What’s in a Name? That Which We Call a Game by Any Other Name Would Play as Sweet?
Yup. We’re doing this…
OK, here’s the deal. The game is called “Rock Band.” It also has rock music in it. However, just like your radio, your iPod, and your local concert hall, more than just rock music is played. When I hear people complaining about DLC every week, this is the probably the “argument” that I hate the most. And it comes up a LOT. I don’t mind if you don’t like the music each week… really. I dislike Miley as much as you do, if not more. But I’ll let you in on a little secret… I don’t like the same bands as you. People freaked out about Iron Maiden DLC awhile back… Me: “Meh.” Megadeth DLC! Me: “Yawn.” Sorry, there’s just some bands I don’t get excited for. Doesn’t mean I’m going to claim the franchise is dead and squat on the corpse (I guess I can’t, since I’m a little more vested in it than the average person). But let’s take a quick stroll through Twitter to see what people are saying. The names have been hidden to protect the “innocent…”
I think Matt here should get together with Steve from the top and figure out if they want to use quotes or capitalize the word rock in Rock Band. At least shoot for consistency… might help your cause a little.
Uh oh… nobody tell him that Guitar Hero got Miley Cyrus before Rock Band did. Should have had this tag, too: #Nerdrage
Suicide is not the answer, sir. But if you do, make sure to write “Bretton was here” on the ceiling above you so Red can see it and pause for a poignant moment.
You have too many A’s in fail. It’s actually spelled with six A’s, not seven. And he is NOT going to like the DLC coming for Guitar Hero, then.
Pssht… yeah. Good luck with that whole “realistic” instruments thing in Rock Band 3! No one plays a real instrument anymore!
Two separate statements that are both true. I mean, 2012 isn’t far off. Not sure if he’s inferring there’s a connection, though.
CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK IS HERE TO SAVE US FROM TERRIBLE DLC!
Bad Rock Band! If this get’s any worse, we may have to hire the “Rock Band Whisperer.”
Did I miss the meeting where Marissa was appointed as the head of the “million of advid” players and “music heads” group? I must have been sick that day.
C’mon… you knew it was coming.
Feel free to add your contributions in the comments… or to tell me to f**k off… I’ll take either.
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All I can say is it’s really not that bad…
If you don’t like it don’t but it end of.
rofl gordito
This is amazing….hahaha thank you!!
lulz. Most of the serious RockBanders I know have so much DLC at this point that 5 songs really doesn’t seem like much of an influence on the Rock Band vision.
The funny thing is, you can vote whether or not you like the DLC with your money. Maybe they all thought Harmonix was forcing the community to buy Miley products? Who knows.
Fuck off. Happy?
The world has plenty of things to get emo about, folks. IIRC, that’s the FIRST thing people quoted “Rock” Band about–emo songs in the track list.
Perhaps it’s these folks who drove the new filtering options in RB3? Did they want to stop seeing those Naked Brothers Band songs they purchased while drunk?
I thank Harmonix (in my head) every single week for their variety. I love the Megadeth DLC, but there are also a few country songs that are a blast on guitar, not to mention Freezepop-style music. What’s the point in being a music elitist when there’s so much good to go around. If you don’t like a week of DLC, skip it. Save the money for the Squier!
You really have NO idea how much this post has made my day
LOL, that made my day.
Yeah, because Pop is in no way, shape, or form a subset of (or influenced by) rock music. Gee, who knew it was actually called “Metal Band” or “Alt Band” or “Indie Band” or “70s Classic Rock Band?”
Whiners, I really wish I had your life. Things are so sweet for you that the only thing you have left to complain about is a product that no one is making you buy. Those FIVE songs really do spell the end of the franchise. I guess it’s not “your” game anymore. Need a tissue?
*golf clap*
Nicely done.
Oh we’ve got both kinds, country AND western.
Terry Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Blues Brothers DLC = WIN
Meh, it’s music snobbery. If it wasn’t Miley it’d be someone else.
I’m with you personally. While I don’t care for Miley, this DLC doesn’t change for one second all the wonderful DLC that I do love and play over and over.
I’m sure there are others out there that will really enjoy the Miley. And I’m happy for them.
Live and let live. That’s my motto.
BTW – where’s my Def Leppard and Billy Joel DLC?
What’s the big deal???? Just don’t buy it. It’s not the end of the world, that will be when they release some Justin Bieber DLC…..DON DO THAT HARMONIX!!!!!
The secret here is if you don’t like it, don’t buy the DLC. Simple. I’ve done that for many bands.
Then you hope next time they give you something you like. I have a bit of stuff (older music) that my friends don’t like from DLC.
I think here RB is just giving everyone a choice. RB will keep doing what they are doing.
Good post!
Rob Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 1:36 pm
That’s the awesome thing about DLC. If you don’t buy it and add it to your game, it may as well not exist in your reality. What Miley Cyrus songs?
Where were these people when the Spongebob songs were released?
(I know, probably on Twitter bitching about it.)
I very much enjoyed reading this. Well done sir.
I have a really wide variety of music I like so the fact that miley cyrus was added doesnt bother me. I like a couple of her songs. I love all the rock stuff they add but theres a bunch of stuff people go crazy for that i dont even like at all. Everyone was excited for the Jimmy Hendrix pack, greatful dead pack, too me it wasnt too exciting. People need to be thankful that we get so much variety. I bet those same people saying fck rock band im done, will buy the next dlc they like. Like someone mentioned before, it saves me money not to have to buy dlc every week.
Nothing wrong with variety, and it’s not like people are being forced to buy the pack. I don’t get why people get so bent out of shape over DLC. If you don’t like what’s on the list that week, hang in there and maybe the next week will have something you like. If not, rejoice and love that you’re saving money that you can spend at a later date on whatever you’d like.
Personally I think I’m gonna pick up that track “See You Again” because it’s catchy as hell and it would go over at a party. Shame “Party In The USA” isn’t in the track pack too.
RockBandAide Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 2:03 pm
…stay tuned…
redstarneon Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 2:40 pm
I’d wager that “Party In The USA” is another being-held for RB3 track.
Bishop Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 5:01 pm
On a related note, someone charted it for RBN just for fun a while back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7cAiVqNy4o
I totally agree with you.. the best part of Rock Band is the DLC and variety of the music! And if they stuck with one genre… the game wouldnt be as successful! period.. I think Guitar Hero fails on this point and the amount of DLC available.. If you look at singstar and how successful that game has been, it is again based on the amount of DLC content available.
The whole “I thought this was ROCK Band!” argument really grinds my gears. Especially as the major proponent of that argument seems to be the sorts of people wanting more metal, which is also not ROCK!
Great read, it is always worth a chuckle seeing people bitch about DLC like this. You’d think after the huge backlog of stuff on offer now and Harmonix’s superb track record that people would’ve learnt to go so over the top with their reactions, but I guess not.
Sounds like some people have been taking Crylenol pills.
5/1,639 = 0.3% of the Rock Band library is Miley Cyrus. So fuck you, other 99.7%.
Whatelse can 16 year olds cry about now? Don’t like it don’t buy it. And f*** Muse!
I don’t get why people complain. There is so many options of songs to get. Out of the over 1350 songs in Rock Band you complain about 5. That is such a low percent of the songs. I mean there is new songs everyday with RBN. If you are on PS3 there is RBN songs every time there is official DLC. Then there is Green Day, LEGO, RB1 and RB2 songs you can still play.
I actually ended up reading most of those tweets with my mouth open in disbelief at how ridiculous some people are. On the other hand, I’m not too surprised as that kind of attitude was the reason I abandoned rbdlc.com, where people began complaining too much and taking the attitude that their opinion must be correct.
I don’t think they could release anything that would make me angry. I guess I’d get pretty annoyed if we only got similar music to Miley Cyrus week after week, but that just isn’t going to happen. Even if people don’t like a certain genre or genres of music, they should applaud Harmonix for supporting a wide variety of music.
Nice article anyway, it made me smile =)
Well, while we’re at it, we might as well complain that GUITAR Hero has *gasp!* MORE THAN JUST GUITARS IN IT NOW!!!
Seriously, if we stay close-minded about things, we’ll never improve. Not a fan of Miley, and I won’t be picking up her DLC, but there are worse things out there. Like including her on the actual RB3 disc. I’ve got bigger things to worry about.
Here is the deal folks, if you don’t like it don’t buy it. It’s DLC. If stuff like this ends up on the RB3 disk, fine. At least they are giving me new features to prevent it from coming up. Rock Band is no longer a “game” it’s a format. All music should and will be represented. If people want to buy Miley, good for HMX. That’s more money in their pocket so they can produce more stuff that I may, or may not like.
I don’t see the point in getting angry about dlc you don’t like. I didn’t care for it, but my fiancé made be buy 3 tracks. So see? No matter what they release, someone will be pleased.
Having pop DLC in your RB setup means girls at your party are more likely to join in and have a good time. HMX just wants everyone to get laid, and I am mystified that people are opposed to that.
PS: RB3 with keyboards needs all the Billy Joel they can get in (I’m OK if they wait until then – I don’t want to play any more keyboard-charted-on-guitar if I can help it). “My Life” or “Pressure” on Pro Expert keyboards would be EPIC.
Cassie Drake Reply:
June 23rd, 2010 at 3:51 pm
I take offense at you implying that girls will only play if there’s Miley Cyrus in it. I’ll take playing Expert anything on “Are You Dead Yet” by Children of Bodom over any Miley Cyrus song any day. >_<
…lol other than that, carry on. =)
Boy, imagine what life would be like if the CBGB only played country and bluegrass.
Bottom line is people are going to complain no matter what. Why? Because they can. No matter how logically you put it, they won’t listen to logic. Because they’re not complaining logically. They’re complaining emotionally. And that emotion is definitely illogical.
Me personally, I Loathe Hannah Montana. I cringed when my sister begged me to download her songs for her. But I still did it. WHY? Because you know I have friends with kids who come over and play rockband. And you know what, it’s fun for them. Isn’t THAT the whole point of rockband. The versatility of this game to reach so many people on so many different levels and tastes.
Muse has some songs I think would work well for incorporating the keyboard, but I’m not going to start begging for them like that guy, its practically childish. It’s like people who beg for AC/DC on iTunes, just get limewire and get over it like the rest of us.
Oh and they can add any songs they want for DLC as long as they still continue to be the best music game experience possible (and stay away from air drums, haha).
Wow. “Music head?” It’s like he’s trying so hard to make it look like he listens to more than METUHL!!!
Also, Kyle was pretty easy to find. He’s the only guy that has the #guitarherofromnowon tag. …ever. It’s really kinda sad.
Oh, and Tommy, did you know that Muse contributed to every single Twilight soundtrack? If you’re willing to turn coat on a franchise from that tiny detail, I can do the same thing with a band.
I personally would not have purchased Gaga or Miley, but my wife loves both, so they are in our collection and get played with some regularity (at least the Gaga stuff has). And, it has burrowed its way into my brain, and I find myself actually liking those songs. I have a very diverse collection of songs in my list, and this just helps round out the pop category.
I think it’s great that Rock Band has such huge variety. Everything from death metal to SpongeBob to Country. Bring it on Harmonix, the more DLC the better!
And because it has to be said, I cannot WAIT for RB3 to come out!!! And I’ll be first in line to buy a Squier Strat.
Oh, people aren’t just adorable?
The people in the Tweets above are being completely unreasonable. Pop Rock, even cheesy Disney tween-pop, is just as much a subgenre of Rock as Metal, Alternative, etc. I say bring it on, I don’t have any interest in Miley or Lady Gaga, but some of the ladies who come to my RB parties do. Same argument goes for Country.
I can see two patterns emerging 1. RBN is bringing lots of musical variety into RB and 2. Now that we can have up to 7 parts, most of the music won’t support all 7 so songs without the 4 traditional parts will be more accepted.
Depending on how RBN and RBN2 goes, I can see the following becoming viable:
Rap tracks with 2 vocal parts, drums, and maybe keys.
Coffee Shop Acoustic tracks with vocals and one or two guitar parts.
Jazz tracks with piano and maybe keys charted to the horn solos.
Hell, we could even have Gregorian chant with three part vocal harmony and no instruments.
It may not strictly be “ROCK” Band anymore, but I’m too busy having fun with a world of music to give a damn about whatever a small segment of the population thinks Rock should be.
The funny thing is how people seem personally offended by it, and the sheer amount of people who take it too far is hilarious. “Oh no! Rock Band is doomed!”. Ha! The amount of idiocy involved is staggering.
Really, the train of thought should be “I’m glad they wasted a week of non-Pro mode and non-keyboard DLC on this garbage instead of something else” instead of “ROCK BAND HAS INSULTED MY FAMILY HONOR, GUITAR HERO FOR LIFE!!!!!”. Idiots.
Whizzer Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 4:14 am
+1, this, or whatever. Spot on. In that train of thought, HMX can release as much ‘crappy’ DLC as they want (especially if it’s to make money for retrofitting old DLC with RB3 features.
Haha
Really good article with witty comments 
(more opinion yet fact based articles please?)
As a whole Rock Band have given me far more songs that I like than those that I dislike.
Harmonix could release some Justin Bieber and I would not give a monkeys based on the fact that I would not buy it (but younger gamers would)
If they did not release tracks from more popular artists, such as Miley, they could not boast that they have the biggest variety of DLC.
The funny thing is, in the end I reckon at least one person is going to end up buying a Miley Cyrus track based on the difficulty.
But I agree with the Harmonix line – ROCK Band does not mean “rock music only” – it means a guitar, a bass, percussion and vocals (and now a keyboard). Hey, wait a minute – isn’t that the combination of instruments that makes up most rock bands in real life?
DLC is optional content. Always has been, always will be. If it’s not to your tastes, well guess what – there’s a constant stream of new content (or at least five extra songs a week on PS3) coming through the RBN.
Ironically, I reckon this pack will sell best on the Wii, because the target markets overlap so much.
You got trolled hard. Or really defend the non-”true GH fan” (bull—-) DLC. Personally I would care less for “Metal Pack 174″ for Rock Band. It’s oddball things that pop out like this Miley Cyrus that grab my attention.
I can only imagine what the guy posting about the apocalypse thought when the “Lady Gaga” DLC came for Rock Band. I would bet that they posted something on that, as well.
Putting it simply: If one doesn’t like the release, one does not need to buy it. Wait seven more days for a new three-pack (or more) before we die after seeing the Ring.
Also, “#rockbandcanto?” How many cantos are dedicated to Rock Band out there? LEARN ENGLISH. I’m out.
They really should just rename RB3 to Multi-Genre Super Fun Time Extreme Band 3.
Oh wait. Then people would complain the DLC was only Fun not Super Fun.
Scrap that idea.
My favorite part:
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/4346/mileynp.jpg
So when are we getting more Muse?
Zaphod42 Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 1:03 am
A f t e r the release of RB3, I hope!
I think it’s a wise choice to release stuff like this, which most probably doesn’t interest those of us hot for pro-mode, now! I’d be pretty confused, if they had a Muse pack next week with the piano parts charted for the 5-button guitar (Butterflies & Hurricanes, Bliss, … anybody?)
So yeah. Would actually like more Muse. Like. A lot more Muse. I would quite happy buy full albums of everything they’ve done except maybe the most recent one, though if that was the only one, i’d still get that.
I have to admit, that so many people are hilarious precious of things like this. I can’t imagine DLC i didn’t like turning me off a whole franchise.
Have these guys been buying every bit of DLC that has come out ever?
and even then? “… well i’ve bought thousands of dollars of content, but Miley Cyrus just makes it all seem a bit silly.” — Actually that makes more sense.
I give HMX props for scoring the license for material this high profile. RB variety rocks! It’s why I stuck with RB over GH, which seems to be entrenching itself further in its hardcore audience. I hope “Party In The USA” comes to RB3!
I did a little calculation recently.
993 DLC songs from 11/22/07-6/15/10 = 938 days = 7.41 songs a week
RBN 363 songs from 03/03/10-6/15/10 = 106 days = 3.42 songs a day, or 23.97 songs a week
I think we’ll survive one little Miley Cyrus pack.