Behind The Music: Cluttered and Confused

There is no denying that music-based video-games have been booming in the past few years. The amount the genre has evolved from titles such as Space Channel 5 on the Sega Dreamcast to the staples of Rock Band and Guitar Hero has been moving ahead in leaps and bounds. But with so many additions, expansions, franchises, and peripherals out there, lounge rooms across the globe have come cluttered and confused.

With bands signing exclusivity deals with different franchises, those who take their virtual rocking out seriously are going to want to own all the franchises they can get, the problem you may find is you are parting out your hard earned cash for the sake of rocking out to only a handful of songs.

Harmonix have taken a step to keep consumers happy with their extensive Downloadable Content, offering over 500 tracks, all working with all versions of their franchise. The Guitar Hero franchise has taken a similar step, offering 30 or so tracks off their Guitar Hero: World Tour disc to work with the upcoming Guitar Hero 5.

It’s the exclusivity that is dividing the market. On one hand you have Guitar Hero Aerosmith, Metallica, Smash Hits, Van Halen and on the other you have Rock Band Beatles - so many discs, so many songs, so much choice, but more importantly, so expensive, especially in today's economic climate.

Each new addition to the series (RB1, RB2, GH3, GHWT, GH5) brings with it new peripherals, always slightly better than the previous set, which has many households owning up to 5 guitar controllers and three sets of drums, just to keep up to date.

And with other franchises climbing out of the woodwork such as Band Hero, Guitar Revolution, Lego Rock Band, DJ Hero many people are seriously asking themselves if it’s worth it.

Hamonix and EA are really pushing Rock Band as the biggest title of the bunch, throwing a campaign across the United States which has local bars having Rock Band nights. It's a good idea that promotes the game to a crowd that normally wouldn't have that much to do with gaming. It get's everyone involved, shows that it's a fun experience that can be enjoyed by everyone, and in turn will most likely generate more sales for their product. There were similar evening hosted across pubs and clubs in Australia promoting Guitar Hero 3 that pitted the best players in the country to get the highest scores on the hardest songs. It was successful, but it was only the Guitar Hero afficinados who got in on the action.

With Christmas fast approaching, and two huge titles dropping very soon in Rock Band: Beatles and Guitar Hero 5 with DJ Hero just around the corner, the war will be back on for who can move the most units under those Christmas trees for 2009.

Is the Music Game Genre over-saturated? Is interest slowly dying out from the casual crowd that once got it booming? Ideally we’d love to see one giant DLC store where you could buy any song you like, let it run on any game you own, and just rock out at your own pleasure....but we’d also like a magical gnome here at the office, both ideas are never going to happen....

Heller's E3 Predictions

It's back, bigger, badder, and better than ever before. E3 is here on our doorsteps, the biggest gaming exhibition the world has ever seen, which is constantly the event when all the juiciest content is revealed. What are my predictions for this years E3 Expo?

Xbox 360

When looking on the boards there hasn't been that much talk of great, exclusive content coming out for the Xbox 360 in the next twelve months. Microsoft will be showing us more of Halo: ODST which was a given, but other than the staple cross platform titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and the like, information on exclusives are lacking.

Epic could be set to release information on a either some serious DLC for Gears of War 2 or possibly the expansion with a new title in the series, but this is purely speculation.

There has been a lot of talk about some type of motion sensing device for the Xbox 360 for a number of months now, and with increasing leaks of "information" it is likely that IF such a device is in the works, we are going to see it at E3.

I think E3 will spell out the fate of the Xbox 360. IF there is a lack of content, I feel we will get an announcement by the years end of a new console coming out in the next twelve months. The Xbox 360 has been in our houses for quite some time now, and has almost reached the pinnacle of it's potential. E3 could be the clue that tells us if a new console is closer than we expected.

Wii

Ahh the Nintendo Wii, the little console that could. It's dominance in sales since it's release is impressive, but is let down by it's lack of decent games. Once again, not much is on the cards for Nintendo, and in true Reggie style, I think we will get some corkers announced at E3.

First of all The Conduit will be high on the lists, to continue the hype train as it inches closer and closer towards release. Top this off with Motion Plus and of course a more in-depth look at Wii Sports Resort we will get a taste of what we can get our hands on very soon.

With the release of the DSi we can expect some big titles coming out along with a spiel on the DSi Ware titles. Nintendo should also be ready to unveil a storage solution for the Wii, it's been a hot topic for an eternity, and E3 would be the perfect time to address it.

Mature gaming is going to be high on the list, and we will see a bunch of info on the new Resident Evil title and of course Dead Space Extraction

Purely speculation but I have a feeling we will see one of the big Nintendo franchises with a new title on the Wii, I'd be leaning towards a new Legend of Zelda title.

PS3

Killzone 2 is out, Infamous is on the way, what is next for the big black box from Sony? Uncharted 2 will surely be on display, along with God Of War III and I'd be leaning towards getting some more info on Gran Turismo 5.

Sony has a really good chance at domination in 2009, and E3 is going to be make or break it for the console, especially IF Microsoft announce a new Xbox coming to the streets in the next twelve months.

Heavy Rain will steal the show this year, it's been sitting there with some teasers every now and then, and it would be a perfect setting for David Cage to show the world exactly how far his team have pushed the PS3. It could be the underground title that really propels the PS3 to greatness

Heller's Wish List

Heller's Desk Vol #12

That's right sports fans, Heller is back again with yet another rant filled posting of Heller's Desk

Finally I have dusted off my Nintendo DS for what I truly believe is one of the most IMPORTANT handheld titles we are likely to see for a long time, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. It is a deep and engrossing title, which truly captures the spirit of the GTA series on a bite sized cartridge. Just because the DS lacks the storage or size when compared to say a PS3 or Xbox 360 doesn't mean this game is lacking in any way. Offering a comprehensive experience with more relevant mini games than you can throw a Molotov at, a decent story, and tight and intuitive controls, this is the must have title for the Nintendo DS. Hell I'd go as far as to say it's worth purchasing a DS just for this title! Check out our featured review over here

Sega are sure pulling me into the Nintendo Wii, first with the amazing House Of The Dead: Overkill. It is a fantastic, hilarious, and more importantly, mature game that offers something unique to the console. I had the pleasure of getting some time with the limited Bang Bang Box, unboxing article can be found over here.

Sega have followed it up with their totally OFF THE HOOK title MadWorld which releases nation wide today! Offering a totally unique visual style that is very "Sin City" with some of the strangest and brutal gameplay, this game sure isn't one for the weak hearted. Make sure you check this out if you have a Wii. We are currently offering a SICK prize pack, so make sure you get those entries in over here

So what have you guys been playing lately? What game has come along that unexpectedly blew you away? What game were you super excited about and it did nothing but let you down? Send in the scoop so I can check it out for myself :)

DLC will lead to Digital Distribution?

Written By Stephen Heller

Downloadable Content has become a staple to all the current generation consoles. We have Xbox Live and PSN offering us not only patches, demos, updates and packs, we also are seeing arcade and full fledged being offered to consumers for a price to download. While these services have been offered since the current generation releases, with recent releases from Rockstar with DLC such as GTA IV: The Lost and Damned and Criterion's constant free DLC for Burnout Paradise, the bar has been raised higher than ever before.

A bit of a history lesson here. The Sega Dreamcast was the first console that featured DLC. Due to technologies and bandwith at the time, and memory limitations the quality of said DLC was lacklustre but none the less it was offered. Microsoft was the first company to charge for DLC on their Xbox console in 2002 for Mech Assault. Microsoft continued to release DLC for select titles on the console, but it wasn't until the release of the Xbox 360 that DLC became to become a standard feature in home gaming consoles. Microsoft had paved the way for DLC making the "Xbox Marketplace" and DLC an integral component of the console experience.

DLC since then has certainly evolved from arcade games and map packs. Criterion have steadily increased the life of their Burnout Paradise title for over twelve months with a slew of free DLC provided that not only added to, but completely changed the gameplay experience. Rockstar have released the stellar Lost and Damned for their Grand Theft Auto series, which includes well over 10 hours of additional gameplay, from a new perspective and feels like a stand alone title. With the release of Midnight Club LA: South Central DLC just around the corner, Rockstar are certainly proving that they are the leaders of quality DLC for their titles.

Now the bar has been raised so high, people are going to start expecting more from developers when they are served up DLC. This has been reflected recently with the public backlash towards Capcom's release of Resident Evil 5 DLC, which simply adds a more robust multiplayer functionality to the title. The public already expect more for their money, it will be interesting to see where DLC is going to head over the course of 2009.

This also begs the question is Digital Distribution the way of the future for console gamers. With services such as STEAM already operating with high success on the PC platform, and titles such as Gran Turismo Prologue, Warhawk, The Watchman all being offered as full downloads on the PSN and Xbox Live service, many would have to believe it's a real possibility. While it won't replace disc based media anytime soon, developers are going to have to investigate it as a viable option, especially considering the current global economic standpoint.

Join Heller and Tano on this weeks episode of The Voice as they discuss indepth their current views of DLC, the idea of Digital Distribution and of course the latest news and reviews.

Heller's Desk Vol #11

Back once again for an action packed, rant filled Heller's Desk this week with lots of events, gaming and non gaming related taking up my time and space.

First item was going to see The Watchmen at the movies. A fantastic movie based on a fantastic graphic novel. A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this movie, and I'll be the first to say I hope it doesn't let you down. Truly great film and well worth checking out if you have some spare cash. Our very own Mordillo92 has done a nice blog which can explain a little about what The Watchmen is all about over here

Killzone 2 is still spinning in my PS3 and has me blasting the Helghast for the third time round the single player campaign, and wasting countless hours online. This is seriously one mammoth title, and regardless of your pre-concieved ideas based on hearsay, please do yourself a favour PS3 owners, this is the flagship title we have all been waiting for. Featured review can be found over here

Tano and I have been working hard, very hard on the fifth episode of The Voice for our listening fans. It seems gremlins are at bay and just don't want this podcast to go ahead. First time we tried to record it, the earthquake happened and Tano's power went out for hours. Then last night we got half way through and the computer system chucked a fit and stopped recording and deleted everything we had done. The final attempt will be tonight when we get it in the bag and up for your listening pleasure! It's a big show this week so make sure you give it a listen!

No time to slow down though, Resident Evil 5 is here and even though I've had it for a few days I've still yet to really get into it. The visuals are outstanding, and once again Capcom deliver a first rate experience. Expect Tano to deliver an excellent Featured Review very soon!

MadWorld is about to drop for the Nintendo Wii which is very exciting. This is shaping up to be one of my most hotly anticipated titles of 2009. I love the visual presentation and the fact that it's a mature game, for real gamers, something that us Wii owners have been CRAVING!

But I've also managed to find some time for a personal life these past few weeks. Soundwave Festival was attended and rocked out to! I also have been recording some solo work for an EP that I will be releasing April this year which is very exciting. Into the studio in two weeks to layout the six tracks and then it's off to Myspace to try and book some gigs and sell off some copies. To top off all this excitement Hellerphant finally found himself a Girlfriend (Ally-Gator), that's right fans, I convinced some poor girl I wasn't too bad! Crazy I know!

So until next week let me know what games you are looking forward to, what you have been playing! Also Twitter fans, start following me (username hellerphant). I release all the mymedia reviews and important stories on there as soon as they break :)

Is The Wii Finally Maturing?

For those who are old enough to remember, during the early 90's we witnessed one of the greatest console wars to date, Sega vs Nintendo. It was a brutal war, scathed with fierce advertising campaigns, constant battles over exclusive titles, and of course sledging between the two companies. It was unlike any other battle that we had seen, or had seen since. I remember as a kid getting beat up because I preferred a fat Italian plumber over a Spikey Blue Hedgehog...

But all good things come to an end and eventually Nintendo stomped out Sega towards the turn of the century and lord and behold Sega games started appearing on Nintendo consoles, I KNOW, I mean to think Mario and Sonic would star together in a game after so many years of turmoil was enough to make any gamer's head explode.

Since the launch of the Wii it's been the mind of the "hardcore" crowd that it's full of shovelware, and doesn't have enough games that appeal to the "gamer" crowd, but more than enough to entice those casual posers. Sure we've seen some glimpses of maturity there, Resident Evil 4, Manhunt 2 and Disaster Day of Crisis come to mind, but it's just not enough to warrant a purchase for many gamers.

Then along comes Sega, ready to say a proverbial "F-You" to the masses and they drop a bombshell with House Of The Dead: Overkill, one of the most enjoyable games I've had the pleasure to play this year. It's got everything a growing boy needs, violence, gunplay, swearing and more violence. Many will be of the train of thought "Violence doesn't make a game" and most occasions I'd say you are dead right. What House of The Dead does is make you feel like you are in a genuine Tarrantino flick, it's dialogue is deliciously cheesy, it's visual presentation is slick and looks amazing for a Wii game, and more importantly it's a whole bunch of fun.

Then Sega plan to follow this up very soon with Madworld, one of the coolest looking titles we've seen since XIII back in 2004. Madworld features so much violence and destruction, but once again in an environment that is begging for it.

Add The Conduit to this impressive lineup, a hardcore shooter that the Wii crowd has sorely been missing and you can't help but ask yourself, is it totally ironic that Sega seem to be bringing the fans what they want, for a Nintendo console....