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Button Mashers is a periodic audio podcast covering a range of topics in the gaming industry. This blog was created for myself, Tetsuotrunks, as well as a few guest co-hosts, to contribute our 2 cents on topics that really don't warrant any discussion, or to just express things that we'd like to get off our chests. Check back often, as we update frequently and feel free to leave any feedback.

June 2008
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Home » Archives » June 2008 »
Guitar Hero: Bank Account version
By Biccy on 06.13.08 at 11:51 PM CST
So as you all know, there's destined many, maaaany version of Guitar Hero 3 to hit the selves. Aerosmith, Metallica, Sesame Street's songs from the ghetto, anything to make money for them until they can shove Guitar Hero 4 in our faces and delve their arms shoulder deep into their our money. To me, they just seem like downloadable content packs that you pay the full price of an average video game for. Saying that, I might just buy the Metallica one.

Don't judge me! Guitar Hero is proving to be a lot of fun, even just to sit down occasionally one lazy day and play out a song on Hard to marvel at your awesomeness, then going back to microwave your next meal and get some fresh air from your mum's basement.
That's not me obviously. I go to outside! To other peoples houses. To play Guitar Hero with them.

Are what look like expansion packs really worth it though when you could just get Rock Band and download what I heard to be an updated stream of songs? I asked a few hardcore Guitar Hero fans to find out.

The first guy I asked has done Through Fire and Flames on expert and 5 starred it. Along with Raining Blood. So seemed like a nice place to start.
All I had to do was mention Guitar Hero and he immediately told me he was planning to get the Aerosmith and Metallica versions when they came out. It's like Guitar Hero is some weird key that unlocks your mind and lets people who've done TTFAF into your mind. Slightly worrying but I'll wear a tin foil hat later.
As he'd pretty much done the songs to death on Guitar Hero 3 (not that he was bored mind) he said he wouldn't mind a fresh set of songs to play. I don't think he really minded too much what the songs were, as long as he had something to play. Which is fair enough, it's not like you choose the songs from the original games.

I figured, this guy's spending all this cash on the expansions, he probably won't bother with Rock Band then. You could probably buy a Wii for the same price as Rock Band after all. Then he mentioned he was buying it for this big party he was having. He's got quite a few friends who play Guitar Hero already so he figured it'd be a nice set up. A nice set up? He'll have more plastic musical instruments than most real bands have soon.

So after all this spending, no way is he getting Guitar Hero 4. No...apparently he can urinate solid gold because he's buying that as well. Finally, after Guitar Hero 4...he said he'd probably have too many songs to play and be too busy with other life errands so he wouldn't be buying Rock Band 2.

Most other people who don't collect their solid gold urine in bags labelled "swag" said the expansions seemed a little expensive, but they might pick one up. The majority thought Rock Band was too expensive as well buy might've got it as a birthday present they paid part in to. I don't think anyone even considered anything after that unlike the first guy I talked to.

It seems to me most companies are just taking advantage of a good sale these days. Maybe they always did and I'm just noticing it more, I'm not sure.But I certainly don't remember official Ocarina of Time or Final Fantasy 7 socks and incense sticks though (Nintendo Wii Fit stars catalogue) or endless streams of additions until their major next release.

Maybe it's good that they're giving us more choice. Or maybe and probably more likely, they just want to keep their arms shoulder deep in our cash.
Comments

Replies: 1 Comment

By CloudANDTidus on Saturday, June 14th:

While these "expansion" packs and variety of packages (Rock Band, Rock Revolution) might be giving the consumer more choice, its sad to see this all happening in such a short period of time (how many different versions of Guitar Hero will there be this year?).

The reality of it all is the companies are trying to squeeze as much cash out of a surprise success (Konami made Guitar games years ago but thought the west wouldn't like it) before people loose interest. And this is killing the genre.

Hardware in-compatibility, song exclusives and cash-ins are going to destroy something that originated as a small, fun idea. And that's sad. ;-;