In case you missed the announcement on last week's show, (which would be easy to do, as it was one of the only portions that wasn't in song form), this week's episode will be the first of our new featured episodes dealing with Retro Limbo. For anyone who may be unfamiliar with that term, it's a little something we coined on the show to refer to games which aren't exactly retro, but aren't new by any means, either.
There's a gap in the middle, somewhere between the SNES and the PS2. I like to think of it as gaming's awkward, pimply phase when its voice was crackly and it hadn't quite grown enough yet to fill out its new 3D, texture-mapped training bra. Its analog sticks hadn't quite dropped, and it was suddenly faced with memory cards and discs, and hair in strange places. You probably remember. If not puberty, then you at least remember the games, right?
Tonight we're kicking it off with a look at rhythm games. This phenomenon was more or less born from this confused period in gaming history, when kicking and punching was all in the mind, and playing video games suddenly required you to stomp around on arrows, or bang drums, or perform music with a rapid-fire assault on colorful buttons. There aren't many of you who can use the "before my time" excuse this week, so hit the comments with your blocks and chops. Scratcho!
Contest:
5:51 PM on 09.18.2008
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I myself love TDM more than life itself, and wouldn't want it any other way.
Also, Topher, was it scary being on Podtiod?
Also also, Happy Belated Birfday, Chad!!!
I fall asleep.
and damn the last good one I saw was that miracle piano NES game sthat iu have that acutly teaches you real music on a real piano so it is not pointless button press of fake music on plastic interments.
[urlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dsdaHSaIEI[/url]
....Certainly not complaining. Please talk about Samba De Amigo. :)
If i would have invented push button on screen while listening to a fixed audio track that don't really seem to go with the music in anyway I would have been a freaking millionare.
Watch the commadore 64 version of guitar hero.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52gcC3Sn-Gw
I'm pretty sure I donated mine to my high school band.
Also, The rumor on the streets is that Mega Man 9 is coming next Monday. I. Can't. WAIT!
hell I even still use the mircle piano since it is the only music device in the house then a forget ever song a learn like a week later like always.
Do you guys ever get prickles up the back of your neck when you get to a really good song in a rhythm game? Songs that go really well with what's going on onscreen and what you're pressing on the controller make a feeling in my chest soar, put a smile on my face and make my heart thump. So yes, you could say I like them <3
Personally, I never really liked Dance Dance Revolution all that much, either, since my legs aren't nearly as coordinated as my hands, and I hate most dance music, techno, etc. But I absolutely adore the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games. So do you think that peripheral-based music/rhythm games where the peripheral is actually an instrument (Guitar Hero, Donkey Konga) usually turn out to be inherently better, or no?
I don't have any studies, but I'll bet Guitar Hero and alike help with some basic sight reading skills in the brain, in a residual "we don't mean for you to actually learn anything" sort of way.
I did play the one where you're an orchestra conducter on the PS2 (Mad Maestro?). As a music student in college at the time, I found that one to be hella fun.
Do you guys think that if Konami had been a little more active in pushing their established rhythm games, would we see more innovation between developers trying to one-up each other, or would we see everyone trying to copy each other? (ie: Guitar Hero World Tour copying Rock Band)
Oh and guess as an off shoot what about games where what you do effects the music in the game, stuff like Meteos for DS (BEST GAME EVER!!!!!) REZ or even Space Invaders Extreme. Would you consider stuff like that to be a merging kind of of Rhythm games and other genres?
Oh yeah and Chad as awesome as last weeks ep was (BEST EP EVER!!!!!), I'm abit disapointed, you didn't sing Hakuna Matata and that made me abit sad, any chance of singing it at the end of this weeks show please.
I'm wondering what you guys think about the fact that most Guitar Hero/Rock Band songs are now master recordings. I am kind of torn. I hate some of the cover songs, mostly the vocals (Killing in the Name), but there are honestly some songs where the cover is better than the original (Ziggy Stardust). Do you like having all master recordings, or do you like some of the cover songs?
Also, do you agree that the definition of what is retro should change over time? Surely in another 10 years the games that are in retro limbo now will be in retro proper. How old does something have to be before it becomes retro?
Also, feel free to use those pipes again to belt out some of your favorite rhythm game songs :)
Also, Mario Paint Mario Paint Mario Paint. Does that qualify?
@Tubatic. Mad Maestro was freaking awesome. And cheap too due to the public domain music :)
Have you ever noticed that retro games (specially the ones with 8Bit Music) makes us play with the rhythm?
I bet we all "danced" around with the Mario Theme pressing down in the controller with the beat of the tune, or played megaman making jumps in time with the music or making choreographys in Street Fighter.
Do you agree that retro games usually made us play with their music?
If you watch a pro playing beatmania, you're actually supposed to use two hands on the keyboard and move your right hand to scratch as necessary. I never even thought about doing that until I saw it though.
Do you guys know of any true rhythm/music games earlier than Otocky? I just wrote a really long piece about music games and I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Also, Otocky should be remade for XBLA because it looks so fun ;_;
Also do you think there will ever be a sequel to Gitaroo-Man? I fucking loved that game and would love to see it come back even if it was in downloadable form cause not that many people bought it the first time around from what I remember.
Do you guys think that rhythm games may be some what responsible for getting more non gamers into games because the idea is not everyone likes games but lots of people like music?
What do you guys think or say to the people that love to say to people who play Rock Band and Guitar Hero go play a real instrument?
In your guys opinion what is the rhythm game with the best music?
While the drums on Rock Band can teach you the basics of drumming (except internal rhythm), playing the Guitar Hero guitar is less productive although on the higher settings it can help establish better rhythm and finger independence. Playing a real instrument is a joyful thing and I recommend it to everyone.
No questions other than that really. I can't wait for the happy-explosion of rainbows and butterflies that is Colette on Taiko no Tatsujin :D
Oh, I found this:
<img src="http://thatsrad.net/visblog/img/IMG000011.jpg">
RETRO GOGGLES
Again...
RETRO GOGGLES!
As we are talking about Retro Limbo + Rhythm games you guys NEED to talk about Space Channel 5 for the Dreamcast!
What other game can you Shoot, Shoot, Shoot to the beat? Watch Ulala strut to the rhythm? While dancing to Thriller with Space Michael? (yes...Michael Jackson voiced himself)
Anyway, questions about that game: Did you guys play it? Could you see Sega bringing Ulala and Space Channel 5 in some fashion (I'm thinking DS, baby!)?
Also, September birthdays FTW!
Samba de Amigo is one of my favorite games of all time!
Apart from straight up rhythm games, what were you're favorites/notable examples of games from other genres that had notable rhythm like elements included into there gameplay. For example: Mother 3 has an awesome rhythm based combo system, in which additional hits can be scored on an enemy by pressing the A button in time with the beat with the background music after attacking. Any other particularly cool features like this you guys remember, or is it a phenomena that has tragically not yet caught on.
I understand that the producers have to make new controllers so that you can play a game how it was designed to be played, but damn. My old roommate shelled out, what was it, around $175 for Rock Band last year. Not only did he have to pinch pennies a little bit afterwards, but it was always out. It had a permanent right in front of the mini-fridge. All our friends would come over too play it, so the room was alway fucking crowded....
Eh...sorry for the begins of a rant, but I just don't like the space required for these things (even though drumming on "drums" is an awesome experience), I don't like that the controllers take up so much damned space.
Simply put: Love-Hate.
So, dudicles, heres my question: There are many songs from the Guitar Hero/Rock Band setlists that have made it to my most played songs list on iTunes, and the only reason I have them is because of those games. What songs, if any, have made their way into your music libraries?
OH GOD YES!!! SPACE MICHAEL IS AMAAAAAAZING!!!!
Question: Have rythm games reached their pinnacle? Where else can they go? Is it all downhill from here?
What is the all time worst rythm game?
Anyhow, do you think rhythm games were better back in the PS1/DC era where they were more based around themes and had more original tracks(say Rez, PaRappa the Rapper, Gitaroo Man), or do you prefer the way they are today where its about simulating the "big life" and using licensed soundtracks(say Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Singstar[if Karaoke games count]) ?
And what is each of your favorite song from any rhythm game?
Secondly, I wanted to talk about how rhythm games have changed, even from the olden days of the first DDR titles through PaRappa and Gitaroo Man and now a days to titles like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. What I've noticed is that these games started casual and tended to get more and more complex to where they became made for hardcore gamers. Then. they reset when the band simulators started coming out. Does that mean we can start expecting the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band to become more complex again, to the point they will become built for the hardcore gamer, or will history be different this time around?
Third - Wii Music: It's not retro, but do any of you think you'll give it a shot at all?
Lastly, are Frequency and Amplitude the most underrated rhythm games in gaming history? Why or why not?
Use whatever you guys like. Thanks! :D