"Band Games" Wishlist

[Kalyx triaD]

Alright, we've played the Hell out of what has become a renaissance in gaming - the music-based band titles. We love them. Shit, just three years ago it was a niche deal where some of us might have been ribbed for admitting to play Guitar Hero. Now discussions over set-lists, DLC music, and guitar controllers are commonplace in this forum. So after playing the Rock Bands and the Guitar Heroes, what's next. Where do we want Rock Band 3 and Guitar Hero 5 (World Tour 2?) to go as far as features? I mean really... music is no longer an issue. I actually have this thought that all the most wanted acts will be signed in the next two or three years. We used to day dream about what bands we want to see in these games but a lot of them have been delivered, or will be. The only thing left to speculate and think about is feature sets.

Rather than make two wishlists for RB3 and GH5 I think it's better to mash them up in one thread. You could split up your ideas in two lists or, and this can only happen with these sort of games, lay down general ideas that could work for both games. Me - I like to think certain things work better for one game over the other. And here weeeeeeeee........ go.

Rock Band 3:

Of course I don't actually own RB2. But I've played it multiple times and know/sampled most of the feature sets. Still, if I hit a beat that's actually in RB2 - kick me in the mouth and correct me.


Effects Switch should toggle effects all the time. It's already next to useless in most people's eyes, and when the effects sweep in after Star Power (Overdrive, whatever) is activated the altered notes become jarring. However, I mostly like how guitars sound in all the songs anyway, so I would like an option for the effects to either be static, Overdrive, or solo-section only. Of course the classic configuration should be default as well. And how about effects for the mic as well? I guess that would need a special mic, huh?
Speaking of the mic, where's my option to play and sing at once? I rather not use 'sign-in' tricks to do this. Also, it should be represented in game by my avatar as well. And this may be pushing it (why not, it's a wishlist), but where's my third party Rock Band licensed Mic Stand!? I'd buy one in a hot second! Sure I could get a real one but really... RB logos make all the difference. It should be able to set up for child and 'everyone else' heights. This is mostly to help out with playing and singing, but even when I just sing I may wanna Steve Tyler the damn thing.
In between the different tracks loading when playing multiple setlists, I want the crowd to cheer whenever I say something in the mic. Just general cheers whenever I say something loud enough between acts. Hell, how about an option to rest somewhere in the middle of a long setlists, where the singer and drummer could screw around with the crowd?
The big Rock Out endings should be earned with four stars performances or more. It should be on more tracks.
When playing a set, your band's best song should drive the crowd more nuts than usual when it begins playing. It would add to the atmosphere to save that song until the end (or middle) of a setlist.
I want another set of fret buttons on the neck of the guitar controller. They would be in between the primary and solo frets of course, and medium sized (not normal but larger than the tiny solo buttons). They wouldn't have any special operations like tap-solo play, but I should have the option to use them instead of the normal frets like the solo ones. They should be spaced a good distance from both existing buttons so you don't make mistakes hitting Green near Orange. With this, I should receive bonus points for 'playing the scales' or something. But even if I don't, this idea was inspired by the fact that I often miss notes when going from solo-frets to normal ones. A bridge set of frets would give me a new stop point between soloing and normal frets. That's the biggest and only change I'd want for the guitar.


General:


Lead, Bass, and Rhythm tracks should be made available for certain songs in either RB3 or GH5. There should be a mode to support three axes should all three be taken up by players. This would of course leave no room for a drummer, unless the game can have four charts on screen (which I'm sure it can). But if a trade-off need occur, nixing the drummer would be my sacrifice.
Mic and Drums should have an Easy+ mode. This would remove penalty for those positions, so you could essentially sing or drum whatever to the music. This idea was inspired by what GH: Metallica is doing with the drums. Yeah, you might end up destroying somebody's favorite tune, but the option might render some surprises. And the Christian crowd could import 'holy' lyrics! Me and the guys did that as a joke sense RB recognizes range and not actual lyrics, and turned a number of songs into Christian ballads. Hilariously, some songs are fucking perfect. We used to go to church a lot so the comedy may not resonate with you but maaaaaan... lol.


Guitar Hero wishlist later.

[D Mac]

If you have a gig of like 3 songs or more, have like an intro before you come out like the lights go out and some pyro goes off or some shit, and your group comes out to the roar of the crowd. And on your last song have an "encore effect" like in Guitar Hero, where fireworks go off, stage effects and stuff.

[Kane Knight]

LOL Renaissance.

Here's some ones I'd love:



Selectable effects. Things like your pyro and lighting really shouldn't be that hard to make selectable.
Toggle songs on/off for random play. This was one of the earliest things promised on RB2, with a risk/reward system in place.
DLC integration. They already do it in RB2 sort of with challenges, but integrate them into WT mode. I don't even know how GHWT does it (If they do).
Different types of gear. Headset mics (Especually if we're going the route of avatars that sing and play), effects boxes (Which could mean a wider variety of effects, and you get to assign four), maybe customisation of your axe, etc.
Better stand-ins. Again, don't know how GHWT does this, but RB's system is a little weak. Better than nothing, but weak. I want to be able to switch between a male and female stand-in for vox if I'm in the middle of a set, for example.

[Kalyx triaD]

Guitar Hero 5:


GHTunes should have private peer-to-peer file sharing. I wanna share my cover of a licensed tune without Neversoft banning me from uploading. It should help that a track of mine isn't available for the public. Halo 3 does this with its various files.
Why all the talk about using the Pod for effects when they're set effects and you can't actually mess with the Pod? Why even have the damn thing? I'm certain the effects aren't using an emulated Pod or anything. Make the Pod a truly versatile functioning device or remove it.
Custom tracks should be extended to 5min max. When the game reminds you of the "Epic Songs" you can make when you only have 3min to work with it, the message seems sarcastic.
Redo the vocals interface.


General:


Where the fuck is "Go Go Power Rangers (Movie Ver.)"? If anybody's gonna do it, I feel Guitar Hero will take the shot. Do it already! And "Princes of the Universe" needs some love as well. It's like they're avoiding movie and TV themes... Whatever, they'll be the final frontier once everything else is done.

[Big Fat Mike]

More hardcore metal.

And maybe Guitar Hero:Montsers of Metal pack. I know the fanbase isn't all that wide but I would love to see a game with 40+ tracks from bands like God Forbid, Hatebreed, etc. Okay so maybe "Monsters of Metal" wasn't the greatest moniker. Im just sayign

[Penner]

I agree wit the headset mic idea.

Why can't they just let you use the one that you use for online play? LIke is it that hard?

[Big Fat Mike]

Why not be able to play the bass from the drum controller at the same time too? Kind of like a hokey one-man band type of thing?

[Xero]

"Alright, we've played the Hell out of what has become a renaissance in gaming - the music-based band titles. We love them."

Don't lump me in with that. :foc:

[jcmoorehead]

I agree wit the headset mic idea.

Why can't they just let you use the one that you use for online play? LIke is it that hard?

If you mean the Xbox Live headset you can use it. I'm not sure how good it is but I know you can use it because I tried it once before I got the rest of the instruments.

That goes for Rock Band by the way, not sure about Guitar Hero.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I agree wit the headset mic idea.

Why can't they just let you use the one that you use for online play? LIke is it that hard?

What? You can use the 360 headset on both RB2 and GH:WT you fuckwit.

[Penner]

Oh really?

Hmm. Ok let me try.

[Kane Knight]

Hmmm...My post must have been eaten.

Bottom line: Fuck the Power Rangers and anyone who takes that theme as serious music.

Also, not much of a chance for Princes. I don't think it'd translate well to Rock Band.

[G]

I still think that if the Power Rangers theme was a real song with actual lyrics by a real band, it'd be a #1 single.

[Kalyx triaD]

I still think that if the Power Rangers theme was a real song with actual lyrics by a real band, it'd be a #1 single.

:lol:

True. I'd say the same for the Gold Ranger theme.

[G]

There was a Gold Ranger?

[Kalyx triaD]

Zeo era (PR Season 4). I won't get into plots and such but his music was badass. Trying to create a cover in GHWT.

[Kane Knight]

I still think that if the Power Rangers theme was a real song with actual lyrics by a real band, it'd be a #1 single.

So was that frog song.

Zeo era (PR Season 4). I won't get into plots and such but his music was badass. Trying to create a cover in GHWT.

Was he the one where Jason got his powers temporarily? I'm ashamed I know that, right or wrong.

[Kalyx triaD]

Yeah, the big swerve was Billy getting the powers but Jason came back and got them. I would have found it justice that Jason come back and regain leadership of the team as Tommy did years earlier as the White Ranger. Despite being the most powerful (fucking pyramid for a zord!?), he was still second fiddle to Tommy.

[D Mac]

NERDS!

[Fryza]

I want another set of fret buttons on the neck of the guitar controller. They would be in between the primary and solo frets of course, and medium sized (not normal but larger than the tiny solo buttons). They wouldn't have any special operations like tap-solo play, but I should have the option to use them instead of the normal frets like the solo ones. They should be spaced a good distance from both existing buttons so you don't make mistakes hitting Green near Orange. With this, I should receive bonus points for 'playing the scales' or something. But even if I don't, this idea was inspired by the fact that I often miss notes when going from solo-frets to normal ones. A bridge set of frets would give me a new stop point between soloing and normal frets. That's the biggest and only change I'd want for the guitar.


No thank you Ollie.

[Kane Knight]

We need 24 buttons! Only them can we simulate a guitar! Six rows! A strum bar that you need to pick! Oh, and you need to be able to break strings!

[Exyle]

Replica cowbell instrument.

[Kalyx triaD]

I thought about split fret buttons. Might be a bit much.

[Fryza]

I would like to see, during setlists, the game will switch out singers. So if you were playing 'Cool for Cats', and then you're playing 'I Think I'm Paranoid', you're not stuck with Hillbilly Jim singing Shirley Manson's song...

[D Mac]

lol Yeah

[Kane Knight]

I would like to see, during setlists, the game will switch out singers. So if you were playing 'Cool for Cats', and then you're playing 'I Think I'm Paranoid', you're not stuck with Hillbilly Jim singing Shirley Manson's song...

My lead singer (When I'm not doing vocals) is so androgynous, it doesn't matter. I meade some skinny goth metal kid who looks like he could pass for a chick. Also, to piss off my friends, I gave him the quill pig haircut.

I think he might be the gayest character you can make, short of a crossdressing hack or Diesel Mac getting in the game.

[Fryza]

Really, I'm pretty much set on stuff. I think some DLC (cheap or free) for more clothing options would be cool, but really, RB2 is damn near perfect in my book

[Kalyx triaD]

Band vs Band in GHWT is gay. If it's Band vs Band, I wanna see 8 fuckers on stage rocking out, not the normal display while the CPU compares stats in real time. That's almost misleading.

[D Mac]

My lead singer (When I'm not doing vocals) is so androgynous, it doesn't matter. I meade some skinny goth metal kid who looks like he could pass for a chick. Also, to piss off my friends, I gave him the quill pig haircut.

I think he might be the gayest character you can make, short of a crossdressing hack or Diesel Mac getting in the game.

LOL, hey wait a minute...:shifty:

[Kane Knight]

Really, I'm pretty much set on stuff. I think some DLC (cheap or free) for more clothing options would be cool, but really, RB2 is damn near perfect in my book

I have a lot of quibbles with the game, but very few big things.

[.44 Magdalene]

I'm a little late to the party, but the theme songs to several super sentai shows (Power Rangers for you uncultured bastards) have made it to top ten status in Japan. Like, the most recent show--which we won't be getting a butchered and translated version of until next month or so, I think--...well, its theme song hit #1. I can scrounge it up later if anyone gives a shit.

[Kalyx triaD]

"RPM" right? I never heard any of the Sentai themes but I here they are quite good OP and ED themes on par with some anime stuff. I'm a PR purist so I only look up Sentai to see what next year's theme will be. The Sentai plots are also better I hear. The only time PR plots held up was the Mighty Morphin days when we had years to build characters.

[Kane Knight]

I'm a little late to the party, but the theme songs to several super sentai shows (Power Rangers for you uncultured bastards) have made it to top ten status in Japan. Like, the most recent show--which we won't be getting a butchered and translated version of until next month or so, I think--...well, its theme song hit #1. I can scrounge it up later if anyone gives a shit.

Europe had a singing frog in their top ten. And don't get me started on Japan's music scene.

[Kane Knight]

My theory is that Hiroshima and Nagasaki are the cultural centers of Japan.

[Kalyx triaD]

J-Pop/Rock > Everything Else

[Kalyx triaD]

Excluding Metallica. And whatever I deem fit.

[Kane Knight]

J-Pop/Rock > Everything Else

WEABOO! WEABOO! WEABOO!

[parkmania]

Sweetbox FTW! Jade Villalon is TEH HOTNESS!

[.44 Magdalene]

Yeah, most JPop blows


And JRock is mostly just affeminate guys puking on each other

[The Mackem]

WEABOO! WEABOO! WEABOO!

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/kaykay007/Weeaboo2.jpg

[Kane Knight]

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b189/kaykay007/Weeaboo2.jpg

Very good. *slow clap*

[Silent]

I'm a huge fan of music games from Japan and Korea (particularly, Pop'n Music and DJMax). I haven't really been into Guitar Hero since it originally came out and Rock Band never really sucked me in.

Regarding GH/RB, personally I'd be more inclined to buy one of them if they had some original music done by in-house artists. Harmonix kind of had it going with their unlockable songs in GH1, where you got to hear some lesser known bands that were friends of the company.

I guess an issue might be my taste in music, which by many people's standards I'm sure would be considered shit.

I have to give Harmonix props for getting music games popular in the US in a way that DDR and Parappa couldn't years ago, but if they keep releasing new versions of the game that are still all licensed mainstream music, I don't see myself buying them.

[Funky Fly]

Harmonix does include some of their own shit in RB. Not as much as in the first 2 GHs, but it's there.

[Kane Knight]

Regarding GH/RB, personally I'd be more inclined to buy one of them if they had some original music done by in-house artists. Harmonix kind of had it going with their unlockable songs in GH1, where you got to hear some lesser known bands that were friends of the company.

Only, like, 3 tracks from the bonus setlist weren't Harmonix related in RB1. Most of the sequel's bonus set also came form such bands, though it's less distinguishable, since the songs are only explicitly noted as bonus tracks in one of the challenges, far as I know.

There's also been one pack dedicated to harmonix bands, and a few other tacks dedicated to them.

That being said, moar tribe, din, and neighborhoods plz.

[Silent]

Ah cool, thanks for the info guys. Like I said I don't keep up with it too much but that's good to know. :)

[jcmoorehead]

Parappa couldn't years ago

I remember playing the demo of that and couldn't stand it, didn't you have to rap with a giant onion?

[Kane Knight]

I remember playing the demo of that and couldn't stand it, didn't you have to rap with a giant onion?

Kick! Punch! It's all in the mind! If you want to test me, I'm sure you'll find the things I teach you are sure to beat'cha but never the less, you get a lesson from Teacha! Now Kick!

[Kalyx triaD]

Kick Kick... K-Kick

[Silent]

Yeah, what they said. Parappa was a strange game that definitely turned some people away with it's strange sense of humor and even stranger visual style, but the music was top notch (professional sounding, recorded in a real New York studio), and it was basically the start of rhythm-action games. Guitar Hero & Rock Band, and even their predecessors like Beatmania all owe something to Parappa, because that game actually did pretty well in Japan and, particularly, the US. So even if you don't like the game, respect your elders, yo.

[Kane Knight]

Yeah, what they said. Parappa was a strange game that definitely turned some people away with it's strange sense of humor and even stranger visual style, but the music was top notch (professional sounding, recorded in a real New York studio), and it was basically the start of rhythm-action games. Guitar Hero & Rock Band, and even their predecessors like Beatmania all owe something to Parappa, because that game actually did pretty well in Japan and, particularly, the US. So even if you don't like the game, respect your elders, yo.

I loved the game. People couldn't understand what was appealing about it, but it was quirky and fun.

[Silent]

I loved it too. Also enjoyed it's sequel UmJammer Lammy. Never played Parappa 2 on PS2 though.

[Kane Knight]

I loved it too. Also enjoyed it's sequel UmJammer Lammy. Never played Parappa 2 on PS2 though.

I never played Lammy, but I've been considering snagging it off eBay for a while now, so I could at least experience it.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Parappa 2 was all kinds of awesome.

[Kane Knight]

I heard PR 2 was a rehash. Granted, I don't own a PSP, so I never followed up. How similar was it?

[jcmoorehead]

I loved the game. People couldn't understand what was appealing about it, but it was quirky and fun.

I couldn't understand at the time because I was fairly young so couldn't really appreciate that sort of game. I wouldn't mind playing it again to see if I might like it now though.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

I heard PR 2 was a rehash. Granted, I don't own a PSP, so I never followed up. How similar was it?

It was on PS2 and was brand new.

The PSP one was just Parappa 1

[Kane Knight]

It was on PS2 and was brand new.

The PSP one was just Parappa 1

Oh, shit, I forgot about the PR for the PS2. I actually own that somewhere!

[Kane Knight]

I couldn't understand at the time because I was fairly young so couldn't really appreciate that sort of game. I wouldn't mind playing it again to see if I might like it now though.

Bringing this full circle, one of the things about the PR games I always loved and was disappointed to see had no place in the Guitar Hero experience was the ability to "freestyle." On any level, you could do just the minimum, or you could punch buttons to the rhythm beyond that.

With fake guitars that have only fake frets, that's a little harder to do. I understand that, but even if there were sections you could do it in (similar to the BREs), that would be awesome.

For drums and vocals, it'd be easier. Bonus points for singing within the key of the song in open spaces (cap it, so it's not a horribly broken way to add points, but treat it like the "solo section" deal. Or maybe drop the score if you sing offkey in those portions.). Drums would also be easy, though putting in fills to activate star power may have fucked that concept up. However, there are a lot of songs with drum fills, and dropping the actual notes to do your own fills there (instead of merely where your OD is at least half full) would be awesome.

[Silent]

One thing that Konami does well in their music games is use keysounded notes (not counting Rock Revolution since I haven't played it, but every game in the Bemani series minus DDR). If you play a note wrong in Guitar Freaks, for example, you'll hear an off key chord rather then just a scratching like in GH.

The drums in RB were on the right path, but the insane lag with the USB drumkit kind of ruined the flow. Again, Konami's DrumMania game has keysounded charts and you are playing on a real Yamaha electronic kit (in the arcade anyway.) You can basically freestyle on any quiet part, and the game doesn't break combo/hurt your score if you play extra notes.