At 11:02am, a press release from Harmonix hit my inbox, and I’ve been wanting to post about this all day: There’s a new ROCK BAND game on the way. No, it’s not another ”band” affair in need of another fleet of plastic instruments, but something that promises ”a new way to experience your favorite Rock Band songs, with fast-paced, multi-track arcade gameplay that encourages you to compete against your friends for the highest scores.” ROCK BAND BLITZ is a controller-based Rock Band for Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network.
Personally, I’ve been a bit sad about the perception that the music gaming genre “died” with the last GUITAR HERO installment. Having reviewed just about every instrument-based music game post ROCK BAND 2 in my last job, that last blast where ROCK BAND 3, GUITAR HERO: WARRIORS OF ROCK, POWER GIG, etc all hit shelves within months of each other seems like a dark time. A last hurrah for a pretty awesome era. As I predicted some years ago, the ROCK BAND franchise kept on going, and still survives with a robust assortment of DLC delivered on a weekly basis. People are still playing, but I’d like to know exactly how many.
The announcement of ROCK BAND BLITZ is intriguing for me, as the prospect of an “addictive” experience that allows use of my existing catalog of songs is pretty enticing. Here’s more from that official press release:
Rock Band Blitz features over 20 tracks new to the Rock Band franchise, including Blink-182’s “Always,” Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks,” Quiet Riot’s “Metal Health (Bang Your Head),” and Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” Rock Band Blitz is also compatible with most of your existing Rock Band Music Library, including all content from the Rock Band Music Store, as well as tracks exported from Rock Band, Rock Band 2, and more. As a bonus, all of the tracks that come with Rock Band Blitz are immediately playable in Rock Band 3 at no extra charge, so you can get the band back together and play Rock Band Blitz’s 20-plus new tracks in Harmonix’s award-winning full-band game!
“We’re excited to give Rock Band fans a new way to play their existing Rock Band library,” said Harmonix CEO and co-founder Alex Rigopulos. “With over 3,500 songs at their disposal and addictive multi-track gameplay, Rock Band Blitz is going to be a great way to compete with your friends later this summer!”
Harmonix will be bringing Rock Band Blitz to Penny Arcade Expo in Boston, MA this week – April 6 through April 8 – for its first public playable appearance. Fans can stop by booth #642 to check out Rock Band Blitz on one of six kiosks and get their first taste of the game’s frantic, instrument-free arcade action!
Rock Band Blitz is scheduled for release on Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation® Network this summer.
I’m game for this, and hope to get my hands on a review copy at somepoint down the road. In the meantime, check out the launch trailer below and stay tuned to The Rock Father™ for more info as I have it…
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