Yes, folks, that’s right: Eric Clapton is at long last making a solo appearance in a music game, but it’s not in Rock Band. And it’s not in Guitar Hero. It’s in the forthcoming Power Gig: Rise of the SixString.
And he’s not alone: Dave Matthews Band and Kid Rock have also signed exclusive agreements with Power Gig to provide songs for the game. From the press release:
“We think Power Gig is a much needed and much welcomed game because, unlike any others before it, it puts a real guitar into the hands of aspiring musicians, and we hope it inspires our fans and others to start playing even when they’re not playing the game,” said Dave Matthews Band. “We love the thought that fans of ours who’ve never picked up an instrument can now play our music on a real guitar and experience what we love to do day in and day out.”
This is blowing my mind. From the start, it seemed like Power Gig was looking to jump into the deep end of the music-game arena with both feet; it seemed like they were throwing lots of time and money into guitar design, production, and advertising. But I never suspected they’d be able to secure exclusive deals from such big artists.
And I find it even more surprising after seeing the game in action:
It’s hard to watch that and not draw comparisons to Rock Revolution. But I’m going to be very careful to reserve judgment until I actually get hands-on time with the game, especially since it apparently includes a chording option that sounds like it’ll be a lot closer to playing real guitar. I will say that the trails and links on the guitar track are an interesting touch that might actually make it a little easier to sight-read.
But oh, this is only half the story: Seven45 Studios also announced that the game will include a drum controller. And it’s not like any drum controller you’ve seen so far. Check this out:
Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that looks really awkward to play on. I thought the same thing. Then I saw how it’s actually set up:
That’s right, the whole thing sits on the floor, and you essentially play air drums. Seven45 smartly addressed this issue in the press release:
“We know that people may be skeptical of the AirStrike drums at first glance when they see there’s no actual drums and can’t understand how that’s a match to our SixString guitar which is a fully-functioning electric guitar,” said Seven45 Studios Chairman and CEO, Bernard Chiu. “But we also know that as soon as people sit down to play it, they are going to see how much more real and authentic it feels to be moving much the same way true drummers do when they play, without the limits of the drum kits already on the market. Just like our guitars, the AirStrike drums are a step forward for authenticity in the band game genre.”
This also definitely goes in the “I’ll believe it when I play it” category, but consider me officially intrigued. I’m hoping like hell to get a chance to check this out at E3 next week, so I can share some hands-on impressions with you. Until then, check out another gameplay video, this one featuring Jet’s “She’s a Genius.”
Rock Revolution: Warcraft
Definitely intrigued by the guitar….and CLAPTON!!!!
…but….air drums are retarded…that’s the opposite direction…less real than before…and as the MTV Multiplayer blog reports, it’s tiring to play even one song with no resistance.
Does the company that made this game live in a loft in manhattan or something…and they were tired of neighbors complaining?
Um… they’ve got a couple of good things going for them, and a couple of just TERRIBLE things. Yeah, I want to see this thing in person.
I like the fact that their “finish line” on the guitar half is a single-coil pickup.
That game has some ugly characters. That said, I’m not expecting much out of this game, but maybe its E3 showing can change my mind. At least the guitar looks interesting.
This song deserves better. Clapton should be on Rockband. How did they get an exclusive deal?
This is a scrumf*ck of what. I’m excited, titillated, frightened, sweaty, and seasick all at once.
As to how did they get these exclusive artists? Easy so many musicians have shown how bloody little they really understand about video games that they are easily dazzled into thinking something is really kickass. Then it all comes down to who you know to get an audience with them.
Apparently when emotionally challenged I resort to cynicism.
I was already skeptical at the very idea of using a real guitar as a game controller — the instrument is just too complex to be read realistically as an input device. But all of the new information that’s coming out just strengthens the notion that this will be an awful disaster.
Maybe there’s more to the mechanics of the game than those two videos are letting on, but it appears to be a submediocre GH/RB clone (a la Rock Revolution), complete with only 5 “fret button” inputs. Playing those “Simon” patterns on a real guitar would appear to work identically to playing them on a fake plastic one, which totally defeats the purpose of using an actual electric guitar as a controller.
People need to let go of the “realism” discussion as far as guitar games go. The fact is, playing a fake guitar in Rock Band or Guitar Hero is a completely different experience than playing a real guitar. And both experiences are valid and great — in completely different ways. Trying to mush the two together is going to be awkward and embarrassing.
Oh, and this: “the AirStrike drums are a step forward for authenticity in the band game genre.”
There’s absolutely no way this statement isn’t complete and utter bullshit.
I could go on, but what’s the use? This is doomed to be a miserable failure, anyway. And rightfully so.
I’m no expert on charting, but the drum chart for Layla appears to be missing drum rolls and many beats.
Rab, that’s probably because you can’t play air drums as fast. I’m seeing some reports that the drums are not exactly, uh…good. Will probably put a new post up with some of the impressions today or tomorrow.
Interesting they are signing such big name artists with such an initial negative rhythm gaming community following.
I wonder if we can expect cross-game peripheral compatibility…?