Bandai Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin series of drum-based rhythm games has appeared on every major console this generation, but none more than Nintendo Switch. Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival marks the franchise’s fourth Switch entry. This installment kicks things up a notch with the new 4-player co-op DON-Chan Band mode, the addictive G...
Ah, fall (in the Northern Hemisphere)... the weather starts to cool, the leaves begin to change, and the holiday video game releases loom on the horizon. While the start of summer typically marks developers and publishers hyping up the gaming community with big announcements for what's to come in a year (or two or three) via digital presentations and "Keigh3," the fall is when we usually get teasers of more immediate releases. For example, the September Nintendo Direct dropped yesterday and not only did it finally give a full name and release date for the next Zelda game (The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, May 12, 2023), but there are four new co-op games, two remastered co-op games, and one existing co-op title that are coming to the Switch within the next 6 months.
Bandai Namco's Taiko no Tatsujin is a delightful music game series featuring optional drum controllers. The series always makes for a great time; we had a blast with Taiko no Tatsujin: The Drum Master on Xbox. Drumming with friends is even more fun than going solo, of course, which makes the release date announcement for Taiko no Tatsujin: Rhythm Festival all the more exciting. When Rhythm Festival arrives on Nintendo Switch in September, it will feature 4-player local co-op.
Try time-traveling 30 years into the future and see how well you can wrap your head around it. Gaijin Games has finally released the official trailer of their latest installment, Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, showing off Commander Video’s strange warp into the realm of 3D.
The Wii U library may be slightly limited for now, but come early into next year Nintendo will be unleashing sequel to a Wii Ware title favorite, Bit.Trip Runner! Not only is Gaijin Games bringing Commander Video back for a second helping of track-star feats, but they have added a new co-op mode in Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien that will be featured in the Wii U version!
The causes of the great video game crash of 1983 were complex, but over-saturation of the market and poor quality game releases were major factors in the outcome. In the past two years, the once thriving music game industry went through a similar downturn. At one point, the genre seemed invincible, and yet it still crashed, hard. The similarities between the great video game crash of 1983 and the demise of the music genre are impossible to ignore.
Harmonix has confirmed that there will be no new Rock Band game this year. They have no immediate plans for a sequel, but are currently working on new concepts to advance the Rock Band franchise. The good news for all you Rock Band fans out there is that there's plenty of DLC planned for this year instead. Reportedly, tracks from Ozzy Osbourne, Lady Gaga, and the Foo Fighters are planned to be available for download later this month.
Big news from Harmonix today: the complete set list for Rock Band 3 has been revealed! It's an excellent mix of tunes across five decades, and with the addition of keyboards, there's a bit more pop included. Don't worry, though, there's still plenty of rock and roll. We've also got a trailer featuring the new keyboard gameplay. But seriously, why are you still reading this? Check out the track list and tell us what you think!
The demo for the latest band-centric music game, Green Day: Rock Band, is now available for download. XBLA and PSN users can check out "Welcome to Paradise" and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" to decide whether this title is worth the gaming buck this unusually busy summer season. But a preview of the upcoming Green Day game isn't the most interesting part of the demo.
Microsoft has launched a brand new dedicated music store section to Xbox Live featuring all the music downloads for Rock Band, Guitar Hero and the Lips franchises.
The sales numbers for DJ Hero are in, and they are disappointing at best. 122,300 copies of the game were sold across all platforms. That's very low for a music game, especially one that was as heavily promoted as DJ Hero. Ars Technica attempted to explain the low sales, and fans of co-op will likely appreciate this particular reason:
LEGO Rock Band. It's a mix of two of the greatest casual game franchises. What could have been just a cookie cutter track pack is actually an innovative addtion to the Rock Band franchise. Adorable characters, hilarious cut scenes, and a fun song list will keep people of all ages interested. For Co-Op Casual Friday this week, we bring you our full review!
