casual
Still Alive Rock Band Hands On
Posted by Brian Crecente at 12:00 PM on February 23, 2008
I got a chance to check out Portal's famous credit song Still Alive today on Rock Band in the Harmonix hotel suite.
While the bass is a little bit on the easy side, the lead guitar, drums, and of course, singing are all the perfect level of challenging to make it fun. I'm already a HUGE fan of the song so playing it on Rock Band was a real treat. I can't imagine a single person with the game not wanting to pick this up when it hits the consoles.
I was a little bummed to discover that while the original singing is there and can be cranked up enough to cover your truly awful singing voice, there is no modulation for your voice while you are singing. So you can harmonize with a computer, but you can't sound like one... and we all know how awful that is.

Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
pete
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Erwin: Took the words right outta me mouth.
JoCo song pack?
Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease
pete
Zastai
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I just hope they don't make this some regional and/or platform exclusive, like they did with Super Sprode(*) - I <3 Freezepop so it irks me that as a European PS3 user I'm not likely to get that song on Rock Band (if RB itself even makes it to these shores this decade).
(*) yes, and the two other tracks from the OXM covermount, but who cares about the other tracks when there's FREEZEPOP ^^
Zastai
Eli Reusch
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Pinhead: You sir, have no soul.
Eli Reusch
Dominic0904
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Ha ha I can't wait to play this when i get Rock Band. Hurry up UK release!
Dominic0904
Pinhead
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
God, I HATE this fucking song I don't understand why people think it's so great. It's just a chain of lame jokes wrapped in a mediocre tune.
Pinhead
HarmanSmith
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@mva5580: Man I know what you mean, Its hard to overstate my satisfaction!
HarmanSmith
BahamutNeo
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Seeing any news about Rock Band just fills my heart with sadness. My guitar's whammy bar broke on Wednesday. Playing just doesn't feel the same w/o the whammy. Fortunately, EA is still doing replacements on broken instruments. This will be my second guitar that has died on me. My first guitar had the strum problem.
Anyhow, I'm definitely looking forward to playing Still Alive. I'm curious if my band members will recognize the song. They all play consoles pretty exclusively, so I doubt they'll recognize the song.
BahamutNeo
TRT-X
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Hopanoe:
We need somebody who was there that could get a good shot of the DLC list as they were going through it...
TRT-X
janai
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Meanwhile, speaking as someone who's gold-starred about half the game by now on vocals... I am so looking forward to channeling GLaDOS, you have no idea.
(I'd love for some more JoCo songs to show up as DLC, but "Still Alive" is one of the few that falls into a decent spot in my range. He's usually either just a little too low for me, or jumping up an octave eventually gets into the Realm o' Squeak. Too bad there's no option to transpose stuff. :)
janai
neednorespect
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Hopanoe: thanks man i was hoping this video was out there somewhere now we just need crecente to be brian crecente and make a video of them playing it
neednorespect
DemonBlood
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I need the tabs for Still Alive for my real drums. I can't find them anywhere :(
Maybe I could just wait until someone posts a vid of them playing it in Rockband. Anyone know if the notes they use for the drums in it are the real deal?
DemonBlood
Irenicus-the one and only
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Warik: Agreed, and for it to be released in Europe ;)
Irenicus-the one and only
Warik
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Need rockband for wii dammit.
Warik
Erwin
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Sgoast: Yes, but if I've learned anything from games, it's that you just can't go wrong with zombies. Except for apocalypses. Those are bad.
Erwin
Sgoast
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Erwin: I'd prefer Skullcrusher Mountain, I Feel Fantastic, or Creepy Doll.
Sgoast
Covert_Knight
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Hopanoe:
I love you ;_;
Covert_Knight
Erwin
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I just remembered: Where the hell are "Re Your Brains" or "Code Monkey"?
Erwin
DigiMish
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Hopanoe:
thanks for posting the video man, it's pure genius.
DigiMish
Erwin
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Hopanoe: Awesome.
Erwin
DesmondHume
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Good song, definitely gonna buy it. Don't have as much of a nerdgasm as everyone else is having, but still a must buy.
DesmondHume
Hopanoe
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
+ Watch video
Hopanoe
shalto
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
so um.....i need this.....in my life.... i need this because i feel like while maybe millions of people have played and experienced portal....only a few of us understand its importance ....still alive sums up al that is amazing about portal. its quirky humor its incredibly originality.... its the sort of game you love but want dont want anyone else to know about so that only you can treasure its value....and i just love using dots....... i mean they are just so useful you know......
shalto
Irenicus-the one and only
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Brimful: Don't worry, Obama will sort it out, he can send in the SAS, you know, the guys from Hamburg, the city made out of burgers, next to siberia.
Irenicus-the one and only
Brimful
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
No it's True... I was at the Trial of the Government of Europe vs. Microsoft. See I'm Canadian so I was part of the Jury of peers; However, The Right Honourable Mayor Mc Cheese who was presiding over the hearings told me I mustn't speak of the trial... Crap I've said to much.
I hope MS doesn't come after me..
Brimful
GOLD5
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Laxe: Funny about that but North America is so ego-centric that we actually don't learn world geography. Seriously, it is a joke. The Board of Education's motto is "success for every student" which turns into: "dumb it down so the stupid ones can't fail" in practice. We just learn the States (or provinces in Canada) over and over again each year. Y'know, some student might move to Texas from New York and miss the year they taught the states, so they just do it every year constantly. (rolls eyes) When you get into high school and college you maybe could take a specialized geography course, but it's an optional credit. So yeah, most 'Mericans prob'ly don't know fuck-all about European countries beyond England, not to be confused with that Yoo-K thingie. Awesome isn't it? They should seriously remake Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?, but jaded little brats these days would probably just complain that it wasn't like HALO3.
GOLD5
Irenicus-the one and only
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@balls187: I bet you are one of those great guys I had the pleasure to meet on Xbox live, the ones that tells you to go back to your own country and fucking foreginer this and that. 187=murder=cool guy
Irenicus-the one and only
Irenicus-the one and only
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@balls187: What? What the hell are you talking about?
Irenicus-the one and only
OMGitsDarkMatter
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I might have to get this game now.
OMGitsDarkMatter
Comatose Turtle
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Why was your singer on medium? This isn't exactly "Run to the Hills".
I guess I'm just used to my band, where the drummer and singer(me >_>) are always hard+ and the guitarist and bassist(also sometimes me >_>) are always medium.
Comatose Turtle
noisome07
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@AEREC:
For 360? Yes...
PS3? I don't know.
noisome07
AEREC
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
So is the Guitar Hero 3 wireless guitar compatible with Rockband yet? Thats the only thing keeping me from getting Rockband...because it looks liek Rockband is getting all the good DLC.
AEREC
Infininja
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Can't imagine someone not wanting to pick this up? Yeah, it's a cute song, but it's not the song to end all songs. :p I might get it but I'll wait for the Youtube videos to decide if it's worth two bucks.
Infininja
AUAnonymous
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Dauragon88:
I just snapped about an hour ago...
PS Amazon has $20 off and free shipping
AUAnonymous
Laxe
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@hamandcheeseUK: Haha! You tell him! I logged in to post a reply very similar to your's but you beat me to it!
Anyway it's true. In what way did you think the 'EU Government' (rofl btw!) is sueing M$ hmmm? Christ...I do hope you were joking! When will you people learn that the EU is NOT a country and the UK isn't the only country in the EU??
You guys do get taught world geography right?
Laxe
Erwin
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
God, this is so cool. Screw it. I need to get the full game.
I'll just starve for a week. No big deal.
@Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB: Trust me. I'm great GH/RB on expert, but that's nothing to shout from the rooftops over.
Me, shouting from rooftops: Hey everyone, I'm the master of a plastic guitar replica!
It's just not cool.
Erwin
Seiryuu
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@balls187: Troll much?
Seiryuu
hamandcheeseUK
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@balls187: Firstly.. wtf? Europe doesn't have a single government, and second: what would suing MS have to do with Rockband?
hamandcheeseUK
Fyren
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
THAT WAS A JOKE, HA, HA, FAT CHANCE
Fyren
Deltakiral
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Ask them when we are getting that song!!! I really want my Portal Song! That I love the domination across the board on that song.
Deltakiral
DigiMish
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I'll be pleasantly surprised if the song is free. I'll still buy it, but free would be also nice, seeing as I can put that cash towards the upcoming NIN pack.
DigiMish
balls187
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Irenicus-the one and only:well tell your numbskull government to stop suing MS and maybe they might show a little more love.
balls187
Mavwick
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I'm making a note here,
huge success
I'm a fan of both properties, but making the two collide in a mass of fan-love and cross-marketing still makes me want the track for free. I've already given that company probably 50 dollars of extra money in DLC, so throwing a bone now and then won't upset their moneymaking juggernaut.
(BTW, I don't actually tally the money I've tossed into Rock Band DLC. It's too fun to sully with budgeting.)
Mavwick
balls187
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
ur drummer is fail
balls187
DrakeLake
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Fyren:
Nevermind, just saw the trailer.
DrakeLake
Verum
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I'll take the Rock Band: Portal over Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. You hear me guys? Give me more of the good stuff!
Verum
plumenoir
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Wow, it took six posts before someone said "This is a triumph" or "huge success."
;-)
I'm looking forward to this. I showed the screenshot to the wife and her eyes got all wide and a smile crossed her face.
Now, if those damn RB drums would arrive in the mail...
plumenoir
DrakeLake
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
@Fyren:
What up? What's that about?
DrakeLake
rec0ded1
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I needed this yesterday, release it now ffs.
rec0ded1
Grumps
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
So it's the original version, unmoddified?
need video!
Grumps
WasabiJoe
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Haha I like how it's Expert guitar and medium everything else. Just like my band
WasabiJoe
Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
I hate you guys for rockin' so much.
I can barely get 75% on expert.
And on your first try you got 97-99%?
Bah. Everybody is better than me.
Kirbytheslayer: In-Kirby XMB
Fyren
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Very nice..
BtW, crecente, full-blown out Wipeout HD. Lets get a feature now.
I saw it over at Apache's site, no source.
Fyren
FadedEchos
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Now you're just teasing us.
FadedEchos
Witzbold
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Crecente if you have the time could you please prod the devs about when an "asia" region of RB for the 360 is going to be released? D:
Witzbold
mva5580
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
HUGE SUCCESS
mva5580
Sap_My_Sentry
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Is this going to cost anything?
Sap_My_Sentry
Dauragon88
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
Man..........not buying this game is getting harder and harder :(
Dauragon88
ittekimasu
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
put up video of rock band song!
ittekimasu
Irenicus-the one and only
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
And still no love for EU :( I wan't rock band *sniff, btw guys, can we see some article with pictures from all GDC? I would love that.
Irenicus-the one and only
Eddy666
Posted 8:04 PM 3/3/08
was that the only song you played? Did they showed other non released tracks?
Eddy666