Fake Plastic Band (Music Video Games)
 

If you don't live under a rock, you've heard of Guitar Hero or Rock Band and

probably even played it. Beatles: Rock Band is immensely popular and there

are talks of an upcoming The Who: Rock Band...There are hundreds and

hundreds of songs available for download including full albums by many

artists.

Recently,

several artists, including Jack White, have voiced their disapproval of these

games. Courtney Love-Cobain and Gwen Stefani have lawsuits against the

makers of Guitar Hero 5 and Band Hero, respectively. As a long-time guitarist

and gamer, I have a blast playing these games..I also feel it may open kids up

to some good music and may even inspire them to pick up a real guitar.

What do you think?

I voted that I don't really care because I don't play them much, but I'd amend that after reading the end of your post about how it could actually introduce some people to good music. I think they're just being bitches. But when did GH4 come out? I thought it was still 3...

I don't see any problem with them existing. What was the reason for the lawsuit?

i wouldn't want my likeness prancing about like robert page and singing songs i would have hated when i was alive...

these games are all just contingent on the fame-and-wealth obsessed culture of the times, it's f*cking sad. and this has nothing to do with the fact that i played guitar hero once and sucked...
maybe there'd be more decent bands if all the kids weren't pissing about on their satan machines and auditioning for X Factor to get to no.1 singing homogenized bilge... followed by anonymity and (if they're lucky) careers presenting TV on a backwater digital channel. You know, the kind of people that actually WATCH the VMAs/Brit Awards

prodding plastic knobs in time to Aerosmith (or worse)... knock yourself out guys. Just remember they get paid for it

GH4 was called GH: World Tour i think...

I've played Rock Band once or twice, I don't really get the obsession. I got bored pretty quickly.

What started out as a neat idea has turned into a Corporate cash grab. Here's a list of the Guitar Hero games that came out (or are coming out) in 2009 alone:

Guitar Hero 5
Band Hero
DJ Hero
Guitar Hero: Metallica
Guitar Hero: Van Halen (North American release date 12/22/2009)
Guitar Hero On Tour: Modern Hits
Guitar Hero: Smash Hits

Not only that but there's a slew of DLC and the main competitor Rock Band putting out their Beatles and Lego Rock Band game too.

Nobody is forcing anyone to buy these games and to be honest I really don't notice them all that much, but like I said before, what started out as a neat game has really turned into a cash grab.

i'm really hesitant to call them cash grabs. especially when the titles drop in price relatively quickly, and are relatively cross compatible. it's not like they need to reinvent the wheel every time they release a new take on the game, the bulk of the product are the actual songs, the charts and blocks really aren't that complicated to create (in terms of digital assets). subsequent releases are less about buying a new 'game' and more about new content.

if anything the increase in titles shows how relatively simple it is for developpers to create more content for the titles (and how popular they actually are in the market - regardless of the opinions presented here). which in turn offers more music for gamers. yes, there's crap on there, but there's always at least 2-3 really standout tracks and at least a dozen decent tracks as well as some nice surprises.

as for the lawsuits... when's the last time Courtney Love did anything noteworthy besides file a lawsuit? (seriously though, when was the last time? Celebrity Skin? wiki says... oh wow, she put out a solo album after Hole... 5 years ago.)

why didn't she sue when Cobain's likeness would end up on stage during a Bon Jovi song in the first rockband?

No Doubt and the rest of Nirvana? same deal. neither group seemed to have issues with their association with the games initially. if it's a case of the developpers acting without consulting that would be a worthwhile issue, but it's also something that gets drilled into your head pretty quickly when you work as a developper. especially after the fallout from the GTA3 'hot coffee' lawsuits.

plus there are reports that Love knew exactly what the deal was with the new Guitar Hero game. so i'm more inclined to believe it's the rockstars not paying attention to the fine print.... speaking of cash grabs....

Never played them and I don't see the point, I have a real guitar and an imagination.

i have 8 guitars and an imagination too. shared your attitude for years until i finally got over myself and tried it. turns out it's less about pretending to play music and more about having fun with music (and not limiting itself to musicians).

it's also a good way to check out music that you might have overlooked for whatever reason. i find myself pleasantly surprised more often than disappointed when an unrecognized track comes up in a random set.

it's obviously no replacement for the real thing but most people can't crank their amps and jam whenever they want and these games make for a nice little practice tool as far as stamina, timing, and dexterity go. all depends on how you want to approach the product.

speaking of. i'm gonna go pretend drum now, and don't tell me the sweat i'll be breaking isn't real either hahaha

Don't really care.

i just borrowed the drums from a friend of mine and they're kinda tricky at first..damn footpedal.. lots of fun though..

wait until you get going on expert mode haha

I think the reason Courtney Love sued was because the game made Cobain an unlockable character, which means you could have him singing any song in the game. Love had thought he would just be singing Nirvana songs when she gave them the rights to use his image. I think she was especially upset because it was possible to make him sing and play to Def Leppard and other bands that he himself had completely hated.

edit: I like Rock Band/Guitar Hero for what they are. Basically, a fun game to play with friends and pass the time. I also play real instruments, and honestly anyone who thinks that these games are preventing kids from becoming real musicians is being pretty stupid. If a kid is lazy enough to say "Why play a real instrument when I have Guitar Hero", it's not as if he would ever have the motivation to play an instrument anyway.

but that happened ALL the time in the original. if you played a multiple song set and the first tune happened to be Nirvana (again...) then you'd have a Cobain looking frontman for the rest, regardless of whether or not he would have 'agreed' with the other songs.

she sued because she's a headcase.

if anything putting his likeness in control of the players will likely limit the instances of him being associated with crap acts. the people who still think it matters likely wouldn't pick songs he wouldn't like and those who don't likely wouldn't pick him as a character. although knowing it would piss Love off to no end makes it significantly more tempting now.

guitar hero pah

audiosurf, now that's a good music-based game

this...hahah

I played it once and thought it was alright.. but the music is definitely not in line with my tastes. I got excited when I heard about DJ Hero until I saw the songs that were gonna be in it.

I think pretty much anyone would agree it's no replacement for the real thing, but i still do enjoy them. The most annoying thing i find with these games is having to hear the same damn song 15 times in a row if you can't beat it.

My little brother has every game from the guitar hero series, and I used to go over and play with him quite alot...
I used to be really good and could beat nearly every song on expert. Only a few that I couldnt beat like Buckethead - Jordan on GH2 and Dragonforce - Through the Fire and Flames on GH 3:



^Thats a bot like it says...no one could do that in reality I don't think ><


But yeah, its alot of fun really to play with friends or siblings or whatever, and can be a pretty decent challenge, even though its not the real thing. I've actually discovered a few artists here and there playing my way through the series as well. /shrug

^ I've seen some people get pretty close to that, but of course not perfect. I think it'd be impossible to do that song perfectly.

I've got Guitar Hero on Wii. I think all those music type games (Guitar Hero, Rock Band, etc) are really great social games if you've got a few mates over or whatever. But playing by myself I don't really find them that fun, I completed all the 'careers' way too quickly and it was kind-of boring, and playing online against other people is just blah as well. But like I said, a great social game for mucking around with your friends.