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[Kobun Heat]

$250? You have got to be kidding me! This needs to have 2 guitars, drums and a mic or they are seriously screwed in the head at that price.

Actually, it's $60.

 

[Boogie9IGN]

Jesus Christ, the Dreamcast is dead and Shenmue 3 isnt coming. I think some kind of intervention is needed for all of you in denial.

Blaming its competition when Sega itself killed the Dreamcast is ridiculous. It reminds me of my brother hanging signs proclaiming that Sony are nazis.

Don't you ever say such blasphemy again!

Spoiler

I am so going to get RB: Beatles!

 

[BigBlackGamer]

The name of the game is actually Beatles: Rock Band.

 

[BillyG_3001]

Dreamcast 2? Why haven't I heard about this? or is it just a cruel horrible lie?

 

[JonathanEx]

The name of the game is actually Beatles: Rock Band.

If you're gonna be picky, the PR says The Beatles: Rock Band, and the url is thebeatlesrockband.

 

[Returners]

Probably not if Apple has anything to do with it. If anything, you'd be exporting RB2 to Beatles RB. But I have a feeling Beatles will be its own separate entity anyway.

I have a feeling that this game is essentially RB3 this year.

I hope that the beatles game can play all the DLC from RB1 and RB store. It would be more awesome if we could export RB2 songs as DLC to Beatles: RB

 

[Kobun Heat]

Dreamcast 2? Why haven't I heard about this? or is it just a cruel horrible lie?

You haven't heard about it because they haven't officially announced it, but of course it's coming. I mean, just look at all the signs:

• 09.09.09 is ten years after the first one launched
• Sega is flush with cash and eager to re-enter the hardware business
• Sony's incipient exit from hardware leaves a wide-open spot for a third-place console

It's the perfect storm.

 

[Grecco]

Actually, it's $60.

The target consumer for this product will need guitars and instruments to play this you know.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

If you're gonna be picky, the PR says The Beatles: Rock Band, and the url is thebeatlesrockband.

The target consumer for this product will need guitars and instruments to play this you know.

I think the target consumer has kids with guitar hero controllers and drum sets already in the living room.

 

[JonathanEx]

I'm not sure as to how you'd play the other DLC in this game: if what HMX have been hinting towards is true, then it's going to be a much more stylised, focussed game that having some place to play those songs would be weird. However, I would love to be able to go between Beatles and RB content easily (without a disc swap and going through all the menus again).

 

[Kobun Heat]

The target consumer for this product will need guitars and instruments to play this you know.

*glances over at giant pile of instrument controllers in corner of room*

Got 'em. And so do ten million other people.

 

[AstroLad]

who cares about Rock Band, really... 09/09/1999 will live on as a great day for gaming in the hearts of all of us who bought and supported the Dreamcast. This will not tarnish the legend of Sega's great (though short lived) console.

Whatever you think of the Rock Band series, this is a big deal, and is inextricably tied to the fates of the potential DC2. I don't need to remind you that the "hot" genre during the DC/PS2 days was sports. Yes, DC had the far-superior 2K series, but thanks to back-door monopolistic bullshit Sony prevented all EA games from being released on DC. It was this, among several other factors such as inflated specs and false marketing hype, that killed off the DC in the eyes of the mainstream consumer.

Flash forward to now: Music games are absolutely the genre of the moment. They are what sports games were back then times a million (since they appeal to a broader base). If this release date implies that RB3 is going to be promotionally tied to the rumored launch of the DC2, that is absolutely as huge as you can get.

 

[Archie]

If it were coming out for DC2 wouldn't it have been mentioned in the PR?

 

[TheGreatDave]

*glances over at giant pile of instrument controllers in corner of room*

Got 'em. And so do ten million other people.

The kind of people Harmonix probably want to buy this game are people that wouldn't buy "Rock Band 3" though. It still seems an awfully high price to try and sell to a lot of people that probably don't have all the equipment. For me and you, it's no problem. For old hippies, it may be.

 

[Grecco]

*glances over at giant pile of instrument controllers in corner of room*

Got 'em. And so do ten million other people.

Shockingly enough, not all of those ten million other people are into the beatles.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

The kind of people Harmonix probably want to buy this game are people that wouldn't buy "Rock Band 3" though. It still seems an awfully high price to try and sell to a lot of people that probably don't have all the equipment. For me and you, it's no problem. For old hippies, it may be.

old hippies have kids that probably annoy the shit out of them when they play Almost Easy for the 100th time. They were the ones that made there kids buy both the Grateful Dead packs. :lol

 

[donny2112]

So will the Wii version sell 1 million the first month, or will it take until the end of the year to cross that number?

 

[TheGreatDave]

If it were coming out for DC2 wouldn't it have been mentioned in the PR?

They need to wait for Sega to make it official at E3.

old hippies have kids that probably annoy the shit out of them when they play Almost Easy for the 100th time. They were the ones that made there kids buy both the Grateful Dead packs. :lol

:lol, I'm sure those people exist. But still, $250? It is a problem.

 

[dyls]

So has the discussion on how boring drums will be on pretty much every song that isn't on Abbey Road started yet?

I say this as a staunch Beatlemaniac.

 

[BigBlackGamer]

:lol, I'm sure those people exist. But still, $250? It is a problem.

I'll hold off until they announce the contents. If the instruments look awesome and it comes with a bass guitar and maybe a kickass wireless mic then I may be tempted. (might toss the drum set nothing will top the ION)

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

:lol, I'm sure those people exist. But still, $250? It is a problem.

I just spoke with someone who plans to jump in for this game but sadly, yeah, that is a bit cost prohibitive. Hopefully the Pro will be down to $199 before then.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Yawn. As Wii demonstrated, selling in to the expanded audience is a gradual process, not an immediate one. I agree that there's a lot of potential here to sell to first-time music game players, but

a) that won't necessarily happen on launch day and
b) they're not so stupid that they can't buy individual parts as needed.

 

[Ashour]

Obviously Sega won't launch a Dreamcast 2 but I wonder if they'll make anything special that day :O

Maybe they'll release an awesome "Sonic's Ultimate Dreamcast Collection" for the PS360, I would pre order that.

 

[StrikerObi]

Of course if you were only one person you could always buy the game and a Rock Band 2 guitar separately and only pay $130...

 

[BenjaminBirdie]

Yawn. As Wii demonstrated, selling in to the expanded audience is a gradual process, not an immediate one. I agree that there's a lot of potential here to sell to first-time music game players, but

a) that won't necessarily happen on launch day and
b) they're not so stupid that they can't buy individual parts as needed.

Also, they can buy A standalone guitar not THE standalone guitar.

 

[TheGreatDave]

I'll hold off until they announce the contents. If the instruments look awesome and it comes with a bass guitar and maybe a kickass wireless mic then I may be tempted. (might toss the drum set nothing will top the ION)

I'll probably buy it too. But we're sluts.

 

[Rayven]

So no disc export to RB2?

if true, i wonder if the hmx jock riders will balk like they do in every gh thread.

 

[Stumpokapow]

Shockingly enough, not all of those ten million other people are into the beatles.

right but i'm going to go out on a limb and say that the ones in this thread complaining about the price probably have instruments at this point

 

[Classic_Gs]

pshhh, this will be completely overshadowed by the launch of the Dreamcast 2.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

You haven't heard about it because they haven't officially announced it, but of course it's coming. I mean, just look at all the signs:

• 09.09.09 is ten years after the first one launched
• Sega is flush with cash and eager to re-enter the hardware business
  [*]Sony's incipient exit from hardware leaves a wide-open spot for a third-place console

It's the perfect storm.

Fuck you :/

 

[Skiptastic]

I just don't know what to say.

I think I might be seething with rage right now.

lol wut?

 

[donny2112]

Yawn. As Wii demonstrated, selling in to the expanded audience is a gradual process, not an immediate one. I agree that there's a lot of potential here to sell to first-time music game players, but

a) that won't necessarily happen on launch day and

This is The Beatles. MTV/EA will advertise the heck out of this release and push it in multiple venues. Therefore the "word-of-mouth" expanded audience gradual process will be overrode to some degree as a whole lot more console owners will probably already know about its release when it happens. Will it still have long legs? Probably. Will it also have massive 1st month sales? I think so.

 

[Grecco]

the expanded audience


b) they're not so stupid that they can't buy individual parts as needed.

They kind of are actually.

Will it also have massive 1st month sales? I think so.

Just my opinion of course. But ill be shocked if Beatles:Rock Band outsells Rockband 2. Having a Wii Sku at launch is a good start though

 

[JonathanEx]

Many people bought a Wii at $250 pretty much just to play Wii Sports. Although the bundle is expensive, it's not totally inconcievable that it will sell: probably will be a title that doesn't sell massively day 1, but has legs.

 

[Kobun Heat]

Will it also have massive 1st month sales? I think so.

Sure, but what everybody's got their panties in a twist about today is this idea that the $250 bundle is going to turn away all the never-bought-a-videogame-before people, and I'm saying that if that audience does exist for TB:RB, the vast majority of them, historically speaking, won't buy it on launch day, making the specifics of the launch SKU configurations even more irrelevant.

 

[AstroLad]

Fuck you :/

To those still vainly clinging to the notion that a new DC is out of the realm, especially in the face of this news and the points cited by Kobun, I'll note to these newer/more ignorant posters that he is a member of the industry and has access to a lot of insider info that doesn't get published in Qore or in the Killzone 2 thread.

Kobun--if you have the chance, do you think you could ask the heads at Harmonix or Sega about this being a part of a larger marketing campaign for the DC2? I know it's probably too early to reveal publicly if anything is in the works, but maybe you could post some off-the-record quotes?

 

[VibratingDonkey]

The Beatles: Rock Band Software -- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars -- Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP

What if I just want one Beatle-guitar, dammit?

 

[Grecco]

What if I just want one Beatle-guitar, dammit?

99.99?

 

[Mileena]

Fuck this stupid game. One band games need to stop.

Spoiler

Unless it's Iron Maiden

 

[Kobun Heat]

Kobun--if you have the chance, do you think you could ask the heads at Harmonix or Sega about this being a part of a larger marketing campaign for the DC2? I know it's probably too early to reveal publicly if anything is in the works, but maybe you could post some off-the-record quotes?

Absolutely I will.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Even if you think the launch price doesn't matter, I don't see how you can spin a $60 price increase over RB2's band price as not being a bad thing.

 

[Ridley327]

Even if you think the launch price doesn't matter, I don't see how you can spin a $60 price increase over RB2's band price as not being a bad thing.

I guess it'll really come down to what you get in the bundle. If it's an actual full-band bundle (two guitars, drums and mic), then $250 really isn't a bad deal at all. If it's just the normal configuration, though, then it becomes kind of outrageous.

In any case, I am buying the FUCK out of this game.

 

[Flynn]

Fuck this stupid game. One band games need to stop.

Spoiler

Unless it's Iron Maiden

I love that the official Rock Band thread has its own Drinky Crow.

 

[M3wThr33]

Will jump all over this, but...

I am REALLY curious about the game. It can't simply be dressed up DLC. Hey Jude doesn't exactly come to the same level as TTFaF. And before you shit down my neck, ALL of Harmonix's games have covered the difficulty spectrum from easy to shit hard.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Will jump all over this, but...

I am REALLY curious about the game. It can't simply be dressed up DLC. Hey Jude doesn't exactly come to the same level as TTFaF. And before you shit down my neck, ALL of Harmonix's games have covered the difficulty spectrum from easy to shit hard.

Well, not the track packs...

 

[Ridley327]

Will jump all over this, but...

I am REALLY curious about the game. It can't simply be dressed up DLC. Hey Jude doesn't exactly come to the same level as TTFaF. And before you shit down my neck, ALL of Harmonix's games have covered the difficulty spectrum from easy to shit hard.

Given the presumed primary audience for the game, I'm pretty sure this is going to be an exception to that "rule". People aren't buying this looking for a challenge; they're buying this because it's The Beatles.

 

[Cowie]

I'm hoping the DC2 guitar controller has a port for the VMU2 so i can watch my Chao rock out while i'm playing. I mean sure, you could just put the notes on it so it looks like you know the song and are just spaced out staring at your guitar and rocking out, but i'd much rather see a Chao.

 

[M3wThr33]

Given the presumed primary audience for the game, I'm pretty sure this is going to be an exception to that "rule". People aren't buying this looking for a challenge; they're buying this because it's The Beatles.

Which I am heavily considering...

I just want some more details on it soon. Which I assume will be in Game Informer.

Well, not the track packs...

This could be a glorified track pack, for all we know.

 

[Linkified]

Damn, that's like the most awesome thing I read in the past few weeks. Props to the Beatles, MTV/EA/HMX would have fucked that up again.

I would say it has nothing to do with mtv/ea/hmx it wouldn't suprise me in the least if Apple Corp demanding it be released at the same time.

 

[Flynn]

Ben Fritz has some interesting analysis at The Cut Scene. He thinks the pricing is about, finally, making Rock Band profitable at retail.