Lego Rock Band

[Azazel]

Yes, really.. 

http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/community/news/2009/0422-LEGORockBand.htm

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, The LEGO Group, Harmonix and MTV Games announce LEGO Rock Band
Rhythm based music game snaps together best-selling franchises to create fun family-friendly experience for all ages.

Sydney, Australia - April 21, 2009 - Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games are joining forces with the LEGO Group, Harmonix and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), to merge two of the most popular videogame franchises with the creation of LEGO® Rock Band®. The unique family-friendly music experience is currently in development by TT Games in partnership with Harmonix, and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. The game, which will allow families, tweens and teens to experience a wild journey to rock stardom where they can “Build a Band and Rock the Universe,” will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and other next-gen systems.  All versions are scheduled for release in Summer 2009.

LEGO Rock Band combines the multiplayer music experience of Rock Band® with the fun, customization and humour of the LEGO videogame franchisepacked with brilliant chart-topping songs and classic favourites suitable for younger audiences, including:

Blur: “Song 2”
Carl Douglas: “Kung Fu Fighting”
Europe: “The Final Countdown”
Good Charlotte: “Boys and Girls”
Pink: "So What”
Players will become rockers as they embark on a journey to stardom that the whole family can enjoy as they work their way through local venues, stadiums and fantasy locations on Earth and beyond that mimic the imaginative settings that the LEGO world offers. Also continuing the LEGO “build-and-play” gaming experience, players will be able to create their own LEGO Rock Band style as they customize their minifigure avatars, band and entourage, including roadies, managers and crew. LEGO Rock Band supports Rock Band instruments, as well as other music game controllers.

“LEGO Rock Band combines two compelling properties and creates an experience that family members of all ages will enjoy playing together as a group,” said Tom Stone, Managing Director, TT Games.  “Harmonix and MTV Games are the world experts in music gameplay, and we’re genuinely thrilled to bring the unique and humour-filled LEGO experience to their Rock Band universe.” 

“We’re thrilled to offer another LEGO branded gaming experience that will deliver humourous and social play for families and friends,” said Henrik Taudorf Lorensen, Vice President, the LEGO Group. “LEGO Rock Band is built around the same values of imagination and family-friendly creative role play that is present in other LEGO videogames. It will deliver innovative new elements of game play that complement the fun of the Rock Band experience.”

“Rock Band is a social game experience that crosses every generation and every genre of rock,” said Bob Picunko, Senior Vice President of Electronic Games for MTV Games. “Harmonix and MTV Games are big fans of the LEGO game franchise and excited to work with TT Games to develop a new take on Rock Band that focuses on great music and LEGO humour that’s fun for the whole family.”

[Mosesandstick]

Having the peripherals made out of LEGO would probably be an improvement.

[Velorath]

Seems like a better way to get kids into music games than Wii Music.  Can't imagine The Final Countdown would be much fun to play without a keyboard though.

[NiX]

Song 2 was the only thing that excited me about this. Has it even been in any of the other games?

[Margalis]

This golden goose is being cooked before our eyes. Would believe if this was an April Fool's joke.

Lego?

I don't see why a child would prefer these songs over the songs in any of the other of the billion rock band / guitar hero games. This is a pretty shameless example of whoring.

[Trippy]

I think it's more for the parents.

[Azazel]

I imagine it'll lack sexually suggestive lyrics. 

I'll probably buy it if you can roll the songs into RB2

[Big Gulp]

This golden goose is being cooked before our eyes. Would believe if this was an April Fool's joke.

Yeah, it was cooked for me a long time ago.  There's only so long that the novelty of playing a fake instrument can last; RB and GH (especially Guitar Hero with their relentless milking) crossed that threshold at least a year ago.

[Hawkbit]

I never understood why they wasted so much time on making characters, clothing, skinning guitars and all the extra bullshit that any of the GH games have.  None of that stuff interests me.  I've watched the occasional video on the games and I always try to unlock all the songs.  I wish they would spend their time trying to acquire more/better songs and then writing the note-button pushing a bit more consistently.  Some songs feel like you're actually playing the song on a real guitar, then others you can tell the developers just gave up, because you're plinking single notes through the whole song. 

Then again, as with most things in life, all the pretty bullshit is what sells.  But LEGOs?     I just don't understand the appeal.  I'm thinking corporate hands are involved. 

Or, they want kids to see mom and dad playing a LEGO game and therefore are branded for a whole new generation of fake instrument playing. 

[Azazel]

I never understood

That's pretty much it. The small sample of everyone-I-know-personally-that-plays-RB/GH/etc, including myself, enjoys playing with the dress-up and paperdolls. I imagine that people who enjoy dressing up their toons in WoW also feel similarly. Then again, none of us are expert-mode players, just casuals. Who buy the games and DLC songs.

LEGO is because 1) It's now an established videogame franchise. 2) it's a big flag of "family-friendly" safeness. I'm not expecing that there will be any sexually suggesting lyrics on the disc.


Corporate hands involved? Srsly? Sorry, which modern games don't have that, aside from a few indy games on Steam or XBL/PSN? Which AAA big budget titles?

 

[WindupAtheist]

Because it needs to go somewhere.