If there was any doubt that Harmonix is cutting corners to get Rock Band 2 out before Guitar Hero: World Tour's October 26 release, consider this:
- The game is targeted for September 14 release, but only for Xbox 360 and without any of the new instrument bundles
- The Xbox 360 Special Edition bundle will ship alongside the PS3 release (both bundle and standalone game) on October 19, with Wii and PS2 versions due on November 18
- There will be 20 free downloadable bonus tracks (to be named later), suggesting that Harmonix wanted to crack 100 songs on the disc but ran out of time to produce them all for the rushed September date
This worries me. Rock Band was so much better than Guitar Hero. I hope they don't sacrifice quality to beat Guitar Hero World Tour to market. That might make sense in the short term, but it's not a good strategy if they sacrifice quality to do it.
I agree, this market is open to many gamers. But I worry about saturating the market as much as poor quality. It seems like they come out with so many song and games I can't keep up. Heck, even this site looks like a Rock Bank/Guitar Hero blog sometimes.
I had the same initial thought, but I'm less worried about the game being rushed since the original Rock Band was so polished. And we know they'll patch it if there are necessary improvements (major or minor). Plus Harmonix' note charts tend to be seriously fun even when they put out big packs for download, so (fingers crossed) the sheer volume of new tracks shouldn't mean a dip in quality.
I do apologize for the quantity of RB/GH posts - when I have a passionate interest, I tend to follow those things more closely. If there are games or topics I know that you are equally interested in, I'll make it a point to keep an eye out for news on those too. :-)
Just let me know and I'll do what I can.
-=Gamewatcher
Oh watcher no need to apologize, I think I have made it pretty clear I love the site. The comment was more a knock on the publishers. Here you are running a site that "trims the fat" but they are putting out tons of games and music. Which I have a hunch you are a fan of...:) I am not a huge fan of either due do my repetitive motion sickness. But I wonder if you hard core fans will ever get burned out and want to pack up the kit?
As for my interests they remain the same. I cannot buy, play, or even rent all the games available. So keep us posted on news about them and what you think. Animal Crossing, FFXIII, Fable 2, Resident Evil 5, Fallout 3, Gears 2. I know I am buying Fallout 3 and probably FF. But all the other are up in the air, it depends on how they flesh out.