Rock Band: Green Day the Best Option?

A Rock Band game focused on Green Day was announced a little while back, and there's been quite a bit of arguing ever since. Is Green Day a "trashy emo band" that doesn't deserve its own game, or is Harmonix on the right track?

While I'm not a diehard fan of the band, I do have a few albums by them that have some catchy tunes. They may not have defined music like the Beatles, but upbeat songs and well-known lyrics make it a decent choice for RB. Green Day has a lot of other things going for them as well:

• They have been around for almost two decades, giving Harmonix plenty of music to work with and plenty of years/shows for a career mode.
• They are one of only a few modern bands to be featured in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside other punk/rock bands like Incubus and Offspring.
  
• Their newer material has made them very popular with the younger crowd, which Harmonix needs to target after last year's release went for the adult audience.

When you look at it, there really aren't a lot of options out there to begin with. A band for a Rock Band game needs to have a huge fanbase, be good music to play (both for instruments & singing), and have a long enough history.

There really aren't that many options in my opinion. Anything new since 2000 doesn't have enough material, so we have to look at classic rock bands, metal/hard rock bands from the 80's generation, and punk/funk rock bands from 90's.

First off, the metal and hard rock market is already being used up. Rock Band already did AC/DC, and Guitar Hero already took Metallica and Van Halen, which knocks out probably the biggest 3. These bands also don't lend themselves as well to vocals, which is why Guitar Hero has focused on them more than Rock Band has.

Classic rock has the best options. There was a lot of talk about a Queen game, which would be awesome and would have a ton of appeal. The Who and the Rolling Stones would be other classic bands with enough fans, enough songs, and enough history.

Not a lot of modern bands could do it, since they'd need a long career and a progression of music like the Beatles. Red Hot Chili Peppers would be the best of the modern bands, they have great old and new music and a massive fanbase. Offspring and Weezer would probably be the next best, although many of their best songs are already available for download. Third Eye Blind is another band that would work, with a fairly long history, a huge fanbase, and a ton of great rock songs that would be a blast to play, including many that never made it to the radio. Supposedly a Third Eye Blind track pack is coming soon.

Now, if they could make some less widely-known bands into games... Audioslave would be my first choice, followed by Franz Ferdinand, Coheed & Cambria, Panic! at the Disco, and the Killers (focusing on their 1st album).

- Scott

Let the Horsemen Reign!

So I had picked Darksiders up on its launch day (Jan. 5th) but just finally started it last night. Holy shit I've been missing a sweet game!

Before I get into its awesomeness, I will acknowledge that the reviews I read are correct, the game borrows HEAVILY from the Legend of Zelda, as well as a bit from God of War for the combat. But this is in no way a bad thing, in fact it is totally awesome. Legend of Zelda on Xbox 360 with an awesome new setting, more visceral combat, and flashy new visuals? Yes please!

If you haven't already heard, Darksiders lets you play as one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War. You get all of his badass mythical weapons, his warhorse named Ruin, and his supernatural agility and strength. Which combines to make one of the coolest main characters I've ever seen, especially since the art for him (done by a famous X-Men comic artist) makes him look so unique and imposing.

The game starts out with a bit of a dud for the intro level, as you have no idea where you are or what you're supposed to be doing. But after running around the city a bit killing stuff, you trigger a cut scene and learn the plot from there. It's another similarity to God of War, due to a misunderstanding, the Apocalypse was started prematurely, so War is blamed and is stripped of all of his powers. Angry and vengeaful, as War incarnate should be, your Horseman sets out to kill everyone who wronged him and clear his name.

Which is where the game starts getting really fun. The action is addicting, with very flashy and artistic finishing moves to hack apart the demonic hordes that plague you. The game world is open, allowing you to explore to your hearts content as you head to new dungeons. The exploration and the platforming-style traversals evoke Zelda quite a bit, and add a lot of fun and depth to the core action.
But the game isn't just a straight knock-off. As you kill enemies and collect souls of the undead, you can purchase a number of other weapons, attack moves, and tons of different passive and active abilities, weapon enhancements, etc. This adds some enjoyable RPG-esque elements to the action, and allows you to customize your character and your fighting style to your own particular tastes.

I've only played the first 3-4 hours of it, but my first impressions are VERY positive. I can't wait to see more of this stylish, Zelda-homage take on the Apocalypse.

- Scott