RockBand 4 at PAX West
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Harmonix at PAX West 2016, We went over all major changes since I last played. (The original) They were showing their new game modes “Rockudrama” and “Rivals” both seemed very entertaining and got me feeling the itch to be a part of it again. So lets briefly cover what we can expect with both these new modes.
So Rock Band Rivals is a new upcoming mode for Rock Band 4. The entire mode is focused around the Rivals HUB where you can join a “Crew” or create a “Crew”. This HUB allows you to see who in your crew is performing well and who is not, along with so much more. Rivals is based off an accumulated XP which is gained by performing weekly challenge songs, or spot light songs which will be indicated with new icons. As you and your crew preform better OR worse you will either be moved up in the ranking moving up the Rock Band ladder OR if you perform worse you will be moved down.
The Weekly challenge is made up of multiple songs and inside the Rivals HUB you can see who is performing the songs and how well they are doing. You are rewarded for playing the songs multiple times on all the instruments. If you play lets say “Cherub Rock” by the Smashing Pumpkins and you get 70,000 points on guitar but then replay on drums and get another 70,000 you’ll be adding a total of 140,000 to your crews overall XP. Now do that on guitar, bass, drums, and vocals you can see how the XP adds up quickly.
Spotlight songs are songs that as well will be adding extra XP to your crews challenge but may last longer than a week.
The part that caught my attention the most coming back in to the Rock Band scene was Rockudrama. Rockudrama is a new campaign esk mode where you and a few friends in high school decide to form a band and within thirty minutes of practicing are performing your first ever show. Based on a fake TV show series called “Beneath the Tunage” a fake “Behind the Scenes VH1” series where it tells the complete story of your band. Packed full of an origin story and many interviews with friends, fans, and acquaintances. It’s fun and more importantly it’s full of funny videos including Terry who just needs to shut up! You will have to make decisions based on your performances, either choosing to focus on money or fans, and betting that you can do better to get better rewards OR failing your bet and getting sent down a dark road.
If you want more information about Rock Band 4’s new upcoming additions please tune in to Plug and Play Podcast Episode 109 where you can hear directly from Harmonix Studio in a LIVE interview with myself and them covering these topics in much greater depth.
