I went to Best Buy for my normal Tuesday pick-up and upon walking in I saw a grand display of white with pretty colored pastel lines and a font that looked all to familiar. As I approached this monolith the words began to come into being. BAND HERO (in the Guitar Hero font mind you...) stared me back in my face. I turned the box over and at it puzzled, like I was trying to read something written in Chinese. What could this be? Another music and rhytem game with a full band set up?
Drums? Check.
Mic? Check
Guitar? Check
Clone of another franchise that has gone way to overboard? CHECK.
Here's what really had me stumped. The game is put out by ActiBlizzard or Blizzivison, whatever you please. The same people who put out the Guitar Hero series. Oh now I get it, thats why the font looks like Guitar Hero....but not on a GH box. What the hell is the meaning of this I exclaimed in my head. Why would this company who just put out Guitar Hero 5 in September, Guitar Hero 5 that includes a full band set up, put out Band Hero, a game that includes a full band set up? Is it exclusive to the Wii? Is that why the box is white? No, no that can't be how would one of the richest companies out there stay afloat if they didn't go multiplatform. Perplexed and head hurting deep in thought as to why I was looking at a game that was pretty much Guitar Hero 6 (but not) was being sold for $199.99 full band or $60 for just the game.
Back at the office I decided to go see what this hubbub was all about. I was quickly brought to the best place for information, Wikipedia. Upon reading this is what the Band Hero wiki page had to say:
"Band Hero is an expansion game to the Guitar Hero series of music video games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009 for the PlayStation 2 and 3, Wii, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS consoles. The game is structurally similar to Guitar Hero 5, and will support full band play (lead and bass guitar, drums, and vocals) including the drop-in/drop-out and in-song instrument and difficulty change menus, and additional multiplayer modes as Guitar Hero 5."
Ok? What the hell? So again I ask...why isn't this just called Guitar Hero 6? It's essentially the same GOD DAMN GAME. Thats right, people wouldn't buy GH6 because GH5 just came out a month ago and it needed to be rebranded it so people will think it's a new game. Oh wait here is the the shocking truth to show why we needed a new game that is based off and already exisisting game, and will spawn 100 more sequels of shit: "Band Hero for consoles will feature 65 songs from "mainstream acts" ". Oh it also features more "in game models" of famous artists too. That's it? Mainstream bands are really the reason you want me to pay $60 for 65 songs? Ever hear of DLC? It's this awesome new technology where you can put groups of songs in an online marketplace where people can pay real money to download them and play them in their already pre-existing game!
I really am just at a loss about this one. The commerical for it features Pete Wentz, Travis Barker and Rivers Cuomo doing the standard Risky Business slide into frame with "Old Time Rock and Roll" playing. But this time Taylor Swift walks comes in and starts singing something that I don't really care about. Same advertisement that GH has been using since probably GH3. I just don't have words to describe how stupid this game seems. Not to mention DJ Hero just came out a few weeks ago and I can't think of anything more boring that that game. The market is over saturated with these games now. It's just one after another and with each one they get worse and worse. Jokes have been around for years now about what's next. Accordian Hero? Tenor sarrusophone Hero? In all honestly I'd rather just play SkinFlute Hero than buy
another one of these stupid games. You know what we play every time I go to my friends place? Rock Band(2). The original game that introduced drums and mic to the mix. The game got it right on the first try and only made it better by having an amazing DLC structure. With the RB DLC my one friend has spent well into the hundreds on songs, and it never gets boring. I know each person has their own tastes and while the Console Wars still rage on, one of the smaller battles being fought on the side lines is the Rock Band vs Guitar Hero series. Will they keep making more games? Will we get a new trend in gaming soon that will put a stop to these? Who the hell knows, and if a white box with crazy lettering and colors on it confuses me, I'm not the one to ask.
See you on stage folks,
- NerdsBeware out
PS: Everyone should go listen to the band Between the Buried and Me, mainly the albums Colors and The
Great Misdirect. Amazing.
I play skinflute hero all the time. Its a wonderful game.
ReplyDeleteBand Hero is like the Lego Rock Band spinoff of Guitar Hero. It's supposed to be aimed towards young kids, so it's packed with really horrible music.
ReplyDeleteDJ Hero, on the other hand, seems pretty fun. I played it in Best Buy last week and I can see myself buying it somewhere down the road for a new rhythm game challenge. The music is pretty good and the gameplay is interesting enough.
Yea, I totally agree with the horrible music aspect. They did a version for DS as well that added like drum type pads to the DS? No idea how that shit works, and the GH for the DS was total garbage too.
ReplyDeleteAs for DJ Hero, yea it's just not my thing and doesn't really seem to interest me, but it has potential to be cool. Like I wouldn't mind a Drum Hero or something of the sort but then again, you aren't really reinventing the wheel so...