Harmonix, the developer of Guitar Hero I + II, recently announced their newest project, Rock Band. This game takes the coolness of Guitar Hero and multiplies it by 4, adding the ability to play as a drummer, front man (or woman), as well as guitarist. Special peripherals will be produced for drums and microphone, as well as new models for guitar (although GH guitars are said to still be compatible). Online support will be a huge part of the game... the developers want you to be able to hook up with people from the world over and form your own virtual band.

Sounds awesome, right? No doubt. The GH series really does make you feel like a guitarist. It's awesome fun - easy to pick up but difficult to master. For those who prefer the drums or singing, Rock Band sounds like the perfect extension. Add the fact that the developers are shooting for almost any song to be playable and it sounds like it can't miss.

But I wonder about a few things. First, won't guitarists far outnumber drummers and singers? There is a huge base of GH players out there who already have guitars. I have a feeling drummers and singers might be in high demand and low supply... at least at the beginning. However, since virtual bands will need 2 guitarists (lead and bass), this might not be a huge issue, we'll see.

Second, how big is the drum set going to be? Are you going to need a garage to play this game as a drummer? If it's small, is it really going to feel like you're playing the drums?

Third, is the game really going to be able to tell if your singer is hitting the notes correctly? Hmm... I'm not seeing how singing will work with the "Simon Says" gameplay style of GH. It will be interesting to see what Harmonix has come up with.

Oh, and there are a ton of other questions too. Will you be able to create your own music, or just do pre-defined covers? Will there be a dedicated bass guitar peripheral? What SKUs will ship (RB: Drummer, RB: Frontman, etc)? Will the peripherals all be wireless?

Rock Band has instantly flown to the top of my Tracked Games list. I really can't wait to see what the answers are for this game.

 

 

After being a Nintendo loyalist ever since the original NES (prior to that was Atari 2600, 5200, and Colecovision - yeah, I'm old), I finally broke down last week and purchased an Xbox 360.  I've been vocal in my support for Nintendo on my blog, so how could this happen?

First off, I haven't given up on Nintendo in any way.  I still own a DS, am still looking forward to the Wii, and still plan to buy Twilight Princess for my GameCube. 

But I've grown tired of a few things.  One, I haven't been able to get my college sports gaming fix since NCAA Football was cancelled for the Cube after 05.  It's never really had  NCAA basketball, which is my thing.  And, face it, Madden on the Cube has always been a subpar experience to the PS2 or Xbox.  There just aren't enough buttons.  Add to this the frustration of people wanting to play mutliplayer that abhor the Madden experience on the Cube, and, well...

Second, the Nintendo franchises have just grown old to me.  Oh, sure, I still love Zelda, and will have Mario Galaxy, but I find myself enjoying the more free roaming style of games that are now being produced for the main consoles.  I can't miss GTA IV, and have been putting off San Andreas for a while now - not anymore.  Saints Row is on my wish list.  Assassin's Creed is tops on my can't wait list as well (like most, I knew eventually a 360 port would be announced). 

But wait..  couldn't I play those on a PC.  Well, not Saints Row!  Anyway, I've also grown sick of the constant driver updates, forum lurking, and settings tweaks required to get seemingly any PC game into a working state.  I didn't mind it when I had more time, but now I'm sick of it!  Plus, I went the Macintosh route, and while I can still play Windows games on it, it's so much easier on the consoles. 

Lastly, why X360 over PS3?  Do I need to answer this one?  Microsoft has gutted Sony's exclusivity advantages (GTAIV, Assassin's), has a 33% lower price point, and contains all of the GAMING features of the PS3 - plus what I believe will be a superior online component and media center integration.  My opinion is that with these factors plus a 10m head start, X360 will be the winner this generation, which means it gets the exclusives and first-release privledge for the major third party titles.

So there you have it.  Nintendo no longer owns my gaming life.  I've been happy with the decision so far!

PC gaming has been around at least as long as the consoles (some could argue longer).  It has always offered the ultimate gaming experience for hardcore gamers - the best graphics, the best control schemes, online connectivity, customization, and a wider variety of games.  But it also has always taken a back seat to console gaming in popularity.  Why is this?

There are several reasons, actually.  First and foremost is price.  To play the newest and coolest PC games, you need a new and cool PC.  This is not cheap.  Today, a top-of-the line gaming PC is going to run you close to $2000.  Even a passable one that will play the latest games at reasonable settings will run over $1000.

Another problem is complexity.  Most people don't want to be bothered with installing new graphics and sound drivers,  worrying about resolution settings, or debugging when a game crashes to desktop, which is not uncommon.

A third reason is limitation.  Playing a PC game bans you to the computer desk, locks you to a 19-inch (if you're lucky) monitor, and pretty much eliminates multiplayer.

These are 3 things that console gaming eliminated.  The consoles have historically been cheap, plug-and-play, and support 2 or more players.  They're hooked up to the family TV set and become part of the living room.  This has been the appeal, and it has been dominant.

So why are Microsoft and Sony moving their next consoles toward the PC model?  Upgradable hard drives, software patches over the internet, different kinds of storage media, different models of console - these are all unnecessary complexities.  And let's not forget the biggest similarity - the alarming price of the PS3 puts it dangerously close to PC territory.

It's a disturbing trend that the 2 big boys in console gaming are moving their model towards the less successful PC paradigm.  Can't we add the benefits of PC gaming without the complexities?

A point commonly made is that GameCube's relative failure can be largely traced to the lack of a "heavy hitter" on launch day. The most hyped game was Luigi's Mansion, a short, limited, almost tech demo!

Compare this to previous Nintendo consoles... N64 launched with Super Mario 64. SNES with Super Mario World. NES with Super Mario Bros. Notice a pattern here?

Fear not, for Nintendo is bringing almost *all* of it's heavy hitters out on launch day for the Wii. Confirmed launch titles include 2 of the Big N's heavy hitters, Zelda and Metroid. Mario Galaxy could still make launch day, although it seems more likely to be a few months later. These are games people will buy a console to play. Nintendo scored huge by showing playable and polished versions of all 3 of their major franchises at E3.

And not only that, but Wii Sports is bound to be popular. The Wii screams "PARTY MACHINE" and Wii Sports is about as desirable a beer game as can be imagined, with the simple gameplay mechanics.

Excitetruck will make launch. Wario Ware (another great party game) will make launch. Sonic could possibly be another launch title.

Wii is looking to have an excellent lineup of software at launch, possibly the best in history and certainly the best since Dreamcast.

A consistent point I've heard with those skeptical towards the Wii is this:  why not just release the controller as a GameCube perhiperal?

At first thought, this is actually not a bad question.  The system itself is only slightly more powerful than a GameCube.  Indeed, even some E3 demos were confirmed to be running on GameCube hardware, and early dev kits were described as simply modified Cubes.  Nintendo itself has confirmed that the hardware is fully compatible with GameCube titles.

So why go through an entire console iteration just for a control scheme?  There are several reasons, in fact. 

1) The Wii isn't just about the controller

GameCube has no WiFi.  GameCube has no RAM.  This kills off a major feature of the Wii, the Virtual Console.  Also, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection made popular by the DS could not be supported by the Cube.

2) Marketing games requiring a "perhiperal" is difficult.

Less of a technical concern, developers don't like to attach caveats to their games, such as "Compatible only with GameCube remote controller".  This is why you generally see peripheral pack-ins on games that require it (think Guitar Hero).  Requiring a peripheral that only a few have drives down sales, and pack-ins drive up costs.

3) A perhiperal is easily ignored by the gaming press.

If Nintendo introduced the GameCube remote controller, it wouldn't generate any buzz.  People would ignore it as a gimmick and the idea would die.  By positioning it as the centerpiece of their new console, Nintendo has generated a tremendous amount of mind-share and awareness not possible with a perhiperal.

4) The Wii *is* more powerful than the Cube.

Let's not forget, the Wii does have more processor and graphical power, built-in wireless controllers (no ugly RF dongle), and a larger game storage medium than the Cube. 

Nintendo has managed to generate much greater positive press than Sony or MS this round, spending much less in R&D.  Business wise, the move was brilliant, and gamers are longing for something new.

While not technically impossible, going the new console route over a peripheral makes all the sense in the world.

Tomorrow, the curtain is lifted on Nintendo's new Wii console. Some leaks are already drifting out, such as the Time magazine article that confirmed Wario Ware, Tennis, and Twilight Princess Wii capabilities.

Nintendo has clearly stated that it's focus with Wii (and the DS) is to draw people who would normally not play videogames into the mix. The DS has been pretty successful, with titles like Nintendogs and Brain Age capturing the female and elderly audiences, of all people. Wii aims to further this trend by making games accessible to non-gamers. No longer will girlfriends and moms have to understand how to control 2 analog sticks and 8 buttons at the same time. Just swing your arm like normal to play video tennis or ping pong. Use the controller like a steering wheel to drive. Play games using natural movements.

Can it work? I believe it definitely can. Here's a good example. My stepbrother owns a game machine called Xavix. For those of you that don't know, the games for Xavix all come with perhiperals that you use to play the game. For example, the bowling game comes with a bowling ball, and you play by using a normal bowling motion. Baseball and boxing work the same way.

He took the Xavix down to the beach last year so we could bowl each other. You know what happened? His 50 year old mother played the game constantly with our 5 year old niece. They played it more than we did. It was so accessible, so easy, that anyone could play. My wife, who is terrible at games, was having a blast playing it. The barriers to playing were erased.

This is exactly what Nintendo is aiming at for the Wii. The hardcore gamers will poo-poo anything Nintendo does as "kiddy". But the fact is, you'd never get my wife to play a game that uses 8 buttons and two joysticks.

I think the Wii is going to be a huge hit that does exactly what Nintendo is aiming for - to bring games mainstream. It would not surprise me in the least if the Wii outsells both PS3 and X360, because the available audience is so much more diverse. It will be interesting.