Huh. I don't play it so I wasn't really up to speed with its decline, but I'd consider this a bit of shocker. Is Rock Band really that much more popular?
This was one of the few video games I bought and actually played over the past few years so I'm sad to see the franchise go.
Sorry about the dupe. It was simulaneous I swear! Feel free to delete this one Mods!
(edited by DrewDewce on 9.2.11 1531) "You are going to get a certain amount of snarkiness on the Internet no matter what, and my rule is that you don't post anything that you wouldn't say to someone's face." Marc Andreyko (Writer of DC Comic's "Manhunter")
I think the issue is that neither Rock Band or Guitar Hero are that popular right now. The peripherals are expensive and most people who'd be interested in playing already have a copy of at least one game in one of the series.
The difference between the two (IMO) is that Harmonix, who makes Rock Band (and who originally made Guitar Hero), loves music and video games. Activision, who made most of the Guitar Hero games, loves churning out annual sequels. Compare Rock Band 3 to GH: Warriors of Rock; one is innovative and actually tries to teach players to play real instruments. The other has scary demon-looking characters. For that matter, compare The Beatles: Rock Band (or even Green Day: Rock Band) to Guitar Hero: Van Halen.
I'd love to see Harmonix pick up the Guitar Hero licenses so that GH songs could be imported into Rock Band. But I doubt there'd be enough money to be made by doing so for it to happen.
Originally posted by KJames199I think the issue is that neither Rock Band or Guitar Hero are that popular right now. The peripherals are expensive and most people who'd be interested in playing already have a copy of at least one game in one of the series.
The difference between the two (IMO) is that Harmonix, who makes Rock Band (and who originally made Guitar Hero), loves music and video games. Activision, who made most of the Guitar Hero games, loves churning out annual sequels.
As a former QA worker, who has previously worked on this series, it is absolutely shameful to see what was once a great series get wrecked by a bunch of clowns that decided to squeeze as much money out of it as possible, leave it to die, lay off the employees, and move on to the next series to start the cycle all over again.
Having been one of those laid-off employees and watching Activision report another gain in profits, I sincerely hope the worst for all of those people. THEY, and people of their ilk, are the reason that capitalism has gone from a symbol of opportunity to a system of greed and evil.
Wow, I was being facetious, weird that they're actually making another Spidey and COD, not that either are bad, just the same game with different dressing. No Tony Hawk is shocking.
Sucks about Activision's business tactics. I remember when they dropped Ghostbusters for the fact that they wouldn't be able to milk a sequel out of it. For what it's worth, as history shows, eventually they'll cheese off the wrong people or make a mistake in the cycle they follow and it'll bite them in the ass.
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Frown and the world laughs at you." -Me.
They're not just canceling the game, but they're also ending DLC almost immediately:
Originally posted by Guitar Hero Franchise UpdateAre you still going to make new DLC for Guitar/DJ Hero? We will release the previously announced DLC track and mix packs for February, but - unfortunately - we will not be able to release new DLC packs beyond what we already have
Originally posted by thecubsfanThey're not just canceling the game, but they're also ending DLC almost immediately
Wow. That's quite the "screw you" to anyone who chose Guitar Hero over Rock Band last fall. Not that I can understand why someone would have done so, but I've already indicated my biases many times over.
Originally posted by KidbrooklynAnd to also potentially see the return of the round notes and a not-so-squishy guitar to a quality music rhythm game.
I've played so much Rock Band that the round notes look weird to me now, so I can take them or leave them. But agreed on the guitar - I always liked the Guitar Hero guitar better. In fact, I'd consider buying a Guitar Hero: Whatever/guitar bundle if I could find a deal just to have a spare guitar in case mine breaks.
I've always found the round "notes" to be more accurate. But as you said, it's a matter of preference and time spent with the game. I enjoyed Rock Band 1 and 2 very much, but nothing will come close to the love I have for Guitar Hero 2. I don't have any DLC for it, but still pop it in every few months, even after beating it on expert. The song selection is good, but more importantly the note-mapping is really fun. In a perfect world, Red Octane and Harmonix would reunite and create a guitar-only game again.
I actually have to commend Activision on this. They have realized what this was; a fun diversion but basically something that grew too much too fast. Maybe in 10 years or so a reboot would be fun with more modern songs. But after the first 3 games, basically any novelty died and we were just playing new songs.
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I read about this game in the WSJ yesterday and wanted to check it out. Anyone else heard of it? It has the look of an old Atari type game. To move around, just use the arrow keys. It's pretty interesting and certainly unique.