Konami brings Rock Revolution to DS
Guitar Hero gets a rival. And this one lets you sing
We're beginning to suspect rock band games are going to be this year's equivalent of brain training. As in, they're just going to keep coming. Already we've had several iterations of Guitar Hero, which is now coming to DS later this year, and EA has Rock Band out any day now on home consoles. Now it's Konami's turn to get in on the rock act, announcing Rock Revolution for DS (and PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii).
Of course, Konami is keen to point out it is "the originator of music-based games". Which is true enough given its Beatmania and Dance Dance Revolution arcade background, but still, more rock? How about some Soft Metal or Ballad Revolution? Okay, maybe not.
Anyway, while announcing Rock Revolution at a press event Konami demonstrated the game on the home consoles and spoke a little about how it will work on DS.
Essentially the game includes all the instruments from your bog standard rock outfit: drums (which will apparently be the most concentrated on instrument), lead and bass guitar, and vocals. No peripherals have been announced for the DS version, so it's not going to use a Guitar Hero: On Tour style guitar fret add-on. Instead, playing instruments will be replicated in various ways using the DS stylus.
Some reports suggest that vocals will be handled using the DS microphone. We're not sure how sensitive the mic is to allow for the sort of scoring system used in games such as SingStar, but it'll be interesting to see how that will work. We can guarantee it certainly won't work at all when you're on the bus or train home from work. At least not until you get back to the privacy of your own home and can sing unashamedly.
The game is also said to support local multiplayer battles and co-operative play, similarly to Guitar Hero: On Tour, but it won't include the other online modes and track creation which are set to appear in the home console versions.
Track listings also haven't been confirmed, but the songs demoed at the press conference included 'Blitzkrieg Bop' by the Ramones, 'Chop Suey' by System of a Down and 'Run to the Hills' by Iron Maiden, which should give you a flavour of what to expect. Basically, plenty of hard rock sung by greasy haired, shouty men.
Rock Revolution is expected in the autumn. If it sounds like your sort of gig, click 'Track It!' to be kept up to date on this Guitar Hero rival – we'll let you know when more details and screenshots take to the stage.
