Vyse's Log, Star-date 2051

• 3Jan 08

  Rock Band Wish list

  Well, Rock Band finally came to Canada and I got my copy on December 28. This resulted in the best New Year's Eve of the past five years or so, rocking out with some good friends for approximately 10 hours straight (with some food and beverage breaks in between). The game is absolutely fantastic and everything I hoped for but after playing it so much we have heard pretty much every song multiple times. That's where EA and Harmonix's commitment to downloadable content comes in. I have already downloaded about five songs, most of them great, but there are some I just really wish would come to the service and here they are in a list form, just to keep them straight.

  1. "Hotel California" by The Eagles
  I'm not a big Eagles fan but this song is absolutely perfect for a game like this. Has great lyrics, drums throughout, an awesome bass line and some of the best guitar riffs ever. That and it is epic in length. It would just be really fun for all involved in playing it.

  2. "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
  I realize this song was already in Guitar Hero II but that was a cover version and you also didn't get to sing along with it. The guitar part is great but singing to it would be so awesome, plus there is enough for the bass player and drummer to do as the song goes along.

  3. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen
  Not sure how fun this would be for those playing instruments but again, sounds like a great song to sing.

  4. "Freewill" by Rush
  So far they have been okay delivering the Rush content but for some reason they are all cover versions and yet they charge full price. I demand more Rush and preferably authentic Rush. EA has the money, why not spend it on something worthwhile? This song would be perfect though, but really, any Rush song is near-perfect so they could choose another. "Fly By Night", "Working Man" or "Closer to the Heart", doesn't really matter to me just make sure its the actual track next time.

  5. "Beverley Hills" by Weezer
  "Buddy Holly" is up for download and thats awesome so why not get some more Weezer on there, this time with one of their more recent songs? Sounds like it would be fun to play.

  6. "Renegade" by Styx
  Okay, I am a fan of Styx. Many find that offensive or something but I stand by them as being a band with many great songs that are fun to listen to. This one in particular has some great guitar work and awesome lyrics, making it a perfect candidate for this game.

  7. "Black Dog" by Led Zeppelin
  I know everyone is demanding some Zeppelin be released in a game like this and I think this is the perfect song for them to choose. Its got enough for all four players to do (unlike "Stairway to Heaven", many people's top choice) and its one many people know.

  8. "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath
  Again, I know it was already in the original Guitar Hero but as a four-player experience it would be so much more. Oh, and why does it seem all Ozzy Osbourne related songs are cover versions? Again, either charge less for the cover or get the original track. Also would like to mention "Crazy Train" but I'm not sure if that was Black Sabbath or just Ozzy. Either way, that would be great as well.

  9. "The Root of All Evil" by Dream Theater
  This is my favorite song of theirs and it would be a pretty crazy experience for the drummer and lead guitar player. Not sure how much the bass player would have to do but still...

  10. "The Patient" by Tool
  At some point they need some Tool and this is my favorite song of theirs. Make it happen (please).

  And finally my "that'll be the day" wish is "On the Loose" by Saga. Thing is, there is pretty much no bass in this song but a ton of keyboard so if they could release a keytar controller or somehow make it possible to play the keyboard on a guitar controller then they could release this song. Of course, given the song's limited appeal, not sure they will consider the effort worthwhile. Still, that would be awesome.

  Yeah, so there are some of the songs I'd really love to see come to Rock Band. I really hope the game gets a large enough fan base to warrant tons of content being made available for download. There is already some awesome stuff reported to be on the way including the album "Nevermind" by Nirvana and "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns N Roses. I'm really looking forward to seeing a future where almost everyone has played Rock Band and we all look forward to album releases in the game and whatnot. May have just renewed my interest in the music industry. Nice job Harmonix.

  • Posted Jan 3, 2008 11:37 am GMT
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• 16Dec 07

  The Void Christmas Brings

  Well, Christmas break has now begun. School is finished, work is slowing down so I finally have time to kill. Guess thats going to mean a lot of games as there really isn't anything exciting happening this Christmas. Family out of town, friends busy working, just me and a stack of games. This void of other activity is also resulting in ridiculous amounts of time spent watching movies, which is great considering the glut of top-notch releases this month. Probably the ones I'm most looking forward to seeing are "Juno" and "There Will Be Blood" but others such as "The Savages", "Sweeney Todd" and "Charlie Wilson's War" look intriguing as well.

  Also eagerly awaiting the Canadian release of "Rock Band", being a big fan of music video games. I've had it pre-ordered since October but turns out due to the need to print all things Canadian in both English and French (despite the fact the vast majority of Canadians don't speak a word of French)delayed the game a full month. Guess in the meanwhile I'll begin Mass Effect (been meaning to play it since I got it over a week ago) and try desperately to improve my Virtua Fighter skills.

  I came to the painful realization last night that I am truly awful at fighting games. I mean, I have always been amused by them but Virtua Fighter is such an intricate, deep game compared to things like "Soul Calibur","Dead or Alive" or even "Tekken". You need to know what you are doing and really be good at the game to land those combos. The AI totally wasted me 3 fights into the Arcade mode on default settings which was really humiliating. I always play as Shun Di, the games Drunken Kung Fu artist. This dates back to my time with Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution which I fancied myself reasonably okay at but whatever skills I may have had at one point are seriously rusty at this point. That or VF 5 is a much harder game.

  In closing, I will still be an active Gamespot member though my enthusiasm for all things Gamespot has seriously deterioated after the firing of Jeff. I mean, sure Gamespot's journalistic integrity may still be intact but the fact remains that Jeff was entertaining. He brought so much energy and enthusiasm to everything that it just made the site something special. The last "Hotspot" was so weak without him and after the Jeff tribute was over, last weeks "On the Spot" grew pretty boring as well. They got rid of the keystone of Gamespot, in my opinion, which basically reduces the site to the same level as every other site out there. It has no edge now but I'll stick with it because its the community I know. Still, terrible decision and really ruined a lot of the fun atmosphere. And now that animated "Time Trotters" series will never come to be, which is just really depressing for long-time fans. Miss the good ol' days.

  • Posted Dec 16, 2007 1:10 pm GMT
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• 1Dec 07

  Thats it, subscription cancelled.

  Well, a days worth of horrible news has pushed me over the edge. No longer a subscriber to Gamespot. Never thought I'd see the day but after such a disgusting, corrupt management decision I just can't look at Gamespot the same way anymore.

  It hurts though. This site has been such a big part of my life and really got me fired up about games, more then I ever was prior to discovering it three and a half years ago. I admire many of the staff that are still there but I don't envy them right now, there must be a lot of turmoil in that office. I hope they stand up for integrity and refuse to swallow this.

  Can't believe its over.

  Vyse86

  • Posted Dec 1, 2007 12:55 am GMT
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