Where do we go?

So what's next for Rock Band? There's no doubt in my mind that it's the better of the two guitar simulation games. Character animations are smooth. The download content is always updated. I've recently tried out the new drums, the bass pedal is much better than the original. The accessory support from Mad Catz has been phenomenal. Rock Band has now reached a point where I could see them being happy and just relaxing. They could coast and release a new collection of songs each year. But as with anything in life, you should never just stand still. You should always be moving forward, always changing, always improving.

So here you go Harmonix/MTV, I will now tell you what improvements to make for the next game. You don't even have to pay me for it. I just want a better game next time because while Rock Band 2 was more streamlined and the instruments were improved, by far was the first game a better overall experience.

So first off, from my experience with playing music games, the golden rule: The Music Makes the Game. I'd like to see the song selection grow but not just with songs that are easily obtained. I think a big problem with music games is the licensing involved. What song you're able to secure due to cost and availability is the biggest hurdle any music game has to overcome. My biggest disappointment with RB2 has to be the song selection. While it's amazing that they are getting full albums for download. Honestly most of us aren't crazy enough to buy a video game pack of songs that cost more than the album itself. On top of that, it's very hard to pick albums in which all the songs are fun to play. You'll run into a random slow song or too easy song, and the experience will suffer. Too many songs have I seen a person sitting around not doing anything or song something waaay to easy. It's a very difficult balance. Try to keep everyone in the band happy and involved, I guess that's the reason so many real bands have problems trying to stick together. I'm never apposed to a particular type of music, but some songs just don't fit. Beastie Boys, as much as I loved them, So What'cha Want is a horrible song to play in a band, especially on Bass. The easy track should be the same as the expert one. I dare you to play that all the way through on Bass Expert and then play it on Easy. It is up to Harmonix to find the best songs from a band that best suits the experience.

Also it's impossible that a person would know all the songs from the game. That should be expected. So song should also be selected where a vocalist is able to learn the song as you go. Picking an incredibly hard song to play on guitar vs picking an incredibly hard song to sing/rap are two completely different things. I think that should be taken into consideration a little better in the next game.

The best thing to happen to Rock Band is the A La Carte song selection for download. I'm able to pick the music and more importantly, difficulty I want to play. While I do believe that playing songs that you normally wouldn't play helps you get better at reading the music and learning rhythm, Rock Band is a game and having fun means you get to play songs that you can really get into and full get involved in the experience. The problem here is what's been offered vs the possibility of what could be offered. There's this huge chasm of desire that hasn't and probably won't ever be filled. It'll be impossible to keep everyone happy. They've done a good job with the support behind the DLC that keeps coming out. It's been constant since RB's release, but a lot of times I feel that it's not about picking content that is necessarily best for the game but the most cost efficient. I'm not sure if that's a problem on the side of the music industry or the video game industry, but it's a problem they need to quickly get over themselves about. They've got people, no wait. They have FANS who love the music and will pay money to play these songs, and they want to nickel and dime them for as much as possible. That ain't right.

They're trying to make a game for everyone. By the song list you can tell, there's something for everyone, which is good for a lot but great for few. I'd like to see for Rock Band 3, it be on a disc, but you select which songs from the library that you would want for your game. I'd pick mostly 90's stuff and then some of the better stuff I've heard in the last few years. In thinking about this post I got to talking with Mike about Guitar Hero. The original game and how it was formed and who it was aimed at. You look at it. It almost feels like music sold out again. It's sponsored now and got huge corporate bucks behind it. It's licensed with authenic brands and instruments. There's all sorts of new fangled unnecessary accessories like stage kits and cymbal packs. I remember the time when it was just about playing the music. It didn't matter that the songs were original recordings. They were just fun to play and aimed just for us. The first Guitar Hero was made for video game players with a specific music taste. It was because of that exclusiveness that it caught on and is still considered by me to be one of the best music games.

For the next game, let's make improvements. Polish up the graphics. Fix up the instruments where they need them. Streamline the experience. Just let people play what they want to play. Give them what they want. People never feel bad for spending money if they feel they got their money's worth. Find a way to do it for the fans.

Also, what's up with the stereotypes in the game?

Oh and Rock Band with just Japanese Music....

David

What would you like to see? Improvements or Songs Added?