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[Belgand]

Its $99.

That's already been mentioned. It did, however, launch at $160. At this point though even $99 is kind of a rip-off. It seems much more sensible to wait for RB2 with the improved instruments. Or, even better, wait until you get a new console rather than play a crippled version of the game. Although I guess if all you're really interested in is solo tour or a slight modification of the Guitar Hero tiered formula and never will want any of the DLC it might make some degree of sense. Lack of DLC was probably the biggest thing I have against it.

 

[Of All Trades]

I'm worried about the flashy shit going on in the background. I just played China Cat Whateveritis online and all that flashing green shit in the background distracted me majorly at the end solo.

It's like that to simulate the Dead groove, Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

[Belgand]

Seriously. This guy works for HMX right? Aren't they all REQUIRED to play the game for X hours a week in testing? This guitar part looked pretty damn easy to me (Tier 6 max, probably lower). Also, dude needs to learn to fucking alt-strum, DAMN.

Unless I'm completely mistaken they also played the entire song through during Gamespot's live coverage, except the people playing there were a lot better at it. And they stuck around for a lengthier interview afterwards and the beginning of another song I can't recall which.

http://www.gamespot.com/video/949926/6194201/rock-band-2-e3-2008-stage-show-demo

Now if only they'd do other songs for the demos (like "Hello There" in the floor demos) because Belgand hate Foo Fighters!

 

[Mike Works]

Full IGN demo of Everlong.

http://ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/1426...edition-/videos/rockband2livewire_072308.html

interesting.

dumb question i'm sure, but is there not going to be anything new instrument wise for RB2?

 

[BigBlackGamer]

Unless I'm completely mistaken they also played the entire song through during Gamespot's live coverage, except the people playing there were a lot better at it. And they stuck around for a lengthier interview afterwards and the beginning of another song I can't recall which.

http://www.gamespot.com/video/949926/6194201/rock-band-2-e3-2008-stage-show-demo

Now if only they'd do other songs for the demos (like "Hello There" in the floor demos) because Belgand hate Foo Fighters!

ooo nice find. thanks.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Ow. Actually, now that I think about it, how can you import games formatted for NTSC? Are you just running a converter on the output signal? Your damn PAL formatting really sucks when you want to import TV and movies to the USA. I mean, finally we speak the same language, but you had to go with a different, technically superior, color encoding format. I probably ought to get a region-free player and a converter one of these days.

Most TV's made here in the last 10-15 years seem to support NTSC without you having to do anything. The screen gets squashed a little sometimes, depending on the age of the set, but that's about it.

dumb question i'm sure, but is there not going to be anything new instrument wise for RB2?

No. New hardware for the same instruments.

 

[DuckRacer]

dumb question i'm sure, but is there not going to be anything new instrument wise for RB2?

Nope.

 

[Belgand]

dumb question i'm sure, but is there not going to be anything new instrument wise for RB2?

Not really. New guitar looks awesome and is auto-calibrating with a less mushy strum. New drums are velocity sensitive, quieter, metal-reinforced kick pedal (that actually stays attached when you pick it up) and have the inputs for the cymbal pack (3 cymbals, plus pedal).

Check out GameTrailers honestly. That and maybe a quick glance over the Wikipedia page and you'll know everything more or less. At this point I've heard the same information so many different times trying to glean a little extra from it that it's all blurring together.

 

[Mike Works]

that's wicked, so will i be able to buy RB2 with the cymbal add-ons then? i already have a guitar, mic, and drums from RB1

 

[TheGreatDave]

Even that Gamespot video is attroctious. If I had to demo a game and I was performing like that I'd just storm off. Then throw a whisky bottle at those presenters and get arrested. Slag off!

And massive eyeroll at the guy playing on top of the table. Seriously now.

*edit* what the hell, that girl is "lead writer"? Writing what? Those facts before the song?

 

[Belgand]

ooo nice find. thanks.

I have an account on Gamespot and it updates me when new stuff comes up. Same with Gametrailers (although their notifications suck and reference the HD and SD versions of a video as two videos). It takes me almost no time at all to stay on top of things.

Gamespot has problems (copious problems and specifically management/editorial problems as the whole Kane and Lynch deal revealed), but their coverage is usually pretty solid and I find I prefer them to a lot of the other sites out there.

 

[Sp3eD]

Everytime I see RB demoed it is ALWAYS uncalibrated. I think I spent about half an hour the first day I got RB1 setting everything up and making the sound and video perfect.

That IGN video was one of the worst offenders I have ever seen. The notes were almost a half second behind the sound (just watch how far the notes go past the strum line before they register). Painful to watch.

 

[DuckRacer]

And they stuck around for a lengthier interview afterwards and the beginning of another song I can't recall which.

Yeah, I just watched it and it's Any Way You Want It.

 

[Belgand]

Even that Gamespot video is attroctious. If I had to demo a game and I was performing like that I'd just storm off. Then throw a whisky bottle at those presenters and get arrested. Slag off!

And massive eyeroll at the guy playing on top of the table. Seriously now.

That is definitely one of my favorite Simpsons episodes and that dream sequence is fabulous.

Yeah, but look at his hipster hair. He's probably playing on top of the table ironically. Still, Hellion is at least an actual vocalist which, while talent is definitely relative, she's a hell of a lot better than that asshat doing the various Guitar Hero vocal demos. Not to mention the uniformly terrible cameraman, at least from the stuff up on GameTrailers. Nothing is apparently more interesting that shooting a close-up of the hi-hats then blurrily moving to cover that dude rubbing one off on the guitar before awkwardly point at the floor and the ceiling to move into a position where he can better shoot the idiots playing it rather than the game itself.

 

[TheGreatDave]

That is definitely one of my favorite Simpsons episodes and that dream sequence is fabulous.

Yeah, but look at his hipster hair. He's probably playing on top of the table ironically. Still, Hellion is at least an actual vocalist which, while talent is definitely relative, she's a hell of a lot better than that asshat doing the various Guitar Hero vocal demos. Not to mention the uniformly terrible cameraman, at least from the stuff up on GameTrailers. Nothing is apparently more interesting that shooting a close-up of the hi-hats then blurrily moving to cover that dude rubbing one off on the guitar before awkwardly point at the floor and the ceiling to move into a position where he can better shoot the idiots playing it rather than the game itself.

As somebody who is interested in nothing but the guitar charts watching GameTrailer's videos was an exercise in pure frustration. I just can't stand watching people "perform" with plastic instruments. When people are standing on tables and jumping up and down it validates every arsehole who tells people to learn a real instrument instead of playing plastic guitars.

 

[Deadly]

Are the cymbals actually going to be used for anything? the videos don't indicate anything, but it might be an older build I suppose.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Are the cymbals actually going to be used for anything? the videos don't indicate anything, but it might be an older build I suppose.

They replicate other pads.

Apparently they make a different sound in fill sections too.

 

[Sp3eD]

Are the cymbals actually going to be used for anything? the videos don't indicate anything, but it might be an older build I suppose.

The colored cymbals are secondary pads while playing the normal game, So to put it into the games use, in theory during a yellow roll in game you could hit both the pad and the cymbal alternately to achieve the same result as a standard two hand / same pad roll. However, they act as entirely differnt drum parts when in the drum training mode (effectively making it an entire kit within the drum trainer).

Should be fun but my question is won't the cymbal in the middle obscure the view of the screen?

 

[TAJ]

Seriously. This guy works for HMX right? Aren't they all REQUIRED to play the game for X hours a week in testing? This guitar part looked pretty damn easy to me (Tier 6 max, probably lower). Also, dude needs to learn to fucking alt-strum, DAMN.

Huh? Everlong is fucking SLOW. I could down-strum that shit (and A LOT worse) for days. The problem is that he was flailing away with his arm like a retard on a sugar rush. I only move my thumb, index finger and wrist. (and those just barely)
I do fine with alt-strumming fast sustained stuff when I have to, with lots of 4X/8X combos, but with short runs I don't even bother. Like on Debaser, I can FC Outro C with only down-strum.

 

[Belgand]

As somebody who is interested in nothing but the guitar charts watching GameTrailer's videos was an exercise in pure frustration. I just can't stand watching people "perform" with plastic instruments. When people are standing on tables and jumping up and down it validates every arsehole who tells people to learn a real instrument instead of playing plastic guitars.

I agree entirely. Doing crap like that generally even makes you come off as an idiot if you're playing a real instrument. It's masturbatory and should be restricted to exactly the same circumstances: when you're at home, alone, and doing it just for yourself.

And yes, if you're just watching for the charts the Gamespot video was pretty bad. I'd say half of it focused on them "performing". I think the problem is that people shooting these just don't know how to film it. With other games nobody's doing anything but sitting there so it's obvious to just show the screen, but with these (and even worse when they're jerking off all over the stage) they think they should show the people playing. They should not aside from maybe a few bits to demonstrate how it's played.

Even if it's fun to play it, it's not fun to watch someone else pretend to play guitar.

Next up: Vocals and how I don't want to hear my friends mangle songs that I love.

 

[Belgand]

Huh? Everlong is fucking SLOW. I could down-strum that shit (and A LOT worse) for days. The problem is that he was flailing away with his arm like a retard on a sugar rush. I only move my thumb, index finger and wrist. (and those just barely)
I do fine with alt-strumming fast sustained stuff when I have to, with lots of 4X/8X combos, but with short runs I don't even bother. Like on Debaser, I can FC Outro C with only down-strum.

I only very, very rarely alt-strum and even then it's not usually necessary. Learning to strum through HO/POs in the original GH got my strumming up to speed. Maybe if there were 64th notes in the game, but for the 16ths you often run into down-strums are fine and even for most of the 32nds.

 

[Ten-Song]

Even if it's fun to play it, it's not fun to watch someone else pretend to play guitar.

There's no way to really film ANYONE playing a game and make it look interesting, that's why people are always doing super exaggerated shit in movies/TV when you see someone playing games. Most NORMAL human beings look at the screen and sit on their ass, and there is no way you can make that interesting to look at. This is why G4 TV is such a horrible network.

 

[Belgand]

There's no way to really film ANYONE playing a game and make it look interesting, that's why people are always doing super exaggerated shit in movies/TV when you see someone playing games. Most NORMAL human beings look at the screen and sit on their ass, and there is no way you can make that interesting to look at. This is why G4 TV is such a horrible network.

I don't even get G4. If I wanted it I'd have to pay $15/mo extra for the digital tier. Which sucks because they also hid BBC America there and I really want that. I want that much more than I want most of the crap that's part of my regular cable. Actually, I'd also really like it if I could just get direct feeds of Channel 4 and BBC2. I mean, why the hell not? It isn't like we don't speak the same damn language.

The fact that Peep Show has only been released as Series 1 over here is just... so very, very wrong.

 

[BrodiemanTTR]

I was thinking, we got a Who pack with live songs, any chance of there ever being a Metallica S&M pack? Imagine that coming over a slick sound setup.

 

[Belgand]

I was thinking, we got a Who pack with live songs, any chance of there ever being a Metallica S&M pack? Imagine that coming over a slick sound setup.

*shakeshakeshake*

"Outlook not so good."

 

[DarkJC]

I was thinking, we got a Who pack with live songs, any chance of there ever being a Metallica S&M pack? Imagine that coming over a slick sound setup.

It'd be really awesome. Not to mention if it was the S&M album (both discs :lol) it'd be the most epic DLC to ever grace gaming.

EDIT: but of course the chances are higher that pigs fly, hell freezes over, etc.

 

[Belgand]

It'd be really awesome. Not to mention if it was the S&M album (both discs :lol) it'd be the most epic DLC to ever grace gaming.

EDIT: but of course the chances are higher that pigs fly, hell freezes over, etc.

Personally my problem with S&M was the high proportion of tracks from the Load/Re-Load and well, current era when Metallica really stopped being particularly good. The older tracks also seemed to integrate much better with the orchestra due to the type of composition being done by the band at that time.

I'd much, much rather have Ride The Lightning or Master of Puppets as DLC. Or, for that matter, Number of the Beast or Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? or Rust in Peace. At the same time we've had tracks from all of those albums either in the past or announced for RB2. Then again Rock Band had "Wave of Mutilation", but they double-dipped it up to offer all of Doolittle so one never knows. Not to mention "Won't Get Fooled Again" with Who's Next being promoted for album release and eventually turning into the Who best-of pack when the couldn't find the masters... or so they say (although I'm glad they did that in hindsight... getting some of those great Live at Leeds tracks...mmm).

 

[TheGreatDave]

Speaking of Wave Of Mutilation, it really bugs me that I'm not going to be able to play through Doolittle in Rock Band 2 unless I copy the entire Rock Band 1 setlist to my hard drive. I wish they had a more elegant design that would let me copy the songs I wanted rather than take up probably a GB or two with songs I don't want.

 

[Belgand]

Speaking of Wave Of Mutilation, it really bugs me that I'm not going to be able to play through Doolittle in Rock Band 2 unless I copy the entire Rock Band 1 setlist to my hard drive. I wish they had a more elegant design that would let me copy the songs I wanted rather than take up probably a GB or two with songs I don't want.

This is where I think the album download concept runs into the on-disc songs and they both fail. What if I only had RB2 and bought the Doolittle pack. Why should it purposely exclude "Wave of Mutilation" just because they put the damn thing on-disc? If they didn't though they'd be ripping people off who had the disc. And if they didn't put up albums just because there was a single song from it on disc it would totally suck because dammit, no matter how trite it is I wanna play "Here Comes Your Man". Actually, I really want to play that because it's one of the songs I've been learning on bass and I'm curious how it compares. Then again, I might hit one of those horrible moments where you screw up the song because it just doesn't match how it plays at all.

Edit: Actually I just looked it up on YouTube. Kinda odd really. It does some things really well and very accurately given the problems of only having 5 buttons (e.g. in the main riff it goes back to the same note at one point, but not in the chart because if it did that it wouldn't have enough room to go up as much as it'll need to). It still feels very odd at first. There are also some sections that were different from what I know, but they sounded correct so it might just be an issue of not having the isolated track and transcribing it wrong. Definitely an interesting look into how it's done. I wonder how actually playing it in-game would cause each skill set to screw with one another.

 

[Beer Monkey]

As somebody who is interested in nothing but the guitar charts watching GameTrailer's videos was an exercise in pure frustration. I just can't stand watching people "perform" with plastic instruments. When people are standing on tables and jumping up and down it validates every arsehole who tells people to learn a real instrument instead of playing plastic guitars.

I can't even understand why so many people even stand up while playing GH/RB guitar.

 

[Onemic]

I was thinking, we got a Who pack with live songs, any chance of there ever being a Metallica S&M pack? Imagine that coming over a slick sound setup.

Master of Puppets first.

 

[sneaky77]

I can't even understand why so many people even stand up while playing GH/RB guitar.

I can't play sitting down..

 

[JonathanEx]

The point of them is to play songs, look like dicks, feel like you're in a band. That's why I love Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The gameplay itself is pretty basic and bland, but it's because of all the rock stuff that it makes it fun. Why is playing the drums in RB fun? Cause it's the drums. Why is guitar fun? Cause you are playing (well, not really) rock songs.
I see it as if you're sitting down, you're doing it wrong. You might be playing it better and get a higher score than me, but pfft, might as well play keyboard DDR if the atmosphere and the feeling isn't there.

 

[BobsRevenge]

I can't even understand why so many people even stand up while playing GH/RB guitar.

It's easier and you play better.

Plus what's wrong with people having fun?

 

[AstroLad]

I can't play sitting down..

Me neither. Plus, hey, a little exercise never hurt anyone.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I'm all for people doing whatever they want when they play. Just don't wank in my face on Gamespot.

 

[sneaky77]

I'm all for people doing whatever they want when they play. Just don't wank in my face on Gamespot.

They are just trying to show off the new instruments, badly if you are the Hmx guys. The GH guy said on scorehero that they told him to make sure to prominently use the slider so people can see it and get a look at it

 

[Belgand]

The point of them is to play songs, look like dicks, feel like you're in a band. That's why I love Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The gameplay itself is pretty basic and bland, but it's because of all the rock stuff that it makes it fun. Why is playing the drums in RB fun? Cause it's the drums. Why is guitar fun? Cause you are playing (well, not really) rock songs.
I see it as if you're sitting down, you're doing it wrong. You might be playing it better and get a higher score than me, but pfft, might as well play keyboard DDR if the atmosphere and the feeling isn't there.

I can't see the TV as well when I stand up because it's sitting at a height that puts it just about perfectly at eye level when sitting down.

Of course, I also sit down when I play bass most of the time as well.

I think we need to come out against people who sit when they drum. Lazy-assed bastards. :lol

 

[Hop]

That was one of the easiest songs in Karaoke Revolution. Its basically the same tone, if you can hold a note you can beat it no problem.

Not if there's talkies! Those would seriously boost the difficulty of fast songs, you can't mumble along on those.

Well, maybe you can, we don't know yet.

 

[Beer Monkey]

It's easier and you play better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdouEe70fhg :lol

 

[TheGreatDave]

I need my guitar on the steady base that only my toned leg can provide.

 

[No6]

The point of them is to play songs, look like dicks, feel like you're in a band. That's why I love Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The gameplay itself is pretty basic and bland, but it's because of all the rock stuff that it makes it fun. Why is playing the drums in RB fun? Cause it's the drums. Why is guitar fun? Cause you are playing (well, not really) rock songs.
I see it as if you're sitting down, you're doing it wrong. You might be playing it better and get a higher score than me, but pfft, might as well play keyboard DDR if the atmosphere and the feeling isn't there.

Eh... I can sorta see the argument for drums (it's pretty similar and it helps to learn how to do it right) and vocals (because standing significantly helps singing and motion can occur naturally), but I'll never understand going nuts with the guitars. I don't even do that with my real guitars.

Then again, maybe if I was so good at guitar that I could jump around while playing it, I would.

 

[XShagrath]

I see it as if you're sitting down, you're doing it wrong.

I totally agree with you! I especially rock out when I'm on vocals, as I don't need to watch the screen all that much, especially for songs I know damned well. I can headbang, put my foot on the table in front of me like it's a monitor, do all kinds of awesome mic stand moves, the works!

With guitar, I don't really jump around, as I have to watch the screen in order to maintain any semblance of a streak, but I will do the wide-legged "metal stance" or again, put my foot on the table like it's a monitor.

Why? "Because it's fucking fun, man!"

 

[TheGreatDave]

The point of them is to play songs, look like dicks, feel like you're in a band. That's why I love Guitar Hero and Rock Band. The gameplay itself is pretty basic and bland, but it's because of all the rock stuff that it makes it fun. Why is playing the drums in RB fun? Cause it's the drums. Why is guitar fun? Cause you are playing (well, not really) rock songs.
I see it as if you're sitting down, you're doing it wrong. You might be playing it better and get a higher score than me, but pfft, might as well play keyboard DDR if the atmosphere and the feeling isn't there.

I'm your opposite. Ask me why I like playing plastic guitar and I'll answer that it's because the guitar peripheral is a superior interface than a standard controller for playing rhythm games. Not because "wow I'm playing guitar!"

The gameplay is what keeps me. It's like any classic arcade game where you just keep practising and keep getting better. I've been playing these games for ages and I still feel myself improving, and that's where my enjoyment comes from. The score drives the experience for me.

 

[Hop]

I 'rock out' the most on guitar with Tell Me Baby. Those streaks of fast YBO chords make me tilt the guitar up (not enough for overdrive, usually) and bend down. Simple, stupid thing, but it feels so awesome.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I get "in to" the music some times, but that's only cos I like the song, not cos I feel like a guitarist. I dunno, there just isn't really a fantasy element to these games for me, unlike the way the publishers seem to want them to be. It's why Rock Band and Guitar Hero adverts always bemuse me.

 

[DuckRacer]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdouEe70fhg :lol

...

I do, at least. The chair I sit in while gaming has high armrests, so whenever I try to sit and play guitar in Rock Band it jacks up my arms. Standing up feels more comfortable, and therefore lets me play better more easily.

 

[Struct09]

I sometimes get into the music and move around a little to it, but...

No fail mode + alcohol = me guaranteed to look like an idiot while playing with friends.

 

[Belgand]

I have to admit, I once put a nasty crack in an old, cheap bit of plastic shelving that we were using as a coffee table at the time... because I tried to jump over it in the middle of a solo.

I wasn't even drunk. I was just... oh the shame! *runs off sobbing*

 

[BobsRevenge]

I get "in to" the music some times, but that's only cos I like the song, not cos I feel like a guitarist. I dunno, there just isn't really a fantasy element to these games for me, unlike the way the publishers seem to want them to be. It's why Rock Band and Guitar Hero adverts always bemuse me.

Samesies. Except sometimes I spin my sticks...

If I catch myself doing it with other people around that I don't know well I usually feel like a tool. When I'm drunk I do it all the time... and end up dropping the sticks quite a bit. For some reason when I'm drunk and playing on a 360 set I hit the fucking guide button or whatever it's called all the fucking time and it sucks. Even though the drums are the same for some reason I never do it on my set, even when I'm completely faced.