The upcoming edition of Game Informer is going to have a juicy feature on Rock Band 2. One of the more startling revelations in the feature is that two sets of drums will be offered to players. The first set looks much like the original with the standard four pads. Fortunately, this time the pads are actually cushioned, which should help all of your neighbors sleep at night. It is also sporting a reinforced kick pedal to avoid those nasty breaking incidents. Additionally, players will have the option to upgrade the standard set with an expansion pack that adds two cymbals to the piece.
Pictured above is my artist rendition of the big daddy drums that will be sold optionally with Rock Band 2. It’s called the “Ion drum kit” and has a seriously sleek black finish and decent metal detail work. This thing is rocking three cymbals, four drum pads, and a reinforced foot pedal. This best part is that the set can be utilized away from the game as a fully-featured electronic set, if you have the required stuff to do it.
Both sets of cymbals will have corresponding colors with the pads on the drum kit. Basically they will act as alternate buttons, instead of completely different inputs. Harmonix alludes to the fact that in future updates or revisions the cymbals could possibly play a larger role. Both these sets are completely optional as well. The original Rock Band drums will operate perfectly in Rock Band 2. The only difference is that you will look infinitely more hardcore behind that Ion set.
Personally, I would love to sit down and act like I could traverse a huge kit, but I know my bounds. Are any of you ready to toss down the dough that something like this would cost? I know my biggest concern with the original Rock Band was finding a place to put all the instruments in. There's absolutely no way something this big could fit in any agreeable place in my apartment.
[Thanks, Gantz!]
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OMG! I can haz?
I now I want that drum set.
The only problem is, well shipping that thing to Peru can cost me both eyes, and i woun´t be able to look at hte TV to play with it.
So RB has no cymbals, then GH: World Tour uncovers that they'll have 2 and then RB2 suddenly has 3?
by the time either of these games come out we'll be playing a full drumset with 30 touch-sensitive locations :p
Competition between companies FTW!!
Im good with my RB1 drums, thank ya! But how will the cymbals come into gameplay?,seeing as some people will have them and some won't....
I am so buying that thing. I will then probably get a drum brain to turn it into an electronic drumkit. Plus, playing Rock Band on that thing would be epic
I don't get it though. Do the cymbals work in game? Are they just there for cross compatibility (with GH4 and Rock Revolution)? Or are they just there for the independent electronic drum kit option?
if the cymbals work with my rb1 set, i'll definately be pickin them up.
...so, rock band rips off guitar hero, who ripped off rock band, who originally ripped off guitar hero, who ripped off konami?
my head's a'spinnin....
@ mistic - I missed that little tidbit. The post has been updated.
So we're adding more stuff, and in 2 years we'll go back to a "more streamlined gameplay experience" with 4 drums again? It looks a bit like some alien contraption.. dunno if consumers will really want this stuff :)
@ Pew - Yeah, that thing looks intense, right? I can't even imagine what they expect us to pay for it.
Double kick pedal GOD DAMMIT!
I'm going to sell Destructoid so I can afford that deluxe kit
I get how black and hhite is a new looks but that thing looks pretty unstable......
2 cymbals FTW!
I'll give ya $1000 to the rights to the site, but only if Hamza does a little dance for me.
DO WANT that drumset
god i really hope they fix the kick pedal. that was my major gripe about the RB1 kit. besides that, looks good.
@endelton21
$1,000?
Niero hands out $1,000 dollar bills and tells people to keep the change when he buys Pez refills.
He uses $1,000 dollar bills for spit balls.
He got rid of the "free candy" bowl and put up a "free $1,000 bill" bowl.
...I'm just bored and at work and felt the need to post again :)
ive seen the new set and apparently you can use it alternatively as a real electronic drum kit...so why not let me use my own three thousand dollar electric kit instead of the RB one?....yeah fuck you harmonix im buying GH.
Is mono gonna cry?? Poor baby!
I'd plunk down money for an add-on. WANT.
Wait... Will the add-on work with the Rock Band 1 drums, or would I have to buy the Rock Band 2 drums to get the cymbal add-on.
I needs me some cymbals. Rock Band 2 has a sale.
Yeah it seems pretty weird that they would all the drums to be used as real electronic drums, but not let you use your choice of electronic drum kit with the game. I've read some reviews of Ion's drums and a good 50% of them claim their kits are junk.
So this drum controller would certainly suit the needs of someone who is getting into drumming with Rock Band but is still on the fence about wanting to fully invest in the hobby, sure, but Guitar Freaks/Drummania had compatibility with (proven quality) Yamaha kits, and I can't remember for sure but maybe any drum kit.
I haven't experienced a real electronic kit in person, do different brands have vastly different connections or something? It seems like most would just connect via MIDI or USB.
awesome.
@ russtolium
I have a Roland V-Drum (TD-3K).
All electronic kits are just midi triggers pluged in a brain that plays samples (from shitty ones like I have to awsome like the TD-20)
They have a midi out/in and can be pluged to a USB device with a MIDI to USB cable.
I use this setup to drive a VST plugin in Cubase to have kickbutt sound with EZDrummer instead of the crap sound I get from my TD-3 brain.
I would be a simple mater to map a midi note to a controller button with the provided velocity.
@ JayTapp
I almost considered getting v-drums at one point but decided I'd better actually learn to play my guitar before merrily skipping to the next impulse instrument.
I think having the ability to hook up any pair of drums to the game would be a really neat advantage that could serve as an excellent practice and learning tool, which would be awesome for guitar too but obviously that would be a lot more complicated (hopefully Guitar Rising will prove it can be done well).
The way things are going it wouldn't surprise me if by Rock Band 4 it had cross support and game modes for simplified game peripherals and real instruments. That way the 'go play a real instrument' arguement becomes a moot point and the market for music games expands even further.
I just looked at that pic again with tired eyes. It looks almost like some kind of Aibo/Robot dog if you squint your eyes.
I love your drawing, Brad.
I've seen the Ion drum kit, and let me say, DO WANT. Before I can afford that though, I'll be buying the bundle so I can get the new improved drum kit and guitar (plus trading in my current wired one for another wireless one), even though I just finished getting everything together for my perfect drumkit (drum pads, wooden support from Conrad's friend, and Omega Pedal). I guess as long as I can still use the wooden support and Omega Pedal with the improved drum kit, I'll be happy.
@ Syn
Agreed. I would much rather have a second bass pedal than any number of "cymbals", then they could release more metal songs and won't have to gimp songs that feature double bass. You could even use the second pedal for a high hat if there's no second bass.
You know, I will probably end up getting this....but at least for the sake of the kid in me, can somebody draw a better fucking picture? That set probably looks awesome, but the picture makes it look like ass.
I hope they'll be releasing Neil Peart's drumkit within ten years.
Who the fuck needs to play a hi-hat and the xylophone at the same time?
Me, thats who. Neil Peart drumkit mod plzkthx.
This is a dream come true. I was about a week away from going and buying a real drum kit (used for $200) fully knowing that it is too loud and I wouldnt be able to play it. I wanted an electric kit, but I just want to do this as a hobby. I didnt want to blow $500+ on a an e-kit. But I will put down $300 for an e-kit that can play RB too. This is seriously EXACTLY what I could have hoped for. I know I will probably need another component to play it as an e-kit but here's hoping it is well under $200.
I have a closet under our stairs that I've been turning into a network closet and gaming peripheral closet. Got my two guitar controllers hanging on the wall with room for at least 20 more as well as floor space for about 5 drum kits. Bring on the better peripherals.
I'll probably be picking up the drum kit and cymbals, but hope they don't take too long implementing alternative gameplay with the cymbals. While I'm not expert on the drums, I am looking for some more advanced drumming on medium and hard modes.