Ph0X wrote:
elite beat agent? audiosurf? ddr?
Nowadays, when people say "music game," they're referring to the "toy instruments" genre which includes RB, GH, and clones of RB and GH. I hate that, it sucks, and people who do it are stupid, but that's what he means and in that sense, RB3 does appear to genuinely be the largest step forward in this sector of the genre since it was initiated in GH1. I do agree that there have been abstracted music games that have been more inventive, but RB3 will likely be the game that brings the most to the table in terms of representational instrument simulation.
Ph0X wrote:
I still believe that the display for the keyboard will be unreadable.
I don't think so. I mean, you can see it in the screenshots:
The second picture is only 490 pixels wide, and the keys in the track are pretty distinguishable. If you're playing with a full band on a CRT television, you might have some trouble, but in all other situations you should be fine. The colored sections also help break it down into a more easily digestible chunks. Having the keyboard lanes shift to show different parts of the keyboard will be an interesting element.
Not to mention that you can start on Easy Pro keyboard and work your way up, or if you hate new things you can play the non-pro keyboard mode, which just uses 5 keys GH-style, or you can even play non-pro keyboard parts on a guitar controller if you don't want to buy new stuff.
For readability, I am more worried about the "Pro Guitar" mode, with all its tiny strings and numbers, but again starting on Easy Pro and working one's way up should help to overcome those mental hurdles so it's not too overwhelming. Although I don't think I'll buy either of the new guitar controllers, at least not right away.
