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Fantasia: Music Evolved Demo on Xbox Live

I was going to get this anyway, as my daughter likes the look of it, but after playing the demo, I can see myself playing it more than her! Really good fun and it makes you feel as though you're conducting an orchestra.
 

nicholasbrutal

Epic Games PR Manager
Wow! Thanks for the awesome responses/comments. Glad you're all having an awesome time with it. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. Seriously, as some have said, you really do have to play it/experience it to "get it." Thanks for the support. <3
 

Duxxy3

Member
I have a feeling this game is going to surprise the hell out of everybody. Haven't tried the demo myself, but watched others play it. Very clever. Easy to play.
 

Vestal

Gold Member
Wow! Thanks for the awesome responses/comments. Glad you're all having an awesome time with it. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. Seriously, as some have said, you really do have to play it/experience it to "get it." Thanks for the support. <3

Great freaking Job. Me and my daughter had a blast with it earlier today. Will be purchasing it for sure.

Is there a list of all the songs included? I would say one that would be great for this type of game would be Illuminations Reflections of Earth from Epcot.
 

Christof

Neo Member
Demo was alot of fun. I will probably get the game for my wife and me. Demo did a great job of introducing the game and having the right amount of content to draw me in.
 
I had fun with the demo, but it didn't let you get far enough into the gameplay. Nevertheless, I think I saw enough to buy it.

Just waiting for my recent purchases to clear on Xbox Rewards so I move up to the next rebate tier.

Is there a list of all the songs included?

This article has the list for the default game:

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...al-soundtrack-for-fantasia-music-evolved.aspx

This one has the extras and mixes that are available for pre-ordering and buying the expansion packs:

http://www.rockbandaide.com/20482/f...-xbox-one-dlc-revealed-xbox-360-demo-out-now/
 

jesu

Member
Yes, a demo!
Decent and I'll buy it.

edit - drunk, not sure what I'm doing, waving my arms about, punching lamp shade, having fun, would buy, not sure how., let the cat in.
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Tried the demo tonight and really liked it a lot! I didn't know there were sections that let you make your own melodies with movement, great stuff.

Definitely picking this up when it's available. Not sure I can justify getting the deluxe edition right now though with Sunset Overdrive coming out at the end of the month. Will those songs be available as DLC as well if I want them later?
 

PAULINK

I microwave steaks.
I had fun with the demo, but it didn't let you get far enough into the gameplay. Nevertheless, I think I saw enough to buy it.

Just waiting for my recent purchases to clear on Xbox Rewards so I move up to the next rebate tier.



This article has the list for the default game:

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...al-soundtrack-for-fantasia-music-evolved.aspx

This one has the extras and mixes that are available for pre-ordering and buying the expansion packs:

http://www.rockbandaide.com/20482/f...-xbox-one-dlc-revealed-xbox-360-demo-out-now/

Hm, I wonder if those expansion packs will be available to non digital deluxe owners?

Either way, I really enjoyed myself. People didn't give this game much of a chance when it was first announced but I knew harmonix knows how to make a damn good game, glad to see they haven't proven me wrong.
 

jesu

Member
Wow! Thanks for the awesome responses/comments. Glad you're all having an awesome time with it. TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY. Seriously, as some have said, you really do have to play it/experience it to "get it." Thanks for the support. <3

Hi, so the digital bundle comes with 3 DLC packs according to this page

http://www.rockbandaide.com/20482/f...-xbox-one-dlc-revealed-xbox-360-demo-out-now/

Do those packs come with the retail version too?
And how much would it cost to buy those extra 18 tracks that come with the deluxe digital bundle if bought separately?

Trying to figure out what to buy here.
 

espher

Member
^ Put me in that same boat.

I'm picking it up for 360 right now but was considering upgrading to the XB1 version down the road (as much as I hate double-dipping) when I inevitably eventually get one, so I really need to know what we're looking at for DLC pricing/availability. wtb cross-buy DLC.
 

sbrew

Banned
Great demo. Truly an awesome game. Will buy.


I have deep sadness that this and D4 have basically been sent out to die by whoever at Microsoft didn't have the balls to subsidize Kinect 2.0.
 
I'm on the fence about buying the deluxe version. Fifteen songs for $30 seems a bit pricey. I've never really owned a music-based game like Guitar Hero or Dance Central. Is $2 a pop the going rate for song DLC?

Hm, I wonder if those expansion packs will be available to non digital deluxe owners?

Can't say for sure, but I think so. There are individual listings for them on the Xbox store. They're currently unavailable, though.
 

nicholasbrutal

Epic Games PR Manager
I'm on the fence about buying the deluxe version. Fifteen songs for $30 seems a bit pricey. I've never really owned a music-based game like Guitar Hero or Dance Central. Is $2 a pop the going rate for song DLC?



Can't say for sure, but I think so. There are individual listings for them on the Xbox store. They're currently unavailable, though.

Yeah, all of the content available in the digital deluxe will be available for download in the future (some of it at launch). Keep in mind you do get a discount with the digital deluxe bundle, since that also contains the "remix" packs that contain additional remix versions of songs already available as part of the core game. If you think you'll want all of the content, the deluxe will be the cheapest way to get it all at launch.
 
Was skeptical but had a good time with the demo. I dig a good deal of the songs that look like they'll be on the disc, but is there a list anywhere of the dlc songs?
 

StudioTan

Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Is this another awesome game MS send to die? I have no idea it's coming out so soon.

MS did not publish this game. I agree that I would like it to get more exposure though.
 
Did not like this at all. I think my expectations were off the mark expecting Disney music and instead getting bombarded with conducting contemporary radio music which, conceptually, is a bit of a mind fuck for me. The name of the game is horribly misleading and frustrating in turn.

This is not the first time I've seen this comment, and I have to admit I don't quite understand it. Did the Fantasia films have any Disney film/TV music? Why is there an expectation of Disney music to be featured? Just because the company name is (a small) part of the title?

I know the game isn't available yet, but when it is, the box art isn't too mysterious about what kind of music is featured, so I can't imagine people will feel too misled:

1596869_376264929201814_688448993_n.jpg

A game like this isn't needed when you have a Dance Central out which better suits the culture

What a bizarre statement. Why bother innovating with Kinect games when Dance Central exists? Really? This is exactly the kind of game the Kinect needs to help show it can be effective at something besides yet another dancing game.
 

Noobcraft

Member
I hadn't even seen this game until today when I tried the demo. Its a really neat concept and I enjoyed it a lot, it's the best kinect game I've ever played (I suck at dancing).
 

CloudWolf

Member
I don't understand your confusion. Have you seen either of the Fantasia films? They are classical music genre masterpieces. I am not sure how Lady Gaga can be described as either of thise things.

There is classical music in this game FYI. That Harmonix went for a diverse tracklist doesn't mean the classic Fantasia tracks aren't there, it's just that a game filled with classical music probably wouldn't be that exciting for most young people, especially since Fantasia: Music Evolved is already a pretty niche title.
 

Alx

Member
The confusion is about you expecting to find Disney music in the game. There is no Disney music in the movies either.
The nature of the chosen music is a more valid reason to be confused, although it has already been stressed out that several classics from the 70s in the playlist are as old now as Nutcracker or Sorcerer's Apprentice were when the original movie released. Anyway it seems a big part of the playlist is still modern songs, making the game more focused on the "be a music conductor" idea than "listen to those great oldies", which are the two defining aspects of Fantasia.
 
I don't understand your confusion. Have you seen either of the Fantasia films? They are classical music genre masterpieces. I am not sure how Lady Gaga can be described as either of thise things. There is nothing overly confusing about this point. I have not been paying any attention to what others say but if they are expressing the exact sentiment, maybe there is an element of truth. I have Fantasia, Fantasia 2000 sitting at my home. I am not compelled to add Fanatsia the game to hear pop or hip hop music. The name of the game is a classic example of bait and switch.

As someone already mentioned, the confusion has nothing to do with Lady Gaga. It has to do with you expecting the game to feature Disney music.

Regarding your last comment, there is nothing "bizarre" about my personal taste. They are just that, personal taste. This game offers nothing innovative in any sense of the word.

Okay, since there is nothing innovative in any sense of the word in this title, please let me know what other Kinect games I can buy that will let me remix songs or craft jazz drum pieces using motion controls. Apparently I must be missing out on a lot of stuff going on in the Kinect world, and you seem to know a lot more about it than I do.
 
Just got done playing the demo for a while and now I'm thinking of purchasing. The gestures look really stupid when others do them (e.g. that awful promotional video), but they are fun to actually perform. I hope people give the game a try. It seems like another great Harmonix game.

I tend to think this applies to a lot of Kinect games, haha
 

Syriel

Member
Was skeptical but had a good time with the demo. I dig a good deal of the songs that look like they'll be on the disc, but is there a list anywhere of the dlc songs?

http://worthplaying.com/article/2014/10/10/news/93793/


WorthPlaying said:
The DLC available includes a total of 18 songs:

  • "As Long As You Love Me" - Justin Bieber
  • "Burn" - Ellie Goulding
  • "Burning Down The House" - Talking Heads
  • "Closer" - Ne-Yo
  • "Counting Stars" - OneRepublic
  • "DONE" - The Band Perry
  • "Edge of Glory" - Lady Gaga
  • "I Cry" - Flo Rida
  • "Just Like Heaven" - The Cure
  • "Lay Me Down" - AVICII
  • "Let It Go" - Demi Lovato
  • "Lucky Strike" - Maroon 5
  • "Paradise" - Coldplay
  • "Spoonman" - Soundgarden
  • "Stay The Night" - Zedd (feat. Hayley Williams)
  • "The End Of The World As We Know It" - R.E.M.
  • "Try It Out" - Skrillex & Alvin Risk
  • "You Make Me" - AVICII

Although no price was listed for individual pieces of DLC, all 18 songs are included in the deluxe digital bundle, which is priced at $89.99. The standard digital version of the game is $59.99. Given that three of the 18 songs ("Lay Me Down," "Let It Go," and "Counting Stars") are available as a free pre-order incentive at stores selling the physical disc, that means buyers are essentially paying $30 for 15 songs, or $2 each if purchased in the bundle.

Interestingly enough, the description for each of the DLC songs includes the following text:

"Enjoy this content in advance of launch date by purchasing Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved - Digital Deluxe bundle."
 

nicholasbrutal

Epic Games PR Manager
I get the knee jerk reaction to it not being a game that one-to-one tries to emulate the experience of the 1940s film (or the follow-up, Fantasia 2000, which did attempt to emulate and continue exactly what was happening in 1940). It&#8217;s fair that fans and lovers of the original work might have certain expectations.

Take or leave what I&#8217;m about to say in response to these concerns/reactions &#8211; it&#8217;s not in any way intended to sway your thoughts on the merits of the game, but should frame where we are coming from. (Full disclosure for those who don&#8217;t know, I&#8217;m PR and Communications Lead at Harmonix and have worked on Fantasia for 12,000 years by this point.)

First, at no point did Disney Interactive want us to re-create the experience of Fantasia (1940) as a game. That exists, it still holds up as one of the most innovative, beautiful pieces of animation ever created to this date. You can&#8217;t touch THAT, and I don&#8217;t think you should. (See the 1991 Genesis/Mega Drive game for the results of that.) What Disney did want us to do &#8211; and this was an open ended assignment, honestly &#8211; was for us to capture the spirit of the film and bring it into a modern context using motion control and the interactive medium. I wasn&#8217;t there for the meeting, but there&#8217;s a legend that someone in the first Disney/Harmonix meeting said &#8220;Players should move their arms around and cool music and stuff should happen.&#8221; That&#8217;s&#8230; really broad!

Still, we wanted to be very respectful of what Walt Disney&#8217;s original vision for the film was. So beyond just taking a wild guess, we were given access to the Disney archives that contained transcribed notes of literally hundreds of hours of production meetings, meetings where that original team solidified their intent for the project. TL;DR &#8211; marry this new medium of film/animation with music to allow audiences to experience music a completely new and unique way. To connect them with musical pieces in a way that a recording or a live performance couldn&#8217;t.

At the time, the idea of a concert film started with these classical pieces people associate with the film. But the idea of building on that concept was to release additional shorts with new music, year over year. That never happened. From 1940 to now, so much has changed about music &#8211; evolving genres, new ways to create, new ways to share, new ways to consume, etc. So for us, there&#8217;s how we looked at the soundtrack, and that included classical music (we have a handful of classical tracks &#8211; including pieces from the 1940s film &#8211; as well as orchestral remixes of songs original written for other genres), rock music, pop music, electronic music, and more. All told, when you take a hard look at what genres and sounds you&#8217;ll hear in the game in terms of various remixes, it&#8217;s bonkers: big band jazz, country, heavy metal, punk, chip tunes, dubstep, pop, easy listening, hip-hop, and all matter of genre variations you could think of. [FWIW, there&#8217;s evidence based on archives I&#8217;ve read that suggested music that featured electronic drums was being considered for future Fantasia pieces&#8230; this was in 1939!]

I don&#8217;t expect everyone to agree with all of the music on the soundtrack; musical taste is highly personal and subjective. And you either enjoy the experience or you don&#8217;t; that&#8217;s also personal and subjective. But please don&#8217;t for a moment think that Harmonix or anyone at Disney Interactive has any motives outside of creating a truly unique, innovative experience that remains true to the spirit and core of what Fantasia is. (SomewhatGroovy: I do take issue with you saying &#8220;this game offers nothing innovative in any sense of the word.&#8221; Show me another game that allows players to not only create their own music in the context of existing works, but to take those existing works and alter them dramatically in real time. There really isn&#8217;t, as far as I know. The team worked hard to create a new gameplay experience, and I give them crazy props for actually delivering.)

Another thing to note is that the demo showcases performance gameplay, and there's a whole secondary interactive Discovery element that features gorgeous, musical and magical worlds that players can interact with. (That's hinted at in the visuals behind the Performance gameplay, as well as the "upsell video" that plays after you complete the demo.)

Also, CloudWolf&#8217;s icon is Mike Patton, so bonus points to him&#8230; talk about a musician who wrecklessly tears down genre barriers like woah. I used to sneak out in the middle of the night in high school to see him play improv shows at the Knitting Factory in NYC with a bunch of experimental musicians, which basically exploded my teenage brain.

UPDATE: Just saw SomewhatGroovy came to the same conclusion about the use of music beyond classical. Again, don't expect that to change your thoughts on the experience, but I hope you at least understand that we're being genuine here and not trying to cash in on a license. (FWIW, most of the market doesn't even know what Fantasia is... kids these days!)

BONUS: Also, if you think WE got Fantasia wrong, check THIS out.
 
Thanks for that post, nicholasbrutal. Interesting read. It must have been quite a task to narrow that “Players should move their arms around and cool music and stuff should happen” idea into a specific gameplay experience.
 

jond76

Banned
Just finished this demo. Like I don't have enough games to buy already.... Loved it! Really fun and intuitive. I will relent... Its totally different enough for my crazed mind to justify a purchase.

I hope this does well!
 

PAULINK

I microwave steaks.
Jesus, that was really a wall of text. SORRY.

TL;DR #videogames

Nick, thanks for the great work you guys at HMX do. Question though, can you expand on those "expansion packs" for the on disc songs that were listed in the rockband aide url in this thread? Are they seperate DLC that disc owners will be able to purchase?
 
The confusion is about you expecting to find Disney music in the game. There is no Disney music in the movies either.
The nature of the chosen music is a more valid reason to be confused, although it has already been stressed out that several classics from the 70s in the playlist are as old now as Nutcracker or Sorcerer's Apprentice were when the original movie released. Anyway it seems a big part of the playlist is still modern songs, making the game more focused on the "be a music conductor" idea than "listen to those great oldies", which are the two defining aspects of Fantasia.

Justify it however you want, Fantasia will always be Tchaikovsky and semi-abstract imagery to me, and never the latest Jason Derulo ditty.
 

Alx

Member
Justify it however you want, Fantasia will always be Tchaikovsky and semi-abstract imagery to me, and never the latest Jason Derulo ditty.

Well, good thing those are in the game too.
Although to be honest I don't think "semi-abstract imagery" is as iconic as dancing hippos, the devil on the Bald mountain, or Mickey controlling a walking broomstick.
 

FrsDvl

Member
The demo was fun! Too bad the full game is 60$ that's a bit steep for me, since I would only play it occasionally. Would've been awesome if this was done in the same way as dance central spotlight.

I'll definitely pick it up somewhere down the road, if I see a good deal somewhere.
 

hoos30

Member
Demo was sweet. A little long in between songs, but once you get into conducting it's fabulous fun. Every time a song began to fade out, I was like, "No, play more, play more!"

Will make a great Christmas present for myself.
 

frontieruk

Member
Ryan, we are looking at this at different angles. I care not for features as i do for mechanics and at end of day, we are still discussing a rhythm game with emphasis on timing as we have before on kinect 1 and now 2. We need more than music games to showcase or drive a point on how Kinect can be "innovative".

If i go up to someone and make a point that Kinect has a diverse and innovative library and then name two flipping music games, a lot of gamers are going to laugh and for good reason



Not expecting Disney music per se, poor wording on my part, but rather, music historically associated with the Fantasia name.

With that said, a thought occured to me: conceptually, Fantasia was intended to shoecase music, as a whole, to visual storytelling. This was even mentioned in 2000. So conceptually, this seems to be where the game is heading as animation displays behind the music. Obviously, music has changed in 70 years so it makes sense to incorporate the broader audiences of today.


Apart from Wii sports what was the last game to truly innovate? It's got to of been back at the PS1/N64 era as even guitar hero was just a rehash of the handheld simple Simon.
 

Yaari

Member
I will give the demo another run soon, I was not really feeling it. But reading the responses here I might catch unto it. I liked all Harmonix game thus far so hopefully this one will grab my interest as well.

Admittingly I was sitting while trying and that is probably not the best experience haha.

I do really like the soundtrack they put together so hopefully the experience will be better when giving full efffort.

I hope I have enough space in my room for the kinect to detect me properly.
 

parasight

Member
Very cool. Didn't think I would like it as much as I did. Those song teasers were brutal though, I wish they gave us at least one full length track.
 
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