Rock Band

[marurun]

What? No option for " I don't have a current gen system " ???

[Niode]

Played the game on a friend's PS3 and it just isn't my bag of tea.

Its pointless, it makes nerds feel cool but to people that actually play an instrument (bass & acoustic guitar, violen, viola, cello) its just stupid, the timings all off and it doesnt feel like really playing the music at all. Its just another gimmik in my eyes, just like the Wiimote.

Right well I play guitar (at a professional level, i'm a session musician and part time guitar tutor) and my girlfriend plays drums.

That argument is completely moot. That's like saying, "what's the point in racing games, just go out and buy a sports car and drive that instead", or "what's the point in first person shooters, just go out and buy a gun and shoot somebody", "what's the point in sports games?, just buy a football/tennis racket/rugby ball/baseball bat/basketball etc".

I know plenty of musicians who play guitar hero/rock band. They don't play it because they play an instrument, they play it because it's fun. They play it to enjoy some of their favourite songs in a different medium. Why is that stupid? You make assumptions for musicians that are just complete bollocks. Just because you feel that way doesn't necessarily mean everyone shares your opinion.

Also I don't think the timing is off in the games either. Maybe the person's system wasn't set up right? I've never had any problems with timing... Or did you just play medium or easy? The first time I played Guitar Hero I played on Hard because there wasn't enough notes on easy or medium. If you're gonna play Guitar Hero, grow a pair and play on Expert. There's no other way to play it. Hard is far too easy.

The only problem I have is with Guitar Hero 3, which they made difficult for the sake of being difficult. Adding notes that don't exist in the song is just silly. Other than that minor gripe (it's only in a few songs on expert difficulty) I don't see any reason not to play the games. It's one thing to bash the games based on a valid point. Unfortunately you have made none. Maybe you're just bitter because you suck ass at the games?

As for the Wiimote, you're just jealous you don't have a wii. If you played a game that makes excellent use of the wii mote (ie boom blocks, metroid prime 3, resi 4, wii sports etc) then maybe you wouldn't have that idiotic opinion of it. Or are you just jumping on the anti-waggle bandwagon that most people seem to have. Trying to justify moot points as to why a console is 'bad'. There's no bad console, just that your opinion of it is bad.

[AwesomeMonstar]

Lots of stuff.

Thanks for getting what I wanted to say across in a much better fashion. I completely agree, way to make quite the sweeping generalization ryan.

[glynnahab]

Played the game on a friend's PS3 and it just isn't my bag of tea.

Its pointless, it makes nerds feel cool but to people that actually play an instrument (bass & acoustic guitar, violen, viola, cello) its just stupid, the timings all off and it doesnt feel like really playing the music at all. Its just another gimmik in my eyes, just like the Wiimote.

Right well I play guitar (at a professional level, i'm a session musician and part time guitar tutor) and my girlfriend plays drums.

That argument is completely moot. That's like saying, "what's the point in racing games, just go out and buy a sports car and drive that instead", or "what's the point in first person shooters, just go out and buy a gun and shoot somebody", "what's the point in sports games?, just buy a football/tennis racket/rugby ball/baseball bat/basketball etc".

I know plenty of musicians who play guitar hero/rock band. They don't play it because they play an instrument, they play it because it's fun. They play it to enjoy some of their favourite songs in a different medium. Why is that stupid? You make assumptions for musicians that are just complete bollocks. Just because you feel that way doesn't necessarily mean everyone shares your opinion.

Also I don't think the timing is off in the games either. Maybe the person's system wasn't set up right? I've never had any problems with timing... Or did you just play medium or easy? The first time I played Guitar Hero I played on Hard because there wasn't enough notes on easy or medium. If you're gonna play Guitar Hero, grow a pair and play on Expert. There's no other way to play it. Hard is far too easy.

The only problem I have is with Guitar Hero 3, which they made difficult for the sake of being difficult. Adding notes that don't exist in the song is just silly. Other than that minor gripe (it's only in a few songs on expert difficulty) I don't see any reason not to play the games. It's one thing to bash the games based on a valid point. Unfortunately you have made none. Maybe you're just bitter because you suck ass at the games?

As for the Wiimote, you're just jealous you don't have a wii. If you played a game that makes excellent use of the wii mote (ie boom blocks, metroid prime 3, resi 4, wii sports etc) then maybe you wouldn't have that idiotic opinion of it. Or are you just jumping on the anti-waggle bandwagon that most people seem to have. Trying to justify moot points as to why a console is 'bad'. There's no bad console, just that your opinion of it is bad.

I've voiced my distaste for this type of game before, and have met with similar reactions. I only feel like the time spent mastering these games could be better spent learning an instrument. (Of course, time spent playing Super Mario World could also be spent learning geology - which I know nothing of thanks to Mario.)

I just think playing the real thing is ultimately more rewarding.

I often remind myself that Guitar Hero is basically Dance Dance Revolution with a different input.

[peace4myheart]

I like DDR but I don't like Rock Band or Guitar Hero. Maybe it's the music. I think with these kinds of games, music is the key. I am fond of dance music. Rock music, not so much.

[Niode]

I've voiced my distaste for this type of game before, and have met with similar reactions. I only feel like the time spent mastering these games could be better spent learning an instrument. (Of course, time spent playing Super Mario World could also be spent learning geology - which I know nothing of thanks to Mario.)

I just think playing the real thing is ultimately more rewarding.

I often remind myself that Guitar Hero is basically Dance Dance Revolution with a different input.

Yes but that argument only applies to people who haven't picked up an instrument. In that case there's not much of an argument against it. If people pick guitar hero up and think that they want to start playing guitar then I'm all for that. I think that everyone should learn an instrument at some point in their life and if Guitar Hero is their gateway into that then what's the problem.

I tend to not play guitar much in my spare time seeing as I spend most of my time at work playing it. Guitar Hero/Rock band is just fun to play, whats wrong with that? Just because I play guitar doesn't make a game of it any less fun...

I skateboard, does that mean I can't play Skate, or that it is worth any less as a virtual simulation of something I enjoy doing in real life?

[D.D.D.]

I play guitar at a hobby-level and like playing covers, occasionally writing my own songs, and messing around with a ton of distortion and FX. But I've never been able to just rock out like I can for fun in Guitar Hero. That's why I like it. I like GH for spastic fun (I could never play anything by DragonForce in real life) and real guitar for the real feel. Both are unique and have their own qualities.

It really seems like all the people that use the "time better spent learning a real instrument" usually have never touched a real axe. We never heard people saying "DDR is a waste of time. Take up ballroom dancing" or something like that. These comparatives are really unrealistic.

And on the subject of Wii, I f'n hate the word waggle. Not the word, but the sound of it.

[glynnahab]

Too bad Guitar Hero doesn't throw in a little theory. Actually, time signatures could be taught through this game rather easily since it's rhythm based. Throw in something in 7/8 like "Money" by Pink Floyd and they could be educating people secretly.

Also, I hate to use something so cliche as saying "We agree to disagree", but essentially that's what it is. I know that if such a game existed when I was a little'un, I'd have never gone through the trouble of learning to play the real thing.

Maybe my beef with the Guitar Hero is that I'm a bassist and there's no Bass Hero.

Oh and Niode, post a link to some of your work, please. I'd like to hear it!

[AwesomeMonstar]

Maybe my beef with the Guitar Hero is that I'm a bassist and there's no Bass Hero.

You know rockband (the game this topic is kinda about) has a bass feature... right?

[glynnahab]

You know rockband (the game this topic is kinda about) has a bass feature... right?

Yeah, but there's not a game especially devoted to the bass. I have a right to be mad about that, right?

In fact, in my (probably distorted) perception of Rock Band, I'd imagine that the pudgiest, ugliest person in the group would get stuck on bass because it's... well... bass guitar. Who wants to be John Paul Jones when you can be Jimmy Page? Or even better, Robert Plant with the pube-revealing low rise jeans.

I was angry when I was designated bassist back when we were in high school, actually. Turns out it was perfect in the end. But it just states something about the way people perceive guitar over bass guitar. The guy playing the 8 minute solo (all the while fiddling around with a 7 note penatonic - which to me is the equivalent of masturbating in front of a crowd) gets more recognition that the rhythm section who are actually playing the song.

Sorry for the little rant there. I actually enjoy playing a show and being able to get a beer in peace afterward. Although I wouldn't mind getting all the attention from the ladies that is typically reserved for singers and drummers. Not that I'd be able to do anything, being engaged and all...