More Rumors of More Artist-Specific Titles
Destructoid put up a post earlier this morning about a survey sent out from NPD, a global provider of market research data, about people’s feelings towards an artist-specific music game. As you can see above, they actually called out a number artists for Rock Band that we’ve already heard rumors about: Pink Floyd, Queen, The Who, and U2. There have also been rumors lately of Guitar Hero titles featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but what I find interesting is that the survey specifically mentions “This game will only contain music created from the specified artist.” While Harmonix has been taking this approach with both the Beatles and Green Day, Guitar Hero’s Aerosmith, Metallica, and Van Halen titles have had a healthy smattering of other artists. If the Red Hot Chili Peppers rumor turns out to be true, is Guitar Hero again reading from Harmonix’s play book and only having a single on-disc artist?
While I know a lot of people are against the idea of single-artist discs, I think a few of them are still good ideas. I think a Led Zeppelin game would sell very well. I also think a U2 game well sell equally well, although I may be biased because I’m a big U2 fan.
I could be way off, though. What do you guys think? Add some artists in the comments from above and any others that you can think of that you would purchase if they made an artist-specific game.
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I think someone of those would be ridiculous choices. Though a Michael Jackson game might sell well, I can see a lot of the instrument tracks being extremely repetitive and boring (Smooth Criminal and Beat It aside). That kind game would be better suited to SingStar.
My main hope, still, is for a Muse: Rock Band. They’re my #1 band and their fanbase is still increasing exponentially. Part of me hopes/dreams that the fact that HMX have seemingly ignored the biggest request thread on the RB forums is that they’re saving their songs for a big, stand-alone game. That would shock everyone. It’d definitely sell the best out of TBRB, GDRB, GHA, GHM and GHVH.
RockBandAide Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I agreed with you on Michael Jackson, but there’s NO WAY a Muse: Rock Band would outsell the Beatles. I’ll go as far as saying it would beat anything else, but as I always say… “It’s the Beatles!”
Pink Floyd
yes plz
I want a U2 specific game more than ANYTHING. And from Harmonix of course. They are the biggest band of the last 30 years. Great songs on every album. You would need 45-50 slots and fill them all easily to represent their work. They fit the four piece structure perfectly. I want dedicated visuals representing their tours for eras….Dublin club, Red Rocks, maybe Live Aid, Sun Devil Stadium for Joshua Tree….Zoo TV, Popmart, 360…I can perfectly see this game in my head and I WANT IT.
That being said, I sure wish Metallica had waited and gone with Harmonix. Big mistake from my favorite band.
RockBandAide Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 9:55 am
I agree with 100% of your comment!
FrankieB Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 10:13 am
Excuse me but I will not allow my beloved Guitar Hero Metallica to be shamed here! That is a great game and all of you know it lol.
On another note I am not sure I could stomach U2: Rock Band, but would probably buy it anyway for exports if they were available.
RockBandAide Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 10:31 am
I played it for the first time last weekend. I like most of the Metallica tracks on it, but with a few exceptions, the non-Metallica tracks are “filler.” And maybe it’s just because I haven’t played a Guitar Hero game since GH3, I felt you like you could drive a dump truck through the timing windows! I’m not that good, and I was hitting EVERYTHING. I almost got to the end on Expert in one sitting, which normally I struggle on. Now I just wish Metallica would come back to Rock Band!
metallichris71 Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Hey now, let’s be clear that I LOVE Metallica, and that is why their game is so disappointing. Other acts? Why?? As much as I love most of those guest acts…another 20 from Metallica would have been better, especially since the Loads and St Anger were so underrepresented, as well as the missing two cuts from MOP. GH graphics just bother my eyes too, even though GHM was much better than their other editions. And as usual with GH, drums and vocal charting were severely lacking.
Harmonix could have done a far, far better job with such a great band.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2 or Queens of the Stone Age. Instant buys for me.
Besides Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and maybe The Doors (Bass, what?), it’d be hard for me to get excited for a band-specific game. Well, The Who would be on that list, but they’ve already got tons of DLC. I won’t be picking up Green Day on day one, that’s for sure. I still prefer track packs.
Big no to Pink Floyd. Reason being, their overall catalog is not well-known and loved enough by a large audience. The pre Dark Side stuff, aside from “One of These Days”, is virtually unknown, and stuff post-Wall is not very well liked either. Division Bell, really?
That being said….I will happily take Full-album DLC of Dark Side, Wish You Were Here, and Animals (The Wall, to me, can get a little hoary and pretentious and goes on far too long).
I’m so not a fan of single-band releases unless that band is huge. I don’t qualify U2 nor Floyd as that type of band. Yes, I said it. However…the only thing about Floyd is that would be one game where the visuals *would* be half of the game, kind of like Beatles:RB.
But you know…amongst all these single-band ideas, I’m continually disappointed at the DLC packs. The classic rock/metal not coming in DLC is a continual let down. Shouldn’t DLC be the litmus test if a band is worthy of their own title? Just because I want to see some Skid Row or Tesla in RB doesn’t mean I want the complete album.
After seeing that I am seriously torn between Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. I’d almost be more tempted to lean towards Pink Floyd to be completely honest but thats just my opinion.
I wouldn’t rule out Rock Band: JUSTIN BEIBER though.
Led Zeppelin, U2, and Pink Floyd. I’d buy their specific games.
I’m not too sure about Pink Floyd though, since Roger Waters and David Gilmour are still alive, so there might be some conflict between the two about which material to put in (like stuff from a Momentary Lapse of Reason).
Led Zeppelin, I can completely imagine. Starting out from their performance at Danmarks Radio to Madison Square Garden to Earls Court to playing some fictional place in the now with John Bonham. I’d buy that game twice if they ever made a Led Zeppelin: Rock Band.
Me myself wouldn`t have been so excited about any of these. Except Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who and Michael Jackson. I think Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin and Queen would sell, though. Elvis though, would be pretty much vocals-based, i guess. Can`t really tell.
Led Zeppelin or the Red Hot. With AC/DC are from the few groups I like at full. I’d also love an AC/DC Rock Band, besides the Live’ songs, there are lots of fun in their early days’ albums.
Totally agree with U2… been hoping and praying.. I don’t believe Pink Floyd would do well with their own seperate RB Disc… DLC absoutley..
zeppelin, Dinosaur Jr, The Fall of Troy… idk, I don’t pick up single artist games (with the exception of the future GD:RB).
It’d be nice to have a less well known bands disc size track pack (Los Campesinos, Be Your Own Pet, Good Shoes) I don’t listen to all the mainstream stuff as much. A math rock pack would be nice too. (Maps & Atlases, Don Caballero)
All those bands are kinda out in the wind for RBN to pick up. I think HMX should focus more on expanding the genres than making another single band game.
The Witticus Reply:
May 7th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
My mind cannot grasp how epic a Dinosaur Jr. game would be!
I am a huge fan of music and a huge fan of rock band. That being said, I can only think of three bands I would love to see have a stand alone game:
RB: Dream Theater
RB: Cake
RB: Symphony X
Zeppelin, Floyd and U2 would be instant buys for me, I think Zeppelin and U2 would probably be a better fit for a band game as many of the Pink Floyd songs are melodic and may not have a whole lot of drumming which is a very popular instrument.
However my guess is Floyd since I keep hearing rumors of that from various places, which is fine. They are all great bands!!! (1)piper (1)more (2)relics (3)meddle (8)dark side (4)wish you (3)animals (14)the wall (3)the final cut (2)momentary (1) delicate (1)division = 43……sorry I couldn’t resist (at least I didn’t name them).
Rock Band KISS would be great!
Out of the listed artists, I’d be most interested in a U2 game. Though i think they’d need to gloss over Zooropa and the late 90′s stuff. (“Numb” would be epically awful.)
Most of the other artists are better suited for a Track Pack disc of 20 or so songs.
And no love for The Boss? C’mon folks!
I don’t like band specific games. I have The Beatles Rock Band. Not only was it as easy as most people predicted, it felt like an island, far separated from the main game. It was too restrictive and the dreamscapes, while impressively eye catching at first, became distracting and repetitive. I don’t play rhythm games to stare at background graphics. It’s no suprise that I rarely play it. And it seems I’m not alone. Hardly anyone else I know still plays it (that includes local friends and a friends list full of hard core Rock Band players. I can’t even find random people in quickplay on the days I do pop the disc in.
That said I would only tolerate one band specific (non exporting) game and that would be Led Zeppelin. They’re timeless, they have multigenerational appeal, their style is extremely varied, they have both complex and simple songs (read difficult and easy) and they rock in the way these kinds of games require. However, I’d be pretty unhappy if the game used the Beatles template. The latex glove treatment doesn’t seem preserve the integrity of the music, it makes the game boring. If HMX released a Led Zep game that exported it would be a dream come true… but I won’t hold my breath.
While I don’t have a problem listening to most of the other bands on that list, I’d be pretty disappointed with a game focused on any of them. Exporting doesn’t even change that fact. I don’t like the all or nothing approach that’s the norm with exports.
Why hasn’t anyone been talking about RUSH lately in these band specific conversations?
Rock Band: Rush would be utterly phenomenal on all instruments!!!
I think one of the best bands for a new Rock Band game would be Kansas.