Specifically, the Rock Band/ Guitar Hero type games. These games are big sellers, which is evident from the number of sequels and add-ons that continue to become available. The market seems oversaturated and even includes band-specific games like Aerosmith and Metallica.

But where does the genre go from here? The basic concept remains the same: you play a fake instrument to the beat of an actual song and get the sensation that you’re actually playing the song.

Pro Mode in Rock Band 3 seems like a promising next step. Does the mode actually make it feasible to learn to play a real instrument? Does the average gamer care?

DJ Hero appears to be another fresh take on the genre but of course it requires the consumer to purchase yet another plastic peripheral.

Will gamers remain happy if the basics remain the same, with the only major addition being more and more songs being added? This could be the case since these types of games usually become more of a ‘party game’ experience to be enjoyed with friends and family.

Nintendo attempted to bring something different through Wii Music but was not able to pull it off quite well. Was there potential in Wii Music to take the music genre another step?

Just to give my own perspective: I had fun for a while with some of the Guitar Hero games, up to and including Guitar Hero World Tour, but after that I became somewhat uninterested in playing any more of games in the series. DJ Hero looks like fun, though, and the thought of it having original remixes of songs (songs you normally wouldn't listen to but sound awesome when mixed together) intrigues me.

I’m curious to hear what long-time fans of any of these series has to say.

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@anon_mastermind Thanks, but I've already looked into them. The Rock Band "metal" pack is not for me, and while Guitar Hero: Metallica has some cool stuff in it, it's not quite what I'm looking for. It's not underground enough for my taste D:

Oh, I:m not surprised. You are really into some underground metal, from what Ive gathered of your posts on the topic. I dont even hear many of your favourite bands and I listen to Liquid Metal on XM radio all the time.

@Zero

Okay, you got me there... but I was thinking about the fanbase that has already been established, Harmonix knows what they like. But as far as getting new people to take interest in the franchise, they tried to do so with the addition of real instruments. The only thing left to do is incorporate improvisation and composition like they said they're going to try with the next installment. I'm not sure how they're going to do it but they'll find a way.

@Paleo_Orca

That's good to hear from Harmonix, so they are slowly implementing new features into the Rock Band series to take it beyond the simple concepts first used in Guitar Hero.

Paleo_Orca said:

I don't have much to say about Guitar Hero, 'cause that just needs to die, there hasn't been any great fundamental change in that series.

So the developers of Guitar Hero are apparently not progressing the series the same way the Rock Band guys are?

I'm actually a bit confused on how the whole Rock Band series came into being (in relation to the Guitar Hero series). I always assumed both series were very similar, since Guitar Hero has also implemented the full set of instruments (bass, vocalist, and drums). Are they made by two totally different developers and basically competing against each other?

@roykoopa64

Guitar Hero was originally made by Harmonix, and then later on, the franchise was passed on to Activision/Neversoft for Guitar Hero 3 and Harmonix went on to make Rock Band.

I thought that Rock Band came into being because GH only had guitars, and so they were the first to add the other instruments. But then GH added more instruments too. And then now there's keyboard, and Pro Mode.

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I'm thinking that right now out there are these categories of music games:

1) Standard Rhythm-matching skill - push the button as it crosses the line
Beatmania
DDR
GH/RB
DJ Hero(?)
Taiko Drum Master
DJ Max Fever (PSP)
Space Channel 5
Samba de Amigo

2) "Instrument emulator"
Karaoke Revolution/SingStar/Sing It
Jam Sessions
GH/RB in harder modes - note-for-note emulation
Daigasso Band Bros - I love this because it's like real ensemble playing, when you hit a wrong note/rhythm, you hear it. unlike the "plunk" of standard GH/RB... the beauty (or torture) of midi.

3) Music Creator
GH/RB creation mode
Daigasso Band Bros creation mode.
WIi Music - well, more like remixing/making variations.
KORG DS-10
Mario Paint music creator
WarioWare DIY music creator
That one PSP game that was all hip-hop-ish music... and some rapper (or producer) was endorsing it?

4) Oddball match-the-music-somehow
Frequency/Amplitude/Rock Band Unplugged(PSP)
EBA
Ontamarama - been so long, I
Rhythm Heaven
Electroplankton
We Cheer
Just Dance
Dance Central
Bit Trip
Beat Sketcher


I think #1 & #2 longest longevity because they're skill-based so you can hold contests/DLC. And they can ride the coattails of the soundtrack. Which you can tell by how many sequels they have...

The #3 "creator" category is like a once-in-a-blue-moon type thing (except now it got incorporated in GH/RB), but lasts because people keep making content. (look at all the Mario Paint stuff on youtube). Hard to market a "forever" product though.

#4 is the most fun to try for me though. They're not foreseeable and feel more innovative. The problem with those is longevity though, since they're usually a bit obscure and don't sell quite as well.

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I can't really think of where the music genre can go, if we're already on trying to teach instruments already. Gotta be oddball things... like that one where you kill monsters by playing a riff on the guitar? Classical music is one thing that's barely been touched, but I don't think there's much demand for that. Are they going to try to teach composition? Like Wii Music has a neat section where it teaches you the basics of the beats/structure of the different styles of songs.

I liked Wii Music. It's kinda like when you tap along with a song on a radio. But when you tap in the game to change up the rhythm you get different notes. It can draw you in if you think in that key, but not if you're some sort of alternative music fan that doesn't think that way. The problem with the game is that it's not alluring though. I had tons of fun once I was playing it, and making variations by changing every track. But I'd never have the actual URGE to put it into the Wii. (Still think it's a good game, and great for educational purposes)

I thought it was interesting that RB Unplugged was just like Freq/Amplitude. Glad that idea got a second chance! I actually don't really care for regular GH/RB, I thought the guitar was stupid when I first tried it (I got the game for the drums).

@GameDadGrant There's a couple games similar in idea to EBA, but they're they're not quite as marketable or challenging. (We Cheer, Cartoon Conductor, tweenie shovelware).

@heliumsky Great job on breaking out the different music game categories and giving some examples of each. I had not realized that the GH/RB games have actually tapped into the three categories already, so they actually provide a nice comprehensive mix.

Yes, category #4 is the one I personally enjoy the most. Developers have been more experimental in this category, and it’s always nice to see the different ways music and rhythm can be implemented into other genres.

I didn't actually mean to type that much, but I remember doing a related blog a long time ago and felt like thinking about it again. I've played a ridiculous amount of music games, it all started with DDR...