Is It Virtual, or Is It Rock? A Border-Tweaking Experience By SETH SCHIESEL October 29, 2010
And here I thought the music-game genre was dead. With the invigorating arrival of the innovative Rock Band 3 from Harmonix and MTV Games, the basic idea of allowing everyday people to make rock music in their living rooms is closer to reality than ever. Music video games, which took off with the emergence of Guitar Hero five years ago, have remained a virtual experience. There has been no pretense that pressing five colored buttons in various combinations and rhythms on a plastic guitar-shaped device has anything to do with playing a real electric bass or guitar. And since the genre exploded on the game scene, it has declined in sales and overall popularity. But now Harmonix has brilliantly torn down the wall between music games and real music. If you're willing to put in a reasonable amount of practice - like the couple dozen hours I did - Rock Band 3 can actually begin to teach you to play guitar, bass and keyboards. Just as important, Rock Band 3 emerges as the definitive modern music game even for those who just want to play around with family and friends once in a while. In a genre in which the physical, tactile interface (i.e., what you put your hands on) is everything, the keys to Rock Band 3 are two extremely well-designed new controllers. First, Harmonix has designed an optional two-octave wireless keyboard (for $79.99 in addition to the game software) that sits flat on a lap or tabletop or can be strung with a strap and played while standing up, as a "keytar." The keyboard dramatically expands the rock repertory of Rock Band 3; otherwise you'd never be able to play songs like Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "Break On Through (to the Other Side)" by the Doors (not to mention "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake). ... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/30/arts/television/30rockband.html _______________________________________________ Medianews mailing list Medianews@etskywarn.net http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
