Rock Band

Game Music

E3 2009: The Beatles: Rock Band Interview

June 8, 2009 | Tim Sheehy | 4 Comments Share this

During E3, Patrick and I had the opportunity to check out the latest installments of the Rock Band series. We arrived on scene, being ushered into a line outside of a makeshift Abbey Road. Soon enough, we found oursevles seated in front of a stage where we were treated to several performances of MTV Games’ latest title, The Beatles: Rock Band.

After the performance, we were given the opportunity to interview Harmonix Creative Director, Josh Randall. Some of you may remember Randall for his involvement in the mid-90’s synthcore scene as a member of Institute of Technology. His music has also been featured in games such as Frequency. He’s since been working at Harmonix on many of their recent titles.

Check out our interview with Josh Randall after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Rock Band Unplugged Track List Announced: 1990s In Full Force

May 20, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Despite the slew of rhythm games that are slated for the remainder of this year, I’ve been keeping an eye out for news regarding Rock Band Unplugged. It’s due out on the PSP in June, and since it was announced, I was hoping we’d be getting a healthy serving of some of my favorite bands from the 1990s given the many amazing “MTV Unplugged” concerts from that era. Unfortunately, I missed the boat in terms of what they meant by “Unplugged,” which apparently refers to the portability of the PSP version of the game rather than the acoustic instrumentation I was hoping to hear.

Well, at least some of my favorites bands (who coincidentally had their own MTV Unplugged concerts) are represented, including Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, but they each have only one track present. It would also appear as though Stone Temple Pilots is missing, but I hope DLC will fill in the gaps in this regard. It looks like the game features a solid list of tracks, and we’ll be sure to let you know what we think when we see the game at E3.

Are you looking forward to the Rock Band experience on the PSP? Are there any glaring omissions from the track list? Read the full press release with the track list and first ten downloadable tracks after the jump. (more…)
Game Music

Risin’ Up To The Challenge Of Our Rival: Rock Band 2 Review

January 28, 2009 | Jayson Napolitano | 1 Comment Share this

Alright, at least we’re not as late as we were with Rock Band. Truth be told, I’ve been having a lot of fun with Rock Band 2, and now that it’s out on all major consoles, and is even breaking new ground on the Wii by opening up the SD slot, it’s a good time to tell you what we think.

So, is it better than its predecessor? I’d say it is. There’s a healthy combination of the same ol’ stuff that made the original so fun to play along with a lengthy list of tweaks, and yeah, more DLC that is piling up into something entirely unmanageable! If you haven’t already, find out why you should consider the upgrade.

Read our impressions of Rock Band 2 after the jump. (more…)
Film

Never Give Up When Your Back’s To the Wall: Stan Bush Wants “The Touch” in Guitar Hero and Rock Band

October 6, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | 2 Comments Share this

I can’t tell you how many years I’ve wanted to sing “The Touch” by Stan Bush at karaoke bars across the United States. As it turns out, there is some ballad with the same name that has left my brother and I scrambling to sing when we were hoping time and again for our favorite 80s rock track from the Transformers: The Movie soundtrack.

Well, apparently the guys over at Kotaku love this song nearly as much as I do, and took it upon themselves to contact Stan Bush about getting “The Touch” into Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Unfortunately he’s had no luck, and Kotaku has put out the call to bug Activision and Harmonix until they listen to reason and put this amazing song in the game.

Have you ever had the desire to rock out to “The Touch” or even “Dare” from the Transformers soundtrack? Would you download them if there they were to suddenly become available?

[via Kotaku]
Game Music, Reviews

Arriving Late to the Show: A Look Back at Rock Band (Review)

August 13, 2008 | Jayson Napolitano | Comments Off on Arriving Late to the Show: A Look Back at Rock Band (Review) Share this

A little late, aren’t we? Probably, but I think it’s worth revisiting this massive title that, for better or worse, opened the floodgates to the wave of rhythm games and plastic peripherals that will soon be upon us. As I said yesterday, despite my initial thoughts that perhaps the rock ‘n’ roll rhythm genre was dying out, the fact that so many new titles are on the horizon suggests otherwise.

So fire up those X360’s, PS3’s, and Wii’s, and get ready to take another look at Rock Band. Does the game’s DLC keep you coming back for more, almost a year after the game’s release? Are you ready for the next onslaught of plastic guitars, drums, and microphones that will be hitting this fall?

Read the ramblings of a mad man after the jump. (more…)