sephfire

Guitar Hero 3 really did add notes where it didn't need to. It wasn't a big problem, but it made some songs much less fun to play. Hopefully they'll find a middle ground with their next attempt.

Harmonix was always the creative force behind Guitar Hero. They developed the game. Activision was the publisher in association with RedOctane. Harmonix has been making rhythm games for almost ten years (see FreQuency). Activision may have been taking a risk in publishing the first game in the series, but don't mistake that for innovation. Technically, Activision is still just the publisher, with Neversoft heading development, but whatever. I'll give you that, but that is often the way with sequels. I'd say that Guitar Hero 2 refined the formula, improving the hammer-on/pull-off mechanic among other things. I wouldn't say Activision is set to surpass Harmonix's ideas. Other than a few added details, World Tour looks like little more than a blatant attempt to turn Guitar Hero into Rock Band with a few extra bells and whistles. The controllers look nice and the music editor function piques my interest (we'll see how well it turns out in practice), but I wouldn't call either one of those especially "innovative." One of the things I'm curious about is how World Tour will handle DLC. Harmonix has released at least three new tracks every week since launch day, sometimes a full album's worth (just today, Harmonix released a Pixies album and three Weezer songs). Their DLC practices have turned Rock Band into more of a platform than a game. You don't own Rock Band, so I don't fault you for not knowing all of the game's strengths, but don't assume that World Tour will surpass everything Harmonix has accomplished with Rock Band. I expect World Tour probably will sell more copies than Rock Band based on the strength of the brand alone. Rock Band just doesn't have that kind of popularity yet. I still don't see any "innovation" on Activision's part, but I'm interested to see how well their product turns out.

I don't follow what you mean here. A small part of me is a bit irritated at Activision/Neversoft for taking this "full band" direction with Guitar Hero. It seems like Harmonix already handed them a winning formula with the Guitar Hero franchise, guaranteed to sell big. It seems the least they could do is not muscle in on Harmonix's new audience. The "Me Too" vibe rubs me the wrong way, but I guess business is business. Regardless, Harmonix has already proven to me that they know how to do music games right. I'm sure Activision will turn out in a good product in World Tour, but it's going to take something amazing to pull me away from Rock Band. Now, if Activision would just embrace universal compatibility with their controllers, I might have to change my tune. Doesn't look like I'm going to get my wish for this game though. It's a shame, too. Their drum controller looks pretty decent so far.

Do we have ourselves an OCR MGO clan yet?

But only for Intel macs. I can't describe how bummed I am.

I'm kind of hoping they continue this treatment all the way through FF5 and FF6, myself. I imagine they would both translate well to the DS remake style they've been using.

OP confusion aside, I'm still looking forward to this. The FF3 DS remake was great fun.

That would be pretty cool.

It's a cat who bites schoolgirls for absolutely no reason.

My "to-play" list is also quite large, and this month's releases aren't helping. Ninja Gaiden 2? MGS4? Civilization Revolution? Soul Calibur 4? FF4 DS? Lego Indiana Jones? And I haven't even finished GTA 4 yet. Since when did June become November?

I heartily endorse this product. From the clips I've heard, it's going to be a treat.

I'd go ahead and start working your own trance elements into the mix during the intro. Like, start adding in your own stuff layer by layer as the source intro builds up. I see what you were going for, but I'm not sure it actually makes the mix any more interesting.

Even with my limited acting experience and boring voice, this just seems like a fun thing to try out for. I have no idea who I'd try to audition for though. I secretly want to hear our "black as hell" Wingless friend try out for Barret. That would make the internet a better place.

This is a game I would describe as "greater than the sum of its parts." There are a few things that Zelda does better, certainly, but the whole game is just a top-notch gaming experience all around.

I watch very little anime, but my wife and I found The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya extremely enjoyable. Other than Miyazaki's feature films (if they count), I'd say Haruhi was the most fun I've had watching anime. But then, I'm not a hardcore anime fan by any means, so take that suggestion however you like.

Yeah, it's high time you officially made it on the front page. You've earned it.

It's only been a few days. And it has an additional 10k views over at Gametrailers. This is all really cool. That's "Professor Dan" to you.

I haven't really got a topic in mind. Both of these videos have involved a good bit of research, so it may take while, but I'd like to do more.

Heh, yeah I emailed one of the kotaku guys about it. Hopefully, that part will get cleared up at some point.

Yeah, I'm a bit surprised at how much attention this thing has gotten. Last time youtube updated, the thing had a little under 18,000 views. Not bad for 48 hours. edit: 26,000 now. Crazy.

Sweet. And they even think I'm a professor.

I still hold that FFX-2's battle system was one of the finest ever created for a turn-based RPG and the soundtrack was still great, but otherwise I have a hard time arguing.

I'd love to try and spread these around a bit more, but I'm not sure what sort of places would be best for that. Kotaku maybe? I don't know. I'd love to make more, but I don't really have any new topics in mind at the moment. These have both been for class projects so far and I don't think I'll have any new research assignments for a while (if ever). Maybe something interesting will come up, though.

Well darn, I think you're right. Perhaps Counter-Strike would have been the better example. Regardless, I've heard numerous game people say that mod involvement is a good idea. It's worth considering, if you have the time and skills to contribute.

I frequently hear that getting involved with mod projects is also a great way to get some valuable experience and improve your employability. Even Portal started out as a small mod project. And those guys all work at Valve now.