So its been a while since I made a blog post, figured now would be a good time to do so. The subject I want to discuss today is the rise of American-made rhythm games.
Generally, rhythm games have been reserved for the Japanese market with titles such as Beatmania, Taiko no Tatsujin and the ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution. However, starting in 2005 with the release of Guitar Hero, Americans finally got a chance to try a home-grown rhythm game. Despite the fact it takes a lot of cues from the Japanese series Guitar Freak, GH did feel distinctly different from the rhythm game-norm.
Flash-forward to 2007. Guitar Hero is a success with a sequel spanning not just the Playstation 2 but the Xbox 360 as well. The concept of American-made rhythm games is starting to take off as a whole and Activision is set to release its Guitar Hero II expansion pack, GH Encore: Rocks the 80s. Later this year, Neversoft's first crack at Guitar Hero comes with Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while former GH developer Harmonix helps EA craft their ambitious Rock Band game. I personally think this is a good expansion of American gaming. These rhythm games are both fun and exciting, easily wrapping up the player in the moment of pseudo-rock.
Rock Band promises to be especially exciting with its new drumkit and microphone add-ons (as well as some modifications to the guitar gameplay lifted from the Guitar Hero series). Personally, I find the drumkit to be the best part of the package as Guitar Hero already had the guitar-playing covered. Likewise, Activision is promising some nice touches to Guitar Hero III that should make the competitive side a little more interesting with its new Battle Mode. I'm glad that VS play actually has a sense of competition involved this time around with ways to influence your opponent's progress. A couple years ago, no one really expected American developers to be making rhythm games that everyone would be hyped about but...only time did tell. Now I can't wait to see what is being planned for the future in this genre now that the US is producing rhythm games that rival the Japanese titles.