I like that they're trying to evolve, but I think it's futile.
I'd never buy the keyboard or guitar controller, as I already know I could never play them - I just don't have the speed, reflexes or dexterity to play those kinds of instruments. Likewise I find the normal RB drums tough, so added pedals and cymbals are just too much.
It's great for people who CAN play the real thing (or want to learn to) but...
It's still better for them to go for the real thing. The original games where just that, games. When you start to blur the line between game and real life too much, you go too far. People play games for fun. Rock Band is great because it's simple. You can pick it up and get going in minutes. It may take a long time to master, but you can do it.
A guitarist will tell you, ever since Guitar Hero 1, that it's a very different experience from playing a real guitar. It's a fun "game", but it's not replicating real guitar (drum/keys).
Once you enter into real world territory, you need to have a very good reason for people to do what you're proposing rather than the real thing.
Okay, so you can play along with a bunch of predefined songs. Hell, potentially you could even learn to play those songs (one day). However, you can't learn to play at your own rate. If you need to learn a riff, you start slow and build up speed until the muscle memory is there. You learn a song in parts, mastering each bit until it starts to all come together.
If you're an expert, then it's easy, but why would you play a game when you can just do it? Smugness maybe? "I've got a £900 Ibanez, but I also need a £65 pretend Gibson to play Rock Band, because it'll make "Surfing with the Alien" sound so much better" :roll:
I understand the need to evolve, and a lot of the core gameplay elements they have changed are superb. There's some really nice new design in the actual game - for me, it makes the game a worthwhile investment (though I've not got around to buying Rock Band 2 yet).
The absolute last thing on my mind though is to buy yet another £150 worth of plastic instruments to go along with the game. I bought Rock Band (and Guitar Hero before it) to ply a game, not learn to play an instrument.
My £150 this time will go on a Fender for Minor_Furie who's currently having guitar lessons (he can play Don't Fear the Reaper on a real guitar better than he can on Rock Band
). I'll pick up the software and I'm sure I'll love it, but the hardware (in fact "band") market was saturated 18 months ago - every knows it, why don't Harmonix?
Put your money into the software and keep being the best Harmonix, leave the instruments to the people who can actually use them...
