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First Rock Band footage is OMGGODTEHROXORZ! (update)

Nick Chester
07.03.2007

Dear God, I'm going to spend $200 on this game, aren't I?

Gamespot has snagged some of the first footage of Rock Band in action and it plays out like a funeral precession for Activision's Guitar Hero 3. History has shown us that when it comes to mockin' out (see what I did there?), a high price point is not an issue. Rock Band is going to own your soul this Fall. Resistance is futile.

There's not much more I can say about this that the video doesn't already say for itself -- the drum peripheral kicks major ass, the game appears to contain (I could be wrong, but it sounds good to me!) a studio master of Guns N' Roses' "Welcome to the Jungle," and I just about crapped my pants I'm so excited.

[Thanks to lawl and Matthew for the heads up!]

[Update: the video was removed from Youtube, so you're probably seeing a pretty black box up there. I'm awaiting comment from Harmonix regarding this video, so stay tuned!]

LATEST COMMENT by SeventhSense

@ Anyone Saying Play In Real Band Playing an instrument takes alot of skill, practice, and equipment if you want to produce all the different sounds and types of songs that Guitar Hero/Rockband ... - view discussion

There are 72 comments about this post:

AngelsDontBurn says:
07/03/2007 19:18

So incredible it wouldn't matter HOW many times it was posted. It would STILL get me excited. :)

jeffk6 says:
07/03/2007 19:22

it did not look like they had the new fender guitar. those were the xbox360 ones ..... ??? am i wrong ???

pattern says:
07/03/2007 19:23

Ending Bonus.... Awesome!!!

Namelessted says:
07/03/2007 19:24

i have watched this video a handful of times now and it is still awesome. I can't wait until i get to play it, even if it was just this one song.

SLiFE says:
07/03/2007 19:25

My credit rating just dropped a hundred points.

Namelessted says:
07/03/2007 19:27

I WANT TO PLAY THE DRUMS!!

BlindsideDork says:
07/03/2007 19:27

Anybody know where i can pick up an Xbox 306, I only have a 360! :(

cbebop007 says:
07/03/2007 19:28

As much fun as it looks...I REALLY don't want to spend $200. Is it really worth it when I can get Guitar Hero III for $60? Having all that stuff for Rock Band will only be sweet when there are three other guys around who also want to play. Dunno about you, but I rarely have three people who want to play. Sure sometimes it would be fun when you have all those people...but Jesus I also want to play Bioshock and Halo 3 and Metroid Prime 3 and Super Smash Bros. and Mario Galaxy and Zelda DS and Mass Effect and Burnout Paradise...and those are the games I for sure want to play, not counting countless others that are still on my radar but not a "must buy" yet. If only I was made out of cash...

cbebop007 says:
07/03/2007 19:28

Oh, and ending bonus = kinda stupid in my opinion.

zealot9802 says:
07/03/2007 19:30

I WANT IT NOW!

zaqu says:
07/03/2007 19:36

i will buy for lolz, its almost seems worth it though imagine bustin this out at a party get some hookers an blow and lay the hammer down like real rockers. my god this could be extreme

Wa-Keen says:
07/03/2007 19:38

LMFAO! That's corny as hell..... wow.....

Hamza CTZ Aziz says:
07/03/2007 19:41

What the hell are you talking about Dork?

ArrestedDeveloper says:
07/03/2007 19:43

@namelessted
They say if you buy the drum version you will learn to actually play the drums from it.

BlindsideDork says:
07/03/2007 19:43

Start the video and look at the bottom of the video and what it says....look right after it says Playstation 3.

Hamza CTZ Aziz says:
07/03/2007 19:46

Dork: Ohhhh, got you. HAHAAHAH

Rainbowblack says:
07/03/2007 19:48

bioshock, Halo 3, Mass Effect and Erternal sonata

sure beats ROCKING OUT IN MOMS BASEMENT!!!!

lol :P

tazarthayoot says:
07/03/2007 19:53

I CAME! I CAME!

Dibs on being the drummer in the dtoid band Lemon Party.

Namelessted says:
07/03/2007 19:54

@cbebop, can you play the drums on Guitar Hero III? And are all of the tracks the original master versions of the songs and not covers? And does it have 4 player online play?

king3vbo says:
07/03/2007 19:54

GIMME GIMME GIMME
Ooh I call bass, cuz I wanna be the unappreciated and unloved member of the band

Truepatriot says:
07/03/2007 19:58

lil update from harmonix

[i]Hey all

This video was taken from a conference where attendees are generally encouraged to be casual and show off the new stuff they are working on privately. Unfortunately, an attendee broke the conference rules and videotaped the talk. The footage was made from an old build of the game quite some time ago for internal purposes- basically to get people working on the game excited. The song was one we have considered for the game but haven��t locked down, and you may have noticed that the footage was made so long ago that the people in the video are playing old instruments and prototypes. I guess what I am saying is- this isn��t official and doesn��t really reflect the final game at all. We��ll be releasing a lot of info next week from much newer builds of the game with finalized songs.

Rock,

Sean[/i]

gloomyg says:
07/03/2007 19:59

GUS BUS GONNA RAWK THIS

Megaphone says:
07/03/2007 20:00

I really need to get a job now.

Tron Knotts says:
07/03/2007 20:13

TOO MANY MINI GAMES ON TEH WII

topgeargorilla says:
07/03/2007 20:18

how come no thanks for me? I did post this before you :(

I'm a sad panda now

Spykron says:
07/03/2007 20:21

i sure hope the final drum has a bass pedal.

AngelsDontBurn says:
07/03/2007 20:23

Blast beats FTW!

robotplague says:
07/03/2007 20:25

The only thing that sucks is to get its full potential you need 4 people to play. If there is one thing that keeps me from getting it it's that. On the other hand, I can see this immediately gaining cult-like status among some circles of friends.

Your moms new boyfriend says:
07/03/2007 20:25

That didn't just rock my face off, it pulled off all the skin, hollowed out my eyes, and penetrated my ocular cavity.

Want. Now.

Hamza CTZ Aziz says:
07/03/2007 20:28

Truepatriot: where'd you find that statement from?

Tron Knotts says:
07/03/2007 20:28

I WNAT MORE HARD CORE GAMES ONTEH WII !

Tron Knotts says:
07/03/2007 20:33

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MATURE, HARD CORSE!

MORE GAMES LIKE THIS PLS

zardoz says:
07/03/2007 20:37

I'm having an Invaders moment here, am I the only one who finds this kind of thing too close to being utterly pointless.

I can't knock it because I haven't played it, but I'm watching a bunch of kids going through the motions of pretending to be in a band...wouldn't it be better to start a real band?

I imagine money is an issue, digital drums cost less than real drums for example, but personally, this whole pretending to play instruments is inherintly flawed because:

1. It's way too close to air guitar which is free and features all your favourite tunes from your own personal music library, at no extra cost.

2. It seems like a lot of effort to pretend to do something, may aswell make slightly more effort and do it for real.

3. Being in a virtual band won't get you laid.

I think this whole music simulation thing could be an early 21st century phenomenon,

lowercaseluke says:
07/03/2007 20:41

Simulated groupies!

Truepatriot says:
07/03/2007 20:41

@zardor
so if i play paper boy i should go out and become a paperboy?
what if i play mario should i become a plumber?
what if im playing Trauma Center: Under the Knife should i go out and just become a doctor instead?
what if im playing Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney do i have the credit to become a lawyer?
if played sim city am i able to become a mayor for your town now?

i stole that from someone but it fits here. ITS A GAME! time and money put into being able to play t e songs JUST like the originals will take much longer and much more of an investment.besides who doesnt like to pretend?!

Kotua says:
07/03/2007 20:46

Obviously Zardor doesn't like to pretend...

Wedge says:
07/03/2007 20:48

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

I wanted Paradise City, fuck Jungle. That's a deal breaker right thar. Seriously. How could you take that over Paradise City? Guitar too much to handle? Mental retardation? Seriously...

synce says:
07/03/2007 20:49

Y'all look like a buncha nerds, lol. I never understand why people don't just pick up a real guitar if they're so into it.

Wedge says:
07/03/2007 20:52

Also, good to see they finally put freestyle sections in. Though I wonder how (and if) drums will have "difficulty" settings, since it's a fairly cut and dry thing.

Wedge says:
07/03/2007 20:54

And for the triple post, GHIII is going to blow this away on sales, simply because it's smart enough to be on PS2 still. I'd have to buy a next gen system along with all the controllers to play it.

Ignignokt01 says:
07/03/2007 21:11

the similarity to real drumming and this simulation is much greater than the guitar hero style of simulation and playing real guitar, so i can understand what they mean by 'learning REAL drumming'.

I can't wait to be able to play through the entire game with just drums. It's essentially Drum Hero if you just use the drums, which IS AWEOSME

bleep says:
07/03/2007 21:16

Being a musician myself I kinda feel like playing real instruments WOULD be cooler than this game, BUT if you can play with other people online and wouldn't need 4 peeps to play then this might be pretty damn fun! Though I agree with Spykron that a bass pedal would be essential to ACtually Learning how to thump the skins.

skyler says:
07/03/2007 21:34

NOT studio recording

but a damn fine cover

PwnyBownz says:
07/03/2007 21:38

Anyone know if the original vocal tracks drop out ever and just let you sing. Singing over someone singing is bullshit. I can do that in my car.

ZMTToxics says:
07/03/2007 21:46

Looks like the 360 gh2 guitars though. Am i rock? What happened to the crazy new 8 button one?

cbebop007 says:
07/03/2007 21:48

RE: namelessted

I'm certainly not claiming that you can play the drums, sing, or play four-player online with Guitar Hero III. However, with the extra features comes extra costs, and in another crowded holiday season, there are other games I rather spend money on than losing $200 to one game when $60 on GHIII will probably suite me fine.

However, to avoid being a potential hypocrite, when this game actually hits and I get to play it at some point, it may be so awesome that I have to cave in and get it. That's what happened with Guitar Hero in the first place... :)

TheMayor says:
07/03/2007 21:54

Hey, cbebop007, stop being such a joy kill and shut the fuck up, this game looks awesome

Mxyzptlk says:
07/03/2007 22:04

Totally ridiculous, yet I want.

CypherVR says:
07/03/2007 22:23

@synce:
maybe because we don't have the fucking time and/or patience to learn to play a real guitar, so with Guitar hero we can come close to being able to play and yet have fun

BTW-
VERY FUCKING AWESOME GAME!!

narcosis219 says:
07/03/2007 22:30

Um, did anyone else claw their eyes out at the drums? Where the hell is the hi-hat and cymbal?? If I saw right, he was hitting a freaken HIGH TOM as the hi-hat. That can't be right. My hype for this game went from 100 to 0 after seeing guitar hero and horrible drums put together.

Ha-Puken says:
07/03/2007 23:36

Looks dumb... Guitar Hero was cool (still is) but for fucks sake, if you're going to spend that kind of cash you should honestly buy the real thing. The kit should come with some dead hookers and a bag of cocaine...

dvddesign says:
07/03/2007 23:42

It's neat, but out of my age range. None of my friends are "gamers" anymore. They have kids. And a guy my age buying a $200 fake rock band getup, well, I'm sure most of you have seen 40 year old virgin, you fill in the rest minus the virgin part and take away about 10 years.

I'll stick with Guitar Hero. As fun as Rock Band looks to play, unless you definitely have 4 people with you everytime you power this one up, I wouldn't plan on it getting a lot of play. And I can't imagine too many people would organize the 4 players to make this happen often enough to clear the game more than once over.

Excellent concept, but tough execution.

And unless you organize your whole band online consistently, it'll fuck up your overall score, amirite? Some guy will invariably bail because the bass line is too hard on a song.
Plus, if you're playing online, isn't that basically like what GH is now, but with online participants instead of AI?

Sharpless says:
07/04/2007 00:00

Impressive, but I think it will be beyond my limited range of coordination, as usual.

LordGloom says:
07/04/2007 01:41

http://www.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=955

Contents have been posted, but here's the link. It's old, so that explains why they're using GH2 controllers and only playing on the Xbox 306.

I think it's stupid to try to knock this for not being the real thing. It's not trying to be, it's trying to be a fun game that's accessible to the masses. Lots of people don't have any musical talent whatsoever, and playing in a rock band is an idle dream of many a folk. And honestly, it's a step up from air guitar.

It's also stupid to say you won't pay two hundred for a game that's best with four people (hell, the price hasn't even been announced for the bundle). Ever hear of Super Smash Bros.? I'm sure a lot of you bought that game, even though it was essentially a multiplayer-onry game. Rock Band not only has more single player value than SSB and SSBM could possibly imagine to have, but three separate peripherals essentially makes it three different games. Not only that, but it does have online, so even if there aren't three people with you you can play with others. It's not like you'll be completely alone besides their performances, I'm sure voice chat will be allowed for drums and guitars (just keep it on a separate audio channel, which voice chat already is on XBL).

LordGloom says:
07/04/2007 01:44

"Um, did anyone else claw their eyes out at the drums? Where the hell is the hi-hat and cymbal?? If I saw right, he was hitting a freaken HIGH TOM as the hi-hat. That can't be right. My hype for this game went from 100 to 0 after seeing guitar hero and horrible drums put together."

Yeah, they still need work. I'm a complainer by nature, and I pretty much only talk about the drums on the RB forums. It's not getting another pad, sadly, but I have a billion reasons as to why a square would be better than that almost-trapezoid they have going on. Hopefully they've listened to me, among others, and decided to change the drums.

Reeper says:
07/04/2007 01:58

do you think that too many people will buy just one peripheral making online "bands" hard to come by, because everyone is, say, a drummer or a guitarist, with no bassists or singers?

wardrox says:
07/04/2007 03:47

I came so hard.... now wheres the fret on fire version?

garrfunkel says:
07/04/2007 05:30

sexual. simply sexual.

Tron Knotts says:
07/04/2007 06:40

I can play drums, guitar, and bass fairly well, and I truely think that this game looks too hard.

I'd rather just play the real thing.

Samit Sarkar says:
07/04/2007 09:54

Wow. That�s obviously a very early version, because, as already mentioned, they�re using the Xbox 360 GH II controller. But it looks great already...�Welcome to the Jungle� would rock hard if it was in the game, but although I hate to burst your bubble, Brutal, that is most definitely not the original master track of the song. The vocals actually sound amazing, though, unlike in many �as made famous by� versions from the Guitar Hero games; perhaps they layered Axl�s originals over re-recorded instrumental tracks. Either way, I�m very excited to see how this game turns out � even though I can play guitar and sing fairly well myself, I don�t have three or four friends that could all come together to form a band, and isn�t that half the point of video games anyway? Living vicariously? I could totally see Rock Band being a great party game, even more so than Guitar Hero, if only because it also involves vocals, drums, and bass.

Dickey says:
07/04/2007 11:08

Too much rock for one hand!

sushi111 says:
07/04/2007 11:10

I want this game so bad, Id be willing to bang the chick in the video!

nademagnet says:
07/04/2007 11:48

Wow. I can't wait for my FRIENDS to drop the cash on that so I can come over and play.

BuckF1tches says:
07/04/2007 12:11

I couldn't even watch the whole video. I started squealing and got all giddy like a 14 year old boy who just touched his first boob. I will own this game. Period. End of story.

tazarthayoot says:
07/04/2007 12:47

@Buck

You and me, band. You in!!?

Tino says:
07/04/2007 13:57

I love how people are complaining about the xbox 360 guitars and the prototype drum set.

If you really you know, did some research, it would yield thats an EXTREMELY early build of the game and the drums in the video are just a quick prototype build that were put together to make the game playable. Expect something very different from the drums. And well the guitars, we all know that story.

magnumg says:
07/04/2007 17:37

are some of yall so lame you dont have 3 friends who will play video games with you seriously this rules

bmdubya says:
07/04/2007 19:31

I think I will just buy the drum peripheral, so then I will have the wireless guitar from GHIII and drums, because I can't sing worth shit, so that way I can play bass, guitar, and drums. I think I'll be playing this game on Live a lot.

Nick Chester says:
07/04/2007 21:30

@ BrOnXbOmBr21:

I jumped the gun on it being the master of the song because I was too busy crapping my pants to hear properly.

japan says:
07/06/2007 04:17

looks crazy

brimtastic says:
08/01/2007 15:04

Video down :(

SeventhSense says:
08/02/2007 02:00

@ Anyone Saying Play In Real Band

Playing an instrument takes alot of skill, practice, and equipment if you want to produce all the different sounds and types of songs that Guitar Hero/Rockband offers. It also takes a hell of alot more patience and time to master an instrument rather than a plastic 4-Button controller; Not to mention how hard it is to evem get a group of musicaly talented guys/girls together to form a band. Guitar Hero/Rockband on the other hand is a casual, fun way to just pick up the controller and have a good time playing all those different riffs and songs. GET OVER IT AND HAVE FUN!

@ king3vbo

So damn true

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