Rock Band – PS3 – Preview

E3 2007 Preview

Harmonix is
back at it. The company that brought the world Guitar Hero is developing a title
for EA that will set the music genre on fire. It’s called Rock Band and it is
simply amazing.

This is
actually four games in one. First off, using a guitar based on the Fender
Stratocaster and without buttons, there is a rich Guitar Hero-type experience.
The game uses a lot of master tracks, so expect the real deal when it comes to
the bands, and not the sound-alikes (though they were very good) that previous
games in the genre have had. The guitar seems to use pressure plates on the neck
with the colored tabs on the side of the neck.

But wait,
there’s more …

The game also
features a full-on vocal presentation, like the SingStar or Karaoke titles. And
then there is a full drum game, with four drum heads and a foot peddle. This
portion of the game plays just like the guitar portion with the notes scrolling
through the screen and players challenged to strike the right drum head in time
with the music.


Rock Band PlayStation 3 screenshots

And then there
is the full game that the title is derived from, the band portion. In this,
someone takes on the role of a bass player, drummer, lead vocalist and lead
guitarist. This is where the game gets very interesting. Players who fail at
their portion will be dropped, but another player, doing well, can rescue them
back into the game.

And the game
will come packaged with a guitar, drums and microphone. Not only will four
people be able to play on the same machine, but plans include full online
support with the ability to form bands with others online.

The interface
itself is a lot like Guitar Hero, so players familiar with that game should be
able to jump in and play. The graphics are strong and very colorful and the
sound track is terrific.

Rock Band is
one of those titles that EA was showing off at a pre-E3 event in Los Angeles. It
was also one of those titles that had a lot of journalists lined up to see and
play and came away very excited about. Look for Rock Band to launch in the Fall
on the 360 and PS3 platforms.