14 DAY TRIAL // Music games fans are going to have a heart attack at this disclosure of details on Rock Band. Guitar Hero gamers must have merely lifted an eyebrow when they saw the first details on the game, but with everything laid on the table now, some of them might even consider taking on the series over Guitar Hero. All the details, as posted by NeoGaf, are listed below.
Rock Band is currently under development in Harmonix's studios, scheduled for a North American release during the 2007 holiday season and published by Electronic Arts. Developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Rock Band will offer players the ability to function in a virtual band enabling 4 gamers to utilize three different instrument-based peripherals (a guitar peripheral for guitar and bass guitar sequences, a drum peripheral, and a microphone).
So, without further ado, here's what the site mentioned above posts, in terms of features for Rock Band:
- "One disk with 4 separate campaigns. Guitar, Drum, Bass and Vocal. Each can be played on its own from start to finish, in addition, a full band game is designed to allow for one huge co-op playthrough.
- Will feature full support for four player online play on both 360 and PS3. Any combination of on/offline play will work and each player can pick their own difficulty setting.
- Flexible community system will allow you to find bandmates anywhere in the world
- There will be a way for you to share your band's triumphs with the world, but the details are still under wraps.
- Musical fret-boards are now transparent so you can see more of the background visuals. Guitar is on the left side of the screen, Bass on the right and drums down the middle. Vocals scroll from right to left along the top of the screen.
- Guitars and Bass now have 10 frets. 5 for the regular sections of the game and 5 for the newly designated solo sections.
- Whammy bar is back as is the tilt to activate rock band's version of star power
- there is a five way switch on the guitar that allows for 5 different self-applied effects to the sound.
- Singing is now more in depth. There is a phoneme detector that will pick up individual vowels and consonants you say. Build up enough highly judged phrases and you'll be able to sing free-form. If you do well enough in free-form, then you'll trigger the vocalist's version of star power.
- Microphone doubles as a tambourine on many songs to combat super long guitar solos where the singer doesn't have much to do.
- Drums are apparently insane. You use actual sticks and hit one of four colored pads in front of you, in addition to a kick pedal attached to the drumming unit. Drummers will also have the ability to do fills etc. in their own little free-form section, do well and you'll trigger the drummers version of star power.
- If one person fails, the whole band does not fail, their section simply turns gray and they have to sit out the rest of the song unless one your band mates initiates star power, which will bring you back into the fold.
- If all bandmates can reach the end of a song, you'll be greeted with one huge free-form jam session.
- There will be a character creation system, and you can create multiple avatars that play different instruments.
- Four themed clothing stores in addition to licensed guitars and pedals and other rock paraphernalia.
- A full set of mo-cap stage movements have been added for each instrument. You can decide whether your vocalist moves like Axel Rose, or stands his ground like Clapton.
- 40 performance venues planned
- All peripherals will be unique to each platform. This isn't the developer's decision. Apparently MS peripherals require special circuit boards.
- You'll be able to craft your own band logo
- The HUD in the screens isn't final but is a good indication of what you can expect"
Songs announced so far are, Weezer - Say It Ain't So - Original Master Track; Black Sabbath - Paranoid - Original Master Track; The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again - Original Master Track; Nirvana - In Bloom - Original Master Track, as the same site reports. What do you say? Is this enough to make you consider switching from Guitar Hero every once in a while? Not that the series isn't great and all, but who doesn't want to use drums and a mic aside the guitar controller?