Guitar Hero and U2: Two Great Tastes That Go Great Together?

[nirniva]

That said, I think the Fly would simply rock on Guitar Hero / Rock Band.

This needs to happen.
Also, I got a reply from Neversoft! Well, sort of...

"Thank you for contacting Neversoft Entertainment.

Your e-mail is important to us and we are committed to providing you with a timely and thorough response.
(Like hell you are, Neversoft.)
If your e-mail requires follow-up, we will respond shortly.
(Uh-huh, sure.)
If your matter relates to customer service or technical support, please see below for help.

For assistance with Guitar Hero®III: Legends of Rock or (this part goes on forever, so I've cut it out...)


Thank you for your support.
(No, thank YOU, Neversoft.)

You know, I think what really annoys me about these form letters is how...faux-polite they are. Just once, I want to get a form letter that says, "This is Neversoft. We don't care about your insignificant little opinion. In fact, we can't even be bothered to read it. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to get back to rolling in piles of money."
Yes, it would be rude, but it would be honest.

 

[nirniva]

Oh, that was so nice of you. I bet Principle management will offer you a percentage for doing part of their job.

I was just making a suggestion, and decided that they might be more willing to listen to me if I had something from the new album as an example.
Plus, I was hoping that one of the guys who read it was a U2 fan who I could bribe with the beach clips.

 

[nirniva]

Finally, re: the simplicity of U2's guitar. These games make the guitar parts as simple or difficult as they want. That's why you can play songs on any level. It is the game designer who decides how many notes you actually have to hit, and how difficult the song is within the game. It is really irrelevant how easy or difficult the song is in real life.

That said, I think the Fly would simply rock on Guitar Hero / Rock Band.

That seconded. Besides, think about it: they'll have to do SOMETHING to make up for the ridiculously punishing vocal parts.
Think you can hit the high C? Prove it.

EDIT: Sorry, I have no idea how to use multiquote.

 

[GibsonExplorer]

That seconded. Besides, think about it: they'll have to do SOMETHING to make up for the ridiculously punishing vocal parts.
Think you can hit the high C? Prove it.

EDIT: Sorry, I have no idea how to use multiquote.

Bono's vocal technique is just to scream out the high notes or go to a falsetto. He's never hit a high C (C6 - 2 octaves above middle C) in his life, only sopranos can get there. Anyone can nail the high notes on U2 songs at a lower volume without needing to go to a lower key. Like take I Still Haven't Found... and sing that song gently instead of yelling out every note, and you'll find you can hit all the notes correctly. Punishing? I don't think so. You won't sound like Bono but you'll get the score you want.

 

[AtomicBono]

Actually, it's people like you who are losing their grasp on what "fun" is. Seems to me that only us elitist fruitcakes know that "fun" isn't six to eight hours a day of pointless button mashing.

Uh, how many people do you know who play GH for 6-8 hours a day? I think playing any video game for that long all the time is ridiculous.

Bono's vocal technique is just to scream out the high notes or go to a falsetto. He's never hit a high C (C6 - 2 octaves above middle C) in his life, only sopranos can get there. Anyone can nail the high notes on U2 songs at a lower volume without needing to go to a lower key.

uhhh...tell that to my friend who couldn't sing Vertigo.

Bono has quite a range. It'd be a challenge to sing some U2 songs.

U2 would be stupid to pass on something like this. I posted this a while back, but I teach guitar lessons and can't believe the number of songs my students know, only because of Guitar Hero / Rock Band. Songs and artists they would never have cared about otherwise, but because they are on these games, they are suddently "cool" and the students take an interest in their music.

Guitar Hero / Rock Band has done more to revitalize the rock and roll industry in the past couple of years than anything else. At least, that is the case in the U.S. U2 would be foolish, especially with the new album fast approaching, to not at least offer a couple of songs (from any of their albums) on these games for download.

Finally, re: the simplicity of U2's guitar. These games make the guitar parts as simple or difficult as they want. That's why you can play songs on any level. It is the game designer who decides how many notes you actually have to hit, and how difficult the song is within the game. It is really irrelevant how easy or difficult the song is in real life.

That said, I think the Fly would simply rock on Guitar Hero / Rock Band.

i agree with every word in this post

The point of Guitar Hero is: it's a GAME. not a substitute for real guitar. BUT it also definitely is extremely beneficial for the bands in the game. take The Fall of Troy. they gained a ton of popularity because F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X. was a bonus track on GH3 - before that almost no one had heard of them, and now a lot of people at least know that song. It's a great way for artists to get exposure.


for the record, I'm a guitarist. I consider myself to rock pretty hard. At GH, I'm mediocre. but I enjoy it. I'm NOT a drummer, but I enjoy playing drums on Rock Band (though I'd say at the more difficult levels that's probably a lot more like real drums than guitar will ever be on those games). They're not replacements for the real thing anymore than any other video game. Do people that are good at Dance Dance Revolution assume they're overall good dancers? I hope not. similar concept.

 

[GibsonExplorer]

Uh, how many people do you know who play GH for 6-8 hours a day? I think playing any video game for that long all the time is ridiculous.

I'm guessing you haven't heard about the fellow who dropped out of high school to play Guitar Hero fulltime. That's just one example of the lunacy that I'm ranting against. All of my idiot cousins play this game on a daily basis for hours on end. I'm sure they'll get tired of it eventually, but I remember thinking that to myself three months ago and it still hasn't come true.

uhhh...tell that to my friend who couldn't sing Vertigo.

Bono has quite a range. It'd be a challenge to sing some U2 songs.

Now I'm not saying anyone can sing U2 songs--just anyone who can sing the alphabet song on-key. Vertigo is hardly a good example of a difficult vocal performance. WOWY is probably the most difficult U2 song to sing, but again, every note on the song can be sung at a moderate volume instead of shouted out. For example, the Edge's version of Sunday Bloody Sunday is the perfect example of how to sing U2 songs at a lower volume. Bono's shouting on the original version makes it sounds like the notes are impossibly high, but in actuality, it's not. The same applies to all U2 songs. If you really analyze Bono's vocal performances, his range is quite limited, especially these days. However, Bono's delivery is certainly very appealing, and it is one of major reasons U2 has been so successful.

 

[AtomicBono]

I'm guessing you haven't heard about the fellow who dropped out of high school to play Guitar Hero fulltime. That's just one example of the lunacy that I'm ranting against.

I have heard of this. That's an extreme example. I agree that it's absolutely ridiculous, but how many other cases are like that? I don't know anyone who plays the game on a daily basis for anywhere close to that long, and I know plenty of people who play it.

Now I'm not saying anyone can sing U2 songs--just anyone who can sing the alphabet song on-key. Vertigo is hardly a good example of a difficult vocal performance. WOWY is probably the most difficult U2 song to sing, but again, every note on the song can be sung at a moderate volume instead of shouted out. For example, the Edge's version of Sunday Bloody Sunday is the perfect example of how to sing U2 songs at a lower volume. Bono's shouting on the original version makes it sounds like the notes are impossibly high, but in actuality, it's not. The same applies to all U2 songs. If you really analyze Bono's vocal performances, his range is quite limited, especially these days. However, Bono's delivery is certainly very appealing, and it is one of major reasons U2 has been so successful.

Paging Peterrrrrrrr.

 

[nirniva]

I'm guessing you haven't heard about the fellow who dropped out of high school to play Guitar Hero fulltime. That's just one example of the lunacy that I'm ranting against.

Um...most of the pro-Guitar Hero people here ("here" being Earth) are nowhere near that level of obsession. Personally, I only play it for 30 minutes or so a day. I just thought some U2 tracks (the aforementioned "The Fly", "Beautiful Day", and other songs along those lines) would be fun to play in Guitar Hero / Rock Band. That's all.