FredEffinChopin Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 I've always found the guitar hero drumming interesting because I fucking suck at it. I've played drums for about 5 years, been in about 5 bands, wrote a lot of my own parts and songs, but I cannot for the life of me get the guitar hero/rock band drums. Every time I've tried them I've only been able to do a passing job on songs I already know all the parts to on an actual drum kit, and even then I couldn't get the fills. I genuinely respect people who can "get" the rock band drums, mostly because it's similar enough to real drums, but at the same time nothing like it. I can tell you for sure I'd do a lot better if there was just a little bit near whatever was supposed to be the hi-hat that told me whether I should play quarter notes or eighth notes etc. Yeah,the two are totally different worlds, besides being (despite the exclusion of a hi-hat, or any left foot activity) strikingly similar in execution. Creating sound is totally different than mimicking the physical motions that create them. RB is like karaoke where a drill sergeant with an eagle-eye is heckling you. If/when one gets used to it, playing a familiar tune can feel somewhat natural, and I often can get into it physically almost as if I'm playing, but more often it is more of a challenge than something that flows naturally. The good side of that for me was that it forced me to do things I wouldn't have done, even were I to cover the song with a group. Personally, as I'm not and never have been the most disciplined (?) drummer, if I was faced with something I couldn't pull off entirely accurately, I would just do something that sounded similar enough, rather than try to teach myself something new or familiarize myself with something that is awkward to me on the spot. RB definitely stepped my game up in some ways thanks to that gamer score-chasing/perfection mentality. The thing that makes it really annoying in certain songs, is that you know the drummer you're mimicking probably never played this the same exact way twice. Radar Love is a good example of it, twice in one song. All the dancing around on the ride isn't something that was likely deliberately written note-for-note, the drummer is just having a good time. Where one could do something indiscernible to most people while playing that song, making it an EXACT copy can make that a very challenging thing to accomplish. The second time Radar Love showcases the shortcoming of RB drums, is the end where the drummer just starts going nuts and sporadically rolling all over the place while the song breaks down. It's a little too much to be expected to perfectly duplicate someone else's wild and random playing. In my opinion anyway. The first couple of times I very briefly tried it out at friends' houses when the first RB came out, I was totally lost. Not only because the fact that reading instructions was totally unnatural seeming, but because I'm used to keeping the time as a drummer, not adapting to someone else's, or playing along to a metronome. The other problem, I came to realize later, was that (in the case of the songs I knew, which was all I attempted) my tendency was to play along as I would with the song, which doesn't fly in easy-hard modes. When I finally decided to order a RB2 bundle last summer, I decided that my best approach might be to just start playing at expert, where things would play the way they sound, and it certainly worked out. Made for a rough first week or so with a lot of songs, but most of it came more naturally than when I messed around with other difficulties. I'm fascinated by how useful of a tool it can be for learning actual drums. I have a friend with no previous drumming experience who plays on expert, and has a pretty respectable record. I had been expressing interest in seeing him try to play drums in the studio for months, and just recently he told me he had went to the studio a few times with some friends. What I didn't see coming at all was that he said he was following along with rock band tracks on the phone to aid in the drumming. While something like that did occur to me, it didn't stop it from sounding really weird. I plan on going with him the next time he and his friends jam, to observe and (hopefully) offer some tips. While I can't call it a drum trainer, the game certainly does have some sort of potential to give people a huge head start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted July 19, 2011 Report Share Posted July 19, 2011 Oh, man. Drumming Fire (live or studio) by The Jimi Hendrix Experience is nuts. About half the song is effectively fills and Mitch Mitchell went all out on some of those. The pace of the song does not help either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCP Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I bought Borderlands and all the DLC for 15 bones tonight. Anyone else play this on PS3? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saturnine Tenshi Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Finished ending "B" in NieR. Really, it didn't make me feel like an asshole or bearer of ignominy. I was doing what I had to do, just as they were. If I was in the hero's position and still understood, I'd be swinging my sword with abandon. Nothin' like lambastin' in the name of subjective righteousness! Presently working on the trophies for weapon upgrades, so that's a real bitch. Farming rare materials. >.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WTF Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 I'm trying to finish Enslaved and get over my apathy for the game. I reached a lot and quit it because the story was convoluted tripe and I couldn't take it anymore. I find it sad that people hailed it for its storytelling when that story has been told better before. But still I bought the damn game and DLC and will finish it soon (I hope). Outside of that Bloodlines, Eschalon, Shogun 2, New Vegas DLCs and LoS DLCs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted July 20, 2011 Report Share Posted July 20, 2011 Enslaved was quite a disappointment for me too. If you want an example of a padded game that isn't an RPG, there you go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4: Gritty Reboot Posted July 22, 2011 Report Share Posted July 22, 2011 Dungeons of Dredmor Breath of Death VII Supreme Ruler: Cold War Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorgiShinobi Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 I'm finally taking a whack at WipeOut HD + Fury. I'm getting the hang of it, but I'm still playing on Novice. Might bump it up if I keep getting Golds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 (edited) I thought Enslaved was pretty decent. Nothing mind blowing, but well worth the 20 bucks I paid. I did not get the DLC, though. At some point I should probably take some cash and instead of buying a new game, spend it on SP DLC I've been meaning to get. Off the top of my head, I need to get Dead Space 2: Severed, Pringe of Persia: Epilogue, ACB: Da Vinci Disappearance and the Enslaved one. Anyway, I've been keeping at the Rock Band Drums, though the difficulty curve on hard proved a bit steep. Shortly after making my previous post about it, I went from playing songs just fine to suddenly failing within seconds So I've taken a slight break from it. I still play daily, but I've went back down to medium and play mostly for fun rather than challenge. In other games, I've been mostly focusing on BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger this past week. I finally managed to beat the insanely hard score attack mode earlier tonight and now I'm only two trophies shy of the plat! Just gotta finish up the stories to unlock the true ending, and grind another 40 or so ranked matches online. Online is pretty dead, though. Maybe half a dozen people doing ranked fights on a good day. Had to grind most of the online trophies with Kovach_ Edited July 24, 2011 by FLD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Anyway, I've been keeping at the Rock Band Drums, though the difficulty curve on hard proved a bit steep. Shortly after making my previous post about it, I went from playing songs just fine to suddenly failing within seconds So I've taken a slight break from it. I still play daily, but I've went back down to medium and play mostly for fun rather than challenge. Why not play in practice mode or with No Fail on? With the latter you can at least see where you would fail but you can at least keep playing to see if any tricky parts suddenly 'click'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 That's not a bad idea,. I'd probably stick to quickplay for such practice, though. When I was going through the setlist on hard, I was doing the career challenges, and doing those with no-fail feels like cheating :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Yeah, I never play the career stuff. I don't really see the point, especially the way it's changed in 3. And I have a load of DLC that I have too much fun playing anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxicitizen Posted July 24, 2011 Report Share Posted July 24, 2011 Yeah, same here. I have a bit under 500 songs total (including previous game exports), but the completionist in me wants to keep working at those challenges hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thorgi Duke of Frisbee Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Bastion. One moment almost brought me to tears, and now I understand what gamers talk about when they mention "their moment", but I can't really talk about it with anyone who hasn't played up to the part I have. It's too good to be spoiled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P4: Gritty Reboot Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Frickin' Half-Life 2 Deathmatch. Aaaaaabsolutely wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Crysis 2. I'm to the part where you fight mostly (or maybe nothing but?) aliens and I feel like strategy has gone out of the window completey. Okay, not completey, but Stealth seems pretty done for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luftwaffles Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Borderlands. Again, this time on PC. And you know, I still feel like I haven't really found every type of gun that algorithm can generate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrainHurtBoy...2 Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Mass Effect 1. Trying to do a replay of it and ME2 before ME3 hits. I'll probably stick to this, Dragon Age: Origins and my Bastion NG+ until Deus Ex: Human Revolution hits. I'll do two playthroughs of that, finish up the MEs, then dive into Skyrim and ME3. This schedule would feel a lot better if I didn't know I was going to ignore it totally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faiblesse Des Sens Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Good lord you're playing nothing but huge games! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanb Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Playing Final Fantasy XIII again. Well, I didn't finish last time (cos of uni). I'm in Palumpolum, Hopes home. So about half an hour or so away from his dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hot Heart Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Been playing Gears of War 2 with a friend who hasn't completed the game before. We finished the first game the other day but the fool had switched the difficulty right down to casual for the last section. We'd done the toughest parts on hardcore already! I guess that gets it out of the way but I wanted to re-earn the achievements I'd got when I played on my old offline account many years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 Bastion, Fallout: New Vegas, Minecraft and heroes of Newerth. Bastion is so far quite amazing. Only played about an hour in, but it's great stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baconrath Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 I borrowed my brother's copy of Final Fantasy Tactics, in which I will probably over-level to my doom. Algus is a douche. I'm right before the first Elite Four fight in Pokemon Black (which got shafted in terms of version exclusives, imho) and I've started another New Vegas playthrough while avoiding finishing Dead Money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FMW Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 I'm playing Ocarina of Time 3D and enjoying it. I'm always amazed just how much content was crammed into that game. I never have found all the skull tokens or all the soft earth patches, and I'm sure there are other side quests I haven't found and don't even know exist. I'm also playing Mega Man Zero Collection. There's a big big problems with Mega Man Zero, you can't restart a level when you die, you need to go back to the last place you saved. Mega Man Zero is STUPID hard. This is making progress... frustrating. MMZ 2, 3, and 4 all fixed this though, so I'm just trying to motivate myself to power through it so I can get to the rest of the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vargras Posted August 21, 2011 Report Share Posted August 21, 2011 Been playing Lord of the Rings Online with the GF - it's surprisingly well-polished for a F2P MMO, but after I found out Turbine was involved, I wasn't too surprised. Not complaining about that though. Definitely playing Human Revolution once it comes out, though. I've got it preloaded and everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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