Players' undying devotion to rocking out is being drained for all it's worth.
In the last few weeks, one gouge after another has demonstrated how deep both Activision and Electronic Arts - publishers of the “Guitar Hero” and “Rock Band” franchises, respectively - will go to profit off the massive popularity of their rhythm game sensations.
First was the announcement of “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.” As if the lukewarm response to “Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s” wasn't enough reproach for Activision slapping the “Hero” name on any unspectacular collection of songs, they're now set to release an even more specific set list from the four-decades-long career of Aerosmith for a full $50 to $60 price tag.
The game, listed for June, will feature between 30 and 40 songs mostly from Aerosmith, but also from a few other artists who've inspired the Boston band.
Though Aerosmith has indeed accumulated its share of classic songs in the course of its career, are there really enough to warrant the band receiving its own “Guitar Hero” game? All I could hope to play are “Sweet Emotion,” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Walk this Way” and “Dream On” (which was already released for the Xbox Live and the PlayStation store as a limited-time download). Certainly there are enthusiasts out there eager to air-guitar their way through every minor hit in the band's history, but there probably aren't many.
The idea of releasing an edition of “Guitar Hero” exclusive to one band is much more justified in the case of the rumored Beatles title, but whether their songs (especially their early hits) lend themselves well to a guitar-only rhythm game is left up in the air.
Also releasing in June is “Guitar Hero: On Tour,” a Nintendo DS version of the game that wraps a fret key attachment around the device and plugs it into the GameBoy Advance adapter slot. Instead of picking a strum bar, DS users will play by scribbling the touchscreen with their stylus.
The first major problem with a DS edition of “Guitar Hero” lies in “On Tour's” fret button peripheral, which only contains four buttons instead of the traditional five. Though playing “Guitar Hero” with four frets can indeed provide a challenge, the lack of a fifth substantially limits the overall difficulty possible in the game's design.
The very idea of a “Guitar Hero” game for the DS presents another question: Who would want to play it portably? The series is traditionally best enjoyed in a living room with friends and, of course, with its customary plastic guitars. Awkwardly cramping your wrists to play a handicapped 20-song edition of the game seems to hold little appeal.
The third egregious example of guitar games gutting their fans' budgets involves the release of “Rock Band” for the Wii in June, the same month of release for “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” and “Guitar Hero: On Tour.”
Although Wii owners have waited more than six months to see the mega-popular game on their system (which handily outsells the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), their patience will hardly be rewarded. Guitars purchased for the Wii edition of “Guitar Hero III” will most likely not work with “Rock Band” due to non-cooperation between EA and Activision. So most buyers will be stuck with the $170 “Rock Band” package, which includes the game, a new guitar, drums and a microphone.
The Wii edition will also sport only five bonus songs, which may or may not include any of the dozens already added to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions online. The lack of a similar delivery system for downloadable songs on the Wii is more a fault of Nintendo than EA, but gamers will feel the sting of a static set list just as sharply nonetheless.
With these low-demand and half-baked guitar games set to milk the market, June could be a mighty month for Activision and EA. For those about to rock, we console you.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
First was the announcement of “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith.” As if the lukewarm response to “Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the '80s” wasn't enough reproach for Activision slapping the “Hero” name on any unspectacular collection of songs, they're now set to release an even more specific set list from the four-decades-long career of Aerosmith for a full $50 to $60 price tag.
The game, listed for June, will feature between 30 and 40 songs mostly from Aerosmith, but also from a few other artists who've inspired the Boston band.
Though Aerosmith has indeed accumulated its share of classic songs in the course of its career, are there really enough to warrant the band receiving its own “Guitar Hero” game? All I could hope to play are “Sweet Emotion,” “Dude (Looks Like a Lady),” “Walk this Way” and “Dream On” (which was already released for the Xbox Live and the PlayStation store as a limited-time download). Certainly there are enthusiasts out there eager to air-guitar their way through every minor hit in the band's history, but there probably aren't many.
The idea of releasing an edition of “Guitar Hero” exclusive to one band is much more justified in the case of the rumored Beatles title, but whether their songs (especially their early hits) lend themselves well to a guitar-only rhythm game is left up in the air.
Also releasing in June is “Guitar Hero: On Tour,” a Nintendo DS version of the game that wraps a fret key attachment around the device and plugs it into the GameBoy Advance adapter slot. Instead of picking a strum bar, DS users will play by scribbling the touchscreen with their stylus.
The first major problem with a DS edition of “Guitar Hero” lies in “On Tour's” fret button peripheral, which only contains four buttons instead of the traditional five. Though playing “Guitar Hero” with four frets can indeed provide a challenge, the lack of a fifth substantially limits the overall difficulty possible in the game's design.
The very idea of a “Guitar Hero” game for the DS presents another question: Who would want to play it portably? The series is traditionally best enjoyed in a living room with friends and, of course, with its customary plastic guitars. Awkwardly cramping your wrists to play a handicapped 20-song edition of the game seems to hold little appeal.
The third egregious example of guitar games gutting their fans' budgets involves the release of “Rock Band” for the Wii in June, the same month of release for “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith” and “Guitar Hero: On Tour.”
Although Wii owners have waited more than six months to see the mega-popular game on their system (which handily outsells the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), their patience will hardly be rewarded. Guitars purchased for the Wii edition of “Guitar Hero III” will most likely not work with “Rock Band” due to non-cooperation between EA and Activision. So most buyers will be stuck with the $170 “Rock Band” package, which includes the game, a new guitar, drums and a microphone.
The Wii edition will also sport only five bonus songs, which may or may not include any of the dozens already added to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 editions online. The lack of a similar delivery system for downloadable songs on the Wii is more a fault of Nintendo than EA, but gamers will feel the sting of a static set list just as sharply nonetheless.
With these low-demand and half-baked guitar games set to milk the market, June could be a mighty month for Activision and EA. For those about to rock, we console you.
Staff writer David Wilcox reviews video games for The Citizen. He can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net