http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ Aeropause is an exploration in gaming culture, trends, technologies and innovations. en Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:02:15 +0000 http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/108#post-181 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:23:17 +0000 Joe 181@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/07/186848-1-1.jpg"><img class="alignleft alignnone size-medium wp-image-13583" style="float: left;" title="186848-1-1" src="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/07/186848-1-1.jpg" alt="" width="352" height="210" /></a>One thing that I have harped on with <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/tag/guitar-hero-world-tour/" target="_blank">Guitar Hero: World Tour</a> is that I did not want to have to buy a new drum set to play their game.   When the first shots of the drum kit for Guitar Hero: World Tour came out, many people immediately saw what I did - there's an extra pad.  This immediately meant that my drum pads from Rock Band would not work with this game.<br /> <br /> Well, that may not be the case.  Today, Activision announced that all the instruments from the first <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/tag/rock-band/" target="_blank">Rock Band</a> will work with Guitar Hero: World Tour.  Basically, the drum notes will combine the two cymbals into one, when it detects the Rock Band pads. <br /> <br /> Two caviats - first is that this is only confirmed for the 360, PS3 owners are still in the dark on this one, and two is that the Rock Band 2 equipment has not be certified, because it has not come out yet for testing, so it may not work.  Time will tell on that one.  Still, this news allows me to get more out of Guitar Hero: World Tour when I rent it (yeah, it is still not a buy).<br /> <br /> via <a href="http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168811" target="_blank">1up.com</a> http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/102#post-170 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:26:46 +0000 Joe 170@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <p style="text-align: center;"> <object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="392" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="id" value="gtembed" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="src" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=36450" /><embed id="gtembed" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="392" src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=36450" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" quality="high" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object><br /> <br /> Okay, I just got done watching this great game footage and the <a href="http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/quantumofsolace/trailer1/medium.html" target="_blank">Quantum of Solace</a> movie trailer, and I have to say that the new Bond game was a surprise for me.  The action switches between first person and third person very smoothly, and the action seems very fluid.  Add in a very well rendered Daniel Craig, and you have a recipie for success. <br /> <br /> The strange thing is that there is no driving sequences in this game, which is a first for the Bond franchise in some time.  You would think with owning Bizarre Creations, they could of added a kick ass driving sequence, but I guess the developers wanted to stay away from driving, as it has always been panned in past Bond games. http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/88#post-145 Wed, 16 Jul 2008 07:29:50 +0000 Joe 145@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <p style="text-align: center;"><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="392" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="id" value="gtembed" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="src" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=36481" /><embed id="gtembed" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="392" src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=36481" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" allowfullscreen="true" quality="high"></embed></object> <br /> <br /> So the new Wolfenstein finally got a trailer, and while some of the effects look great, I get this strange sense of Deja Vu as I watch it.  Wolfentein looks great with all of its nice effects, but it looks like a visual upgrade pack for Return to Castle Wolfenstein.  Also, there are a lot of quick cuts in the trailer that make it a bit difficult to see what is going on in regards to the action.  Raven is at the helm again for this one, so I feel like it will be a good game, but it is going to have to sell me with more originality. http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/48#post-79 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:11:26 +0000 Joe 79@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <p>Rock Band is all about the experience. It is why they are selling, or are going to sell the lights and fog kit that you can hook up to your console. The fret patterns in Guitar Hero III just don't seem to sync up, the longer I play it, and the punishment factor of the difficulty in that game, just turned me off of it, once Rock Band came out. The levels are a bit easier, and there are so many ways to play. It is an experience to enjoy with friends.</p> <p>The one thing that is funny is that the 1up crew got a chance to see Guitar Hero World Tour and said it looks way too similar to Rock Band now, right down to the interface. </p> http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/48#post-65 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:49:28 +0000 Stephen 65@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/06/rock_band-2-lg.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-13265" title="rock_band-2-lg" src="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/06/rock_band-2-lg.jpg" alt="" width="277" height="207" /></a>This evening I popped over my brother-in-law's new home for a visit. It was a visit, like so many such visits are, that ended up having something of a gaming subtext. As a man who's been on <em>Guitar Hero</em> since its origin, Adam has every <em>Guitar Hero</em> game on PS2 (he hasn't yet picked up <em>Aerosmith</em>, but he will), along with a couple of RedOctane's wireless controllers for the system. He also owns a Wii and plans on a 360 in the future, but as he's invested so much already in the PS2 guitars, there's no desire to dump more money until Activision stops publishing on PS2. He's thinking practically here.<br /> <br /> Adam's in a good position to make the transition to <em>Rock Band</em> when Activision abandons his platform. The peripheral quandary tends to trouble us all, I think. What do you do when you change franchises? What about systems? A lack of standards in all this makes sense, but it doesn't make things easier for Joe Consumer. <em>Hi, I'm Joe Consumer. Yes, that's my real name. No, my mom was not cruel, why do you ask?</em><br /> <br /> The recent podcast and some other comments I've made might make it appear that I favor <em>Guitar Hero</em> over <em>Rock Band</em>, but I've never played <em>Rock Band</em>. While I insist that MTV's brand is not showing the initiative in functionality that Activision's is, I can certainly appreciate that when it comes down to gameplay, <em>Rock Band</em> is more fun just based on the experiences of others. That makes sense, as Harmonix is there. It's too bad they aren't working with RedOctane anymore, who are the other real stars of the show.<br /> <br /> One thing I noticed while playing <em>Guitar Hero II</em> tonight on Adam's PS2 was how much better the game looks than the Wii version of <em>Guitar Hero III</em>. It's irritating to me that Neversoft's Tony Hawk-style deformed characters (note singer Trapjaw on loan from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) have infiltrated <em>Guitar Hero</em> and the game's feel is just not quite as tight as its prequels were.<br /> <br /> Of course, the Wii version of <em>Rock Band</em> is a wash, so I'd need to pick it up on PS3. But then, there's that peripheral issue again. Do I sell <em>Guitar Hero III</em> and dive head-first into <em>Rock Band</em>, inferior instruments and all?<br /> <br /> End rant. http://www.aeropause.com/forums/topic/43#post-55 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:26:37 +0000 Joe 55@http://www.aeropause.com/forums/ <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/07/pw-objection.gif"><img class="alignleft alignnone size-medium wp-image-13452" style="float: left;" title="pw-objection" src="http://www.aeropause.com/wordpress/archives/images/2008/07/pw-objection.gif" alt="" width="227" height="161" /></a>Konami opened up a can of lawsuit whoop-ass today on Harmonix, MTV and Viacom, all part of the immensely popular <a href="http://www.aeropause.com/tag/rock-band/" target="_blank">Rock Band</a> video game.<br /> <br /> Konami alleges that two of their patents were violated by Harmonix and company.  The first patent mentions "simulated musical devices", while the second one covers "music rhythm-based matching games".  While at first glace, the lawsuit brings up memories of Gibson and their lawsuit against Activision over the guitar simulation, there is another twist to the story, that may not bode well for Activision.  <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/11/konami-sues-harmonix-viacom-and-mtv-over-rock-band/" target="_blank">Engadget</a> noticed that Activision made a note in their Gibson lawsuit, that specifically mentions the Konami patent, in relation to their instruments, make one wonder if Activision has already negotiated a settlement with Konami over this very patent.