Keep on Rockin'

The biggest news so far this week is Harmonix announcing an end to regular DLC additions to the Rock Band store.
Some might say that this news has been long overdue as the wave of music rhythm games (or whatever you want to call it) has long since passed, those who've played it have since moved on and it's now only the diehards left still playing Rock Band.

Personally it's something I have mixed feelings about:
On one hand, the time of Rock Band has passed. But for me it's not just in popularity but somehow Rock Band 3, unlike it's predecessor, had no sense of longevity. Rock Band 2 had enough gigs and challenges to justify the DLC and hours of play time - conversely Rock Band 3 had a story mode and...then what? What do you do then? Face down a list of unplayed songs in the Music Library? It's far from a carrot and somehow, it makes the idea of obtaining more DLC feel more like a hollow exercise.

But on the other hand, the use of DLC available to RB2 still holds appeal (as mentioned above). Why, when Harmonix announced the 50% off sale, I picked up a lot of new stuff and gave RB2 another spin. And I must give props to Harmonix for keeping the music rhythm game genre going for as long as they did: they had a great selection of music and they didn't fall into the trap Guitar Hero did of releasing a new game every year.

Still, this may well be the death knell of the music rhythm game genre (if it hasn't already happened). And, like most people, I have a whole wide range of DLC songs on my console hard drive so there is certainty that I won't stop playing Rock Band for good. Whilst a potential revival seems (however remotely) possible it's unlikely music rhythm game genre will match the heights of it's heyday.
But for what;s worth I invested many hours in the Rock Band games and enjoyed it to bits.
So, for now, lets all raise a glass to Rock Band...

I want to Rock n Roll all night

With the recent purchase of Lego Rock Band, I've made return to the Rock Band series. I've downloaded more songs, my music library was expanded and dusted off Rock Band 3 after some time away.

But having played Rock Band 1, 2 and Lego, my once glorious perception of RB3 has changed. Whereas I was singing it's praises months ago, now an ugly side has revealed itself.

Rock Band 3 a game that hates me.

Yes it's true: Playing Rock Band 3 now makes it clear that this a game that wants me to do things it's way and resents me for doing things other wise.
Allow me to elaborate: First there's the unlockables. Not a bad idea but it's problematic that nearly all of them can only be done through the the disc songs. One can use all the DLC they like but at the the end it's the disc songs that yield the rewards - whether or not the players likes them or not. That seems a little unfair.

Second, there's the DLC. Maybe it's just me but the game seems to resent me using the DLC. Whereas I was scoring on particular songs really well in previous Rock band titles, now I'm unable to match such efforts. I appear to be scoring well but the game seems really picky on what classifies as an 'Awesome' rating. Indeed I tried a DLC song and did it really well but somehow falling short of the five star ranking. Then I tried a disc song and, I swear this true, I seemed to make more mistakes but somehow the game didn't penalize me too much.
What, doesn't the game like me for using the DLC? Sorry but I was enjoying having more control over how I played the game - is it any wonder why I skipped over the pre-selected playlists in story mode for the make-your-own-setlist?

Indeed, I've been trying to replicate the gold-star ratings I've scored in previous Rock Band titles but the more I do it the more it seems clear that RB3 seems to change it's mind as to constitutes as a successfully scored portion of the song. Now in the past I have preferred Rock band over Guitar Hero because I felt the former was a bit more generous to newcomers than the latter. So to have an erratic difficulty like this in RB3 doesn't really sit well with me.

So if Rock Band 3 resents me using DLC then it begs the question of what the point in it is....

Eulogy for a Guitar hero

The big news of recent weeks has been Activision closing down further activity to the Guitar Hero franchise. With the series thus effectively concluded I present some thoughts on the matter.

- Give Activision credit for actually ending the series. Nowadays, series are milked for very last drop *coughFinalFantasycough*, so it takes balls for someone to end a series, let alone one of the most famous in gaming history. So at least Activision realised that the series was on the decline and nothing more could be done it so they bowed out while they could. Which is more than that can be said for many other game series….

- It is a bit sad to see the Guitar Hero series go when one considers the impact it had on both gaming and rock music. It has achieved a level of popularity both within gaming circles and mainstream culture that few other games have achieved. The Guitar Hero series has made a considerable contribution to convert people into gaming and has been a popular choice for gaming parties.

- Similarly, it has made people interested in rock music, to the point of making discover bands they may not have heard of before, educated people on the history of rock music and guitars, made superstars out of once-little known bands and revitalised struggling careers. Funny thing is that a similar revolution came earlier with both Compact Discs and MTV but it is the latter that has endured (for better or worse)



- With Guitar Hero gone, Rock Band is the sole inhabitant in the crumbling mansion that is the rhythm genre. With no competition, they have no reason to evolve or take risks: Indeed, Rock Band 3 has taken the formula as far as it can go and the frosty reception to both DJ Hero and Band Hero have proven that bold steps into the unknown don’t always pay off. Thus, it would be interesting to see what Harmonix will do next with the Rock Band franchise – not to mention how it long it will last.

- The end of Guitar Hero may be an inarguable sign that the Rhythm Game genre is finished. It makes me wonder: Will these games still be played years later? As the Rhythm Games have benefited greatly from DLC (perhaps more than any other game), there is the thought that to have a decent music library for Guitar Hero/Rock Band, one must be willing to cough up a lot of money. But where is that money ultimately going to? Something that will continue to be enjoyed years later or a big white elephant?

But then again, gaming has always had a history of playing a lot for something that won’t last a decade or so later. True some of you young ‘uns would scoff at that idea but I ask you to consider this: Twenty years ago, we would’ve paid $70/$80 for a decent SNES game – now you can get one off eBay for $10 or less.

Ico Sucks!

Once upon a time, I posted the following on an Ico page on Facebook (of course said page has now disappeared so I may as well give this rant a home here):

You know what I’m so sick and tired of? People shouting praises to the game ICO. I have heard time and again how “it’s the greatest game ever!” and “it’s criminally under-rated!”
Well I’m here to tell you all something: It sucks. It is under-rated but for a very good reason. It has some glaring obvious flaws, it is undeserving of all the praise it got and it deserved to be a poor seller, forever condemned to obscurity which is where it belonged.
That being said I have taken the various arguments made for ICO and prepared a series of retorts that will show up ICO for the tripe that it is.

It was made on the motivation of being something that had never been seen before
Are you joking? This is the gaming industry we’re talking about here! The age of ideas is long gone and now we’re all thriving on recycled ideas! If you’re going to bring in something completely new in this age of five second attention spans then of course you’re going to fail.

It shows what can happen when you experiment with the hardware you’re utilising
Come again? When was the age of experimentation? In the eighties when people were making games? I appreciate they’re pioneering spirit but please: They’re old so sod off. Currently, we have lot’s of ideas floating around so why make up new ones when the old ideas are working just fine as they are?
Furthermore, you call a white-washed graphical look experimentation? Hate to break this to you but a limited colour palette does not make for a great game! No, give me the spectacle over substance any day.



There is no story: All of it is left to our imagination
Tell me one thing: Who the hell plays games in this day and age when there is no story? I’ve been told that people that people play games that are actual games as opposed to interactive storybooks but I digress. I like to know where I’m going and I’ll gladly follow a strictly rigid path to get there.
As for imagination, who on God’s green Earth uses their imagination these days? I prefer to let someone else do my thinking for me and to have everything spelled out for me in large letters. I’ve been told that I should relate to Ico and feel confused as he is. And to that end I will admit I did feel confused: as to why anyone would fall head over heels in love for this nonsense.

It succeeds in having puzzles over conflict
Well dur! If you don’t have violence and blood in games today of course you’re going to fail! Instead, blood and gore is such a mainstay in gaming today that any game being slapped with G logo is a death warrant. G games are strictly for kids! Anyone knows that without needing to pick up a controller! But seriously no one thinks things through anymore. Any game in this day and age can’t succeed without violence and gore. That’s like saying people play God of War for the gameplay.

Yorda
The object of the game is for ICO to guide Yorda through many of the puzzles and obstacles that litter the castle. And no wonder she needs rescuing: She is hopeless! She can’t jump very well, she can’t defend herself and she is continually relying in on Ico for help. If Lara Croft has taught us anything, its women characters are useless if they don’t have a rack big enough to land stealth bombers on.
Also, why is Ico helping her? What the hell are we meant to feel without any dialogue or narrative? How are we meant to feel for his (and her) predicament? Correct me if I’m wrong but in this era of modern gaming, subtlety only works when it’s applied with a sledgehammer.



Emotional Weight
Hahahaha – you’re kidding right? What place does emotion have in gaming today? None whatsoever if the death of Aerith Gainsborough in Final Fantasy VII is anything to go by.

So much attention has been paid to the castle design: It is detailed, very realistic looking, atmospheric, an architectural marvel and demands interaction. The castle is even a character in itself.
You can’t expect me to pay attention to a character if it doesn’t talk. End of story

It succeeds on an ambient level.
Hate to break this to you but I expect my games to loud bombastic and wrapped in a big package of WOW to be of any use to me. Minimalism? Which requires a need to pay full attention? Give me a break.
And on that note, where the hell is the music in this game? Some crummy sounds used in sparing moments? What is this, a crappy game from the 8-bit era? Where are the loud rock/metal guitars that proliferate games these days? It’s not as if any game can succeed without them – After all, look at Guitar Hero!



It succeeds on so many levels that it’s a single entity rather than a bundle of features.
Sorry but I thought that you can succeed with crummy gameplay once you have awesome graphics and music! What type of douche puts so much thought into each and every levels of a game?! ICO is an entity? Pull the other one

It is short but had it gone on any longer, the maker’s intention would have been lost
What? The intention to bore me senseless with even more ‘subtly’? Isn’t bad enough that I’ll never be able to get those five hours of my life back?!

It have provided a subtle influence to other games namely, Legend of Zelda; Twilight Princess, Metal gear Solid 3 and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
All of which were infinitely better games and based on established franchises. Good day!

And there you have it: A complete dissection of Ico and why it’s not as great as everyone believes. Why people still think it’s a marvel despite age and lack of sales is beyond me.

This was then followed immediately by the following:

No doubt you’re all clenching your fist with rage having read that opening post but before you all start sending me death threats, I’ll let you in on a secret:

This is a JOKE

That’s right, that essay was written purely for satirical purposes.
I myself love ICO, I think it’s one of the greatest game ever made and I’m mystified as to why it was never a big hit.



So with no reasoning behind ICO’s obscurity, I decided to come up with some.

Thus, you can all breathe a sigh of relief. But still even if the above essay as written as a joke, there is always the sad thought that people like the one I’ve described above quite possibly exist in the world…

Keep on Rockin' me Baby

I love the Rock Band series. Singstar and Guitar hero may have had their moments but Rock Band brought all the elements of rhythm/music games together and it it brilliantly. The multiplayer is great - I love how each player contributes soemthing different to the task presented before them and how working together achieves success. The soundtrack is great, even to the point of encouraging the music-geek in me to seek out stuff I haven't heard in years or stuff I've never heard of before. Sure its annoying that Harmonix seems to continually snubbing us Aussies but when Rock Band works, it works well.

What I find is a masterstroke on Harmonix's part is the use of DLC that can be carried on over into the next game. This is indeed a great move as the money spent downloading the songs to use are kept and are used to build a formidable selection for material for the player's use.
Better still, games bearing the Rock Band tag have continually proven to be an improvement over the last, carrying over small differences (count-ins and records in the song selection screen) into the next one to make things even better. It's great to see one conquer a song in one RB incarnation only to see it broken in with the next incarnation. Indeed, this method ensures that the Rock Band games will still be played for a while to come. A smart move and one that, I hope, other companies are taking note. I've said before that as long as a game is great people will be willing to keep on playing it and Rock band exemplifies that belief in stellar fashion.

Seeing as the appeal of rhythm/music games are now dying down, some are saying that this current Rock Band, no.3, could well be the last. If so, that could be a wise move: The game as it currently stands can't possibly be improved upon and continual release of DLC will ensure people will keep on playing it.

If only other franchises will follow suit....

Rock Band Beatallica

Well, we have a Guitar Hero Metallica and a Beatles Rock Band - it makes me wonder if Beatallica will have a rhythm game all to themselves.

Sure it may be a licensing nightmare but dammit, who wouldn't want to play Beatles/Metallica hybrid music on some plastic guitar shaped controller?!