No, we are not actually at E3 right now, but everyone is still talking about yesterday's big news - some in less healthy fashion than others.

For those who don't know, the Microsoft press conference kicked off E3 and, for most of it, it was a surprise-free affair - they discussed numerous games that had already been announced, including Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5 (which, according to some observers, has received a whitewash), Rock Band 2 (now with asskicking tracklist!), Lips, and Fable 2. They announced a partnership with Netflix which will allow people to watch movies on their 360s, which is cool. Towards the end, they brought out some people from Square Enix, who talked about some previously announced games, like Star Ocean. But then just before the show ended they dropped a bombshell: Final Fantasy XIII, previously considered one of the last reasons to purchase a PS3 over any other system, will be coming to the 360. Undoubtedly, this is a huge blow to Sony - the PS3 was just starting to find its footing here in the states. We'll have to see what their response will be today at their press conference.

With E3 coming next week and the fall - the video game world's equivalent of summer blockbuster season - approaching more rapidly than you realize, we're going to start to see more and more news and trailers emerge in the weeks and months to come. Today, Entertainment Weekly has the trailer for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. As it is both hotly-anticipated and Star Wars-related, we're resigning ourselves to the idea that it will inevitably disappoint, but it's a pretty good trailer. We can't embed it for some reason, but clicking on that pic of Vader (a still from the trailer) will take you there. Or you can click here. Either way, really.

Recently, Phoenix contributor Mitch Krpata expressed some concern about Rock Band 2 on his personal blog, Insult Swordfighting. To summarize: Krpata was concerned that a sequel to Rock Band coming less than a year on the heels of the original would function more as an expansion pack - meaning plenty of new songs, venues, and character customization options, but few genuine innovations. As such, the whole thing could be downloadable (a sentiment I agree with.) 

Today, the AV Club's Chris Dahlen (also a one-time contributor to the Phoenix) reports on a visit to Harmonix that resulted in some hands-on time with the game. And while he does describe some neat things, he also doesn't completely allay the fears expressed by Krpata and others.

Rock Band 2 does feature some almost necessary refinements, like customizable setlists, online tour mode, and non-linearity. And the drum lessons sound really cool. It will not, however, feature any user-generated content, which is a bit of a disappointment, particularly considering that feature's existence in Guitar Hero World Tour. 

Harmonix's Greg LoPiccolo did tell Dahlen about something else cool, though, that would enable up and coming independent bands to use the game as a platform to release their material to the world:

"We have a very ambitious indie initiative that’s cooking now. It’s not really ready for any detailed announcement. But long-term, we see that as a significant component of the Rock Band universe, that gets used actively by the independent music community to debut new material. We think that it’s an ideal way for people to explore new music."

Now that is an idea with potential. That could be a real boost to both game and band. And it sounds preferable to the idea of millions of teenagers trying to create "TEH HARDEST GUITAR SOLO EVAR OMGZZ!!1!", which is what some (okay, me) believe GH:WT's create-a-song will result in. Contrary to popular belief, writing a song isn't exactly easy, and there's only so much you can do with a five-button guitar. So, despite surface appearances, it's possible that Harmonix is ultimately taking the better path here. That said, LoPiccolo's statements also would seem to suggest that none of this will be ready to go when this version of the game launches. Presumably we'll hear more about this and other things at E3, though.

None of this changes the central concern - that all of this would be almost preferable as downloadable content. If for no reason other than to allow people to say "thanks, but no" to the long-rumored appearance of Linkin Park. And perhaps the most disappointing news? There still won't be any Zeppelin. 

So Guitar Hero IV is getting a lot of press these days. But what about Rock Band? 

Rock Band 2 hasn't officially been announced, but the speculation has already begun. As Rock Band fan, we'd like to add our two cents, while also acknowledging that we trust Harmonix and suspect they don't actually need our help.

1. Backwards compatibility
According to the Wired blog, this one's a go, but it has to be treated as rumor at this point without the official word from Harmonix HQ. If it's true, it would be a no-brainer - the instruments are expensive, and take up a lot of space. So why make people spend another $170 on another drum kit, especially since - contrary to popular opinion - quite a few people will find room in their lives for both another Rock Band and another Guitar Hero. 

Similarly, the songs released as downloadable content should be compatible with the sequel as well. Why make people swap out discs if they want to rock "Peace of Mind"?

2. Bring World Tour Mode online
This was one of the biggest complaint about Rock Band was its lack of an online version of Band World Tour Mode. People can play online in quickplay mode, but to do the multi-player world tour, you had to have your bandmates in the room with you. Harmonix chalked it up to technical issues. Perhaps they can be fixed now?

3. Non-gimped create-a-song mode
People can disagree about the relative merits of Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero all they want, but ultimately the easy way to look at it is that Guitar Hero caters more to people looking for something challenging and Rock Band is more for people looking for something closer to the authentic musical experience. With that in mind, we were skeptical when we heard about Guitar Hero's impending create-a-song feature. Would it really be an actual attempt at some quality music-making, or would it just be an excuse for people to make a solo that will be near-impossible to play? What would these songs actually sound like?

Having now seen a screenshot of it, we have to admit: it looks pretty cool. On the surface, it looks like they've at least attempted to idiot-proof it so that only a minimum amount of actual music theory will be required to make something decent. Guitar Hero's version doesn't have vocals, so Harmonix could win by simply doing that in theory. But we propose an alternate theory: our thinking is that, consciously or unconsciously, the ommission of vocals is an act of charity. Have you heard most people sing? Maybe Harmonix wouldn't necessarily be better served by simply incoprorating those.

Instead, here's a radical proposal: let people upload songs they've written and recorded.

The concern with uploads is that people will upload copyrighted materials. But how exactly is that alleviated by letting users input their own songs? It would seem doubtful that GHIV's create-a-song mode will be smart enough to recognize that some industrious gamer has just "created" "Stairway to Heaven" in its entirety and shared it across XBox Live. In other words, no matter what, songs that aren't licensed for the game will appear in the game. The more likely reason both companies are reluctant to allow uploads is that once people have uploaded songs from their library, they would be less likely to purchase those songs if they're ever sold as downloadable content. A possible solution could be the use of audio fingerprinting technology. It'd be ambitious, but it could work.

4. Counter-programming
We don't want to say too much about this for two reasons. First, all discussions like this boil down to personal taste, which is obviously subjective, and Harmonix actually does need to sell copies of this game. We're not going to pretend that the public at large would line up to play a game consisting of only songs that can be heard on our iPod. Second, Harmonix, generally speaking, gets it. They don't need our help on what songs to pick for the game. That said, with GHIV's soundtrack looking decidedly mainstream so far, it might be interesting for Harmonix to go in the opposite direction. Rock Band did a solid job of this - Radiohead, The Pixies, Nirvana, Sonic Youth, REM, The Cars, and Blur all work as "the idea." But then the Jimmy Buffett pack is, uh, not. Even if the sales figures ultimately prove me wrong. 

Just one more suggestion, though - maybe tone down the 90s obsession a bit? There are plenty of artists currently working this decade that make music that would be perfect for Rock Band: Spoon, My Morning Jacket, The Raconteurs, The National, TV on the Radio, The Hold Steady, Mastodon, Wilco, Torche... the list goes on. But again: you guys knew that already.

Also more of the songs that were in Guitar Hero II! We want to play "Free Bird" for real.

5. No physical disc for those who already have the first Rock Band
There's no reason this couldn't all be downloadable. Why not make it so? Who wants to go to a store? Too bad EA will never allow this one to happen, because it could be a whole new way for game companies in general to do business.

-- Ryan Stewart

The new issue of Game Informer Magazine has the scoop, reported by a poster on the NeoGAF forum and picked up by Kotaku: Guitar Hero IV will feature drumming and vocals. What an original idea! 

To be totally fair, it does seem like a logical next step, and it's not like Harmonix invented the idea, either. Drum and guitar sims have existed in arcades in both Japan and the West for a long time now. Still, it's hard not to look at this with a cynical eye when you consider that this will come out roughly a year after the release of a successful game that already did a great job with the same thing. It will be released by a company that didn't do such a hot job with a similar product - Guitar Hero III was not just a bloated, garish sellout, it also felt rhythmically wrong somehow, like they weren't even bothering to keep time when they construct the note charts. To top it off, there's no way this will be compatible with Rock Band's drumkit, so you'll have to shell out another $200 for another set of plastic drums. Even if it manages to improve on some of the problems with the Rock Band kit - specifically, noise and sturdiness - it's still tough for the average gamer to justify.

The article also says there will be a create-a-song feature in GHIV, which sounds admittedly cool on its surface. But ultimately we'll have to see how actually functional it is; composing a full song with only five buttons might be more trouble than it's actually worth.

But Activision does show that they're still on the forefront of musical taste with their lineup of already-announced artists for the new game: Van Halen, the Eagles, Linkin Park, and Sublime! It's like a frat party in 2001!