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Why Robin Makes Batman Better Music game maestros Harmonix have already promised to “innovate and revolutionise the music genre” with Rock Band 3, but even in the face of that hyperbole, the designers believe “you’ll be surprised at just how big this game really is”.
Having released 25 different rhythm game SKUs in 2009, Activision narrows the focus in 2010, with only a new Guitar Hero and DJ Hero 2 slated for release in 2010.
Not enough metal for you in Guitar Hero and Rock Band? How about a music game that is completely metal? Visual effect consultants EBT3 Creations and talent management company Indevent USA have formed a new multi-media company called Reign Productions, and their first project is said to be a multi-million dollar video game containing nothing but metal. Details are scant at the moment, pending a major announcement regarding the project at the annual NAMM global music products show in Anaheim, California in January, but the game will apparently feature artist cameos as well as the formation of a metal supergroup within the game.
Rolling Stone’s list of The 50 Best Rock & Roll Video Games of all time starts off well enough, but as you can see by the image accompanying this post, things quickly start to go downhill. The fact that they had to include Spice World for the PlayStation, Britney’s Dance Beat and the original 50 Cent title in their list just goes to show that maybe it’s just too soon for this list. For every Guitar Hero and Parappa the Rapper in the list, there’s a Wu-Tang Clan and KISS Psycho Circus lurking close by.
Girls, girls, girls. No, it’s not a Vegas review, it’s the target audience for EA’s Wii title Boogie SuperStar, which was announced yesterday. I swung by EA’s New York press event yesterday, too, where the game was on display, and I took a look at it.
I’m presuming that very few of you reading this are young females between the ages of six and 12 who love to karaoke to Leona Lewis’ Bleeding Love, or dance to the best of Fergie and Good Charlotte. The songlist is intimidatingly marquee, though, and one of the major takeaways from having the game demoed for me was just how far games have forged in getting the music biz to recognise their power in helping label artists stay relevant to a new audience.
And while Boogie SuperStar might not be a game specifically for you or for me, I think that’s pretty important – equally cool was the motion recognition tech.
Have you bought a song or album because of Guitar Hero? Jacobs Media, a radio consulting company did a survey that found one third of players buy songs from the games, calling music video games “game changers” for rock music.
Big label artists obviously agree, with Metallica, Aerosmith and Coldplay on their way down the pipeline hoping to introduce new fans to their tunes through the magic of mashing brightly-coloured buttons on plastic instruments.
Jacobs Media also pointed out there’s an internet radio station, RadioIO, with a channel that plays nothing but rhythm game music. No one’s gonna taaaake me aliiiiiiiiive.
Have music games influenced your taste in music, or your buying habits? And while we’re at it, what’s your favourite track from Guitar Hero?
Would Take-Two ever consider setting Rockstar loose on the music game genre? Last night, during Take-Two’s Q1 financial results call, Board chairman Strauss Zelnick addressed an analyst who asked exactly that, “given Rockstar’s nature”. I guess he meant, “as rockstars”?
