In a report on USA Today Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopolus said Rock Band, which is distributed by EA, takes the core premise of Guitar Hero and expands it tenfold...
It lets you create a complete collaborative band. Players collaborate online, making music together with the help of four musical based controllers in the form of two guitars (lead and bass), a drum kit and a microphone. There will be online support will include the ability to form bands with people in other countries.
You could have one guitarist in Germany and another one in Texas, a drummer in New York and a singer from somewhere else, and they can play together online, said David DeMartini, vice president and general manager of EA Partners. Online transactions will be added to the game as well. MTV, which owns Harmonix, is supporting the game's production and negotiating deals with record labels.
The plan is to have Rock Band feature original performances from artists, taking the veridicality of the game one step further. Harmonix has previously created Guitar Hero, which used a guitar-shaped peripheral, plus Frequency, Amplitude and EyeToy: AntiGrav. The new video game is set to appear on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 this Christmas.
Rigopulos also promised: We'll be covering a great breadth, from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between. Rock band is Harmonix's most ambitious project to date, and it will take music gameplay to an entirely new level, Rigopolous said. MTV will establish partnerships with music publishers so that Rock Band can feature original recordings instead of cover band music that players are now familiar with in the Guitar Hero franchise.
This game offers a meaningful way for labels to participate in a segment of entertainment they, for the most part, have not been able to, MTV's Jeff Yapp told USA Today. Guitar Hero II (Harmonix Music Systems / RedOctane) was one of the winners at the 7th annual Game Developers Choice Awards, in the Audio category.
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