Music based games

[Alfdanm]

So as someone who is a music nut above all else when the very first guitar hero was announced I fell in love with the idea. Seeing how that series and the rock band series has seriously fallen off over the years I wonder what's everyone's thoughts on the genre. I'm counting that as everything from the aforementioned guitar hero and rock band to DJ Hero, parappa the rapper and games with actual instruments like Rocksmith

[Saskia]

Ok, I just couldn't help myself on this one. I'm a huge fan of Hatsune Miku and this song is just too cool (and it annoys a lot of people!). The game is Just Dance from Ubisoft.

[Spider Jerusalem]

Did anyone ever "play" MTV Music Generator? I know it isn't really a game but it was on the PS1 game console. It allowed you to create songs using prebuilt assets or to sample any CD and paste that into your song. It also allowed you to create a video background for the song you just made. On top of that you could save all of this on a memory card and take it to a friends house where you could share or listen to it with them. That game really got me into creating my own electronic music and really opened up the genres of music I didn't even know I liked.

SJ

[Merlin]

Rhythm games are a steady genre with a strong cult fanbase, actually. For example Groove Coaster came out on Steam not too long ago, and I've had fun with that (best played on a controller, fair warning). Another game tagged Rhythm that I haven't played but hear is good is Thumper, and someone else already mentioned Crypt of the Necrodancer for me.

The true issue, in reality? It's yet again one of those many, many genres primarily kept alive by Japan. So if you don't like anime girls doing anime girl things... you're gonna be disappointed. A lot of Western gamers can't stand an entirely Eastern style and thus a lot of legitimately good games in this genre go under the radar because of simple aesthetics. If you don't mind that, go ahead and get your hands on the Persona Dancing games in particular, I hear they're fantastic; but if you do, I'm sorry to say that the West doesn't really break into the genre often. The Guitar Hero / Rock Band series was the exception to that rule. If you're a fan of rhythm games but don't like the Japanese aesthetic you're hard out of luck.

Another problem is that all too many of these games come out exclusively for certain systems, and never make their way onto Steam. The Vita and DS both had a small but great library exclusive Rhythm games, actually, and I'm not entirely sure DS games even can be ported to Steam. So that's another messy issue with no easy answer.

I may try and compile a lost of good rhythm games some day, since it's so hard to find them without knowing about them. I want to find a few more myself, I'm very bad at rhythm games but I do love them.

pretty much this. A japanese arcade company set up an arcade place near me. Sadly its choices of real japanese machines is limited and expensive($2 per play), and most of the arcade is just crab claw machines or a bunch of car racing machines. But they have sound voltex, project Diva, and a few others which is good. Sadly I am not one to pay $2 for a single round on the machines. $1 is already too much IMO, but I'd at least pay that.

I never liked DDR myself. I can say that the genre is pretty niche and a big issue is song lists. If you don't like the genre or songs you are SoL even if the game is fun to you. So I think that often holds things back.

Now, if someone were smart enough to get a Japanese developer to design a game using American Hiphop and Rap, using the best music, that might actually work to break a new mold. I don't like that kind of music, but I know it would get a lot of people interested in the US and open people back up in general to the genre.

Another option would be for developers to stop caring so much about getting music from the top artists and bleed tens of thousands of dollars per song for the game. Find good, popular music that isn't classic and famous rock, and I think a good game could be made for western audiences. That is the thing, no one in Japan probably really listens to western music outside the top tracks, and the same for Japan outwards. No one know Japanese bands who aren't already into Japanese stuff in general. This is just the fact of language. Can't understand the lyrics? Why try to sell your music to people who don't understand, they wouldn't buy it!

Guitar Hero was fun sure, but it wasn't the end all be all. What really killed that was both rockband and guitar hero kept releasing games that were way to specific, like a JUST Beatles game? I mean sure they were good, but everyone likes a little variety. Over saturation, too many releases, people got bored. The GH3 arcade machine is actually pretty decent, but for some reason its $1 and you only get 1 song instead of the standard 3 like most games do(giving you a fourth if you do really well sometimes). So they failed to even transition to the arcade in a sane manner. Also no whammy bar, but you know...some 5 year old would inevitably poke their eye out with it.

[TheDorkyDane]

I am just saying.... These madmen decided to make a spanish guitar cover of "Crouching tigar." and set it in a Mexican inspired level with day of the dead skeletons and stuff.... SOLD!

[Saskia]

Haha, that's really cute!

[TheDorkyDane]

It is only a section of the game, but Rayman legends has AWESOME music stages.

I wish there were more games making levels like that, these levels are the best part of the entire game.
Check out these stages, and they play REALLY well as well. Ubisoft did good on this one.

[Gemini73]

I've still a copy of Fluid for the PS1 kicking about somewhere.

[Saskia]

My choice for music based mayhem - Audiosurf. This one uses the mouse for control, so it's harder than it looks!

[GeminiSprk]

Never was a fan of Parappa the Rapper. I prefer Gitaroo Man. The music was great and the idea of combat through the power of music pretty much sealed the deal. Not to mention the variety, the plot, THE FEELS! Rhythm Thief and Theaterhythm Final Fantasy were good too.

[Jokerthefoolio]

I played the demo of Voez it was pretty fun and Rockband on the 360 was a hoot

[Alfdanm]

With all the hd remastering of games these are games we need remastered

[Murray]

If I ever get my own house and get super rich, I'll import a DDR 8th mix Extreme to help me get in better shape.

[Alfdanm]

That sounds like fun I'm gonna look it up thankyou \m/

[Alfdanm]

Thankyou for the suggestions I'm gonna have to look these up someday \m/