IGN's Guitar Hero World Tour Review... 7.9 (for silly reasons)?

[Frodaddyg]

.jayderyu said:
Last I heard it was MTV and EA that were interested to expand the experience. However there is no word if Harmonix was already in developement for a band game. It's an easy assumption that they werent, but it's unlikely that it wasn't already brought to the table. I also don't recall anyone from Harmonix jumping ship or mentniong it. I am focusing on what was on the develepment table. What your saying is that NO ONE that isn't from Harmonix was part or considered a band game. Also your mistaking wanting to and allowed to much. You even contradict your statement. Activision wanted more GH. Neversoft had ample oppertunity. Doesn't work that way. If Activision wanted more GH. Then NS didn't have ample oppertunity.

It seems more likely when the main developers who had the experience already were bought up(willingly or not) only left behind design documentation. Ala why GHWT main system seems like RB1 from what I hear. NS wasn't ready to design RB and were limited by Activision wanting a straight GH(more assumption).

Also to be fair NS is pushing Harmonix hand just as much. Though you are right about that. Harm made an excellent game. Forces NS to make a band game. The extra features, bigger name, etc... forces Harm to release RB2 earlier. But could only do so with a serious focus on only 1 console.

Anyways, admit it. We are both speculating, but I'm trying to approach the what if's from a longer stand point of game design.

In regards to "Harmonix not aspiring to make a band game." From June of 2007:

IGN: Has the concept for Rock Band been something that Harmonix has been working on for a while?

Alex Rigopulos: The concept itself has been gestating here for many years, but honestly, before Guitar Hero, the market for music games in the US was so small that it simply wasn't realistic for us to consider building a game of Rock Band's magnitude. Of course, after Guitar Hero exploded, everything changed, and it quickly became apparent that it was finally time for us to swing for the fences. So we've been working on Rock Band more or less since we finished the original Guitar Hero.

So, since the end of 2005 to beginning of 2006. Hardly an idea forced on them by EA/MTV.

And Activision wanted straight-forward GH last year. This year, they knew they had to up the ante, or be lost in Rock Band's wake. That's not contradictory, that's just common sense. Neversoft had no problem giving Activision what they wanted last year, and this year, they had their hand forced into making a full band game. If Activision didn't want a band game, I'm sure there would have been no questioned asked, and Neversoft would have launched Guitar Hero: Stryper & Friends this week instead of World Tour. If Tony Hawk taught us anything, it's that Neversoft is entirely content to run something into the ground if it makes money.