14 DAY TRIAL // Video games get better every year, whether they get content, graphics or gameplay upgrades. That is why we see plenty of yearly iterations in many genres, like sports or music titles.
But, at least in terms of music games, a lot of players have begun to wonder why it isn't as easy to deliver new experiences, instead of new game releases, alongside the song download system that companies such as Harmonix or Activision already have in place for their Rock Band and Guitar Hero series, respectively.
In an effort to solve this debate, the creative director of Harmonix, Josh Randall, talks with VideoGamer about the DLC system the company has in place for Rock Band and Rock Band 2, saying that it is similar with Apple's iTunes service. But he also elaborates on why new experiences can't be brought forth as DLC just yet.
“It’s pretty close now, right?” he says. “I think Rock Band has the most DLC of any console game ever made, so I think that sort of model iTunes was certainly an inspiration for the game. I think the other component you have to think about is that it’s pretty easy to download a song that’s a certain file size and that has all the note data and stuff. But then you need the visuals to match up with, the full environments and all that, and right now that stuff fits on a DVD or a Blu-ray or whatever.”
The Harmonix director then reveals that, until Internet connections become more powerful and faster, the possibility of releasing an upgrade to the core Rock Band experience instead of another new title, like Rock Band 3, isn't feasible.
Would you like to see such a thing come true in the future? Instead of going out and buying every new Rock Band or Guitar Hero iteration, would it be better just to download the new updates? Leave us a comment with your opinion.