Rock Band

Rock Band

With the music nous of MTV, the rhythm action expertise of Harmonix (of Guitar Hero fame) and the deep, deep pockets of EA it’s perhaps no surprise that the fruit of this holy trinity, Rock Band, has been a resounding success. Indeed, part of the reason that Europeans have had to wait so long for the game to make its way over from America – Rock Band UK arrives May 23rd 2008, six months after its US debut – is because it’s been so successful the manufacturer simply hasn’t been able to keep up with demand.

So what’s the fuss about? In a sense Rock Band is just the natural evolution of Guitar Hero – a music videogame which broadens the scope of what it means to stand in front of the television and pretend to be in a band. The game allows players to assume to role of a guitarist, bassist, drummer or singer in a rock group and play their part in one of over 50 hit songs. Get four friends and you can each pick up a different instrument and all play together, making music and triggering the samples by striking your instruments in time with the notation on screen.

It’s elegant, easy to understand and the first time you sit down together to play through Nirvana’s ‘In Bloom’ or Blur’s ‘Beetlebum’ (exclusive to the European release) you’ll wonder why nobody’s done this before. It makes perfect sense and this near-perfect execution will surely not only inspire thousands to learn real instruments and start bands themselves but will also, in the case of the drummer, teach them how to play for real.

Harmonix’s Rob Kay, lead designer on Rock Band, agrees: “It’s incredible you know. We have people on the team who had no knowledge of the drums or how to play. Then, after a while spent playing the game we’d invite them down to our studio to put them on an actual drum kit and they’d be able to hold down a rhythm. With the drum element of the game the skills are transferable and competent players should be able to transfer their moves and grooves over to a real kit without any bother.”

The sheer number and variety of licensed songs available in Rock Band is staggering with the 50-odd in-game tracks being supplemented by 70 additional downloadable songs at launch and a further downloadable song pack every week thereafter. “It’s incredible,” says Kay. “There’s been a shift in how record companies look at music games in the last two years. The sheer success of these games has opened up the world of music to us. Bands are knocking down our door to get into the game and I don’t think it’s too much of an overstatement to say that consoles are fast becoming their own music platform.”

Rock Band launches onto Xbox 360 on May 23rd before appearing on other consoles later in the summer.