color as the background, but someone needs to be shot. The first time I played drums in “Band Hero,” I failed out in 15 seconds because I had no clue that the bass notes were there! There is one improvement in “Band Hero” with regard to drums, in that there is an “Expert+” mode in which you have to hook up a second bass pedal. This is great for those drummers who are bored from lack of challenge.

“Band Hero” does make some changes from “Rock Band” that are nice. You can now play any instrument with more than one person. So, if you choose, you can rock out with four guitarists, or four vocalists, or…you get the picture. This prevents the classic Rock Band scene in which two good guitar players fight over who gets what part, because the bass part is never as fun.

“Band Hero” also makes some improvements over “Rock Band” in some of the gameplay. The vocals are better because the game actually tells you what you are missing. Also, the guitar parts are the same difficulty, but the system for “Band Hero,” and the “Guitar Hero” games in general, is easier to play.

There are also a couple of cool gameplay options. The classic Pro Face-Off is back, which is when two guitar players battle head to head. I really enjoy this option because it lets you settle, once and for all, who is the better guitar player. Also included is a party mode, in which you can drop in and out of the game without disturbing the other band members.

Last is an option that lets you create your own songs and then play them. Also included is an option to download songs that other people have created. And these songs are usually not just random mashing on the frets; there are actually some remakes of songs such as “Master of Puppets,” “Eruption” and the Zelda Hyrule Temple song.

Overall, “Band Hero” is a decent game that makes some peripheral changes, but due to some major problems is just not up to par with “Rock Band.” Maybe next time, Activision.

‘The Beatles: Rock Band’

Andie Hutner — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:00:16 +0000

Courtesy of The Beatles Rockband

Last year, I often found myself wandering into my floor common room or one of my friends’ rooms to the sound of furious drumming and slightly off-key singing. Unfortunately, no one was trying to start a legitimate dorm-room garage-rock band, but another type of band was being formed—a “Rock Band” band. This video game took over many hours of my friends’ free time, but I never found myself getting in on the fun. I found it a little bit difficult to strum around on a song that I had never heard before, which, sadly, fit the criteria for most of the “Rock Band” songs. And then, on Sept. 9 of this year, everything changed.

On that glorious day, “The Beatles: Rock Band” was released. When I walked toward my friend’s suite after class, I heard the usual sounds of loud singing coupled with a pounding beat. But oddly enough, it was a song I recognized. It was a Beatles song. When I walked in and asked to sing “Can’t Buy Me Love,” it was heavenly. I instantly fell in love with the game.

“Beatles” isn’t much different from regular “Rock Band,” but I like it much better. It features 45 songs that represent a chronological summary of The Beatles’ catalogue. Like regular “Rock Band,” you play certain songs in different venues, but in this version, you start on the “Ed Sullivan Show” and end up on the famous rooftop. The Beatles songs are much easier to play than songs from the regular game: Playing drums for “A Hard Day’s Night” on expert would probably have been less than medium difficulty in the normal version. The Beatles sing along in the background, and whenever the singer hits a particularly good streak of notes, the word “fab” flashes on the screen. No one boos at you if you happen to fail, making “Beatles” a much larger ego booster than the regular version.

The best part about the game, however, does not really have to do with how it was programmed. “Beatles” is a loving tribute to a band that helped shape the American musical culture. It’s usually hard to find someone to hold the microphone when getting a “Rock Band” band together, but in this version, people are fighting to sing. Whether bopping around to an upbeat song like “Twist and Shout,” connecting emotionally with “Something,” putting a smile on everyone’s face with “Here Comes the Sun” or slowly changing the world with “Revolution,” the game lets you the join in on the timeless Beatles experience.

The game’s biggest flaw is that with only 45 songs, it may start to get repetitive if you play it as much as I do. Luckily, within the next few months, entire albums will become downloadable. “Abbey Road” will become the first completed album, and it will be released in mid-October. The limited number of songs, however, probably will not be an issue. You can play guitar, bass, drums or vocals on four levels of difficulty. And because these songs are so classic, they just don’t become stale. The Beatles are one of the world’s most influential bands, and they just aren’t going to go away. This video game will certainly help to keep The Beatles current in American society. Not that they needed any.

Invasion of the Plastic Instruments

Craig Ostrin — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:08:12 +0000

If I told you I own three guitars, two drum sets and a microphone, you might think I’m a diehard musician. But it’s hard to confuse the miniature guitars and drums that dominate my suite with real musical instruments. These plastic peripherals come with the massively popular “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” games, which lead the fastest growing genre in the games industry. Where did the rhythm genre come from, and how did all this damn plastic sneak into my living room?
“PaRappa the Rapper,” made by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCEI) for the PlayStation 1, effectively created the rhythm game genre. You play as PaRappa, a rapping dog, who must accomplish a series of ordeals, like learning to drive or polishing his martial arts skills, with the ultimate goal of impressing his crush. In terms of actual gameplay, you have to push buttons in time with a drum beat as they scroll across the top of the screen. The fewer mistakes you make, the better PaRappa raps and the better he does at his task.
Though SCEI jumpstarted the genre with the release of “PaRappa” in 1997, the Japanese publisher Konami would dominate the space for the next eight years. Their first rhythm game, “Beatmania,” landed in Japanese arcades in 1997 and became an instant success. Though a North American version was only released in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, the game generated numerous sequels in Japan, and Konami named their music-game development studio “Bemani” after the series.
“Beatmania’s” on-screen display will look familiar to fans of modern rhythm games. Bars scroll down a vertical lane, and each one corresponds to a different button. You have to press the right button as the bar crosses a line at the bottom of the screen, producing a pre-recorded sound. Since you play as a DJ, there was also a turntable you could “scratch” alongside five piano keys.
“Beatmania” was the first in a line of Bemani games that were characterized by unique controllers designed specifically for each game. “Guitar Freaks” (1998) and “DrumMania” (1999) appeared in Japanese arcades with guitar and drum controllers—not unlike those included with “Rock Band” today—and “Beatmania”-style gameplay. While those two games never came across the Pacific, “Dance Dance Revolution” (1999) had Americans dancing in arcades across the country.
American game developer Harmonix Music Systems rolled onto the scene in 1995. They worked on small music-related software projects before finding minor success with a PlayStation 2 game called “Frequency” in 2001, and its sequel “Amplitude” in 2003.
In November 2005, Harmonix worked with RedOctane to release “Guitar Hero” for PlayStation 2. RedOctane was relatively new to publishing games, but had valuable experience in selling accessories for Konami’s music games, including “Guitar Freaks.” “Guitar Hero” was RedOctane’s opportunity to bring their own version of “Guitar Freaks” to the neglected North American market.
“Guitar Hero” launched at $69.99, $20 higher than the typical PS2 game, and came with a huge peripheral controller that could only be used for “Guitar Hero”—a sure formula for failure, right? Instead, Harmonix shocked the industry with its success. “Guitar Hero” sold 1.5 million units, and a year later, its sequel “Guitar Hero II” sold 3 million across the PS2 and Xbox 360 platforms. “Guitar Hero II” innovated with two-player co-operative play and downloadable song packs available for purchase on the Xbox 360 Marketplace.
Even before “Guitar Hero II” was released, Harmonix and RedOctane were preparing to go their separate ways. MTV Networks bought Harmonix in 2006, while RedOctane took the Guitar Hero brand with them when they were bought by Activision.
Activision handed development of “Guitar Hero III” to Neversoft, who’s well known for their long-running “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater” franchise. The third installment of the Guitar Hero franchise released in October 2007, a month before Harmonix/MTV’s new project, “Rock Band.”
With over 8 million copies sold, “Guitar Hero III” outdid “Rock Band” almost two to one, though it’s debatable which one actually “won.” The “Rock Band” bundle, which included the mic, guitar, and drums, retailed for $169.99 to “Guitar Hero III’s” $99.99. MTV also positioned “Rock Band” as a music gaming platform, and has released at least three downloadable songs (usually $1.99/song) almost every week since the game’s launch, and have sold over 21 million songs.
With the release of “Rock Band 2” and “Guitar Hero World Tour,” we can see how the music industry has changed their perspective on the rhythm games. We’ve come a long way since the original “Guitar Hero,” which debuted with only 30 cover tracks from mainstream bands (and 17 original indie tracks).
Now, both games have arrived with more than 80 songs, all of which were master tracks. MTV and Activision had little problem licensing music from major artists like The Who, Bob Dylan, The Eagles, and a number of other major bands. Megadeth released their newest album, “Peace Sells,” in stores and on “Rock Band 2’s” online music store at the same time, while AC/DC is getting their own version of “Rock Band” this month, and Activision will release “Guitar Hero: Metallica” next year.
In fact, MTV and Apple Corps just announced that they would collaborate on a new Beatles music game, planned for release in 2009. Considering that Apple Corps won’t even put The Beatles on the iTunes Store, this is a huge victory for MTV, Harmonix and the games industry as a whole.
According to recent market research, music games have overtaken sports as the second most popular videogame genre (behind “action games”). Games like “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” have not only earned the games industry a lot of respect from the music business, they’ve also attracted new people to gaming and expanded the kinds of experiences you can find in interactive entertainment. Now if only they didn’t require so much plastic!

The Summer (Video) Games

Percy Olsen — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 02:23:12 +0000

Last summer, competitors from all around the globe met in a single place to compete. Admit it, you were left in awe when you saw the champions raging on deep into the night, sometimes until three in the morning.

I’m speaking, of course, about last summer’s video games. Coming from their land to our land, these video games flooded our consciousness. So lube up your joysticks: The events are over. It’s time to hand out some medals.

“Most Attractive Game”

Gold: “Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People—Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner” (PC, Wii)

This game is cheap, funny and best of all, it stars everybody’s (EVERYBODY’S! EVERYBODY’S!) favorite wrestling, mask-wearing e-mail correspondent, Strong Bad. While it’s essentially a point-and-click adventure, The Chapmans keep the pace up with their trademark humor. The best part is getting to make your own “Teen Girl Squad;” nothing quite compares to finding the funniest way to kill them all. IT’S OVER!

Silver: “Wii Fit“(Wii)

Bronze: “Soul Calibur IV “(Xbox 360, PS3)

“Coolest Cucumber”

Gold: “Ikaruga” (Xbox 360)

Not to be confused with “Most Attractive Game,” the “Coolest Cucumber” is the prettiest to look at and the smoothest to the touch. The whole game relies on this innovative black-and-white system. Enemies come in black-and-white varieties, and your ship can switch between the two colors. If the enemy is white, you can either stay white to absorb its bullets or switch to black to deal double the damage, but you’ll risk being blown up. Mini-bosses become death-defying leaps from “playing it safe” to “going for broke.” “Ikaruga” may be on its second remake right now, but it still has that rare blend of difficulty and entertainment.

Silver: “Metal Gear Solid IV” (PS3)

Bronze: “Space Invaders Extreme” (Nintendo DS)

Best “At Least it Looks Like a Sport” Game

Gold: “MLB Power Pros 2008” (Wii, PS2)

Inevitably, we all started to feel pretty lazy when watching the world’s greatest athletes compete in Beijing. It was like their muscles were mocking us. Thankfully, “MLB Power Pros 2008” lets you feel like you’re on a baseball team, hopefully stopping you from giving up those Cinnamon Pop-Tarts, whose taste you love so very much. Don’t let the cartoon-like characters fool you; the realism is striking. No minuscule stat is unexplored. The Elias Sports Bureau is strong with this one.

Silver: “Madden 2009” (All)

Bronze: “Top Spin 3” (All)

“Most Like a College Gamer’s Real Life”

Gold: “Pong Toss: Frat Party Games” (Wii)

Stuck all alone on a Saturday night without a Solo cup in sight? Well, buck up Mr. or Mrs. Social Outcast, you can still have the fun of the frat party without the sticky floors or physical activities. Nintendo has offered this little gem on Wiiware for anyone who wants the beer pong experience but doesn’t want to even hear the word beer. See, this game was meant to be called “Beer Pong” but that would have been no good on the family friendly Wii, so now there’s no mention of drinking and when your ball hits the cup it makes that dull rattling sound empty cups make when they come into contact with ping pong balls in a wholesome, alcohol free, rated E for everyone setting.

Silver: Getting your character drunk and playing darts in “Grand Theft Auto 4” (PS3, Xbox 360)
Bronze: “Major League Eating: The Game” (Wii)

“Most Introspective”

Gold: “Braid” (Xbox Live arcade)

This downloadable “meaning of life” kind of game from independent software developer Jonathan Blow is most innovative when it comes to time control. Main character Tim has lost his girlfriend and sets out to find her, longing to reconcile whatever misstep has ended their relationship. Despite this seemingly-prosaic description, the game’s approach to a simple problem is artful: Tim can shift, pass through and rewind time as the levels progress. Each of the six levels showcases a different method of time control, and the fun is in discovering what works and where. The art direction lives up to the action: The landscapes are vibrant impressionist watercolors—both hues and time bleed together. Braid is well worth its $15 price tag, if the more than 50,000 downloads in six days are any indication.

Silver: “Doom”

“Freshest Groove”

Gold: “Guitar Hero: On Tour” (Nintendo DS)

“Guitar Hero” on the DS was supposed to be a hard sell. The guitar was nonexistent and those tiny speakers were tinny, at best. The thing is, none of that stuff mattered. The “Guitar Grip” is honestly just as authentic as a plastic guitar with colored fret buttons, and headphones work wonders. The track list is pretty much bananas, too.

Silver: “Rock Band” (Wii)

Bronze: “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii)