abomstar

I'm probably getting the Vita, and until now absolutely couldn't justify the 3G (and still think the pricing is high), but that it's no contract makes me reconsider. Could there be a foreseeable situation where the difference between not having an immediate connection and having one is worth the $15? Or is that planning ahead for the day that never comes? I can't think of any place where I'd want to take out a handheld where there isn't already Wifi. I don't own a phone or anything that can take advantage of 3G or 4G, so the Vita would actually be a big step up and my primary communications device.

Great article. It's good to know that Harmonix can still be humble and forthcoming about where the market interest for rhythm games is right now and what they can do about it.

I've considered myself a die-hard Harmonix fan and Rock Band player. Through '08 and '09 especially, I kept current on nearly all the DLC and played each song as competitively as I could on guitar. I was one of those people who would systematically play a song 10+ times in a row to "squeeze" more points out of them. I really did enjoy that process; listening to, and being exposed to, a lot of new music. I continued to buy the majority of the DLC up until the launch of Rock Band 3, when I totally hit a wall and burned out on everything.

It's a shame, because it's really no fault of that game or Harmonix's split with Viacom that it happened, but it was the endgame of the formula of content oversaturation. Looking back at it as a competitive completionist, there were a lot of songs I bought that I could've done without. Going into Rock Band 3 with all that content, wiping the slate clean with my scores, having to figure out new overdrive paths for everything, all while trying to wrap my head around Pro guitar and keyboards, somehow turned Rock Band into something that was rather stressful, not as fulfilling to me, and had a lot of "baggage" involved.

Rock Band Network was a similarly exciting prospect that I think has fallen victim to over-encumbrence. I know that the core fans who work on that stuff work really hard, and deserve all the praise they get, but the laboriousness of it all still tends to create a "gameplay first" environment where certain genres are more or less left sitting in the queue.

I'd love to see Harmonix come out with a new IP that doesn't abandon rock music, but is perhaps a more focused, creative experience that concentrates really hard to enhance a super-cohesive and personalized assortment of songs. Harmonix doesn't even need all the peripherals and 1-1 note correspondence simulation gameplay to create a quality experience. They need a concise, fresh tangent to recapture that spark with people. That said, it's great that they're thinking about reinventing Rock Band while continuing support for DLC, because at this moment the pace is hardly compelling enough for anyone.

This is such a bold move by Nintendo. I hope they can get some real momentum with the original titles, but at the very least it's a good humbling gesture if the system's library remains sparse.

I've had my 3DS for a little under 2 months, and I've clocked about 100 hours on it. I don't feel as if I should've waited it out, and I'm extremely excited about the 20 free games. It's an interesting device that keeps me coming back. Some features seem oddly limiting, others just plain unusual, but that's Nintendo for you. They don't give you a technological sandbox and let you have at it, they like to guide the way you end up using the thing. You don't really know how invested you're going to get in that StreetPass Mii RPG, or how impulsively rewarding checking that Pokedex is until you own one. These cute Pavlovian tricks, along with the OoT remake exceeding my expectations have made me a starving 3DS loyalist, and this announcement means I won't be getting away from it anytime soon.

- A Pikmin game of some sort. It's great that Pikmin 3 is supposedly happening on the Wii U, but I'd still like to see the concept explored on a handheld.

- Electroplankton sequel or spinoff that allows for recording and a greater potential for compositional control. (Kind of a stretch.)

- A "back to its roots" Kirby game, or even a sequel to Canvas Curse.

- At least a couple quality original RPGs. I've always enjoyed RPGs on handhelds, and it's hard for me to get into them otherwise. Paper Mario's a great start -- all new Tales of / Atlas / Golden Sun / whatever titles would fit right in.

- Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko 2: 3D

That's about all I've got. I hope there'll be enough great original games that we can't predict at all -- there's a lot of potential.

Somewhat disappointed to learn that ordering online totally screwed me out of this offer, but on the bright side it allows me to wait until the next Club Nintendo "year" (July) to register the game, so I'll be that much closer to Platinum.

Bought a 3DS about a week ago, this will be my first 3DS game. Barring cartridge titles, the hardware has really exceeded my expectations so far... I've fallen hook line and sinker for the overall charm and artistry of apps like the eShop, StreetPass Mii Plaza, AR Games, etc.. I'd encourage people to just pull the trigger on getting one if you know you'll probably get one eventually.

Looks like it'll be quality, but landing jumps on enemies from fixed viewing angles like these has always been sort of annoying. Not that this should pose any real challenge.

It would be a logical step, and I'd make an initial effort to use it for any features, write the occasional review, and what not, but honestly I'd rather see them stay away from this idea. Music means much more to me than games, films, tech, and especially comics/anime, but discussing it or, worse, arguing about it pales in comparison to actually listening to it -- it's so subjective that not much really needs to be said at this point. Couldn't imagine a podcast being compelling enough, and I'm pretty opinionated on the subject (as many are)-- enough to be mildly irked by differences in taste when they arise. Other sites provide all the information and services I need to complement the "social" aspects of music, so I'd probably keep my distance unless the staff's opinions/philosophies were extremely congruent with my own, insightful, and the site provided some unique new utility.

May or may not have been posted already, but there IS a Pro Bass mode in this game.
 
"It wasn't playable at the event, but Harmonix showed us the Expert Pro chart for Dio's "Rainbow in the Dark" and it is mind-blowing. You are literally going to be asked to play every single note. Don't worry, different difficulty levels will be available on Pro to ease players into the new mode. It will also be used for Pro bass play. Pro is completely integrated in the game and can be chosen on a per-player/per-song basis (if supported)."  
 
 http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/64223
 
Confirmed by Harmonix on Scorehero.
 

 For anyone that didn't watch the video/missed this tidbit: there will be a Pro mode with an actual Fender guitar. Given Harmonix's record, I'm going to guess this renders "Rise of the SixString" utterly stillborn, but I don't know for sure. If you don't want the instrument, you can also purchase a "fake-real" guitar, that simulates the fretting with a ton of buttons, or just play with the standard 5-frets. This is seriously a game changer.
 
Plus the 25-key keyboard, plus three extra cymbals for the drums.

Isn't this all just too much for people? I keep getting the feeling that it is. But I'm like THE target demographic for this game, having purchased about 80% of the DLC they've put out so far, an expert player on all instruments with many 1st place expert guitar scores, who's been getting a little tired of the formula, and who's been brushing up on their actual guitar skills. I genuinely enjoy listening to and being exposed to new music through these games, so somehow it's never gotten stale for me, and this announcement is making my fucking head spin. I consider myself equal parts music fan and gamer, but since Guitar Hero II I haven't been able to pry myself away from rhythm games long enough to appreciate much else, and it looks like the cycle will continue.