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Inq. of the Week: Are you Ready to Rock?

January 14, 2008 by Dave

Synth HeroGood triumphant! That’s what last week’s poll about your favorite alignment determined, with a surprising 74 people thus far weighing in. Neutral Good was the top flavor of good, since most of you hero types believe that Good should not care about Law or Chaos. Second up was the champion of individuality and freedom, Chaotic Good. Then in a tie for third, Chaotic Neutral and Lawful Evil. Just watch out if us CN folks and LE folks work together… mwahahahaha!

This week, the obsession with Rock Band continues. Partly inspired by this comment from Denise asking about a keyboard/synth for it, but also the news that there will be a $99 attachment that adds an “interactive light and smoke show”, we realized that there’s so much more that could be added to Rock Band. A new instrument might require some heavy duty add-ons, but would still be awesome. The ability to play our own songs would let us unleash our own creativity, and would be a step to silence all the Rock Band-haters. An online Battle of the Bands mode would let us fight against other creatively-named bands in an epic online contest.

And perhaps easiest of all, we need to let our voices heard about what new songs and bands needs to be added via download. Even if you end up choosing another poll option, weigh in and tell us who you’re DYING to see added to the game. Even if you’ve never played the game, you can tell us what songs are crucial to achieving Full Rock Potential.

Finally, if you think it’s perfect, everything could always use More Cowbell!

[poll id=”61″]


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Filed Under: Featured, Inquisition of the Week, Music, Video Games Tagged With: more cowbell, rock band

About Dave

Dave "The Game" Chalker is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Critical Hits. Since 2005, he has been bringing readers game news and advice, as well as editing nearly everything published here. He is the designer of the Origins Award-winning Get Bit!, a freelance designer and developer, son of a science fiction author, and a Master of Arts. He lives in MD with e and at least three dogs.

Comments

  1. Bartoneus says

    January 14, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    This list will grow:

    Orgy – Blue Monday

  2. The Game says

    January 14, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    I think
    The Mesopotamians – They Might Be Giants
    is perfect, though it’s probably pretty easy to play. And of course, we need some
    Snail Shell
    for the drums alone!

    Rock Band would need an accordion attachment for many of their songs, however.

  3. TheMainEvent says

    January 14, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    Jam Mode (play your own songs) would effectively allow people to rip off whoever they want AND make up music, so that gets my vote.

    Specifically, I want Muse “Time is Running Out”…

  4. Phil says

    January 14, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    I’m with Bart on Orgy’s Blue Monday.

    šŸ™‚

  5. The Game says

    January 14, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    Not even going to recommend some Depeche Mode, Phil?

  6. Bartoneus says

    January 14, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    Who is this “Deep-esh Mowed” you speak of? Some kind of Canadian jazz group?

  7. Denise says

    January 14, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    We bought Rock Band about a week ago. I still think it’d be nice to have a synth, but I love the guitar. Singing is fun, too, though there really needs to be more female-lead songs.

  8. Reverend Mike says

    January 14, 2008 at 3:27 pm

    Battle of the Bands would be most awesome…incorporating a synth/keyboard/hammond organ would be a bit difficult, but I suppose it could be done…if it ever does come to pass, they need to add The Doors’ “Touch Me” so I can do my impression of Ray Manzarek…

  9. The Game says

    January 14, 2008 at 3:28 pm

    Or a sousaphone.

  10. steve says

    January 14, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    more instruments would be great, more people playing means less standing around watching.

    I can just see Rock Band competitions popping up like Fight Clubs.

  11. ScottM says

    January 14, 2008 at 8:19 pm

    We’re enjoying playing a pair of guitars at the moment, but really enjoyed playing with all 4 instruments when friends were in town.

    TMBG is an inspired choice– it’d be a lot of fun to play their songs. [Vocals would be way too funny.]

    I don’t know who I’d pick, as my groups are a lot less frenetic… though “What if god were one of us” and other Suzanne Vega would be interesting. So would some of Sarah McLachlin’s early [darker and more instrumental] pieces, or Meredith Brooks…

  12. Brett says

    January 14, 2008 at 11:42 pm

    Me, I’d like to see Hip Hop Hero – two turntables and a microphone~ Or Beat Box Hero!

  13. The Game says

    January 15, 2008 at 12:20 am

    Two turntables and a microphone reminds me of Beck Hero šŸ™‚

  14. Reverend Mike says

    January 15, 2008 at 1:14 am

    More Wolfmother would be good…they need to come out with a second album so I can appease my need to rock…

  15. Sucilaria says

    January 15, 2008 at 11:59 am

    1) A mode where you can simply play the drums, considering they’re basically the full instrument, would be nice.

    The issue I see here, is when we start talking about adding keyboard, you then have 3 instruments that are easily transferrable to the real world – vocal, drums and keyboard. The guitars are still in this kind of other category, which…I dunno, it just bothers me. Keyboard would be very tricky – if you include a full keyboard, there would be NO excuse to have it not be fully functional. The other option is to have one of your little-tikes looking things, with five keys…emasculating, anyone? I mean, there’s just not a lot of challenge there, and I have no idea how you would implement additional notes – even just a full octave would be so many colors and yadda yadda. However, if someone has an idea of how it could be done, I’d love to hear it.

    I suppose my frustration lies in the fact that in a lot of cases, your group of four could actually get the real instruments and play the songs…for real!!! Guitars are a bit more of a stretch, but with drums, it’s just so close…I’d like to somehow see that aspect of things expanded upon, some kind of improv mode or something.

    And yes, I do have sand in my *ahem*.

  16. Bartoneus says

    January 15, 2008 at 12:19 pm

    There was definitely a day when people thought emulating a guitar in a video game would be stupid and emasculating. It just takes the right people to do it, and it can be pulled off.

  17. The Game says

    January 15, 2008 at 1:02 pm

    “I’d like to somehow see that aspect of things expanded upon, some kind of improv mode or something.”

    I think that’s what I’m suggesting with the Jam Mode option, if I understand you correctly. But it would allow us types who suck at real guitar but rock with fake guitar to play along… somehow.

    And did nobody notice my wonderful prototype Keyboard image in the corner??? (OK, it doesn’t make sense, but I thought it looked cool)

  18. joshx0rfz says

    January 15, 2008 at 3:25 pm

    More peripherals? Doesn’t this stuff take up enough space as it is? What about the price of said peripherals?

    Jam mode might work if each song only used five chords (which for quite a few songs is more then enough) but even then you aren’t “jamming”. Maybe jammin won’t be a thing of the past, but I doubt it’s feasible in this case.

    A band battle thing would be fun but difficult due to latency issues.

    More cowbell is always a sure bet.

  19. Denise says

    January 15, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    Well, for the keyboard, they could have you pressing more than one button at a time. It wouldn’t be like green…. green… blue blue… red…

    But then, the more instruments you have, the more screen space there is taken up. It would have to be used instead of one of the other instruments, I think.

About the Author

  • Dave

    Dave "The Game" Chalker is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Critical Hits. Since 2005, he has been bringing readers game news and advice, as well as editing nearly everything published here. He is the designer of the Origins Award-winning Get Bit!, a freelance designer and developer, son of a science fiction author, and a Master of Arts. He lives in MD with e and at least three dogs.

    Email: dave@critical-hits.com

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