Rock Band series - Rock Band 4 out now

I don't see Harmonix ever making another single band driven rock band.

I could definitely see a Queen track pack/side project ala AC/DC or Pearl Jam.
 
I think some bigger name bands are now going to insist on a standalone game due to what we've seen so far from both franchises. If it has to be that way, well...better Rock Band than Guitar Hero, I guess.

If they do a Queen game and for some reason some of the songs from the upcoming 10-pack aren't included, I'm sure they'd be compatible (similar to the GH3 Death Magnetic album being compatible with GH:M)
 
Yeah, I can see U2 insisting on the standalone game treatment. If I was Harmonix, I'd tell them to fuck off. I read U2 was in talks with them at one point, and while I may like a song or two of theirs, I know it wasn't Harmonix who backed out.

That being said I think The Beatles are on their own level, and I think Harmonix does too.

You are right though Kane, better RB than GH.
 
I think there has to be a line drawn in the sand. The Beatles are the exception, not the rule. (forget the GH nonsense).

I think Busta is onto something. Allowing dreamscapes, venues & avatars in RB3 is the way to go. The band gets their likeness the way they want, and they can lock avatars and specific venues to those songs so that the band is only presented a certain way. They could even include avatars & venues with the DLC. Say you pick a 3 song setlist with U2 as song #2, it would switch to the U2 band & venue to play just that song and then back to your custom character for song #3. Unfortunately this sounds pretty involved and might increase the price per DLC track.

I don't want anymore band-centric games.

[quote name='DJP519']I'm thinking full-on duets in RB3, along with harmonies. Stuff like Meat Loaf, System of a Down, Linkin Park, Lacuna Coil, etc, bands that often use two vocalists in the same song, they would work very well that way. I'm sure some of you can think of better examples as well...

And I'd imagine our existing libraries of older songs would continue to work, just as single vocalist only.[/QUOTE]

Yes. I'll probably be in the minority, but along with those artists (and the Eagles that I mentioned prior), I'd love to get some Beach Boys tunes. They would be great party songs and harmonies would be awesome.
 
Yeah I really hope harmonies are in the cards for all future games. The back catalog shouldn't even be THAT much of a problem. What I'm hoping is that they could just enable multiple microphones for ALL tracks and score it like The Beatles - where you get full points as long as one person hits the main vocal. The extra vocals on the old tracks wouldn't actually be charted or tracked in any way, but allowing optional extra singers for the pure fun of it would add a lot of life to the old tracks. Then anything new for RB3 could include full Double-Fab support (or whatever they call it).
 
[quote name='Corvin']I don't want anymore band-centric games.[/QUOTE]

+1. They have a great platform - why screw it up by fragmenting it? The reason Rock Band 2 is so appealing is because you can have all of your songs in one place.
 
[quote name='Corvin']I think there has to be a line drawn in the sand. The Beatles are the exception, not the rule. (forget the GH nonsense).

I think Busta is onto something. Allowing dreamscapes, venues & avatars in RB3 is the way to go. The band gets their likeness the way they want, and they can lock avatars and specific venues to those songs so that the band is only presented a certain way. They could even include avatars & venues with the DLC. Say you pick a 3 song setlist with U2 as song #2, it would switch to the U2 band & venue to play just that song and then back to your custom character for song #3. Unfortunately this sounds pretty involved and might increase the price per DLC track.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='BustaUppa']Yeah I really hope harmonies are in the cards for all future games. The back catalog shouldn't even be THAT much of a problem. What I'm hoping is that they could just enable multiple microphones for ALL tracks and score it like The Beatles - where you get full points as long as one person hits the main vocal. The extra vocals on the old tracks wouldn't actually be charted or tracked in any way, but allowing optional extra singers for the pure fun of it would add a lot of life to the old tracks. Then anything new for RB3 could include full Double-Fab support (or whatever they call it).[/QUOTE]

Those are both rational, well-conceived ideas...and are both things I could conceivably see Harmonix doing. :)
 
Ego is still a factor - I agree in principle that HMX should be able to tell a band to piss off if they insist on their own game if an option for custom, locked themes/characters/etc are available. But then if artist X just says "fine, forget it" and goes to Activision instead, and wind up selling a lot of copies of whatever appears from that deal, well...I don't know. 'Tis a tricky path they walk.

The only two standalone games that have seemed "worthy" thus far are Metallica and the Beatles. Everything else has been lacking in features/presentation/polish and seems like a quickie cash-in. Back to the original point - I would buy a BRB-esque Rock Band Queen game in a heartbeat, but I would hope it would not be necessary - especially because of ideas like:

[quote name='Corvin']I think Busta is onto something. Allowing dreamscapes, venues & avatars in RB3 is the way to go. The band gets their likeness the way they want, and they can lock avatars and specific venues to those songs so that the band is only presented a certain way.[/QUOTE]
Bingo. Between that idea and the RBN option for "lesser" bands, I would hope Rock Band 3 would be able to cater to every artist out there. I worry a little about space constraints, but I guess that's why it says "you're going to need a bigger hard drive" right on the front page of the Rock Band site, even before RB3 and RBN are out.

I was talking to Zac Hanson the other day and we were talking about the RBN potential. Musicians are excited about this. I'm hoping they do this right. This genre needs an Itunes equivalent to keep it afloat for more than another year or two I'd guess, and RBN is the best chance for it to happen.
 
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[quote name='KaneRobot']I was talking to Zac Hanson the other day and we were talking about the RBN potential. Musicians are excited about this. I'm hoping they do this right. This genre needs an Itunes equivalent to keep it afloat for more than another year or two I'd guess, and RBN is the best chance for it to happen.[/QUOTE]

Zac Hanson? This Zac Hanson? :whistle2:s
 
[quote name='javeryh']+1. They have a great platform - why screw it up by fragmenting it? The reason Rock Band 2 is so appealing is because you can have all of your songs in one place.[/QUOTE]

Well, I'm sure that one reason that the Beatles: RB wasn't exportable was because it is the Beatles.

I wouldn't close the book on future Band-centric titles lacking exportability, but who knows.
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']Good luck with that.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like your Blockbuster sucks. I know the manager at mine, and I doubt they will put their one copy (that they might not even have) up for sale for a good while (if at all).

If a decent deal pops up for the game I may buy it, but if not, I won't feel bad just getting the code. I'm sure Harmonix has made a decent chunk of change off me already, what with me owning hundreds of DLC songs, and pretty much every damn peripheral they put out. Thanks for your concern though
 
They all are pretty good at what they do, and they know their shit and are music industry vets at this point. And Zac's gamerscore is impressive.

But I don't want to see what happens if this turns into a Hanson thread, so I'll stop now.
 
Well...if nothing else, that possible Queen/Rock Band game tells me that they are friendly with Harmonix, so hopefully we'll get another 10 pack out of them. I would think that song would have to be included if they do a second one.
 
I just got an email from Amazon saying Lego Rock Band has moved up to 11/3 from 11/10. Buy.com, Best Buy and Gamestop are still listing 11/10. Toys R Us also has 11/3.

I wonder what's going on. I assume HMX doesn't want Band Hero to get a free week like GH5 did with the Beatles.
 
[quote name='RichMeisterMan']I am pretty pumped for Lego Rock Band. Two Princes, The Final Count Down, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, nuff said![/QUOTE]

Yea, the tracklist looks like alot of fun, I'll definitely be able to sell the wife on singing most of those songs. I like the $50 price point too.

On a side note, GameFly has the Classic Rock Track pack for $14.99 shipped right now. I'm thinking that since the manuals are never sent out with games from GameFly that you will be able to export the songs as well. 0.75 per song isn't a bad deal! ;) I already ordered one so I'll report back when I get it, but you might not want to wait as it could sell out.

LINK
 
On the subject of Harmonix releasing GH songs as DLC and bands friendly with Harmonix, will we ever see Spirit of Radio by Rush? It's been a while since we had Rush DLC, and GH5 got that song.
 
Got my Beatles Premium set from the Pepsi contest today...just in time for the Abbey Road DLC.

Overhauled OP, mostly to include Lego Rock Band info and replace that crappy Beatles banner I've had in there forever.

Biggest DLC release eeeeeeeever next week.
 
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[quote name='GLOCKGLOCK']Yea, the tracklist looks like alot of fun, I'll definitely be able to sell the wife on singing most of those songs. I like the $50 price point too.

On a side note, GameFly has the Classic Rock Track pack for $14.99 shipped right now. I'm thinking that since the manuals are never sent out with games from GameFly that you will be able to export the songs as well. 0.75 per song isn't a bad deal! ;) I already ordered one so I'll report back when I get it, but you might not want to wait as it could sell out.
[/QUOTE]

Please let us know, I've been curious about that.
 
$16 for Queen + $17 for Abbey Road = $33 total. Ouch. This is going to be the largest purchase of DLC ever for me.
 
[quote name='Gothic Walrus']If I can get to Micro Center, a 1600 point card would be $13. That's $13 for Queen, with another 320 points left over for another two songs. :whistle2:k[/QUOTE]

They have a deal going again?

I'm ok for points but if they are I may go grab one or two.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']They have a deal going again?

I'm ok for points but if they are I may go grab one or two.[/QUOTE]

It never ended, and according to the thread in the deals section the store in our neck of the woods (the only one in Michigan) has had them in stock the past few days.

I might hold off on the purchase until I have more money, though. Rock Band DLC is definitely a luxury item. :whistle2:k
 
[quote name='Ronin317']I wish you could pre-order DLC and it would just download when it releases...or am I asking for too much?[/QUOTE]

For two years now, I am still baffled by the fact that they don't sell full album DLC cards in stores. It doesn't take up much space, and you just hang 'em with the Point & Live cards.

If there was ever a time to try it out, it would be with the Beatles.
 
[quote name='Corvin']For two years now, I am still baffled by the fact that they don't sell full album DLC cards in stores. It doesn't take up much space, and you just hang 'em with the Point & Live cards.

If there was ever a time to try it out, it would be with the Beatles.[/QUOTE]

Good call. I think a full album download card for the Beatles albums sounds like a great idea. And when you say it, you kinda think "Why wouldn't they do that?"
 
Damn...I'll be asleep. I was hoping to rock out to some Fat Bottomed Girls before bed and travel tomorrow...guess I'm waiting until I get back
 
I've been kinda glossing over the shorter songs in the Abbey Road medley, but it just occurred to me how cool "Polythene Pam" is gonna be. The drums are quite rowdy and different for a Beatles song, and there's a fun guitar solo in there!

Also, didn't see this posted yet - here's the official breakdown of the Abbey Road DLC: http://www.rockband.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169459

It's weird; there are only three downloadable singles, and then the full album pack. For Wii it gets even weirder, with a bunch of "sets" you can buy in lieu of the full album pack.
 
[quote name='DestroVega']the beatles thing is confusing as hell.[/QUOTE]

Pick and choose from three songs separately, or buy the full album. If you buy the full album, some of the songs are two parts, similar to Sgt. Pepper's/With a Little Help From My Friends on the game disc. There is also the option to play through the 16 minute stretch of the album where a bunch of the songs tie together.

Nice to see this:

http://kotaku.com/5385320/battle-of-the-music-games-the-beatles-rock-band-vs-guitar-hero-5

Good work is rewarded for a change.
 
Also to all you dudes who pre ordered from gamestop and got to pick the 3 songs tell us if you get the email. I haven't gotten anything yet even tho the dlc is up on live right now
 
Kinda odd that you have to buy the entire album to get any of the B-side medley. I hope no one that preordered from Gamestop picked songs off of Abbey Road planning on buying the rest separately. It wouldn't have made much sense price-wise to have done that, but still, might have been nice to have known this sooner. Glad I just picked Sgt. Pepper tracks.

[quote name='KaneRobot'] Nice to see this:

http://kotaku.com/5385320/battle-of-the-music-games-the-beatles-rock-band-vs-guitar-hero-5

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, especially after all the talk of GH5 outselling it 5:1.
 
This was the first DLC (as in, everything for both games) in a year or more where I woke up in the middle of the night to get ready for work early so I had time to play it before I left.

The dreamscapes for the Abbey Road DLC are great from what I've seen so far, the Maxwell's Silver Hammer one is especially impressive. This is an awesome feature and I'm glad to see Harmonix isn't raising the DLC prices even with them included - not to mention the DLC costing more to develop in the first place. As long as they keep something similar to it, which I have to think they will...this feature is going to be really cool to have in RB3.
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']
The dreamscapes for the Abbey Road DLC are great from what I've seen so far,[/QUOTE]

The Dreamscapes definitely bring something unique to the table. Even for songs I'm unfamiliar with I can't wait to buy/play them just to see the Dreamscapes.
 
Well that's odd - I just got an email with DLC tokens for the Sgt. Pepper songs I picked from my GS preorder. This happen to anyone else? I'm afraid to try them!
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']Well that's odd - I just got an email with DLC tokens for the Sgt. Pepper songs I picked from my GS preorder. This happen to anyone else? I'm afraid to try them![/QUOTE]

I did 3 Sgt. Pepper tunes and no email for me.
 
Interesting on some of the Queen songs...some work has been done here and there. Noticed multiple little differences in I Want To Break Free and One Vision especially. Since there's no option to mess with the vocals really it's no big deal.

The multiple vocal parts from Beatles Rock Band would have been kind of a cool novelty for Under Pressure.

Tie Your Mother Down and Somebody to Love seem to be the most fun, at least on guitar.
 
[quote name='BustaUppa']Well that's odd - I just got an email with DLC tokens for the Sgt. Pepper songs I picked from my GS preorder. This happen to anyone else? I'm afraid to try them![/QUOTE]

I haven't tried it yet but my e-mail did say

Note: DO NOT TRY TO REDEEM CODES BEFORE OCTOBER 20TH! Your song selections will only be retrievable when posted to the respective online system (Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network, Wii Shop Channel). This will not be before October 20, 2009 for songs from Abbey Road album; November 2009 for songs from Sgt. Pepper's album.


So maybe the won't be ready until Nov.

Glad I picked all Sgt Pepper songs so I won't feel bad buying the complete Abbey Road pack.
 
I got my codes for the 3 songs I picked, plus

BONUS: Free unlock code!

As a bonus for pre-ordering The Beatles: Rock Band, here is a free button mash to unlock a special in-game photo album.

On the Splash/Title Screen of the game, enter the following code:

Xbox Guitar/Drums: B Y O O O B B B Y O (for guitar: use main fret buttons, not solo frets)
Xbox Controller: X Y LB LB LB X X X Y LB

You will then see a pop-up letting you know that the photos are unlocked, and that you can see them in Story Mode.
Thanks,
The Beatles: Rock Band team
 
Well, the Queen pack, as expected, ROCKS. Shredded my throat though...for being a simple song, Killer Queen is fucking tough on vocals. Guess I'm not as on-key as I think I am when I sing along to that in the car...
 
[quote name='Ronin317']Guess I'm not as on-key as I think I am when I sing along to that in the car...[/QUOTE]

No one is as on-key in real life as they are in the car.


There was a site linked in here somewhere a while back where you could keep track of all the DLC you had...anyone have a link handy? Googling for it didn't help.
 
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