GAME TECH: Rock Band 4 has finally gone on the run

Back when The Cure were still curious, video games were different. 

When you walked into an arcade, your only goal was to set a new record, to beat the high score. These days, gamers are still trying to beat the score – anything from The Beatles to Metallica.

Rock Band has brought a lot of musical satisfaction to gamers around the world, many of whom will be very excited by the news that online multiplayer is finally coming to Rock Band 4. Presently, players can only jam with other people locally, in the same room. Later this year, however, you’ll be able to play live with others online, meaning you can, at last, fulfill that dream of becoming a true rock star by ditching the bandmates that helped you start it all, in favour of recruiting that insane classical genius from Scandinavia, who later retires to a mountain to weave baskets and fill them with nothing but other, smaller baskets.

Unfortunately, much like Wham!, online multiplayer won’t be around until Christmas. The announcement was made at PAX East 2016, alongside the news that Rock Band 4’s first full downloadable content (DLC) would hit in Autumn. According to Community Lead for Harmonix, Josh Harrison, the content would be significant.

“Actually, huge stuff in store here,” Harrison said, sounding like a band manager who knows recording hasn’t even started on the new album. “Really huge and brand new.”

Unlike Metallica’s new album, not everything in the world of Rock Band 4 is delayed endlessly. In May, a double-kick feature will be releases, alongside Battleborn DLC. In June, a practice mode will be released, allowing players to replay sections of songs outside of the main mode and even slow hard parts down to get the timing and technique right. That sounds like a superb feature that will give gamers plenty of time to nail that solo before taking their skills online later in the year.

Harmonix also announced that the Ion drumsticks that have always been playable on the PS4 version of the game will be playable on the Xbox One version later this year by way of a special adapter.

Finally, at the PAX event, Josh Harrison asked fans to put their hands in the air like they just didn’t care, but instead they raised their hands to ask questions, because they do care. One of them couldn’t help but ask about his favourite band, seeing as Rock Band has released Metallica and Beatles versions of the games. Would we ever see a Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd song on Rock Band.

“I don’’t feel comfortable saying no, but I can’t say yes,” Harrison said, briefly forgetting he wasn’t a member of Dáil Eireann. “Never say never.” Rock on, Josh!

Jamming with Jason

Jason from the Friday the 13th series would surely make a decent musician. He’d be great with an axe guitar. Developers of the Friday the 13th game took to the stage at PAX and showcased the latest developments in the project.

‘Friday the 13th The Game’, as it has been so cleverly named, was originally crowdfunded as a project called Slasher Vol 1: Summer Camp. Sean Cunningham, who holds the rights to Friday the 13th, was so impressed by what he saw that he contacted the developers Gun Media and offered them the rights to Jason and the series for free. Slasher Vol 1 then became Friday the 13th The Game.

The premise sounds interesting. One player takes on the role of Jason, while others take on the role of campers. It sounds a bit like hide and seek, in which the people hiding get mauled by an axe-wielding maniac. Two new videos were released at PAX, both of which showed ‘death scenes’ and both of which took place at Crystal Lake, which developers say is a location from the Friday the 13th: Part Three and Friday the 13th: Final Chapter. Speaking of music, Jason would surely be a Slipnot fan?

Orc-ward Warcraft issue

Finally, in what will be music to the ears of Warcraft fans, director Duncan Jones claims he fixed a ‘fundemental problem’ with Sam Raimi’s version of the film. Raimi was originally scheduled to direct the film before pulling out to do Oz: The Great and Powerful instead. In Raimi’s version, the humans were the good guys and the orcs the bad guys. “To me, that was fundamental misstep,” Jones said.