Rock Band
Rock Band cover art
Developer(s)	Harmonix Music Systems Q Entertainment (Japan)
Publisher(s)	MTV Games
Distributor(s)	EA Distribution
Designer(s)	Greg LoPiccolo, Rob Kay, Dan Teasdale, Chris Canfield
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii[1]
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3 US November 20, 2007[2] CA December 22, 2007 EU September 2008 Xbox 360 US November 20, 2007[2] CA December 22, 2007 UK May 23, 2008[3] AUS October 16, 2008[4] SWE July 24, 2008 PlayStation 2 US December 18, 2007[5] CA January 2, 2008 AUS December 1, 2008 Wii NA June 22, 2008[6] EU TBA
Genre(s)	Music
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: T
Media	Blu-ray Disc (PS3), DVD (PS2 and Xbox 360), Wii Optical Disc (Wii)
Input methods	Guitar controller (game packaged with Fender Stratocaster controller), drum controller, USB microphone, Xbox 360 headset,[7]dead linkgamepad

Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games, and distributed by EA Distribution. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007,^[2] while the PlayStation 2 version was released in the U.S. on December 18, 2007^[5] and the Wii version was released on June 22, 2008.^[6] The game was released in Canada for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on December 22, 2007 and for the PlayStation 2 on January 2, 2008. It was released in parts of Europe as a timed exclusive on Xbox 360 on May 23, 2008.

Rock Band allows players to perform in virtual bands by providing up to four players with the ability to play three different peripherals modeled after music instruments (a guitar peripheral for lead guitar and bass guitar gameplay, a drum peripheral, and a microphone). These peripherals are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen. Players using the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles can interact through both online and offline multiplayer capabilities. In addition to the 58 core songs included on the game disc, hundreds of downloadable songs are being released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions.^[8]

At launch, the game software was made available in a bundle that packaged it together with the instrument peripherals, as well as for purchase separately. Individual instrument peripherals were released at a later date. The game has received widespread critical acclaim^[9] and has sold over 3.5 million bundled units over all platforms.^[10] Players have also downloaded over 21 million songs since Rock Band's release.^[10] The game's success has prompted the development of a sequel, Rock Band 2, due to be released on Xbox 360 in September 2008 and on other consoles in the following months.

Gameplay

See also: Common gameplay elements in the Guitar Hero series and Gameplay in the Karaoke Revolution series

Reusing many gameplay elements from the Guitar Hero series, Rock Band players use peripherals modeled after musical instruments to simulate the performance of rock music. Players must play these instruments in time with musical "notes" as they scroll towards them on the screen. Rock Band expands upon the Guitar Hero series, in that it offers gameplay for drums and vocals, in addition to lead and bass guitars. The game features a single-player career mode for three of the instruments (lead guitar, drums, and vocals) called "Solo Tour Mode,"^[11] as well as a band career mode for 2-4 local players called "Band World Tour."^[11][12] The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game support both local and online players for multiplayer modes (except for Band World Tour), while the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions only support local play.^[11]

Unlike the Playstation 2 and Wii versions, players with the Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 versions can create and customize their own in-game character, complete with adjustable hair, body physique, clothing, tattoos, onstage movements, and instruments. Each character is permanently locked into a specific instrument. Using cash earned within the game, the player may purchase items at the in-game "Rock Shop," with which they can customize their rock star. The game features an art maker where players can combine different clip art elements to create custom face paint, tattoos, clothing designs, instrument artwork, and band logos.^[12] This feature is not available in the Wii version; according to Harmonix' Sean Baptiste, they wanted to tailor the game to the casual player and avoid having them need to navigate through many menus.^[13]

Game Informer describes the on-screen display as a combination of the Guitar Hero and Karaoke Revolution gameplay elements.^[14] Rock Band has up to three tracks of vertically scrolling colored music notes, one section each for lead guitar, drums, and bass.^[14] The colored notes on-screen correspond to buttons on the guitar and drum peripherals.^[14] Along the top of the screen is the vocals display, which scrolls horizontally, similar to Karaoke Revolution. The lyrics display beneath green bars, which represent the pitch of the individual vocal elements.^[14] If any part is not being played, its interface does not appear on-screen. The remainder of the screen is used to display the band's virtual characters as they perform in concert.

Each instrument is represented by a different interface: bass guitar (left), drums (middle), lead guitar (right), vocals (top). The Band Meter (green meter on left) measures the performance of each band member, while the Energy Meter (gold meter beneath each interface) tracks each player's Overdrive.

During cooperative play as a band, all players earn points towards a common score, though score multipliers and "Overdrive" (the equivalent of Guitar Hero's "Star Power") are tracked separately for each player.^[14] The bass guitar player's multiplier can reach as high as 6x (compared to a 4x multiplier for the other players) and achieve "Bass Groove" because, as noted by a GameSpot preview, "bass can get a little dry sometimes."^[15] Overdrive is collected during select portions of a song by successfully playing all white notes within that section (guitar and bass players can also use the guitar controller's whammy bar to extract Overdrive from white sustained notes).^[16] Once the meter is filled halfway, players can deploy their Overdrive, resulting in the "Band Meter" (which tracks how well each player is doing) changing more dramatically. This allows players to strategically use Overdrive to raise the Band Meter and pass portions of a song they otherwise might have failed. In solo play, deploying Overdrive doubles the player's score multiplier. However, in band play, activating Overdrive instead increases the score multiplier of the entire band by two. Additionally, players can now deploy Overdrive independently of each other (previous Guitar Hero games required players in Co-Operative mode to deploy Star Power simultaneously), as well as collect additional Overdrive while it is deployed and draining (previous Guitar Hero games hid additional Star Power sections while Star Power was activated).^[16]

Each band member can choose the difficulty at which they play (spanning Easy, Medium, Hard, and Expert). If a player does not play well enough and falls to the bottom of the Band Meter, they will fail out of the song and their instrument will be muted from the audio mix. However, any active player can activate their Overdrive to bring failed players back into the song,^[14] "saving" the band member. However, a band member can only be saved twice; after the third failure, they cannot be brought back for that song. Failed players continuously drag the band's Band Meter down until they are saved. If the player is not saved before the Band Meter reaches the bottom, the band fails the song. Special portions of songs are labeled as "Unison Phrases," which reward the band with a score and Overdrive bonus if each player can play their parts perfectly during the phrase. Select songs end with a special "Big Rock Ending," which gives the players a chance to improvise and earn extra points. If each player successfully plays the final notes of the song following the freestyle portion of the "Big Rock Ending," the band earns all of the "Big Rock Ending" points. Otherwise, the bonus is lost.

Band World Tour mode

The world map in Band World Tour, which allows the band to select a city, venue, and setlist.

"Band World Tour" is the game's primary multiplayer mode. It allows any combination of 2-4 local players to create a virtual band, play gigs, and tour a virtual representation of the world. Although online play is not supported for Band World Tour, players can use the "Band Quickplay" mode to play together as a band online.^[17] For the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game, Band World Tour mode lets bands play in 41 different venues spanning 17 cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, New York, London, Sydney, Stockholm, and Rome.^[18] After choosing a band name and hometown city, the band members can create their own rock characters, as well as a band logo. Once setup is complete, the band can begin playing concerts in small venues in their hometown until they unlock vans, tour buses and private jets, which unlock more cities and different continents. Unlocking and completing new gigs unlocks additional songs for play across all game modes. Successful performances also earn the band fans (used as a metric of measuring the band's popularity), stars (which accumulate based on the success of each individual song performed), and in-game cash (which each player can spend at the "Rock Shop").^[19] Most cities and larger venues require the band to achieve a certain number of fans and stars before they are unlocked. In the process, bands can loop through cities multiple times, eventually playing larger venues in cities they have already visited.^[18] In-game venues are inspired by real-life venues and often display local art styles from each of the represented cities.^[18]

For the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, rather than complete predetermined lists of songs (like in previous Guitar Hero games), players complete unique sets of activities at each venue. Performances consist of single songs, multiple song sets, "make your own" setlists, and mystery setlists.^[19] Players are also faced with decisions that Harmonix refers to as "risk-versus-reward."^[19] Bands need to choose which sized venue they perform at carefully, as a poor performance at a larger venue poses a greater threat of the band losing fans.^[19] For certain performances, bands are faced with an optional challenge that requires the band to average a certain amount of stars for their gig in order to reap the rewards.^[19] Bands can also choose to perform a benefit concert (earning no in-game money but gaining more fans) or "sell-out" (earning more in-game money but losing fans).^[19] Additionally, for certain gigs, bands can compete for band managers, roadies, security personnel, and sound guys, as well as a recording deal with a record label.^[19] The "Endless Setlist" becomes unlocked after completing several objectives within Band World Tour mode. Players will get to experience an all-day concert atmosphere, as the setlist requires playing the entire game disc's setlist from start to finish.^[20]

The PlayStation 2 and Wii versions of Rock Band contain a more stripped-down version of the Band World Tour mode, as 2-4 local players will only be able to play by completing predetermined tiers of songs ordered by difficulty. Players cannot create their own characters, nor can they choose a city, venue, or a setlist to play.^[21]

Solo Tour modes

"Solo Tour" is a single-player mode offered for the lead guitar, drum, and microphone peripherals (there is no support for bass). Rather than feature the open-ended gameplay and features of the next-generation versions of Band World Tour mode, Solo Tour is structured much in the same vein as the career mode in Guitar Hero games. Players choose/create their character (on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions only) and complete predetermined sets of songs ordered by difficulty, with each instrument's setlist ordered differently. By completing these sets of songs, additional songs are unlocked for play across all game modes. For the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, players can use money earned for each performance to purchase merchandise at the "Rock Shop." The character's cash carries over into Band World Tour mode, and vice versa.

Other modes

Players can quickly play any song on any instrument individually in "Solo Quickplay." For a competitive experience, players can individually compete against each other for each instrument type in the "Tug of War" (much like Guitar Hero's "Face-off," in which players trade playing sections of a song to move a meter in their favor) and "Score Duel" (much like Guitar Hero II's "Pro Face-off," in which each player plays the song in its entirety to earn points). These head-to-head modes are available both online (for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions) and locally.^[22] "Band Quickplay" mode allows bands to quickly play any song; the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions allow any combination of 2-4 local or online players to play as a band, while the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions only support 2-4 local players. Also included in Rock Band are "Tutorial Mode," which allows players to learn how to play each instrument, and "Practice Mode," which allows players to practice songs for each instrument.^[11] For the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 versions, Practice Mode allows players to choose specific segments of a song to practice and set the tempo of the song anywhere from 50% to 100% normal speed, at 10% increments. Vocals can only be practiced in their entirety at the original speed. The PlayStation 2 version allows players to practice songs in their entirety at full speed or in sections at 70% tempo only.

Instrument peripherals

The Fender Stratocaster guitar controller, which features 10 frets, a whammy bar, and an effects switch.

The game features special Rock Band-branded guitar controllers modeled after the Fender Stratocaster to be used for the lead and bass guitar gameplay; these are similar to the Guitar Hero controllers, aside from a few changes. To use the guitar controller, players must hold the fret button that corresponds to the scrolling colored note on-screen while simultaneously pushing the strum bar. The Stratocaster controller has five additional fret buttons of smaller size located lower down the guitar neck, closer to the guitar's main body. These buttons can be used to play all notes in guitar solos (denoted by the note track turning blue) as hammer-ons and pull-offs, without strumming.^[14] Additionally, the controller features an effects pickup switch that can toggle between five different effects (none, wah-wah, flange, chorus, and echo for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions; none, doubler, slap back echo, medium echo, and long echo for PlayStation 2, and none, flange, slap back echo, chorus, and echo for the Wii version^[23]). These guitar effects are applied in solos and when Overdrive is activated. Overdrive for guitarists can be deployed by holding the controller in a vertical position or pressing the "Select/Back" button. The controller is offered in both wired and wireless versions.^[11] Rock Band features a "Lefty Flip" setting, supporting left-handed guitar players. Harmonix has confirmed most Guitar Hero guitar controllers and additional third-party controllers are compatible with the game,^[14][11] with the exception of the PlayStation 3 and Wii Guitar Hero III Gibson Les Paul peripherals^[24] (see guitar incompatibility issues). The Stratocaster controller is only compatible with Rock Band.^[25]

The drum controller, which features 4 pads, a bass drum pedal, and real drumsticks. The Wii version features white drums.^[26]

The drum controller features four rubber drum pads and a kick pedal. The pads have colored rings around the edges that correspond to the notes on-screen, representing the snare drum (red), tom-tom (blue), hi-hat (yellow), and crash cymbal (green). The kick pedal simulates the bass drum, with on-screen notes represented as orange horizontal lines. To use the drum controller, players must strike the pads with the included authentic drum sticks and/or press the kick pedal in time with the scrolling notes on-screen. The four pads will commonly change functionality to represent other drums, depending on the requirements of a song. The default pad order can be reversed using the "Lefty Flip" option in the game. The legs of the drum peripheral can adjust in height or be detached if the player wishes to place it on a table-top.^[27] The drum controller also features standard controller buttons in the middle of the peripheral for navigating in-game menus. Drummers can improvise in special "freestyle drum fill" sections of songs, indicated by the columns for each note turning a solid color. Overdrive for drummers can be deployed by hitting the crash cymbal (green note for right-handed configuration) that appears directly after a freestyle drum fill. Harmonix representatives have suggested, "If you can play the drum parts on hard, you can pretty much play the drums [in reality]."^[12][11]

Rock Band's USB microphone instrument is similar to the model used in the Harmonix-developed Karaoke Revolution games. Players can use most other USB microphones, while Xbox 360 users can substitute their console's headset, if they wish.^[7] For the most part, singers are judged on how closely they match the pitch of the song's vocalist. During "talking parts" that do not judge pitch, a phoneme detector will pick up individual vowels and consonants of the spoken lyrics.^[28][14] Some sections without vocals will display circle notes, allowing for the microphone to be used as a tambourine and cowbell by tapping it or making vocal cues. Overdrive for singers can be deployed by singing in freestyle vocal sections of songs, denoted by yellow artwork in the background of the vocals interface.

On January 4, 2008, video game peripherals manufacturer Mad Catz announced it had reached an agreement with MTV and Harmonix to produce peripherals for Rock Band.^[29] Other peripheral companies have developed their own guitar controllers, such as Nyko's Wireless Frontman, that work across both Rock Band and Guitar Hero III for the PlayStation 3^[30].

Soundtrack

Main article: List of songs in Rock Band

All versions of Rock Band feature the same core 58 playable tracks on the game disc; 45 of these are featured tracks in the main setlist, while the other 13 tracks are "bonus songs" by independent or lesser-known bands, as well as bands made up of Harmonix employees.^[31][32] In total, 51 of the 58 songs are master recordings. The Wii version of the game features 5 additional songs. Featured tracks include "Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, "Here It Goes Again" by OK Go, "Highway Star" by Deep Purple, "Learn to Fly" by Foo Fighters, "Suffragette City" by David Bowie, "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi, and "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who.

Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos commented that the game's soundtrack would be "covering a great breadth, from metal to classic rock to Southern rock to everything in between."^[33] Five record labels agreed to supply most of the master recordings by their artists for use in the game, including EMI Music, Hollywood Records, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group's Universal Music Enterprises, and Warner Music Group's Rhino Entertainment.^[34]

In the months prior to the game's release, Harmonix took requests from fans for possible songs and bands to be included in the game. Fans were able to visit the game's official site and nominate up to four songs they wanted to be in the game.^[35] The new community website for the game brought this feature back, allowing players to suggest songs they would like to see as downloadable content.

Downloadable songs and Track Packs

Main article: List of downloadable songs for the Rock Band series

The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game support downloadable songs. Users can download songs on a track-by-track basis, with many of the tracks bundled together in track packs or complete albums at a discounted rate.^[36] Harmonix has likened the Rock Band game to a new platform for future music releases, and the company hopes to build the library of downloadable content up to hundreds of songs within the first year of the game's release by releasing new content on a weekly basis.^[37] Fifteen songs were made available at the game's launch date. As of August 28, 200 songs are available, bringing the total amount of playable songs to 253. Downloadable songs are playable within every game mode,^[7] including the Band World Tour career mode.^[19] With the announcement of Rock Band 2, Harmonix has announced that current downloadable content will be playable in Rock Band 2, and that new content developed after its release will be backwards compatible with Rock Band.^[38]

Plans to release downloadable albums has been a major selling point for the game. Three albums, Judas Priest's Screaming for Vengeance, the eponymous first album from The Cars, and the Pixies' Doolittle have been released.^[39] Furthermore, MTV Senior Vice President Paul DeGooyer has announced that Metallica may use Rock Band as the first venue to premiere a single from their upcoming album, Death Magnetic.^[40]

Currently, most song packs containing three songs are priced at 440 MSP/$5.49, while most individual songs are available for $1.99/160 MSP, the standard cost for the majority of downloadable tracks. Occasionally, certain songs are initially priced at $0.99/80 MSP for a limited time. The first two downloadable albums cost $14.99/1200 MSP each for the complete nine-track albums, with individual tracks available for purchase as well (although this price will not be standard for all albums).^[39] As of August 28, 2008, over 21 million downloadable songs have been purchased by players.^[10]

Main article: Rock Band Track Packs

As both the PlayStation 2 and Wii version lack downloadable content, Harmonix is releasing a series of "Track Pack" expansions for these consoles that can be purchased, containing a number of the tracks already available as downloadable content on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The first Track Pack, consisting of twenty songs, was released in North America on July 15, 2008, at a suggested retail value of $29.99. Track Packs do not require the original Rock Band disc.^[41]

Development

Harmonix Music Systems was previously responsible for making the Guitar Hero series, while RedOctane manufactured the peripherals and owned the rights to the series. However, in June 2006, RedOctane was bought by Activision, while in September 2006, Harmonix was purchased by MTV Networks. As a result of the two purchases, Harmonix would no longer be able to develop future Guitar Hero games. Instead, Neversoft, a subsidiary of Activision, would take over development; the company released Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on October 28, 2007.^[42][43]

Rock Band was first announced on April 1, 2007.^[44] Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos said in the announcement that Rock Band "takes the core premise of Guitar Hero and expands it tenfold. It lets you create a complete collaborative band."^[44]

Current Harmonix parent company MTV has been providing financial support to the development process, leveraging its stature to facilitate deals with record companies for licensing rights to songs.^[44] Several record companies have pledged their support by offering master recordings.^[45] Pressed for office space, Harmonix was forced to move its offices in the middle of Rock Band's beta period in order to support the company's 130-person staff.^[46] Although the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game were developed in-house, Harmonix outsourced development of the PlayStation 2 version to Pi Studios, as it omits certain features.^[47]

Rock Band was a featured game at the 2007 E3 convention and provided one of the exhibition's highlights; Harmonix employees and Microsoft executive Peter Moore played the game on-stage, performing The Hives' "Main Offender". Moore infamously paused the game twice when he accidentally hit the guitar's Xbox Guide button.

Harmonix faced difficulty in making the Xbox 360 guitar wireless, as developers are charged a licensing fee to use Microsoft's wireless technology. Had Harmonix chosen to pay the fee, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 bundles of Rock Band would have sold at different price points. Instead, Harmonix elected to choose a wired technology for the Xbox 360 bundle's guitar.^[47]

According to the January 28, 2008 edition of KCRW's "The Business", the game cost $200 million to develop.^[48]

A Wii version of the game was officially announced on January 31, 2008 by Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello,^[49] and had a release date of June 22, 2008 in North America. This version of the game excludes features such as the online functionality found in the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions, instead having "functionality similar to the PS2 version".^[50] The game disc includes all 58 playable tracks found in other versions of Rock Band, as well as five additional songs already available as downloadable content.^[6][51]

A software update was released on March 21, 2008, which added new features to the game. The update included an in-game music store with preview and sorting options, revised microphone performance, and faster downloadable content loading.^[52]

The Financial Times reports that both Activision and MTV Games have been in talks with representatives of The Beatles to create a themed games within either the Guitar Hero or Rock Band series, respectively, though any deal will also require permission from Apple Records.^[53][54]

Online community

On October 25, 2007, Harmonix and MTV announced RockBand.com would be transformed into an extensive community website at the game's launch, and that it would extend the features of the game, much like Bungie.netdoes with the Halo series. The community website was absent at the game's launch in order to fix bugs and complete features, but was deployed on December 19, 2007. The site allows for leaderboards, customizable band profile pages with stats, a classified area for bands to find additional members, band blogs, online forums, and other sharing features.^[55] Many originally announced features have yet to be made available, such as the ability for players to pose their avatars, take photo shoots, create fake album art for their band, and order T-shirts, bumper stickers, and figurines.^[37] However, these features are set to be added to the website for Rock Band 2.

Promotion

MTV and Harmonix promoted Rock Band heavily in the months leading up to the game's release. The game made a nationwide promotional tour of the United States.^[56] Several tour buses made stops at major American cities to set up demo stations and showcase playable versions of the game for fans.^[56] Many of the locations included college campuses. Additionally, fan-created "bands" were able to audition on-stage by playing the game; their performances were recorded and sent to MTV casting directors, who selected two bands to appear on Total Request Live in a "battle of the bands." The promotional tour commenced with a featured showcase at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 9, 2007.^[56]

MTV will be investing in additional promotions that total about $30 million.^[57] The game will be set up within the homes of The Real World participants, allowing for on-air visibility.^[57] VH1 also produced a brief spoof documentary in the style of Behind the Music titled "Rock Band Cometh: The Rock Band Band Story," documenting a fictional band that plays the game.^[57]

The game has also appeared in demo kiosks at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and Sam's Club stores. The demo contains 15 songs and supports gameplay for all 4 instruments (although the actual in-store setup varies). The demo's drum set lacks a bass pedal, with the game automatically playing bass drum notes.

Other companies have also helped to promote Rock Band through free and reduced cost downloadable content. Best Buy offered two free downloadable tracks by the band Disturbed for customers that pre-ordered their Indestructible album online; these tracks were made available to all users in June 2008 for $.99/80MSP.^[58] McDonald's sponsored a month-long program that reduced the cost of two selected downloadable tracks to $1 (approximately half the standard cost) for each week during the month of May 2008 as part of their Dollar Menu promotion.^[59]

The United Kingdom release of the game took place in London, where a number of bands including The Automatic, The Whip, and The Courteneers performed short sets.^[60]

Bundle and pricing

MTV confirmed the bundle's contents and price point on September 28, 2007. The "Special Edition" bundle includes the game software, as well as guitar, drum, and microphone peripherals; the Wii, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 bundles cost US$169.99, while the PlayStation 2 bundle costs US$159.99.^[61] The PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Wii bundles include a wireless guitar, whereas the Xbox 360 bundle contains a wired guitar (a separate wireless guitar is currently available for the Xbox 360). Initially, a USB hub was only included in the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 2 bundles, in order to increase the number of available USB ports on the console. The more recent PlayStation 3 bundles now include a USB hub, with a sticker on the box indicating so.^[62] In the same announcement, MTV said Rock Band would be released for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on November 23, 2007, Black Friday, one of the busiest shopping days in the United States.^[61] However, the release date was eventually moved to November 20, 2007.^[2]

The game software was made available for purchase individually at the game's launch,^[63] allowing players with a USB microphone or a compatible guitar controller to take advantage of the vocals, lead guitar, and bass guitar gameplay. Individual Rock Band-branded instruments became available in retail stores later, starting with the drum kit on February 12, 2008, priced at US$79.99. An individual wireless guitar became available on April 8, 2008 for US$59.99.

On April 8, 2008, EA announced a timed Xbox 360 exclusive for a partial European launch, with other versions to follow later in the summer^[3]. The pricing is set at £50/€70 for the game software and £130/€170 for an "Instrument Pack" (only the guitar, drums and microphone); the £180/€240 outlay required for the complete game package is more than double the $170 American RRP, at $375, causing anger among gamers.^[64]

Technical issues and guitar incompatibility

A snapped bass drum pedal. This is one common malfunction occurring in Rock Band peripherals

Upon release, many players reported hardware issues with Rock Band peripherals. Many complaints stemmed from the bass drum pedal snapping in half, the Stratocaster controller's strum bar being unresponsive, and it occasionally lagging when tilted to activate Overdrive.^[65] In response to these issues, Harmonix admitted the guitars bundled with initial shipment of the game bundles were subject to manufacturing issues and has stated that they will replace all faulty peripherals.^[66] Players affected by faulty peripherals can take advantage of the 60 day warranty on the peripherals and obtain replacements from EA. EA has also responded to delayed shipments of replacement peripherals by offering some affected customers a free copy of an EA game or not requiring faulty equipment to be returned.^[67][68]

Other players discovered at the game's launch that the Gibson Les Paul guitar controller bundled with the PlayStation 3 version of Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is not compatible with the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band, despite Harmonix stating that any controllers that followed the open-controller standard would work. While this incompatibility can be resolved through technical solutions, both Harmonix and Activision have cited the other party is at fault for failing to correct the incompatibility. Harmonix developed a patch to fix the issue, but it was blocked by Activision.^[69] Activision states that MTV Games is unwilling to reach an agreement to pay Activision to use the Guitar Hero III technology in Rock Band.^[70] This is the same case with the Wii's Les Paul peripheral. Nyko has released a PlayStation 3 version of their "Frontman" guitar controller that is compatible with both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band.^[71]

G4TV has found that the guitar of the Xbox 360 version of Rock Band works for Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which is built on the Guitar Hero III engine.^[72] In Activision's press conference at the 2008 E3 convention, it was confirmed that the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero World Tour will be able to use Rock Band's instruments, adapting the note tracks to account for the smaller number of drum pads, and that this compatibility was patched into Guitar Hero: Aerosmith as a result of additional arrangements.^[73][74] Specific details between Harmonix and Activision's resolution to allow this have not yet been made.

Rock Band: Japan

On June 2, 2008, Harmonix announced that it had begun co-developing a Japanese version of Rock Band with Q Entertainment for exclusive release in Japan on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii. According to Harmonix, Rock Band: Japan will be "the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market".^[75] A release date has not yet been announced. While the game mechanics are expected to remain the same as Rock Band, the game will be localized and its soundtrack will include songs by popular Japanese artists.^[76]

Sequel

Main article: Rock Band 2

Rock Band 2 was officially announced on June 30, 2008, for a September 2008 release on the Xbox 360, with other platforms to follow later in the year. Existing instruments will continue to work in Rock Band 2, in addition to new instruments, which will be quieter and more reliable. Furthermore, existing and any forthcoming downloadable content will be cross-compatible between Rock Band and Rock Band 2.^[77][78] Rock Band 2 will see enhancements to the existing Band World Tour mode. It has been confirmed that user-created content will not play a part in the sequel.

Reception

Prior to release, EA CEO John Riccitielo remarked that the company would not be able to meet the high demand for Rock Band in the 2007 holiday season, stating, "We're not going to be able to put enough inventory to meet demand in North America or Europe this calendar year or this fiscal [year]."^[113] This prompted many retailers to limit the number of preorders they sold before the game was released.

Official Xbox Magazine published the first review of Rock Band, scoring the Xbox 360 version a 9.5/10 and calling it "gaming's most intensely rewarding co-op experience." OXM also commented that the game's "payoff isn't visceral or technical; it's emotional."^[84] IGN awarded the game a 9.4/10 score and an Editor's Choice Award for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. IGN largely praised the game, calling it "one of the must-have games of the year" and suggesting it "may just be among the best party games ever released."^[83] 1UP.com gave the next-generation versions of the game an A,^[79] stating that "Rock Band unquestionably, unequivocally rocks." GameSpot rated the next-generation versions of the game a 9.0/10, calling Rock Band "one of the best party games of all time." They also gave the game their Editor's Choice award.^[82] The Xbox 360 version of Rock Band has an average critic score of 93%, according to Metacritic, making it the 8th highest scored Xbox 360 game to date, as of April 2008.^[114] Similarly, the PlayStation 3 version of Rock Band has an average critic score of 92% on Metacritic, making it the 5th highest scored PlayStation 3 game to date, as of July 2008.^[115]

Most critics^{[79][80][82][83][84]} have commended the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of Rock Band for the game's group gameplay, the depth of Band World Tour mode, and the introduction of a drum peripheral. Common complaints about the game focus on the different feel of the packaged Fender Stratocaster controller,^[80][83][84] as well as the game's Solo Tour modes not being as enjoyable as the multiplayer offerings.^[79][83] IGN's video review lamented the lack of a single player Band World Tour mode.

The PlayStation 2 version of the game was well received, but was subject to criticism for the omission of the character customization features, as well as the stripped-down Band World Tour mode. GameSpot rated it an 8.0/10, stating that "Rock Band is still a lot of fun on the PS2--it's just nowhere near the ideal version of the experience."^[107] IGN.com rated it an 8.4/10, noting that the removed features made the game feel like a "lessened" version, but that the game still "succeeds because it's infinitely fun to play with your friends."^[108]

Reviews for the Wii version of Rock Band also criticize the lack of features compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. The Wii version is basically the same as its PS2 counterpart, but IGN criticized it for its late release and their effort in completing a full game. However, IGN notes that the drum controller is an improvement over the original version, stating, "The pads are quieter and the kick pedal will withstand more abuse."^[110]

Sales

As of August 28, 2008, 3.5 million bundled units across the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 platforms were sold.^[10] The sales of Rock Band have helped Viacom to become the fifth largest video game publisher in the United States, although analysts estimate that Viacom is only breaking even on sales of the game.^[116]

Over 21 million songs have been downloaded from the Rock Band store.^[10] Viacom estimates that it is averaging the sale of 1 million downloadable songs every 9 days.^[116] Sales of songs have been in favor of hard rock bands; Mötley Crüe's single "Saints of Los Angeles", debuting as a Rock Band track at the same time as the release of the album of the same name, saw 48,000 Rock Band downloads and 14,000 iTunes downloads during its first week of release.^[117] The popularity of some tracks have also led to groups considering releasing more material for the game. Rush's alternate version of "Working Man" released only for Rock Band was met with so much praise from players of Rock Band that the group released the song for download through iTunes, as well as considered making full albums available.^[117]

Awards

Prior to the game's release, Rock Band was featured at the 2007 E3 convention, garnering much attention and receiving awards, including the Game Critics' "Best of E3 2007" awards for "Best of Show," "Best Hardware/Peripheral," and "Best Social/Casual/Puzzle,"^[118] 1UP.com's "Best of E3,"^[119] and GameSpot's "Best Stage Demo"^[120] and "Best Xbox 360 Game."^[121]

After its release, Rock Band won dozens of awards covering game releases from 2007. The game won seven awards from IGN's "Best of 2007," receiving honors for "Best Music Game" for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,^[94][95] "Best Local Multiplayer Game" for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3,^[96][97] "Best Downloadable Content" for the PlayStation 3,^[98] and "Best Console Peripheral,"^[99] as well as overall awards for "Best Music Game,"^[100] "Best Licensed Soundtrack,"^[101] and "Best Local Multiplayer Game."^[102] GameSpot awarded Rock Band five awards in its "Best of 2007," recognizing the game for "Best Rhythm/Music Game,"^[89] "Best New Gaming Hardware,"^[90] "Best Downloadable Content,"^[91] "Best Sound Design,"^[92] and "Best Multiplayer Game."^[93] Wired,^[105] Official Xbox Magazine,^[103] and Ars Technica^[122] all named Rock Band the "Game of the Year," while Next Generation Magazine named it the second-best game of 2007.^[123] GamePro honored Rock Band with the "Innovation Award" for four-person cooperative play,^[87] as well as the selection of "Best Party Game" of 2007.^[88] GameSpy also recognized the game as the "Music Game of the Year" on the Xbox 360^[124] and PlayStation 3.^[125] Additionally, Rock Band was awarded "Best Multiplayer Experience (console)" by 1UP.com.^[86] The game won two awards at the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards, receiving honors for "Best Rhythm Game" and "Best Soundtrack," while the game's developer, Harmonix, won "Studio of the Year."^[104] The game also won an award for "Best Multiplayer Game" in the X-Play Best of 2007 Awards.^[126] The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awarded Rock Band with honors for three of the eight categories in which it was nominated; the game won awards for "Family Game of the Year", "Outstanding Achievement in Soundtrack", and "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming".^[127] Rock Band was named "Best Party Game" of the year from Game Informer Magazine. The game has also been called the best rhythm game of all time by GameTap.^{[128]dead link}

Cultural impact

See also: Cultural impact of the Guitar Hero series

Like the Guitar Hero series, Rock Band has had a significant impact on culture.^[117] Alex Rigopulos and Eran Egozy, the founders of Harmonix, were together named in Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people of 2008 for their creation of Rock Band. In the article, guitarist Steven Van Zandt claims, "in the history of rock 'n' roll, Rock Band may just turn out to be up there with the rise of FM radio, CDs or MTV."^[129]

Rock Band made a notable appearance in an episode of the first season of the paranormal romance television drama Moonlight, where the character Logan Griffin, a stereotypical computer nerd character, is playing the song "Calling Dr. Love" by Kiss on the guitar instrument (Ironically with the music unsynchronized with the actual gameplay), when the two main protagonists arrive at his basement dwelling.^[130]

Patent litigation

See also: Patent litigation against the developers of the Guitar Hero series

On March 21, 2008, EA, MTV, and Harmonix were sued by the Gibson Guitar Corporation for violation of the 1999 U.S. Patent 5,990,405 , which Gibson claims covers technology that simulates a concert performance via pre-recorded audio and a musical instrument; this follows similar action that Gibson has taken against the Guitar Hero series.

On July 10, 2008, Konami filed a separate lawsuit against Harmonix, Viacom, and MTV attempting to block the sale of Rock Band, over infringement of their patents on a "musical-rhythm matching game" issued in 2002 and 2003, including U.S. Patent 6,390,923 .^[131] An MTV spokesperson expressed that the lawsuit was "extremely surprising" and that they intend to defend themselves against the suit.^[132]

See also

• Rock Band 2
• Guitar Hero World Tour
• Drum Machine
• Rock Revolution
• Ultimate Band
• Unsigned

External links

• Official Rock Band website

References